Walter Hill Moodie met Marcella Ellen Twiss (Mercie) when he lived in Kaslo from 1896 to 1899. In 1899, he volunteered for one year's service in the South African War. From 1900 to 1908, he worked as a surveyor and engineer with Central South African Railways. In 1903, Mercie travelled to Capetown so they could be married. Daughter Janet was born in 1904. In 1908, the family returned to British Columbia and settled in Kelowna.