Published in The BANAR November 2024
By Miriam Hampson, BCA Beautification Director
As the leaves begin to change colours and the temperatures start to drop, it brings us to an end to this beautiful summer … and to the BCA garden watering duties for 17 amazing Hamlet volunteers!
Thank you to Anne Edwards, Carol Kerwin, Christina McNiven, Christine Varley, Debbie Jolley, Don Kelly, Eloha Kakou, Erik Leicht, Garth Hampson, Jasmine Dohadwala, Karen Barrington, Os Hoch, Lisa Margeson, Mary Comerton, Monica DeRomer, Susie Wilson, Tammy Bedard for all of the time, work, and care that you put towards watering the BCA gardens this year. A shout out also goes to the spouses or children that tag along to help the watering volunteer! This volunteer gig is a big commitment: five months of dedication! It involves planting, lugging many jugs of water, pulling weeds, dragging hoses, and trimming grass. Muscles and wheels are a must! The reality is that this volunteer-led BCA garden initiative could not have been maintained without these amazing community members, ages ranging from 16 to 90! Thank you for helping make our entrance points into Blackburn Hamlet look welcoming and inviting!
A special mention to Monica DeRomer, Erik Leicht, Don Kelly, Christine Varley, Garth Hampson, Karen Barrington and Os Hoch for being part of this watering crew for the last 4 years. Thank you for coming back as a volunteer year after year!
Thank you to Julie Williams for helping create a beautiful new garden design at the Art Structure this year and to Dave Williams for some of the muscle work required for this project.
Thank you to Aspira Living for installing a hose to facilitate watering one of the gardens this year. Thank you to Don Kelly and Brad Hampson for the installation of extra hoses and gadgets, again with the aim of making the watering task less difficult for the volunteers.
And of course, a special thank you to my father-in-law, Garth Hampson, who even at 90 years old continues to inspire me with his incredible energy, positive drive, and garden ideas. Five years ago, we dreamed up reviving this garden project from the past. Since then, he has helped plant these four BCA gardens and you can often find him maintaining the garden edges, rearranging the stones, or trimming the grass area with his own weed-whacker! He has proudly lived in Blackburn Hamlet for 56 years and has always greatly exemplified the importance of giving back to communities across the city…and beyond. Thank you Garth for your benevolence and for being a wonderful role model for us all.
Thanks to the watering crew!
BCA garden set for fall