Articles
Celebrating Norah
(This news story first appeared in the July 17, 2007, issue of the Haliburton County Echo.)
The people of Kennisis Lake showed their gratitude and excitement for the donation of Norah’s Island by braving rain and cold at last Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Two ribbons were actually tied together rather than cut apart to symbolize the union between the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust and the Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners’ Association.
Members of the Carruthers family, who gave the island to the trust, were visibly moved.
"It’s nice to see how much this matters to people," said Gail Carruthers, who gasped when she realized that close to 100 people were waiting on wet docks to be boated over to the island.
The island was donated in memory of her mother-in-law Norah, who bought it in hopes of having "her own little piece of Canada."
With their own family cottage on Georgian Bay near Midland, the island had been the stuff of stories for many of Norah’s grandchildren. Her youngest and oldest grandchildren travelled from as far as Brampton to see it for the first time at the celebration.
"We just called it ‘Mom’s Island,’ " said David Carruthers, who added that his mother Norah has always loved the place. When David and Gail would come up to the lake to visit friends, they would take pictures of the island to blow up and bring back to her. He felt the donation was a great idea that would ensure the island was continually cherished as a natural retreat.
For many area residents, the celebration was a chance to thank the family in person. Bruce Carruthers used to visit the lake with his late wife, Norah, to see the Kerr family. Their old place overlooked the island, but it has since changed hands. "Once they moved away, it kind of broke the connection to the lake," said Bruce. As people came forward to shake his hand, he was able to establish new local ties.
The crowd was brought over to the island by a fleet of pontoon boats. They gathered on a rock face by the edge of the water, serenaded by the a capella quartet That’s Entertainment. Swaying to the song "Everything Old is New Again" people prepared to give a white-grape-juice toast to the island.
It was a quaint but heartfelt ceremony, with long lists of thanks pouring into a megaphone. Jeff Pinkney, lake steward for Kennisis Lake, applauded a fund-raising effort that will ensure the island is maintained in perpetuity. "We’re now sitting at $46,000, which is remarkable and wonderful," he said.
President of the lake association, Duncan McCallum, expressed his gratitude to Bruce. Pointing to his young daughter who stood crouched before the ribbon, he spoke of the ways that parents dream of passing on their lake days to children. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you Bruce. Your donation has made it possible for other generations to enjoy the land and experience it as we have."
The island is the first piece of land acquired by Haliburton’s land trust. For Ian Daniel, chairman of the trust, it has been nothing short of "a dream come true." He told the family that the donation would give way to a long legacy.
"My only regret, Bruce, is that I didn’t get to meet your wife Norah. But we’ll think of her many times in the future."
He added that the island would be a place for people to find peace and reflection.
Bruce reinforced this spiritual connection to the land, beginning his own speech by saying "Thank you God for creating such a beautiful place and letting us enjoy it."
Showing his modesty, Bruce filled his talk with thank yous for each person who had helped make the donation an easy and successful process.
The crowd cheered as his youngest grandchildren, Katie, 4, and Zoe, 3, pulled the ribbon together.
A photo of the group, standing together on the edge of the island will grace the cover of next year’s Kennisis Lake calendar.
Last Updated: Jun 29 2010 12:10:31 am.
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Photo: Lyn Winans
Did You Know...
Norah’s Island was donated by Bruce Carruthers to the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust to honour the memory of his late wife. The Carruthers owned the island for 32 years. Find out more about Norah’s Island.
