Established in 2011 
In support of St. John’s Anglican Church, Westphal
The Don and Elaine Peelings Fund was established by the Peelings to provide a reliable source of annual financial support to St. John’s Anglican Church. This Church played an important role in their lives and they wanted to do their part to help ease the Church’s financial burden and ensure it can continue to carry out its good work year after year, for generations.
St. John’s Anglican was consecrated by Bishop Inglis, the first Anglican bishop in North America, on June 26, 1791 – the feast day of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Known locally as the great grandmother of all metro Anglican churches on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour, the Parish was begun by a poor and hardworking population. The original St. John’s Church was located on Crane Hill Road. The current structure is the third church built by this congregation and was consecrated in 1851.
A visit to Nova Scotia in the summer of 1950 changed Don Peeling’s life forever. While out for a swim he met his future wife – a lovely Nova Scotian named Elaine. One year later they were married and in 1952 their daughter, Deborah, was born.
In 1964 the couple settled in the community of Westphal where they became active members of St. John’s Anglican Church. That “Little Church with the Big Heart,” as it is affectionately known by locals lived up to its title welcoming the Peelings. They formed a life-long bond with the Church and its congregation as both parishioners and committed volunteers, a bond that lives on today.