There was a severe thunder, lightning, rain, and windstorm in Vavenby during the night of July 19. The town lost electrical power twice. Around 11:10 p.m. there was a lightning strike at Aveley Sheep Ranch, which is owned by the Moilliets. The strike hit a tree and killed three ewes and three lambs that had been taking shelter from the rain.
Another ewe was found nearby lying on its back. Ian Moilliet feels that the velocity of the lightning strike knocked the ewe over. It was deaf and disorientated the next day.
This was not the first time something like this had happened to Aveley Sheep Ranch. In 1941, when the sheep were grazing on Foghorn Mountain, one lightning bolt killed 112 sheep.
Trailer park gets a new name
The new owners of Tum Tum Trailer Park - Tim and Barb Pennell - chose to change the name of the park to Allingham Park. They felt that this new name suited the area more and would remain as part of the history of Vavenby.
Franklin Allingham was one of the first settlers of the area. In 1886 he camped near Vavenby one night on his prospecting trip to Mad River. He liked it here so much that he decided to stay and started a farm east of Vavenby. Allingham ended up with 400 acres of land and later went into raising sheep, sharing land with the Moilliets. This original homestead is located approximately two kilometers from Vavenby on Allingham Way - the road that goes by the dump and circles back to the highway.
The old English definition for the Allingham name is “lost” homestead. The sign for the trailer park went up in April of 2011.
Watch for wild canines
A pack of wolves and a coyote have been seen on the south side of the Vavenby bridge. People must take care when taking walks with their dogs. Wolves very rarely attack humans but will go after domestic animals. Wolves wander day and night.