Stanilaus Frederick Denham Till

  General Notes:

The Denham Till Park and Residence are valued for their associations with long-time residents Frederick Denham Till and his wife Dora Madeline Till, who made a generous gift of this site to the citizens of North Saanich. Born in England, Frederick Till was a commander in the Royal Navy, owned a tea plantation in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and worked for British Intelligence in Kenya. Madeline and Frederick immigrated to Canada in 1946 and, after taking up residence in this house, became influential members of the North Saanich community. Madeline Till was an accomplished concert pianist and an esteemed music teacher, and also wrote for the Review and Islander Magazine. The British Columbia Registered Music Teachers' Association commemorates Madeline Till's commitment to the Victoria music community with a teaching award named in her honour. Upon her death in 1972, Madeline bequeathed the house and property to the District of North Saanich, specifying that the land should be preserved as a public park to be known as 'Denham Till Park' in memory of her late husband, that the field on the property be turned into a playground for children, that the house be used by a park employee or caretaker, and that the fruit and nut trees be preserved for the enjoyment of the public. With their mature plantings and exotic fruit trees, the park and grounds still reflect the couple's love of gardening and stand as a testament to their community-spirited bequest.

Stanilaus married Dora Madeline Silva after 1918 in Mombasa, Kenya. (Dora Madeline Silva was born in 1908 and died in 1972 in Saanich, British Columbia.)

Stanilaus next married Elizabeth Nesta Johns on 23 Nov 1918 in St Mary's, Poole, Dorset.