Aug 31, issue 35, vol 4 ng times

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the north grenville

TIMES

Reaching by direct mail 9,000 homes and businesses in North Grenville and Merrickville/Wolford www.ngtimes.ca

The Voice of North Grenville

Vol. 4, No 35

August 31, 2016

In Memory of Owen Fitz’Gerald

The North Grenville Times is Locally Owned and Operated

November 27, 2011. Owen is pictured with the flagpole installation crew and he is in the process of raising the first Canadian flag to fly over the Veterans Way Memorial Park. The flag is now at half-mast in his honour. by Roy Brown On Saturday, August 26, 2016, the flags were smartly brought to half-mast at the Veterans Way Memorial Park to mark the passing of our dear friend and colleague Owen Fitz'Gerald and in honour of his many achievements related to Veterans Way at the Ferguson Forest Centre. In an historical sense, Owen will be remembered for his long-standing service to our community that goes back to his days as a Councillor on the last Oxfordon-Rideau Township Council prior to amalgamation. He then moved on to become a member of the original North Grenville Municipal Council

and continued to serve our community with distinction. Always a strong advocate of the Ferguson Forest Centre, Owen served as a multi-term Director on the Ferguson Forest Centre Corporation Board of Directors from its inception, in addition to being a former President of the Board for many years. He also volunteered his time and services to several other local committees and boards throughout the years, including community based organizations, Committees of Council and the Executive Committee of the Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch #212. Aside from his ever f r i e n d l y p e r s o n a l i t y,

demeanor and Irish wit, Owen was widely known for his commitment to honouring the memory of military personnel who have given their all for our country, which is best illustrated by the following: During a personal Battlefield Pilgrimage to Normandy France a number of years ago, Owen was emotionally drawn to the many rows of graves and markers in Remembrance of the Fallen. The sight both haunted and inspired him, which resulted in his idea and recommendation for a tree-lined memorial roadway at the Ferguson Forest Centre. Based upon his vision and active participation, an existing roadway at the

Ferguson Forest Centre was designated and named Veterans Way, with the backing of the Municipality of North Grenville, the Ferguson Forest Centre Corporation Board of Directors and the Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch #212. (For those not familiar with the area, Veterans Way is a kilometre long roadway that links County Road #44 to Honour Way to the east and features a series of bronze plaques placed at the bases of memorial trees). Currently, there are twenty-seven military Veterans named and remembered along the route that gave up their lives, or saw continued on page 2

Merrickville/ Wolford Times page 14


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