44/ JUNE 2019 THE RIDER REAL ESTATE: Community and Fellowship Disappearing


Reprinted from The Rider June 2017


Small towns have always had a


big piece of my soul and heart. I grew up in Toronto, Ontario but my early years, summers and vacations where spent on our family farm in Whitevale near Pickering, Ontario. I come from a long time genera-


tion farm family and community. Markham was the biggest town


near our farm and we spent time at the annual fair and did some shopping there. Outside of that we stayed at the farm where we played in the barn, chased the cows and wild kittens and helped my grandmother prepare her fresh from the garden meals and


desserts. We belonged to our Catholic Church and my grandmother, who had a big impact on my life, taught at St Michaels school in Toronto. An all boys school where, she was fond of saying, all the students ended up as priests or hockey players. I eventually moved away from


Toronto and my life path took me to a small town the opposite side of Toronto where I grew up after our family farm was expropriated for a new Pickering airport that never came. I made my career in the real es-


tate business and established my own family in a small town. My children attended Catholic schools, we be-


longed to our nearby church and I taught a year of Girl Guide students one year in our community church hall. We had lots of get togethers with neighbours and friends and the chil- dren flourished. The church and the hall and the


group there were part of our lives, something we used to forge friend- ships and a way of life. Two years ago the small family


church beside our farm was desig- nated to be torn down. It is a Circa 1861 brick two storey building, built the same year as our farmhouse on land that was given back in 1861 to the Bethel Church as a donation off the corner of our farm. It was used for


48 Ninth Concession


HGTV has a new show featuring this home!! Designer owners were given their own new show “Farmhouse Facelift” as a result of the fabulous workmanship, insight and restoring of this homes originality and character combined with new mechanics and kitchen and baths! Four big bedrooms, huge country kitchen with reclaimed brick wall (original) ,wide pine floors everywhere! plaster mouldings all original and gor- geous! three fabulous baths. A separate board and batten outbuilding offers five box stalls and inter- locking brick aisle. All on three acres just outside Brantford Ont. $1,274,500.


many years of Sundays as both a place of prayer and sanctuary. Members of my hus- bands family attended Sunday school there, marriages were attended and my mother in law was baptized there as an infant. We did- n’t want to see it torn down and I purchased it from the small congregation and hope to restore it one day. So many memories of the years past reside there. Last week two local churches came on


the market here in my city. A client I am working with asked for a viewing of both with thoughts of conversion. I arranged to show him through and we toured both mag- nificent buildings. The quality of construc- tion, the stained glass, the huge post and beamed vaulted ceilings, pews and ornate fixtures were breathtaking. The lower level and back rooms that served as community kitchens, Sunday school rooms, scout and girl guide facilties were empty and the child drawings on the walls along with the little chairs and empty play boxes made me feel sad and empty. This is where families spent time, cooking for special occasions, this is were


kids first learned about themselves and their spirts were taught to soar. This is where the sense of belonging and community sharing were established. We worked together to raise money for the pews, the beautiful stained glass the new roof for our gathering place. How sad that these rooms now stand empty. There were different dedications on the walls speaking of donations on behalf of family members who’d passed. Several of the magnificent stain windows were do- nated by families in memory of their loved ones. Erected in years of the 1800‘s and early 1900’s. How sad these families would be to see how we don’t worship in our gathering places, we seem to have lost our sense of fellowship and community. I have spent the last few days reflecting on times and people passed. I worry what the future holds for my


children and theirs in a world so different from what mine was. Teri Davidson is Broker Owner of Associ- ate realty Brantford Inc.


3624 Governors Rd. This type of property is seldom available!. Vacant 42 acres of good arable soil with mostly workable acres. Allows for one home to be built and outbuilding if new owner desires. Set your home way back in , any size you like. would make a wonderful horse farm with cute board and batten home and barn with paddocks or build a big executive home with barn for your horses! you choose. Ancaster loca- tion , near Lynden, Ontario. $949,900.


63 Hammond Road. This 60 acre Estate is a perfect combination for the family the still wants an Upscale 4000 sq ft home with fabulous decor and design , open con- cept, 10' ceilings, huge kitchen with gran- ite counters, pot lights, 10 foot island and gorgeous bathrooms. Four bedrooms, main floor office. rec room , fireplace and beau- tiful laundry room . Magnificent landscap- ing and brick paver patios surround the house. All this combined with a 14 stall horse barn, Paddocks and track for exercising the horses. Barn and house are 10 years old. All in fabulous condition. Income generating property. 45 acres workable brings in $3500 yearly. Solar brings in $10-12,000 and stalls rented to tenants who do all their own horse care and feeding at $200. per stall per month. A fabulous property lo- cated between Brantford and Ancaster priced at $1,825,000. Could never be replaced at this price!


Farm on Governors. This 44 acre horse hobby farm located in Ancaster is waiting for a new owner to renovate the big four bedroom home to their own taste! Main house offers lots of charming features and pine floors, kitchen is a big empty room waiting for the new buyer to design for themselves what they would like. back ad- dition features a main floor family room with cathedral ceiling soaring up to the sec- ond level where its overlooked by an open railing and separates the master bedroom and ensuite fro the main house. Full basement. good solid structure. Old timber frame barn has box stalls and good head room, upper hay mow, run out to three fenced pastures. Separate three car garage. Hay fields surround the farm and there's a long lane way back to a pond and open area. Great to ride on and safe enough to bring the dogs. Serenity now! $1,599,900.


Teri Davidson is a licensed Real estate


Broker with C21 Professional Group, Brantford Ont. Teri has enjoyed a success- ful career in the real estate business span- ning 42 years including 18 years running her own brokerage which amalgamated at the beginning of 2019 with C21. Teri is a Centurian award winner and continues to help her clients buy and sell residential, rural and farm properties. She can be reached at teridavidson@rogers.com and by phone at 519-738-7307.


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