Orchard Grove Park

Ihave driven past this small park pretty much daily for years and have never stopped to visit it. The park is a mile from my home, but I never really had a reason to visit. I kept wondering about it as from the main road it looks like it is mostly unkept bush and trees. One could see part of a kids’ play area tucked in the back but nothing looked that appealing and so I just drove past wondering about it. The history of the park had a strong connection to my childhood and as such I was interested in what has happened to the land, but I guess not really that much.

Back when I was a teen and living in Ocean Park my parents would have many dinner parties. They would normally employ a lady by the name of Nora Guest to do cooking and catering of the meals alongside my mother. Nora became a good friend of my parents and was at the house quite regularly. She owned a 5-acre property on 24th avenue. Over the years she subdivided it in half and sold the western piece, living in a small house at the back of the eastern half. Over the years trees grew in her front yard and obscured the back and house. She eventually passed on and the property changed hands a few times. When the area around the property was redeveloped into condos and townhouses the property was given to the city to become a park. The western half became a condo building, but eastern was joined with a few other properties and became Orchard Grove Park.

Well, I finally got in my car with my camera and drove the short distance to the park, let’s not comment on why I didn’t just walk there.  Parking alongside the park I grabbed the camera and followed a paved foot path into the park. The northern end (furthest from 24th Avenue) is open green space with a few picnic tables and a good-sized play area. The area is criss-crossed with walkways and would offer some nice areas for groups to spread out and enjoy the open space. To the south is the grove of trees and unkept bush though there were dirt trails leading into it, teen hide-outs I presume. Though not a destination park, it does offer the locals a lovely area and the trees block a lot of the noise from busy 24th avenue traffic. 

I walked a circle around the area and then set out for the green space across the street on the south side of 24th. Here there is a large water reservoir, and the city works building for south Surrey. The city building has a lovely garden area in front with a water slowing stream bed along its western side. It offers signs talking about the biodiversity of the various plants growing in the garden and how the area is pollinated by more than just bees. It is really quite pretty even if not overly cultured. It was worth the few minutes I took to explore the property instead of just driving past.

Done with the two locations I wandered the streets in the area next to the park thinking about the number of people enow living in the condo buildings and the numerous townhouses. The area was definitely getting filled with people and houses and the green space provided by Nora’s property is very well appreciated. I enjoyed the short visit and the nostalgic reminiscing about events from 50+ years ago. I am sure Nora would be pleased to see what became of her home and the lovely big firs that she lived with.