Published in The BANAR, September 1977
During each summer Blackburn Hamlet, like many other communities lose some families who move away and gain others who come from various parts of Canada and beyond. We hope this article will be of some value to those families who have just joined us and perhaps even to some others who have been here a while.
Almost anyone who has lived in our community for more than a very short period of time will tell you it has a lot going for it. It is distinctly residential but yet within easy commuting distance of downtown Ottawa. There is plenty of opportunity for indoor and outdoor physical activity, organized or otherwise and community efforts are as well organized here as anywhere one can think of.
Why does BLACKBURN HAMLET have many services and activities? The answer to this is, in many cases, thanks to the Blackburn Community Association. This organization is run by and for the community and has in the past been a great influence in the development of services and facilities. It was through effort by the association, for example, the community first obtained a bus service, the speed limit was lowered on limes Road, a stop light was installed at the corner of Bearbrook & Innes. The Association is made up of residents who choose an executive, all of whom give their time on a volunteer basis. It is through the Blackburn Community Association that the BANAR is published each month from September through June. The B.C.A. is also the core of our very active recreation program. It is thanks to the B.C.A. and the Blackburn Hamlet Community Recreation Centres Committee and their influence on other bodies that we have tennis courts, swimming pool, ball diamonds, soccer fields, playgrounds and the arena.
Sometimes the role of our B.C.A. and the Blackburn Hamlet Community Recreation Centres Committee are confused. Generally speaking, the B.C.A. is “program” oriented as compared to a “facility” orientation for Centres Committee. While the B.C.A. is strictly a community organization, the latter is a committee which works as a “buffer” so to speak between our citizens and the Parks & Recreation Department of the Township. Its role is to identify needs, consider improvements and make recommendations to the township department.
Who belongs to Blackburn Community Association? The answer is – over 80% of the families living in our community. Each fall a membership committee is organized and a call is made at each home to provide, at a reasonable cost, a membership card for the following year and to explain the benefits and privileges that accrue from belonging.
One does not live in the community very long before realizing just how many activities are available for participation. Elsewhere in the BANAR you will find some information concerning sports activities available on an organized basis but there are some other very important functions that are carried out under the auspices of our B.C.A. For example, the Fun Fair is held at the beginning of each summer. This is a community effort to raise money for the development and improvement of various facilities. During the summer a day camp is conducted from Glen Ogilvie School for children ages 5 – 12. In the early fall a skate and ski exchange is held where residents are encouraged to offer surplus sporting equipment and purchase replacements at a reasonable price. Several adult dances are held each year which are well attended and enjoyed. In the early spring a fertilizer sale is organized as another fund raising project. The B.C.A. also operates the canteen in Blackburn Arena and a separate article on this subject can be found elsewhere in the BANAR.
We would not want you to think that every service and facility is provided through the Community Association because such is not the case. There is a very active scouting program involving over 500 boys in programs from Beavers to Venturers. Registration was held on September 12th and the program for the year is underway. There is also a very active Girl Guide Movement.
The Hamlet offers formal education from preschool to Grade 8 with early and late French Immersion classes available. Both English and French highschools are within easy busing distance. Schools come under the Carleton Public School Board, Carleton Roman Catholic School Board or Conseil des Ecoles Catholiques Romaines de Carleton. Some evening adult education classes are held locally but more are available at Gloucester High School. Conservatory Music classes are held at Blackburn Public School.
Roman Catholic masses are held at the Blackburn Catholic School in English and at Ecole Ste. Marie in French. Other churches are within easy driving distance with particulars being found on the inside back page of the BANAR.
There is a library on Innes Road above Kemper Realty, a post office in the Pinto store at the corner of Navan and Innes Roads and a transport office at 2832 St. Joseph Boulevard in Orleans where your car license can be obtained. Garden plots behind the arena and on Anderson Road are rented from the National Capital Commission. With winter coming on, outdoor skating rinks will be found at Bearbrook Park, at Ecole Ste. Marie and at the Blackburn Public School. In addition to the local medical centre, others can be found in Orleans and on Shefford Rd. at Beacon Hill Medical Centre, off Montreal Road. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario is only about five miles away at the corner of Smyth Road and Alta Vista Drive.
The Block Parent Program is active in Blackburn Hamlet.
One of the really good things our community has going for it is a willingness on the part of adults to dig in and help with the various activities. Everyone knows, or at least they should, that things do not just happen; they are made to happen. So if the Blackburn Community Association and the various programs conducted in the community are to continue to flourish, they must be supported by our residents. If you are a newcomer who has a particular interest and would like to become involved, please do not hesitate to identify yourself. There may be others in the community who for one reason or another have not previously been able to assist but now have the time and inclination. Remember the community is always in need of new volunteers to take up where others who have moved away left off.