Donor Spotlight

The Quiet Naturalist

Julyan Mulock bids farewell to her beloved Falconfield, leaving Ontario Nature with the largest single donation it has ever received

Mrs. Julyan Mulock. Photo by Ruth Kaplan.

In all likelihood, Julyan Mulock, now 81, never defined herself as a conservationist or, for that matter, a naturalist. Yet it is thanks to Mrs. Mulock and her late husband, Cawthra Falconbridge Mulock, that Ontario Nature-Federation of Ontario Naturalists now owns a 120-hectare property in Newmarket. The property is the largest single donation the organization has received in its 73-year history.

Forty percent of the property is forested with 200-year-old maples, beeches and - lining the three streams - cedars. Wildflowers abound and the property includes a pond, where deer, possum, mink, beaver and muskrat can be found.

Mrs. Mulock, who grew up in the English countryside, met her future husband, Canadian-born painter Cawthra Mulock, on a trip to Canada when she was 14 years old. By the end of 1946, they were married and began their life together in England.

Her relationship with Falconfield - the property's name was inspired by Cawthra Mulock's middle name, Falconbridge - began more than 30 years ago when she arrived in Canada with her husband. In the early 1950s, Mrs. Mulock's father moved to Toronto. When he found out that the property adjacent to his was for sale, he immediately notified the couple in England.

Born in Canada and educated in England, Cawthra Mulock always wanted to return to Canada. The Mulocks bought the property but remained in England while their four sons attended one of the Waldorf schools there. They moved in 1973.

Mrs. Mulock recalls that she did not particularly want to go to Canada. "I thought if I had to leave England, which I was perfectly satisfied with, why shouldn't we go somewhere glamorous like Greece or France?" But come she did, and over time fell completely in love with the property." It took me time. I used to think if anything happened to my husband I'd go scurrying back," she says laughing.

A spacious 613 square metres, Mulock house is made of cedar, with slate floors and deck. Howard Chapman designed the house in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright; each room has large windows and sliding doors that open onto a balcony. The Mulocks chose the location of their house carefully so that it would be built between trees - not a single tree was cut down to accommodate construction. They also planted some 10,000 pines on the property.

The Mulocks had a long-standing commitment to the community, and their house served as a gathering place for various causes. Friends and family had an open invitation to enjoy the property and stay at the Mulock's house.

In the late 1990s, when her husband's health started to fail, Mrs. Mulock decided that taking care of both him and such a large house was too much for her. She suggested that they leave the property in the hands of conservationists. When Cawthra died in 1998, Mrs. Mulock continued with their intention to find the right steward for the property and eventually chose Ontario Nature.

With its rolling hills, streams, trails and wildflowers, the property is wonderful, says Dawna Monk Vanwyck, president of Ontario Nature's Board of Directors. "I'm delighted. It is a piece of land that we will be able to use in ways that will support the goals of Ontario Nature. "The plan is to allow the property to return to its natural state. Ontario Nature also intends to move some of its science and conservation staff to the property.

Sitting in her cozy apartment within the Hesperus Fellowship Community, Mrs. Mulock - stately, petite and grey haired - reminisces about the years spent at Falconfield gardening, swimming in the pond and walking along the trails.

"I am delighted that we succeeded in finding Ontario Nature. I feel very happy and confident about it. Jim Faught [executive director of Ontario Nature] talks about the need for more outreach for Ontario Nature and we're always talking about the need for more outreach for our concerns, and we'll help each other in this way. So that's marvelous."

Find out more about making a donation to Ontario Nature.