Arrowsmith Agricultural Association (AAA)

The Arrowsmith Agricultural Association (AAA) has a rich agricultural and community background. In 1911, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railroad from Parksville to Port Alberni brought new settlers to the Coombs and Hilliers area seeking a new life in farming for their families. The CPR made land surrounding the railway available to the new settlement. The original Salvation Army settlement began in 1910 and was subsequently named Coombs after Canadian Salvation Army Commissioner Thomas Bales Coombs, who lead the first group of British Settlers to the area. Coombs is now recognized as a popular tourist destination, attracting over a million visitors a year to the Coombs Old Country Market, famous for the goats on the roof of the market.