Help us develop our property and hang out with our animals in British Columbia, Canada

  • Favourited 497 times
  • Last activity: 17 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are Janice and David. We are in our early 60’s. We own a small hobby farm of just over 4 acres in beautiful Fanny Bay, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Our three grown children live elsewhere in western Canada. Over the years we have traveled quite extensively throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia, but are now pretty tied to our hobby farm and business. We have a bunch of chickens as well as 4 alpacas and 2 llamas. We rescued two of the alpacas (Quia and Binky) about 5 years ago. They were very neglected and diseased, and we are so happy to have nursed them back to good health. They have since been joined by two healthy llamas (Pearl and Abby). In the spring of 2022 we welcomed alpacas Misty and Fizgig. And we have one cat, Simon, who came out of the woods and adopted us. He is the one who is really in charge of the whole place. We also own a dog and cat boarding business. Volunteers will have lots of opportunity to interact with the animals that are boarding with us.

    IMPORTANT: When you message us, please answer the following questions. We do not respond to messages that only provide your name and when you want to come.
    -What attracted you to our Workaway host profile?
    -What are you most hoping for in a volunteer stay with us?
    -How do you visualize being able to help us?
    -What kind of experience have you had with animals, gardening, and landscaping?

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn about life on rural Vancouver Island, taking care of llamas, alpacas, and chickens, helping with various tasks around the property, and spending time on a quiet, beautifully forested property. We look forward to welcoming volunteers into our home and sharing our lives with them, while also learning about them.
    We keep busy on our property, but the pace in this part of Vancouver Island is slow. People stop and talk, especially when we’re walking the alpacas around the neighborhood.

  • Help

    Help

    We have made up a rather lengthy list of projects we would like help with. Some of these tasks can be accomplished in a day or less, while others are likely to take much longer.

    Some of the larger projects include maintaining a walking trail in the forest around the perimeter of the property, various landscaping projects, planting and maintaining a large garden, and weeding.

    Smaller projects include helping around the house, power-washing, painting, chopping and stacking wood, harvesting and processing lavender, berry picking, cleaning up after the animals, and general maintenance and carpentry around the property.

    David really enjoys photographing the dogs and cats that board with us when time allows, and would like some assistance with this.

    Janice enjoys working as a fibre artist: spinning, knitting, crocheting, and is happy to share her knowledge.

    Volunteers are expected to be friendly, honest, and respectful. While we are almost always on the property, volunteers should still be able to work independently. We also expect that volunteers be physically fit and able to take on a variety of tasks.

    You also need to love animals and be comfortable with them.

    We prefer volunteers to stay for a minimum of 2 weeks and to work a maximum of 25 hours a week. Longer stays are preferred.

    We are able to accept 2-3 volunteers at a time.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    German: Beginner

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We have two rooms available for volunteers. Depending upon the number of people staying with us it may be necessary to share one of the rooms. Our home only has one partial bathroom with toilet and sink, and full bathroom with shower, that will be shared.
    We provide groceries for 3 meals a day. If volunteers wish to have additional snacks between meals these will need to be purchased at your own expense. Volunteers are expected to prepare their own breakfast and lunch and to clean up after themselves. Dinner will be jointly prepared and eaten together.
    We are open to shared cooking and are happy to discuss what works best.
    We do our best to accommodate dietary needs.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Bus service is available to our community from Nanaimo and Courtenay/Comox. The nearest bus stop to our place is in Buckley Bay. We would be happy to pick you up there.

    A 5-minute walk from our property gets you to walking trails, a refreshing creek, the ocean, or the Fanny Bay Inn, a historic pub. The Denman and Hornby Island ferry terminal is 3 km away at Buckley Bay. These islands offer beautiful beaches, many hiking trails, wineries, and unique locally made arts and crafts. Rosewall Creek Provincial Park is a 5 minute drive away and Horne Lake Caves are within a 30 minute drive. Victoria is about 2.5 hours drive south, Tofino is about 2.5 hours west. Mount Washington, about 40 minutes to the north, offers excellent skiing and snowshoeing in winter and great hiking in the summer. There is limited local bus service, with a stop a few minutes walk from our place, which gets you to Courtenay (30 minutes). Tofino Bus and Island Link Bus companies travel throughout Vancouver Island and can be accessed from Buckley Bay. Depending upon our availability, we may be able to provide some transportation to area attractions. (David loves hiking and exploring the backcountry).
    Apart from the domestic animals that live with us, it is not uncommon to see eagles, deer, sea lions, seals, and whales in the area.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 25 hours a week

Host ref number: 449475331554

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Accuracy of profile: (5.0)

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