First responders honoured on Father’s Day

Jeff Green | Jun 24, 2020

It was the closest thing Central Frontenac is going to have to a Canada Day Parade this year.

The firefighters and two trucks were there, as were the Frontenac Paramedics, the Lion’s Club and even the Mayor. But it wasn’t a parade, and everyone was assembled to celebrate community resilience instead of national pride.

There were broad smiles under the sweltering Father’s Day heat at 11am last Sunday as firefighters and paramedic collected boxed Father’s Day meals of smoked ribs, Caesar salad, roast potatoes and Nanaimo bars prepared at cost by Seed to Sausage. The meal was paid for by the Sharbot Lake and District Lions Club. They were handed out to first responders as a gesture of support one week after they were called to the arson and shooting incident that shook the hamlet of Parham and led to the destruction of St. James Anglican Church and the house that served as its manse at one time.

The Father’s rib dinner, which provided a treat of a meal for 1,000 local residents, was the third community meal that was organised by a community group that sprung up under the umbrella of the Caremongering Sharbot Lake Facebook page that was set up at the beginning of the lockdown in March.

Tina Hillocks, who moved to Tichborne last year, next door to long time Lions Club leaders Dawn and and Dave Hansen, naturally joined the Lions. Last week, she sprung into action the day after the fire in Parham. she contacted Ken Fisher, who was organising the dinner, to find out if some of the extra dinners that had been purchased by Caremongering supporters for other people who might need one could be given to Parham residents. When he said yes, she then decided that the first responders, police, ambulance, and firefighters, would appreciate a meal as well. Fisher told her how many more Seed to Sausage would be able to make, and she called the Lion’s to pay for them. It was all done in a day or so, and on Sunday the gathering for a photo-op and meal delivery was the final step in the process.

“This ahows us what a strong, resilient community we are,” said Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith during a brief presentation at Seed to Sausage on Sunday.

As the photo was taken and the meals picked up, a steady stream of other community members were picking up their dinners, and still more were being delivered in South, Central, and North Frontenac. After that the firefighters returned home to their families, and the caremongering crew were completing their work. Lions Club members and Tina Hillocks then headed back to Parham to deliver meals to Goodfellows Funeral Home, where Parkham residents gathered to pick up their meals and enjoy the shade of a large Oak tree on the property.

A fitting gathering to mark one week after the strange and violent events of one week earlier, with the symbol of that day, the still standing façade of St. James Church, still shining 150 metres away in the brilliant mid-day sunshine.