When a public-spirited group in Shirley celebrated local community anniversaries last week, they chose to celebrate at Sheringham Point Lighthouse Park.
Sheringham Lighthouse always makes me think of Eustace Arden, so we’re sharing this photo of him and his wife, Anne.
Eustace, a pivotal figure in the Arden family, was one of the 10 children of William and Hannah Arden, who established their roots in Metchosin around 1890. A man of many talents, Eustace initially drove the mail stage between Victoria and Sooke.
In 1909, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to build a store at the bustling intersection of Sooke Road and Otter Point Road, a decision that would shape the community's landscape.
Eustace fell in love with the daughter of another pioneer family, the Daniel Sanderson, who built on Sooke River Road in 1910.
Anne Sanderson married her betrothed and attended to customers at the general store while Eustace continued with the stage.
When baby Frances Arden came along, the baby (who grew up to become wife to Tony Sullivan) was kept in a basket on the store’s counter while her mother dealt with customers.
Eustace Arden owned a block of property and kept his horses stabled further up the hill on Otter Point Road. If you’ve wondered where the name of Eustace Road came from, it’s from Eustace Arden.
The Arden history stretched from Metchosin to Sooke to Shirley when the Canadian government built Sheringham Point Lighthouse in 1912, and Eustace became the first lightkeeper.
Eustace and Anne Arden raised four sons and two daughters at the home built for them alongside the lighthouse. The kids attended Shirley School.
When the couple retired and moved into Sooke in 1946, Mayor Percy George of Victoria presented Eustace Arden with a medal for his 35-year service. Their retirement home was almost where John Muir School stands today.
The next family to take a significant role as lightkeepers was the Jim and Evelyn Brutons, who served from 1968 to 1986.
The Britons raised four children at the lighthouse when their youngsters attended school, but Shirley School was long closed, so they took the school bus into Sooke.
Elida Peers is the historian of the Sooke Region Museum. Email historian@sookeregionmuseum.com.
