David Rutherford - Manager, Grounds and Gardens (Retired)
Topics:
- heritage planning
- urban planning
- history, with a focus on the history of Royal Roads
- historic landscapes and gardening
David Rutherford began working at Royal Roads in 1970 as a gardener in a summer job while earning a degree in geography at the University of Victoria. He worked on the grounds for four decades, up to his retirement in 2010, making him the longest serving employee on staff at Royal Roads University and Royal Roads Military College. That distinction brings with it a rich understanding of the history and heritage of Royal Roads, from a private estate, to a military college, to becoming a university in 1995.
“The story of the Dunsmuirs is fascinating. The family began living in a log cabin and became the richest family in western Canada. Their power and wealth ebbed away but their houses still remain – Craigdarroch Castle and here at Hatley Castle.”
Rutherford has served as a member of the Board at RRU, worked with the RRU Foundation, and has been involved in campus planning.
“Royal Roads has been about sustainability for 100 years. Gardeners have been about sustainability forever. They don’t think in the short term. They want their trees to last two to three hundred years. That’s how I feel about this site. I’ve stayed here because I want to see Royal Roads protected and grow in a way that is sustainable.”
Media queries for RRU staff and faculty should be directed to
Doug Ozeroff in RRU Community Relations and Advancement, 250-391-2526.
