When Bamfield became isolated due to a fire on the main road leading to the community, access to Port Alberni was restricted to a long detour via Lake Cowichan, float plane or boat.

Greg Willmon, president of the Lady Rose Marine Services, offered the residents of Bamfield, and other clients in Barkley Sound, free transportation on the MV Frances Barkley, a coastal freighter supplying Barkley Sound communities from Port Alberni.

Willmon also worked with Kevin McAughtrie, owner of the Bamfield General Store, to supply and skipper a water taxi to run from Bamfield to Port Alberni in the morning and return to Bamfield in the afternoon.

Again, at no cost to the residents of Bamfield.

These gentlemen provided a lifeline for free when they could have charged regular rates or even have gouged the residents. Such devotion to the community deserves to be recognized!

Jim Cosgrove

Victoria

Re: “A guide to building less expensive housing,” commentary, Oct. 28.

The commentary uses an example of two average earners looking to purchase a three-bedroom home in the Greater Victoria area with a $40,000 deposit, and notes they would only quality for eight homes currently on the market (condo, townhouse or house) under $650,000.

When entering the same parameters, I obtained the same results. However, when changed to two bedrooms, the results grew to 79 listings.

Not everyone requires three bedrooms for their first home. Our first home was a modest, older two-bedroom townhouse in the suburbs.

We made improvements as we could afford them and waited until we had built some equity before buying a modest, older three-bedroom house. We lived in that home for many happy years.

If you start modestly with what you can afford, it gets your foot in the door to the market. A first home does not have to be ideal but rather a stepping stone.

Patty Nichol

Duncan

Re: “A guide to building less expensive housing,” commentary, Oct. 28.

Two statements struck me: “Do we really want families living in a tower on a busy street?” and “Young couples who might be planning a family and those who already have young families need three-bedroom homes that are not condominiums.”

I detest the current........

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