I don\u2019t believe in coincidence. I believe all things happen for a reason although often times the connections aren\u2019t made until many years later upon reflection. Recently I had the opportunity to visit Long and Loucks Lakes and the memories and emotions it evoked in me were so powerful. Seeing the amazing granite cliffs, \u2018whale\u2019 rock and Brown\u2019s Island again after so many years got me thinking about my friend and former Council colleague Arnie Brown. In the summer 1996 I was a student septic inspector for the Township of Burleigh Anstruther. I spent 2 amazing weeks at the Chown\u2019s cottage on Long Lake while I mapped out all the cottages and sewage systems. That was the first time I met Former NHL star Arnie Brown. Several years later we connected again when we were both elected to North Kawartha Council in 2003. Arnie\u2019s life story and his willingness to think \u2018big\u2019 and work hard is an inspiration to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serving with Arnie on Council was a pleasure and I learned a lot from him. He chaired the Waste Committee that brought curbside pick up to our community. He ran a Hockey School for kids over the Christmas holidays and worked hard on every issue he tackled. One of Arnie’s biggest Council achievements is our beautiful North Kawartha Community Centre (NKCC). We all knew the old arena was on borrowed time and from the beginning Arnie was determined that we would build a new arena for our community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember the Council meeting in January 2008 when we were preparing to submit the grant application to rebuild the NKCC. We wondered whether we would be successful or if we were wasting our time. Arnie didn\u2019t hesitate and I still recall his words: “Having grown up here I sometimes feel like our community had to settle for second best. That we felt like we were second class citizens and didn’t deserve to have or even dream of great things for ourselves. Well that’s just wrong- Our town and our people are deserving and worth it and we need to get this application in so we can build a brand new facility”. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Two months later the Province awarded us $10 million through the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative Fund. To this day it is the single largest grant ever awarded through this fund. The North Kawartha Community Centre officially opened its doors in the fall of 2010. The grand opening was all the more spectacular because Arnie was able to arrange for the Stanley Cup to be here. People came from far and wide and were lined up out the doors waiting for their chance to touch the Cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No more settling for second best Apsley- on that day Arnie Brown showed us that we were first class all the way! I will never forget the pride I felt standing with Arnie and the rest of my Council colleagues as we had our picture taken with the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the summer of 2015 at the instigation of Arnie\u2019s long time friend Aunt Dar, North Kawartha Township and the Apsley Minor Hockey Association had a surprise celebration for Arnie and created the Arnie Brown Outstanding Achievement Award. Displayed at the NKCC, this award is to recognize anyone from our town that achieves provincial, national or international prominence in their chosen field. A fitting tribute for a true hometown hero and the first<\/em> hockey player from our community to make it to the NHL. Arnie\u2019s passion, commitment and his accomplishments remind us all that anything is possible. You just need to work hard and believe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So as I boated past Arnie\u2019s cottage on Long Lake on my way up into Louck\u2019s, I looked back with fondness and gratitude on that first summer, the years I served with Arnie on Council, the day the Stanley Cup came to Apsley and that night in July of 2015 when I had the opportunity to thank Arnie for being such a positive influence and inspiration to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like I said at the beginning\u2026 I don\u2019t believe in coincidence. Now that doesn\u2019t mean that we aren\u2019t masters of our own fate. I believe there are many ways and paths for us to follow on our journey through life. The situations, experiences and people (whether good or bad) that we meet along the way often provide clues which can help us choose our next step or direction that we take. Perspective is an incredible thing. When I look back now I can see that the connections I made in the summer of 1996 served to guide me to where I am right now. The older I get, the more I appreciate and am humbled by the synchronicity of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don\u2019t believe in coincidence. I believe all things happen for a reason although often times the connections aren\u2019t made until many years later upon reflection. Recently I had the opportunity to visit Long and Loucks Lakes and the memories and emotions it evoked in me were so powerful. Seeing the amazing granite cliffs, \u2018whale\u2019 … <\/p>\n