A legacy of friendship and determination:
In the final days of 2018, a major figure in recent Lennoxville history passed away. Although she had been living in Picton, Ontario for nearly the last two decades, Muriel Brand left a lasting legacy in the community she once served as municipal councilor and community volunteer.
“She was totally devoted to the town,” said former Lennoxville Mayor David Price, calling Brand a “driving force” on the council who was committed to getting things done.
Price was one of many The Record spoke to who pointed out that the annual Friendship Day celebrations were Brand’s idea.
Meant as a celebration of the strong connections between Lennoxville’s French and English-language residents, Friendship Day will turn 30 this coming June.
Alberta Everett said that there was no overlap in her time working on the Friendship Day planning committee and that of Brand, but that she got to know the former councilor because their children went to school together.
“She was a very outgoing person,” Everett said, “and I don’t think there was any obstacle to high for her to overcome.”
Praising her determination and approachable nature, Everett said that Brand seemed to be well liked in all that she did, whether it was as a teacher, a politician, or through her other work in the community.
Janet Angrave, a former neighbour and teaching colleague of Brand’s, said that although the former councilor’s creation of an annual summer celebration has been significant, there is another significant legacy Brand left for the community.
“Getting Uplands preserved as a museum and cultural centre was a real coup,” reflected Angrave, who got to know Brand they started carpooling to work together in 1969.
“I remember she had this little mauve car,” Angrave recalled. “We travelled to work together the first year Galt was opened.”
The former teacher noted that when Brand put her focus on the preservation of the Uplands house, the community had already lost several landmark structures and properties that she felt should have been protected.
“I think she probably got me to do a few things over the years,” Angrave said, pointing out that she has done quite a bit of volunteering at the cultural centre over the years and noting that Brand could be quite persuasive. “I always think of her when I go inside.”
Both Everett and Angrave noted that, despite having moved away, Brand made regular return trips to Lennoxville, helping to maintain her connection to the community she cared for so deeply.