Join an aircraft aficionado and gardener in British Columbia, Canada
Last activity
: 14 Jun 2025
Profile information
Usually responds within 5 days
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
Details
Host ref number: 931759844853
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Feedback (5)
Left by Workawayer (Matteo) for host
I had the chance to meet Dennis and Jane through this WorkAway program, and I think I've had an encounter that will stay with me forever. They had originally proposed that I stay with them for four months, but I finally arrived at the end of August and left at the beginning of October, so I only stayed a little over a month. Honestly, to be
… read more honest, I would have really liked to have been able to stay without ever having to think about returning to France. They both made me feel at home from the very first day, and helped me find my feet.
I quickly felt at ease with their way of life and their expectations concerning the projects they wanted to carry out in my presence, because that's exactly what I was looking for. If you're passionate about aviation and cooking, you've found your home. If your thing is flying, mechanics, formula 1, gardening, carpentry, painting, cooking, or even more, you've found your home. Since my return to my family and friends, I've been saying that I've learned much more in aviation with Dennis and Jane than I did in the last two years for my PPL training. I still can't believe how much information I've discovered by listening to their stories and experiences all day long. I remember Dennis always telling me that I shouldn't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how simple, because he was so fond of them and eager to answer them.
These are people who have helped me a lot as a young 20-year-old French student with a lot of questions. I think we've really created a strong bond that I hope will last over time, because I appreciate them enormously. With this feedback, I'd like to thank them once again for the great experience I had with them, because they surpassed every expectation I could have had. Thank you for opening the doors of your life and your home to me, for telling me all those wonderful stories, both personal and funny, and for all those moments of laughter and sharing that will remain with me forever.
I highly recommend meeting Dennis and Jane, as they are wonderful people, very open when you get to know them, and very concerned about good things.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Matteo)
We hosted Matteo for 6 weeks during August and September 2024. What a great WorkAwayer! Cheerful, hardworking, thoughtful and intelligent. These are just a few of the positive characteristics that describe Matteo.
He was a great help during the reconstruction of our deck, offering well thought out solutions to some the problems we encountered.
… read more
When it came to aviation, his enthusiasm was never ending. We spent hours talking about the many aspects of aviation, history, design, maintenance, flying and others. He was like a sponge. He was a quick learner and was able to do quite a lot of work on an RV10 that I'm building. We went flying a few times in our Beech Sierra and he was careful and smooth while handling the plane.
We would gladly host Matteo again and we wish him much success in his future.
Left by Workawayer (Nicola) for host
I stay with Jane and Dennis 20 days in August it was a fantastic experience. They have been mega welcoming to me super helpful with my needs and requests. I helped them with small household chores, with the vegetable garden and I helped Dennis in the repair of a seaplane which was a fantastic experience. They also took me once a week on a trip to
… read more visit something nearby. Jane also helped me improve my English.
If you like nature and quiet places in the countryside I recommend you to visit Jane and DennisYou can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Joaquin ) for host
There are several things to comment on: Unfortunately I had to leave earlier than expected due to a family matter, but the two weeks I stayed were beautiful.
Language:
I was able to practice and improve my English thanks to the corrections they gave me. Almost every day, Jane wrote an English lesson for me on a small blackboard they have in the
… read more kitchen, very useful.
Springhouse:
It's hardly a town, it's incredibly small and isolated. There are around 40/50 houses I imagine, distributed in large lots, for which there is almost no interaction with neighbors. So if you are looking for tranquility, it is your place. On the contrary, if you are looking to socialize with people or nightlife, I do not recommend it.
Jane and Dennis: They are a very calm, friendly couple and they always respected my space inside their house.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Left by Workawayer (Matteo) for host
I had the chance to meet Dennis and Jane through this WorkAway program, and I think I've had an encounter that will stay with me forever. They had originally proposed that I stay with them for four months, but I finally arrived at the end of August and left at the beginning of October, so I only stayed a little over a month. Honestly, to be
… read more honest, I would have really liked to have been able to stay without ever having to think about returning to France. They both made me feel at home from the very first day, and helped me find my feet.
I quickly felt at ease with their way of life and their expectations concerning the projects they wanted to carry out in my presence, because that's exactly what I was looking for. If you're passionate about aviation and cooking, you've found your home. If your thing is flying, mechanics, formula 1, gardening, carpentry, painting, cooking, or even more, you've found your home. Since my return to my family and friends, I've been saying that I've learned much more in aviation with Dennis and Jane than I did in the last two years for my PPL training. I still can't believe how much information I've discovered by listening to their stories and experiences all day long. I remember Dennis always telling me that I shouldn't be afraid to ask questions, no matter how simple, because he was so fond of them and eager to answer them.
These are people who have helped me a lot as a young 20-year-old French student with a lot of questions. I think we've really created a strong bond that I hope will last over time, because I appreciate them enormously. With this feedback, I'd like to thank them once again for the great experience I had with them, because they surpassed every expectation I could have had. Thank you for opening the doors of your life and your home to me, for telling me all those wonderful stories, both personal and funny, and for all those moments of laughter and sharing that will remain with me forever.
I highly recommend meeting Dennis and Jane, as they are wonderful people, very open when you get to know them, and very concerned about good things.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Matteo)
We hosted Matteo for 6 weeks during August and September 2024. What a great WorkAwayer! Cheerful, hardworking, thoughtful and intelligent. These are just a few of the positive characteristics that describe Matteo.
He was a great help during the reconstruction of our deck, offering well thought out solutions to some the problems we encountered.
… read more
When it came to aviation, his enthusiasm was never ending. We spent hours talking about the many aspects of aviation, history, design, maintenance, flying and others. He was like a sponge. He was a quick learner and was able to do quite a lot of work on an RV10 that I'm building. We went flying a few times in our Beech Sierra and he was careful and smooth while handling the plane.
We would gladly host Matteo again and we wish him much success in his future.
Left by Workawayer (Nicola) for host
I stay with Jane and Dennis 20 days in August it was a fantastic experience. They have been mega welcoming to me super helpful with my needs and requests. I helped them with small household chores, with the vegetable garden and I helped Dennis in the repair of a seaplane which was a fantastic experience. They also took me once a week on a trip to
… read more visit something nearby. Jane also helped me improve my English.
If you like nature and quiet places in the countryside I recommend you to visit Jane and DennisYou can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Joaquin ) for host
There are several things to comment on: Unfortunately I had to leave earlier than expected due to a family matter, but the two weeks I stayed were beautiful.
Language:
I was able to practice and improve my English thanks to the corrections they gave me. Almost every day, Jane wrote an English lesson for me on a small blackboard they have in the
… read more kitchen, very useful.
Springhouse:
It's hardly a town, it's incredibly small and isolated. There are around 40/50 houses I imagine, distributed in large lots, for which there is almost no interaction with neighbors. So if you are looking for tranquility, it is your place. On the contrary, if you are looking to socialize with people or nightlife, I do not recommend it.
Jane and Dennis: They are a very calm, friendly couple and they always respected my space inside their house.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Nicolas) for host
I spent a little bit less of two months with Jane and Dennis.
It was my first experience as a Workawayer and I think I was spoiled... this is so good !
I don't know where to begin.
LOCATION:
Springhouse is a beautiful little place where neighbours are very friendly (like all canadians people) ! It's situated 30min from William's Lake which is
… read more the closest "big" city where we often go for shopping, grocery, etc..
The house is situated 50m from the grass runway, so if you like general aviation, you will love it ! The aerodrome is not busy at all so don't worry about the noise.
You we'll live on the basement of the house. You have your own room and bathroom whereas Jane and Dennis live upstairs.
The house, as well as the workshop are well heated (and it's necessary when it's -30°C outside on winter). The feild is very large, with a huge garden that goes all the way to th lake. I walked around few times to walked on the ice lake, and it was very nice !
HELPING:
I helped Jane and Dennis with little things at home like cooking (Jane is a really cooker ! and cooking teacher too !), house tasks like cleanning the pellets stove, or lighting the fireplace, clearing the snow outisde, etc.
I spent the most of my "helping time" in the workshop with Dennis (around 4-5h/day 5 or 6 days a week, it depends) because he is rebuilding and old aircraft (Ercoupe) and this is the principal activity here. If you love planes, and want to learn more things about it, Dennis we'll be your new best friend ! He is a very good teacher (as well as a good pilot and mechanic), and will explain to you what task to do, why etc.. He will also train you to use specific tools before using them on the aircraft for real. All of this listenning raggae music..YA MAN
You will probably work on other aircraft like Dennis' Beechcraft, and also those of the neighbours.
I also helped Jane with her creations, like help her to prepare a craft market, or instal things at the art gallery.
All of the tasks I did were VERY SIMPLE.
ACITIVITIES:
In the house, you will listen music, watch films ( they have a lot of films), play board games..
(If you like Formula 1, you are at the best place ever, because Jane and Dennis are crazy of it, don't worry you will not miss a race). You can also play with cat Derieck (miss you bro).
I went flying with Dennis 2 or 3 times in the region and it's was really awlsome ! Thank you again !
I went during 2 days in an other city because Dennis had an appointment, so it was nice to discover an over city.
I improved my english with chatting with Jane and Dennis but also thanks to Jane who is an english teacher, and who wrote me almost every day a new little "lesson" on the whiteboard. So I learnt new vocabulary, new expressions, how to use this tense , etc. Thank you for this again !
Sometimes we went to restaurant and once to casino !
JANE AND DENNIS:
Jane and Dennis are amazing people. It was a pleasure to share with them because they love receiving people, discover new cultures, etc. Even for me it was very nice to speak with them beacuse they travel a lot, live in different countries, and they are happy to share stories or things about countries with you. They were very patient with me and I learnt a lot of things in mechanics and planes,but also in english and in cooking because Jane teach me how to bake bread and cook differents recipes. Jane is a very very very good cooker and I ate a lot of different foods, all tasted very good. (Don't worry Dennis is a good cooker too).
Thank you again for this amazing adventure I will never forget !
I hope to see you again in BC or in France ! Remember September = Old cars race ;)
Take care !You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Nicolas)
Nicolas was an ideal Workaway participant. He was very helpful and interested. In the workshop he asked a million questions and remembered all the answers. He was fearless about learning new skills. He was a great member of our household: because he worked towards understanding, , learning about, and partipating in our lives. We have invited him
… read more back, and look forward to hosting him and his family. A truly good person.
Left by host for Workawayer (Lucas)
We liked having Lucas, he was like an instant brother. He didn't hesitate to jump into any project with real enthusiasm. Hard worker, interested to learn, he defines Workaway values. I'm sorry that he got stuck in Canada by COVID19, but it was our gain. If he joins the program again next year, and even if he doesn't, he will always be welcomed in
… read more our home.
Left by Workawayer (Lucas) for host
Hi Jane and Dennis, I'm sorry to have taken so long to write this review.
First of all, my stayed with Jane and Dennis was my third workaway and it was the best one. Jane was an english teacher and Dennis was an airplane pilot and a mechanic (they are both retired), so if you are interested to learn english and some stuff about airplane, aviation
… read more and weather, this place is the place that you need.
Then, the work is easy and represent about 5 or 6 days a week (it depends) and around 4 or 5 hours a day but it is really easy, for exemple I helped Dennis on his airplane that he is repairing, I did some gardening, mowing the grass, replace their floor in the basement etc, to help him Dennis taught me how to use some tools like few saw, a weedwacker etc.
Next, they are living in sprinhouse, B.C. This place is really beautiful, indeed, their house is just beside a big lake and the view is awesome. It was normal to see some deer in the yard almost everyday. Dennis has an old english sport car and almost whole of the neighbors have an airplane. Dennis took me to a flight one day and he let me pilot the airplane during almost 45 minutes and he took me to few ride with his sport car. Jane and Dennis like to be with people so I had the chance to meet some neighbors.
Finally, Jane and Dennis are really good person, indeed, they will always make sure that everything is ok for exemple, if your bedroom is warm enough, if you are not hungry etc, to finish the proof that they are really nice is that they drove me down to Vancouver because I was not able to take a plane to Vancouver because of the covid-19. I want to say thank you again for everything it was really helpful :) Take care !You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Laivi)
Laivi was a wonderful traveller, and a great help. He had enthusiasm for all the tasks we asked of him, and was great in the workshop. Learning to use the power tools intrigued him as much as learning to make sourdough bread. He was funny and polite, interested in everything, and really a pleasure to have on the farm. We would have him back
… read more without question! Thank you, Laivi, and I hope that you are doing well now. Please feel free to come back after the COVID scare.
Left by host for Workawayer (Yassine)
Yassine was the ideal traveller. Interested and interesting, willing to learn and happy to share his knowledge and experience. He was an instant friend. We were smiling the whole time we hosted him and we would welcome him back without question. He worked with enthusiasm and spent his leisure time engaged in meaningful cultural exchange... and in
… read more fun! One of the nicest people I have ever met.Join our family in beautiful Greater Victoria, BC, Canada
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