Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Sydney Robertson and her daughters, Michaela and Rebecca Chan, KNOW they can...somehow, some way.

A year of so ago Sydney, her husband, Ed, and their daughters were living in a two bedroom apartment in Vancouver knowing they would never be able to afford to buy a house in the city and resistant to moving to Squamish or Chilliwack and leaving Ed with an unbearable commute to work.

Last spring Sydney happened to be visiting a friend here in Nanaimo. During a driving tour of the city, her friend waved at an old Victorian house as they zipped by and said, "There's a house you can have for nothing."

You may remember that Carlson Construction who owned the house wanted the land for storage and, although they had a demolition permit, put a lot of energy into finding someone willing to take it for nothing and move it - that makes them Hidden Heroes in my mind as well.

Sydney didn't really think anything more about the house until she got home to Vancouver. That's when the wheels began to turn.

It took a few false starts, reams of paper work with the bank, city and others but in early October, the South End Community turned out in droves to celebrate as the house was moved to a lot on the corner of Erwin and Milton Streets and set on its new foundation.

Sydney settled into a trailer on the lot. Ed took over homeschooling the girls in Vancouver while he worked in the golf industry and renovations began in Nanaimo. Ed and the girls got over whenever they could to help. Then in March, when the bulk of the homeschooling year was completed, the girls moved over so they could help their mom.

So here is the crew of three taking one small step at a time undaunted by the huge project in front of them in spite of the fact that a year ago the only construction work Sydney and Ed had ever done was to replace a counter top and install a dishwasher. Something they felt was a huge accomplishment at the time.

If you think you can, you will...one way or another.

The deal is the girls work three hours a day during the week and volunteer to help on the weekend if they wish - They usually do. Ed comes over whenever he can to help out.

Today all of them have learned how to handle most tools (I'm told Rebecca is an expert with an impact driver) as they have torn down plaster walls, laid recycled hardwood floors, refurbished the kitchen, repaired siding, installed cedar shingles and much more.

If all goes as planned, they will be moving out of the trailer and into the house by the end of July to solidify their life in a community they've grown to love, a community that has also grown to love them.

Next time you drive by, toot your horn and give this family of Hidden Heroes a "thumbs up". Better yet, stop for a chat. You'll be glad you did.