As Kayla Zawiski steps through a guided tour of her small but charming farmscape, it takes barely a moment to appreciate how her new homestead reveals a path to an earthy, authentic life infused with gratitude.
Nestled in a forested pocket away from Water Street South's busy roadway, this multi-acre property is a living dream for Zawiski and her partner – a creative and entrepreneurial couple with a passion for preserving history.
Having fallen for the land’s heritage stone-faced structures, its mini-meadows, floral and vegetable gardens, the couple purchased the site and settled in last summer. In a labour of love, they tackled numerous projects to breathe new life into the coveted estate but soon realized their hidden gem had hidden potential for greater good.
“Purchasing this and moving here was a bit on a whim, so we didn’t really know what was going to happen,” said Zawiski. “I think the first summer after being here I just realized it was a property I wanted to share.”
And with that Waterhill Farm was born. And branded.
Determined to shine a light on the farm, the couple set out to create a sanctuary of sorts, contemplating opportunities to highlight the farmstead, and give back to the community in gestures aligning with goals and values close to their own hearts.
“A lot of people don’t know it exists, so I didn’t want to hold it to myself selfishly,” noted Zawiski. “I wanted to open it up for everybody.”
Zawiski, an experienced community advocate, realtor and developer, opted to grow Waterhill Farm’s social introduction organically, currently hosting a summer series program, featuring four events per month.
The homestead is not for hire for typical weddings, birthday or corporate events, however. Events making it onto the farm’s calendar have a more holistic sensibility, events like health and wellness, farm fresh markets, non-alcoholic beverage gatherings, pilates with puppies, as well as events supporting local businesses.
Tickets for the summer series events are available on Eventbrite.
Harnessing an aesthetic flair to combine form and function, Zawiski shaped the farm landscape and structures into an inviting space for visitors to wander and explore its separate patches of nature.
There’s a stone barn that hosts a rustic serving bar and lounge, an upper tier grassy area where they stage yoga classes, a chicken pen, several thriving flower and vegetable gardens, and a tiny collection of fruit trees.
Volunteering her time and event space, Zawiski donates proceeds from all of the summer series events to KidsAbility, a non-profit organization which provides life-changing programs for children and youths facing social, communication, physical or behavioural challenges.
It’s a natural progression for Zawiski, who has stepped up often to support others.
“I have run community events in the past and have always tried to be a community advocate so working with local businesses and different organizations was important to me,” she explained. “All of the objectives of these events is to connect people locally and showcase local businesses and ideally give back to charity where we can.”
As developers, Zawiski and her partner have also contributed to the revitalization of several Main Street projects and believe they’re among many who share an appreciation for downtown Galt’s old stone structures.
Ensuring preservation of the land Waterhill Farm calls home demands more than a simple show of pride, maintains Zawiski. It requires a call to action to empower the land to justify its own existence.
That’s especially true as the property will soon live in the shadow of five, 15-storey residential buildings just a stone’s throw away on Water Street South.
“The protection of heritage is really important to both my partner and I,” she said. “We’re trying to extract value from the land. If you don’t, the land close to the city is worthwhile for other reasons. And we want to make sure it’s worthwhile for the reasons we see it for, as opposed to for development.”
Preserving history and nature – and ensuring Waterhill Farm gives back to the community by hosting events or even just growing fresh food – is vital to its future, contends Zawiski.
“We just want to make sure it’s pulling its weight and remains as this type of property in the future.”
