Si vous êtes allé à la Maison Fairbairn récemment, vous avez peut-être remarqué un nouveau banc en cèdre sur la colline qui surplombe la scène. Barry Nesbitt, qui ne manquait jamais une occasion de faire la fête, était un ami pour beaucoup et un bénévole actif dans la communauté de Wakefield. Le banc a été placé en présence d'une petite assemblée le dimanche 6 août 2023. Cela aurait été son 70e anniversaire ! Pour reprendre les mots de son cher ami Darryl Copeland, "nous espérons que vous pourrez tous vous asseoir, faire une pause et réfléchir sur le banc de Barry à un moment donné dans l'avenir". Tu nous manques, Barry !

If you've been to Fairbairn House recently, you may have noticed a new cedar bench on the hill overlooking the stage. Never one to miss a chance to party, Barry Nesbitt was a friend to many and an active volunteer in the community of Wakefield. The bench was placed with a small gathering present on Sunday, August 6, 2023. This would have been his 70th birthday! In the words of his dear friend Darryl Copeland, "We hope all of you will be able to sit, pause, and reflect on Barry's bench at some point in the future." We miss you Barry!

Sentiers Wakefield a une nouvelle maison! Vous avez peut-être vu le hangar brun clair à l'arrière du stationnement du Centre Communautaire, à côté du point de départ du sentier, au-delà de la patinoire ? À l'intérieur, vous y trouverez peut-être des pelles ou des bénévoles comme les deux photographiés - Nick Appleby et Ghislain Lafontaine. Nous appelons affectueusement cette nouvelle maison notre "cabane". Merci beaucoup aux donateurs qui ont contribué à sa réalisation et au Sentier transcanadien. Passez nous dire bonjour après votre visite au marché les deux prochains samedis - le 19 août ou le 26 août entre 10 et 12 heures.

Wakefield Trails has a new home! Perhaps you have seen the tan shed at the back of the parking lot in the Community Centre beside the trailhead beyond the skating rink? Inside you may find shovels, or volunteers such as the two pictured - Nick Appleby and Ghislain Lafontaine. We are lovingly calling this new home our "cabin". Thank you so much to the donors who helped make it possible and the Trans Canada Trail. Stop by and say hi after you visit the market on the next two Saturdays - August 19 or August 26 between 10 to 12.

Les sentiers de Wakefield sont le fruit d'un travail acharné. La plupart de ce travail est effectué par des bénévoles. Il est rendu moins difficile, ou du moins plus amusant, par le travail en commun. Au fil des ans, nous avons développé une expertise dans la construction d'escaliers en pierre. Voici quelques photos d'un de ces projets. Nous sommes reconnaissants aux mentors qui nous ont aidés tout au long de notre parcours. Aujourd'hui, nous partageons ce que nous avons appris avec les constructeurs de sentiers voisins.

The trails in Wakefield have been built by hard work. Most of this hard work is done by volunteers. It is made less difficult, or at least more fun, by working together. Over the years, we have developed expertise in building stone stairs. Here are some pictures showcasing one such project. We are grateful to mentors who helped us along the way. Now we share what we have learned with neighbouring trailbuilders.

Fran Cutler’s family has an attachment to the Wakefield area that goes back almost one hundred years. Like many of us, Fran considers Wakefield one of her “favourite villages in the whole world!”.
 
As a CBC employee for close to 30 years, her cottage on the Gatineau River in the Larrimac area and the surrounding Gatineau Hills always provided a respite from the demands of work.
 
“…It was always so relaxing and calming to get out on the trails to walk at a leisurely pace, not put too much effort into it … and getting together with friends because it wasn’t just the outdoor recreation and exercise, it was the social aspect that was so important.”
 
Now retired, she shares the trail experience with her fellow members of the Rideau Trail Club, embracing the opportunity to socialize with like minded people and the energizing effect the outings have for her. Sometimes their excursions have them travelling the trails around Wakefield. Fran has certainly witnessed the transformation that has taken place on the trails around the village….”the ones that have been developed from really old, very difficult to manage paths to very nicely groomed and maintained paths that the locals have worked so hard to create.” The improved accessibility and safety is very important to Fran as she navigates thru an increasingly more challenging vision impairment disability.  As her sight deteriorates, it’s the bird songs that might that keep calling her into the forests.
 
“I love the cardinals because the male sings different songs at different times of the day and chickadees of course, sing a different song at different times of the year. And warblers are really beyond me! I can’t distinguish one from another but it’s a beautiful sound. And then there’s the wonderful  what’s called the Canada bird – the white throated sparrow with a note that sounds like “…in Canada…”.
 
In Canada indeed. Listen to our full interview with Fran here:

​Kerry is one of those people who has fabricated a life for herself that has work and play co-existing in a beautiful symbiotic balance. She and her partner have lived in the Wakefield area for a number of years – their home nestled between the Gatineau River and the surrounding hills. Kerry is an instructional designer, and mostly works from home, which works perfectly well for her, as she finds her best thinking is done out in nature – either on the river or on the trails.
 
“I’m very fortunate…I have access to all the outside life that occurs around me…A lot of my creativity happens when I’m actually out in the forest or on the river.”
 
Sometimes her adventures include her grandchildren, who often visit. Kerry loves to take them on a hike up, up, up to the place that seems to them to be the top of the world!
 
“…when you reach the top we all just sit on the bench and look out, down the river and they just can’t believe that this is something they’ve succeeded at.”
 
Then there are the many other adventures that Kerry has had with lots of wildlife while out cycling the trails in the area. Some of you might find running in to bears a terrifying experience to say the least. Kerry considers it just part of the great experience:
 
“…its always this great adventure and I always have a great story to tell when I come back from my journeys out on the trails.”
 
Find out all about the creatures that play a role in her adventures by listening to the podcast!