East is East - Knowledge Network

Lifetime of hard work leads to lasting legacy
After decades of hard work,
good judgment and smart investments
– not to mention a
bit of luck – Sidney and Gladys
Sharman are now sharing
their wealth in a way that will
benefit others for generations
to come. Their generous gift
to the Knowledge Network
Endowment Fund still stands
as the largest ever private
donation to Knowledge.
Sidney is a born entrepreneur.
Raised in the slums of
London, he began washing out
bottles for the milkman at age
8 to earn a few shillings. A few
years later he quit school to
work for the milkman full time.
“I started working when
I was 13 years and 10
months old and I’ll be
90 in December, and I’m
still working!”
Living near the docks, he’d
always wanted to go to sea, so
in 1942 he joined the British
Merchant Navy. He started
down in the boiler room of the
Tucurinca, shoveling coal, and
eventually served five years on
six different ships.
When Sidney’s seafaring
days ended, he and Gladys
owned a successful taxi and
limousine service and a boarding
house. They immigrated to
Canada in the late 1950s, but
weren’t allowed to take money
out of the country, so they had
to start all over again. They
spent a few years in Oakville,
Ontario, then settled in Victoria,
where Sidney began to build
apartment buildings. They later
moved to Nanaimo, where he
continued to buy and subdivide
land and build apartments. In
1975, he bought 25 acres of
land with a few mobile homes
on it and developed it into a 147
mobile home park, where he
still works.
Sidney says he’s always
known the value of a dollar.
He’s only paid interest for
a purchase once – when he
bought his first bike as a boy
– and vowed he never would
again. He doesn’t really like to
spend money either, although
he doesn’t mind giving it away
to worthy causes. Along with
the gift to Knowledge, the
The Merchant Navy ship British Diligence. Sidney served on it for 1 1 / 2 years.
Sharmans have made very
significant donations to St.
John’s Ambulance, the Nursing
program at Vancouver
Island University, and Victoria
Foundation, among others.
Sidney explains that they’d
rather choose themselves
where their money goes,
rather than handing it over to
the taxman. They also like to
support local organizations
that have personal meaning to
them. It’s quite simple, Sidney
says: “We really enjoy watching
Knowledge, and we want it
to continue on.”
Avoid Unnecessary Income Taxes
On Your Estate
If you have a will, you can choose how your assets will be distributed…
to family, close friends or favourite causes. Through charitable giving, you
can significantly reduce—or even eliminate—your tax liability.
For more information contact:
Donna Robinson
Direct Line: 604.431.3136
Toll Free: 1.877.456.6988 Ext. 3136
Email: donnar@knowledge.ca
SEPT/OCT 2011 P RO G R A M G U I D E 3 7