2012 Murchison Place Park Clean Up
[slideshow] May 19, 2012 – Victoria Day Weekend. What a wonderful day! The weather was perfect, and the community spirit in Clyde River was alive and well as 33 people worked together at Murchison Place Park to prepare this beautiful little park for summer. The clean up was promoted to start at 9 a.m., but by 8 a.m., Kevin and Erica Ross were already there working hard. A few minutes later, Allan MacQuarrie with a tractor, front end loader and a hay wagon arrived, and in a short time frame had moved all the limbs and brush left over from fallen trees. Amy MacQuarrie was there raking hard when the Bryants arrived. Soon Amy’s cousins, Lilly Wood and Ben and J.R. MacQuarrie joined in. To see these children taking part in a clean-up day is particularly rewarding.
By 9:30, Vans Bryant had put the story boards in place, and 20 people were raking leaves from the grass and flowerbeds. Soon the perennial gardens looked beautiful. This park has been open for five years, and each year the plants are more mature and beautiful. The children had fun tramping down the leaves, and this fun meant the trucks that carried away all the debris could hold more.
Three members of the Brine family were there, and it was so nice to hear about Aiden’s big week when he represented PEI as part of a PEI student group at a Commonwealth conference in Ottawa. That’s the kind of community building that happens at a group working day as neighbours learn more about each other’s lives. Lilly Wood was seen telling Erica Ross about her interests, men teased each other about being slow, etc. and women, various ages, took the opportunity to discuss gardening and share hints as they worked in the gardens. Ellen Ross incorporated what she has learned about plants by tastefully framing plants around a tree with rocks.
In the end, Ethel MacQuarrie’s family would win a prize –if there was one – for the most family members present, as eight of them chipped in to help. Of course, Wayne and Denise Gillespie were also there and other regulars like Christine Young, Audrey MacPhee, Nancy Fitzgerald and Donna Woodside. From outside the community, Shirley Farrar, Chris MacEwen, Hon. Valerie Doherty, and Amy MacQuarrie volunteered their time and seemed to enjoy the experience. First timer, Kerri Lee York had a “coming home” feeling as she helped nurture the volunteers by getting snacks ready for break time and lunch. Jim Colodey did an awesome job of cooking bar-b-que hotdogs for lunch. Betty Watts, Kerri Lee, Shirley Farrar and Lisa Ross sent along food to supplement what had been bought by the park committee.
And by 1 p.m., Murchison Place park looked lovely just as newcomers to this community arrived to play. For these four children, this was the first time they visited the park and they were very pleased. That’s the reward for clean up. Seeing people enjoying the park makes the work all worthwhile.
Thank you to all who helped with the 2012 spring clean up from the Park Committee, Alex Dixon, Lisa Ross, Jo Ann MacPhail and Emily Bryant. Special thanks to those who brought equipment, Kevin Ross- lawnmower, Allan MacQuarrie – tractor, Reuel Wood – chain saw and the Bryant and Dixon trucks.
As extra proof of the wonderful people who live in Clyde River, a new lovely corner cabinet showed up today at the Riverview Community Centre. It was skillfully built by Gordie Ross and donated to the Clyde River Women’s Institute.