Haig-Brown House

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Haig-Brown House

Haig-Brown Heritage House is the former home of Canadian author, conservationist and fly fisher, Roderick Haig-Brown.

09/03/2026

A drizzly September morning outside, but warm and cozy around the breakfast table at Haig-Brown House.

The breakfast menu is beginning to shift with the season, making the most of the bounty from this year’s harvest. This morning: blackberry muffins, Joe’s figs transformed into a hearty compote with peaches and Craisins, and another compote of blackberries and Bartlett pears.

A taste of late summer giving way to fall — shared over breakfast with lovely company from Canada and Germany.

📷 mg

09/02/2026

This one paused beneath the branches for a good rub against the trunk — a behaviour bears use to scratch, shed fur and leave their scent behind. Some come for the apples. Some stay for the back scratch. 🍎🐻

09/01/2026

A first anniversary on the Campbell River. 🎣

Megan and Saxon were married a year ago at Tigh-Na-Mara, and this weekend they came to Haig-Brown House to celebrate their first anniversary — a stay given to them as a gift by Megan’s parents.

After breakfast, there was really only one place to go. Megan — fly-fishing curious and sporting her dad’s waders — and Saxon headed through the garden and orchard and down to the river to cast a line.

Within minutes, Saxon had a pink salmon on. The salmon ultimately won that particular encounter, taking Saxon’s favourite fly with it — such is fishing.

There was another first to celebrate, too. Saxon had the chance to fish the Campbell with his father-in-law, who landed his first pink salmon on a fly rod — a pretty wonderful memory to add to an anniversary weekend.

Before they left, Megan and Saxon were given a copy of Valerie Haig-Brown’s Deep Currents, a fitting anniversary gift from a house shaped by another enduring partnership — that of Roderick and Ann Haig-Brown.

Happy first anniversary, Megan and Saxon. It was lovely having you here, and may there be many more rivers, adventures and good stories ahead.

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08/31/2026

Heritage Monday | The Judge

Writer. Angler. Conservationist. And judge.

It’s easy to picture Roderick Haig-Brown on the Campbell River with a fishing rod in hand, or at his desk writing. But for more than three decades, another part of his life was spent administering justice in the community he called home.

Haig-Brown served first as a magistrate and later as a Provincial Court judge — a role that brought him face to face with a very different side of life on northern Vancouver Island.

Today’s photograph comes from the Museum at Campbell River archives and is catalogued as Judge Roderick Haig-Brown with police officers, Campbell River. Haig-Brown sits at the centre, pen in hand, surrounded by members of the local police.

The photographer is not identified in the information accompanying the online image — another small mystery in the photographic record of Campbell River.

One photograph, and another side of the remarkably varied life of Roderick Haig-Brown.

📷 Museum at Campbell River Archives — photographer unknown

08/30/2026

New Date for the Haig-Brown Festival

Returning on Saturday, September 12, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at the beautiful Haig-Brown House, the Haig-Brown Festival.

Celebrate the legacy of Roderick and Ann Haig-Brown, whose contributions to conservation, literature, and community continue to shape Campbell River today. Set against the peaceful riverside grounds of their historic home, the festival brings together live music, local artists, environmental organizations, guided walks, and hands-on activities for all ages.

This year’s festival features an artisan market, guided botanical walks with local plant expert Chuck De Sorcy, fly casting and fly tying demonstrations, readings from the works of Roderick Haig-Brown with Neil Cameron, an environmental stewardship recognition ceremony, children’s crafts, and live music throughout the day.

Whether you’re looking to explore the grounds, learn something new, browse handcrafted works by local artisans, or simply relax beside the river with great music, there’s something for everyone.

Admission is free. Bring your family and friends and join us at the Haig-Brown House on Saturday, September 12.

Location: Haig-Brown House at 2250 Campbell River Road, Campbell River, BC

08/29/2026

Ailsa and Josh’s story goes all the way back to Grade 2.

Years later, while students at Carihi, the friendship became something more. Ten years on, they chose this sunny August afternoon to get married.

There was another connection woven into their wedding day. Ailsa’s mother and her aunt Denise knew Ann Haig-Brown through their church and remember spending time with her here — visiting in the study, listening to records, and receiving bundles of newspapers Ann had finished reading, among them Le Monde and The Manchester Guardian.

Today, Denise gave Ailsa a copy of Roderick Haig-Brown’s Measure of the Year as a wedding gift — carrying a small piece of that history into a new generation.

Cascadia Strings provided the music for the afternoon, accompanying a ceremony filled with sunshine, flowers and a very happy crowd.

Grade 2 classmates, ten years together, and now married in a place that was already part of Ailsa’s family story.

Congratulations, Ailsa and Josh.

08/28/2026

A quiet morning at Ann’s bench.

Looking out over the Campbell River from the Haig-Brown property, once known by Roderick and Ann as “Above Tide” — a name they chose because their home sat just above the river’s tidal influence.

The river is never very far from the story here. In Measure of the Year, Roderick Haig-Brown wrote of the passing months through the life of this place — the river, the garden, the seasons and the family who lived alongside them.

This morning, just rain on the leaves and the Campbell River moving past.

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08/27/2026

Early evening on the Campbell River, with the pinks on the move — and occasionally out of the water altogether.

Late August along the riverbank, with the season quietly shifting and the salmon returning.

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08/26/2026

Peter first stayed at Haig-Brown House on his own in 2021, and this time returned with his wife, Carole, and their longtime friends Cindy and Joe, all from Washington State.

Friends for more than twenty years, the four have travelled together often and make a great little team. From Campbell River, they were off on their next adventure — a few days of kayaking with Coast Mountain Expeditions.

Peter has also kept a connection with the house since his first visit. While volunteering with the Friends of the Seattle Public Library, he recently came across a 1965 photograph of Roderick Haig-Brown by noted Washington photographer Mary Randlett and sent the discovery our way. We’re now doing a little exploring of our own, hoping that along the way we might uncover more of Randlett’s photographs — perhaps even some beautiful candid shots of the Haig-Browns here at the house in the 1960s.

Happy paddling, Peter, Carole, Cindy and Joe.

📷 mg

08/25/2026

Help us bring the Haig-Brown Festival to life.

We’re looking for a team of about 20 volunteers to help us get everything ready before the gates open!

There’s something special about festival morning at the Haig-Brown House. Artists, fly tiers, community groups, and volunteers all arrive to transform the beautiful riverside grounds into a gathering place for the community — and we could use some extra hands to make it happen.

Festival Setup Volunteers
Saturday, September 12
8:00–11:00 am
Haig-Brown House, Campbell River

Volunteers will help welcome our vendors and participating organizations, assist with unloading vehicles, transport supplies and materials to designated locations around the grounds, and help everyone get settled and ready for the festival to open at 11:00 am.

This role is a great fit for people who enjoy being active, working as part of a team, and lending a hand where it’s needed. Some lifting and carrying will be involved. And once the work is done, you’re invited to stay and enjoy the festival!

To volunteer, email Alison at [email protected]

Address

2250 Campbell River Road
Campbell River, BC
V9W4N7

Telephone

250-286-6646

Website

http://www.haig-brown.bc.ca/

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