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Eganville – As the old adage goes, A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.
While Gerald Tracey may know the fruits of his labor, now so will everyone else in and around the village of Eganville.
Bonnechere Valley council approved the renaming of Centennial Park as The Gerald Tracey Park, with Mayor Jennifer Murphy noting this was “in honour of his outstanding contributions and dedicated service to the community.”
She said the request for the re-naming came from Terry McCann, a retired Pembroke lawyer and former mayor of the city whose family donated the 13-acre parcel of land to the village to accommodate the park.
Almost 35 years after the Centennial Park project was completed by the Eganville Centennial Committee, under the leadership of Mr. Tracey, the Bonnechere Valley (BV) council announced last Wednesday it had approved a request to rename the park after him.
Mr. Tracey and Mr. McCann were invited to last week’s council meeting to discuss plans for making improvements to the park but soon after the meeting began it was clear that was not the purpose of the invitation.
Mayor Murphy began the meeting saying Mr. Tracey has been an advocate and community leader for over 50 years and contributed significantly to the betterment of Eganville and Renfrew County and spearheaded many fundraising initiatives.
She announced the park would be renamed at a ceremony on May 25, 2025, “in honour of his outstanding contributions and dedicated service to the community,” she said. May 25 is Mr. Tracey’s birthday, the mayor added.
“I want to thank you Terry for doing this,” an emotional Mr. Tracey said. “You have been a lifelong friend. It is a friendship I will always cherish. To you and you family, and to council, I say ‘thank you’ for your consideration.”
Mr. Tracey chaired the Centennial committee for four years and besides raising about $800,000 to build the park, the committee also produced a history book and organized a week-long celebration that brought about 40,000 people into the community over six days.
Mr. McCann said his parents had bequeathed the land to his brothers, and his sister and that not one member of his family hesitated when asked about donating the land for the park. “Every one of them said, ‘Excellent. Good idea.’ There was absolutely no problem,” he told council. “We were so happy to own that land so that we could give it to Eganville, the place where my mom and dad grew up.
“I thank Gerald for the last 30 years for the manner in which he came to my office and asked for the park. He was dedicated to the village of Eganville and the people of Bonnechere Valley,” he said. “In such a sincere and friendly manner, he wanted us to bestow that land. We were so taken up.”
Mr. Tracey expressed his gratitude to Mr. McCann and council and said he wanted to pay tribute to all of the members of the Centennial Committee and the scores of volunteers who made the 1991 celebration such a success.
“I appreciate the honour that you’re going to bestow upon me,” he added. “As my good friend, the late Mervin Olsheski said when he received a significant award from the Polish and Canadian governments for the roles he played in bringing the two countries together in development projects, ‘I don’t really deserve this honour, but I didn’t deserve arthritis either, and I’ve accepted that.’”
Mr. Tracey said the creation of Centennial Park was the major project chosen to commemorate the village’s 100th anniversary of incorporation adding the committee devoted about four years to fundraising activities to build the park.
Eganville Centennial Park is situated in the heart of the village. Access from the north side is via the walking bridge beside the Tourist Information Centre The park is also accessible from three entrances off John Street. It’s home to a children’s playground, the Guy Jamieson Bandshell where concerts are held during the summer months, a large open gazebo, walking trails along the river and a pebble mosaic honouring victims and survivors of sexual violence.
Prior to being developed, the area was home to long grass, trees and debris along the river, basically a dumping ground.
In addition to his involvement with Centennial Park, Mr. Tracey has spearheaded fundraising for several other projects in the village including the rebuilding of St. James bell tower, building the 36-unit Fairfields assisted living complex for seniors, the children’s splash pad in Legion Field, and the Save the Legion campaign during COVID.
He is currently the chair of the board of directors that oversees the operation of Fairfields, as well as Hospice Renfrew, a six-bed facility providing end-of-life care.
Mr. Tracey noted the community fundraising he has been involved with was never intended for accolades but rather as a way of giving back and making the community a better place. At the same time, he thanked the McCanns and council for the honour.
“I have always lived by the philosophy that if we can’t help make our community a better place while we are alive, what was our point of being here,” he said.