Hatley Park has a story and it starts with its original inhabitants, namely, the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Lkwungen (Songhees) people who discovered the area and made it their home. The area was ideal for building a community, providing herbs for medicine, a beach and lagoon for fishing, and an immense forest for building materials. You can still find evidence of traditional uses by Indigenous people who stripped long strands of cedar bark from the old-growth forest. We continue to maintain a positive relationship with the local Indigenous communities in an effort to learn and understand their rich history and ageless knowledge. Learn more about our mandate to develop and strengthen the relationship between Royal Roads and the local Indigenous communities.