A TERRIBLE DAY FOR GRAVENHURST - A COMING-TOGETHER DAY FOR A HOMETOWN - WHEN NEED IS MOST PROFOUND, KINDNESSES ABOUND

“Light of Other Days.” To borrow from the title of the town’s landmark book, there is a light of history we will come to appreciate, from the darkness of crisis we have just now experienced.

Even the most seasoned reporter-kind, used to attending fatal accidents and fire scenes, can get wobbly knees in the midst of an emergency situation. Yesterday’s fire on Gravenhurst’s main street was one of those occasions, when past experiences don’t account for much.....other than old and tired anecdotes shared with other voyeurs, watching a fire consume livelihoods, residences and historic buildings in the heart of your home town.

It doesn’t make me feel empowered whatsoever, to have written about disaster plans only a few weeks ago, with an enquiry about our town’s preparedness for large scale emergencies. I am a worrier, you see, and whatever I learned as a journalist covering the beat, it has only served to entrench the realization, that normalcy and disaster are only ever seconds apart. With so many recent disasters gouging at this old world of ours, it’s hard to find much solace at all, from the daily news. When you hear sirens....many of them, it prays on our insecurities, and no one is immune from fear and trembling....... that first responders are, this moment, heading to a disaster scene. What agonizing moments, those first several minutes, wondering where our loved ones are, and if, by any tragic circumstance, they are in harm’s way?

What many folks utter when there doesn’t seem anything else to say, is still the case here......that it could have been so much worse. We could have lost lives. We very well could have lost emergency responders. We might now, instead of losing main street buildings, be mourning the loss of friends and neighbors in this community. No matter how many serious events like this, we experience up close during a life-time, these memories etch onto the psyche forever. And we all make promises to ourselves, in confidence, to be more aware of potentially dangerous situations, and amend the way we live and traverse the days of our lives. It’s an unwanted dance with fear and trembling. As it has happened to these fine folks, it can happen to any one of us, at any time.

As a watcher of this disastrous event, I was uplifted as a citizen of this good old town, to witness so much care and concern for the occupants of the building, and kindnesses bestowed toward the first responders by concerned citizens at the scene. It was heartwarming to the cynic-me, to see our Mayor arrive on the scene, only a short while after the fire began, being joined by numerous councillors sharing the actuality of the unfolding event. As a relentless critic of councillors not being more visible in town, these days, it was an important show of support, and emergency co-ordination;...... the fire departments and police could see the stalwart Mayor beyond the caution tape......studying for herself what was occurring, and what on her part, was needed at the moment. This is the kind of courage we all look for from our elected officials. I’m sure, to all the business folks in that main street neighborhood, seeing the Mayor and Councillors at the scene, was quite re-assuring, that they wouldn’t have to explain the event at a later meeting......because it had been witnessed in-person. The Mayor was there for a long time communicating with others......and it wasn’t just a quick visit for reasons of protocol, but rather a show of kind solidarity......an altogether responsible attendance, when a leadership presence was most needed for assurances, local government was looking out for all our interests.

To our own fire department, and responders from Rama and Bracebridge, it’s difficult to express all the gratitude we feel. This old reporter, who has covered many large fires in the past, realizes the potential that existed, of leaping flames taking out an entire block of buildings. They put their lives at risk to protect us. Out of a disaster will arise many stories that will be told and retold for years, and when embellishments eventually consume all but a few facts, what will remain is a strong sense of hometown heritage.....that while we suffered loss, we didn’t lose the will to build again.

It was wonderful to see the Salvation Army emergency response team at the fire scene, as well, and so many caring individuals who helped move youngsters out of harm’s way, and did what they could to help responders get the job done. While it’s undoubtedly true that many watching the fire were mere gawkers, folks that I talked to, some with tears in their eyes, were genuinely concerned about their fellow townsfolk, immersed in personal crisis. There were folks asking about where they could donate food, clothing and money to help those who were now homeless. As a reporter, usually up-close to the fire scene, being amongst the spectators gave me a different perspective, and an opportunity to hear the chatter, and see the emotion from where I least expected to find it!

As main street business owners ourselves, we understand how the commercial community will suffer from this unfortunate circumstance.....and we do share our deepest sympathy with all those who have been affected by the disaster.

I write a lot about our hometown these days. It has seemed so important for me to do this, because it has been such a wonderful community to raise our family, to work, and for me, to write. I have lived in many other communities in my life, but I have never been more contented and inspired by any place, more than at home here in Gravenhurst. It’s when I have witnessed this coming-together of people, in times of community crisis, that I truly appreciate the profound difference between a “town,” and a “home” town. We will recover from this, as we always have. I think we’ve got the kind of fortitude in this town, to pull together, share the labor, and partner toward those new beginnings that will rise in perpetuity from trial and tribulation.