School History
Savory Elementary was built in 1966. The school got its name from a prominent person in the area called Ms. Savory. Mr. Phil Lindgren was the first principal. The school withstood a fire that meant a new office and staffroom had to be built, and is the only school in Sooke School District that has no students arriving by bus. The school is tucked away between the railway tracks along Atkins Road and behind St. Anthony’s Clinic on Goldstream Avenue and can be accessed by Grainger Road or a bridge from Atkins Road. We call it our hidden treasure.
It has a wonderful rock forest with Garry Oaks called “The Mountain”, two adventure playgrounds, one tucked away under the trees and the other beneath the mountain, two soccer fields, basketball and square ball courts, a sand pit and a recent acquisition of an outside hockey court.
The school is a two storey building with large classrooms and lots of windows. It houses 10 divisions, a large library with a music area, computer lab and large gym with a stage.
Miss Lillian Savory History
Miss Lily Savory was a well known figure in the Western Communities. She was a teacher, then turned to family business of horticulture. The family greenhouses were situated around Spencer and the Trans Canada Highway. You can still see the old chimney stacks near the mobile home park and if you look between the Shell Complex and Savory Road you will see giant ornamental trees that were part of the nursery.
She lived over 50 years in our community and devoted a lot of her time to our organizations. Throughout her life she adored children and kept a full cookie jar just for the neighbourhood youngsters. She always attended the Luxton Fall Fair and often provided prizes and trophies for the children. She was also an active member of the Langford (now Ruth King) PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) and was always involved in PTA picnics and bake sales. People were amazed at her dedication to the welfare of children, but she herself said: “You don’t have to have a family to be interested in children.”
She asserted that she was only repaying the kindness that had been shown to her when she was a child. Miss Savory was one of the most popular people in the community. A hard worker for the Farmers’ Institute, she became a life member, and was a charter member of both Langford and Colwood Women’s Institutes.
Honors came her way in appreciation of her work for the community. In 1964 she was acclaimed by the Victoria Council of Women for her accomplishments in Langford and she received a national Council of Women pin for her work. She was so modest she often seemed surprised when honors came her way, as when the decision was made to name Savory School after her.
“Why would they name a school after me?” she asked with some amazement. When thanked for her many contributions to Langford community life, she replied quietly: “I only try to do my part.”
Her advice to the young: “Just keep going. That’s what I’ve done. Get your education first. Then travel and just keep going.” The late Dorothy Stranix, a local author, commented on this by saying she thought that Miss Savory “meant to keep right on going in her lot in life, improving it where she can, never giving up, and always taking satisfaction in a job well done, no matter how humble the job might be.” This is what good communities are all about volunteering and giving unselfishly of oneself.
Excerpts taken from T-C Islander, Juan de Fuca News Review, Colonist, Times-Colonist, & Highway News Review.