Seaforth Highlanders of Canada marching to Heal's Camp to Mill Bay, Vancouver Island, 3 July 1933. They are led by the Pipe Band. Pipe Major John Gilles is in the front rank on the left and Ed Esson is in the front in the centre. From the Regimental History, page 28: "Once at the tented camp at Heal's Range, the battalion would be exercised in drill, section and platoon tactics, administration, and sometimes a demonstration would be put on by a platoon of men from the permanent force demonstrating some feature in field craft. Scattered in groups would be the specialist platoons-the signallers transmitting messages in morse code by lamp or Fuller phone, the stretcher bearers working on some unwilling "casualty", the pipes and drums filling the air with their martial music as they worked singly or as a group under the sharp eye of Pipe Major Gillies, or the recently organized [in 1929] machine-gun platoon working on their Vickers guns under Lt. H. E. F. Clark. Generally an afternoon would be set aside for sports and a morning for church parade. In the evenings the men were usually allowed to go to Victoria, although a camp sing-song, barbecue or other entertainment might be available to keep everyone within the camp lines. It was a time, too, of inter-regimental visits among the units from Vancouver and Victoria among which there was a keen but friendly rivalry throughout the entire period." The Heal’s Rifle Range Heal’s Rifle Range was once a seasonal lake and marsh. This beautiful valley was well known by local First Nations as a good place to find tule reeds, to weave mats and capes. Portions of this valley, later known as Sections 126, 82 and 83, were purchased from the HBC in 1860 by Fred and Charlie Heal, sons of John Heal. They both farmed and leased the land. The Sisters of St. Ann also purchased some of the Heal property and grew vegetables there for St. Joseph’s Hospital. In 1915 a proposal suggested that the land be developed as a military range for the Army, partly as a solution to serious unemployment in the region. The regions’ mayors and reeves wrote to their MP with urgent requests to create jobs for locals. The range began operation in 1916. The reality of war was always present at Heal’s: many soldiers trained in weaponry there, and far too many did not return. On Sept 10, 1915, the Daily Colonist noted that “Mr. Samuel Cameron, foreman of Heal’s Range, has received a ‘Missing in Action’ report for his son Kenneth, member of 50th Gordon Highlanders, 16th Division [sic Battalion], 1st Contingent”. Heal’s Range remained an active military range throughout the years, seeing militia and cadet use after the war, and was used for grenade training in WW II. By the 1960’s, local gun clubs also used the range for weekend events and tournaments. The range was also used for events during the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Presently owned by DND, the range is often in use today.