for Best Vegetable in Annual Show
(now known as the Fall Show)

First awarded in 1998.

Johan Birger (Bill) Wallstrom was born in Sweden and loved gardening.  He always had a flower and vegetable garden, which I’m sure his 14 brothers and sisters appreciated. In Flin Flon Manitoba, he and his wife May had 2 extensive gardens, both at home and at the cabin., which resulted in large sand-filled barrels stocked with carrots, potatoes and turnips for the winter.

Bill always came home from prospecting trips to the Arctic with beautiful Tundra flowers wrapped carefully in moss for us to see.  When they moved to View Royal in 1967, they joined the garden club.  Bill always had roses and lots of vegetables to enter, his parsnips always doing well!

After he lost his wife May in 1988, he found romance at the garden club.  At age 90, he  married Hazel (82). Bill enjoyed the club until he was 95!  Hazel would phone and say, “Look out the window for your dad.  If he’s not vertical, he’ll be horizontal,” and sure enough, sometimes he was! His namesake trophy is for those who love growing vegetables as much as he did!

Karen Krawchuk (daughter)

… Bill Wallstrom – could he ever grow vegetables and prize roses!  …(He lived along Helmcken Road.  His daughter)… Karen is still reaping the benefit of all the seaweed he collected every year…

excerpt from VRGC 60th Anniversary Speech

Jean Muir
President– 2008-2009
Past President– 2010-2011
Door Prize Coordinator– 2012-2020
Catering Coordinator– 2002-2007ish
a VRGC member since 1998
Jean also volunteered many times as Show Chair.  She created beautiful flower arrangements, and could always be counted on to pitch in with the mini-arrangements for guest tables at club Shows & Celebrations

updated Jan. 21, 2022