Rooted in remembrance
Family sprouts a special place in Kensington in memory of Ross MacKay
There was a hive of activity in the hub of Kensington on Saturday morning as Jamie MacKay and volunteers transformed a blank canvas into a special place of inspiring beauty, with fresh fruit, flowers and vegetables. The garden, called “Ross’s Place,” was established in honour of MacKay’s father who passed away on May 2, 2017. “My father was a gardener and always loved fresh vegetables, but he passed away last year aged 81. I was thinking it would be great to have a public garden in memory of him, because he was a big part of the community, so I approached the Town of Kensington and they were all for it,” explained MacKay. “This area of land was provided as a free lease. I then contacted some (local) businesses to see if they could help. Kent Building Supplies was a major sponsor, as well as Clark Insurance, and the name plates of businesses that helped donate money and materials have been put on each plot.” The growing garden has 30 raised and six in-ground planting plots, located on School Street in Kensington. “People can plant whatever they want from flowers to vegetables. The seeds are provided for free, even the tools, which Kool Breeze Farms Garden Centre and Farm Market provided, added MacKay.
“We will have a contest between Castle and Kent’s garden plots, which will be evaluated at the Kensington Harvest Festival. “Any food grown will go to the breakfast program at Kensington Intermediate Senior High School or a charity of some sort.” He continued, “We have benches too for seniors to sit and use the area like a park.” The project was kicked off in November. “Ross was an extremely generous man and spent his life donating and helping everyone,” noted MacKay. “He constantly volunteered his time with my mother, and used their resources to help others, so I thought this was a good way to honour him. “There’s no way I could have done this all by myself without the sponsors and volunteers. I hope to build more planting plots as time goes on. I hope to have this place eventually full, with a nice fence around it. I would love to see it full of seniors and kids,” he said. Sheila MacKay says her husband would be so “thrilled with this garden.” She said, “Ross had a bad fall in 2015 and was paralyzed from the waist down. Before that he had bouts of cancer, but he never stopped or worried about it. He never complained about his illness or when he became paralyzed. He was the perfect husband all the way round.” The wife and son agree that friends and family will cherish the memory of Ross every time they look to the garden and see the plants growing, reminding them of a life well-lived.