Ladysmith Flowers, British Columbia.

Nestled on the eastern shores of spectacular Vancouver Island, the Town of Ladysmith features all of the warmth and charm of small town living with a full range of services and amenities. Ladysmith is a growing community (population 7,538 in 2006) located just 88 km north of Victoria and 23 km south of Nanaimo.

A 2003 National Communities In Bloom award winner, Ladysmith offers world-class outdoor recreational opportunities; a renowned trail system through picturesque forests; first-class shopping and dining in the historic downtown area; and fun-filled waterfront activities at pristine Transfer Beach. Ladysmith is known for its abundance of community spirit - share in the excitement at any one of our legendary annual celebrations, such as the Festival of Lights beginning on the last Thursday of November or Ladysmith Days during the B.C. Day long weekend in August.

Ladysmith was founded by James Dunsmuir about 1898, a year after he built shipping wharves for loading coal at Oyster Harbour. Dunsmuir, owner of coal mines in the Nanaimo area, needed a location to house the families of his miners.

He chose to build the community at Oyster Harbour, some twenty miles south of his Extension British Columbia mines. Many buildings were moved from Extension and Wellington by rail and by oxen. Ladysmith, British Columbia was named after Ladysmith, South Africa, which was named after "Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith" also known as "Lady Smith", the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith, the Governor of the Cape Colony.

Dunsmuir thought this would be a fitting tribute at the conclusion of the Boer War. In addition to commemorating the end of the war by naming his town after Ladysmith, Dunsmuir also chose to name the streets of the community after generals who fought victoriously in the Boer War. Included in this honour are Generals Buller, Kitchener, Baden-Powell, Methuen and Symonds. The Town of Ladysmith was incorporated June 3, 1904.