Annie Williams Memorial Park Playground Has a New Name!

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2011
New Playground in Annie Williams Memorial Park to be Named “The Brazier Family Playground”
BRACEBRIDGE, ONT
Mayor Graydon Smith and Cathryn Willard, Chair of the Annie Williams Memorial Park Board are pleased to announce that the new playground to be constructed through the “Let Them Be Kids” – Extreme Makeover at the Annie Williams Park, will be named “The Brazier Family Playground"

It was announced on May 23rd that Let Them be Kids” (LTBK), a charitable organization that joins with communities across the country creating and improving playground spaces, had selected the park as one of its 2011 community projects. LTBK will match each dollar raised by the community for new playground equipment.

As has happened with other LTBK projects across Canada, the Park Board has decided to recognize the many men and women who have sacrificed for their country through service in the Canadian Armed Forces. For the Bracebridge project, the Park Board decided to name the playground in honour of the Brazier family.

William and Agnes Brazier and their nine children (Ed, Art, Bus, Percy, Victor, Bob, Charlie and George Brazier and their younger sister Mabel) were a close-knit family, well-known to the residents of Bracebridge. Several of the boys were local legends widely recognized for their hockey prowess.

During World War I, William Brazier served in the famous 122nd Muskoka Battalion. Agnes Brazier known as "Ma" Brazier, is remembered for her determined support for her family. In 1939 during World War II, seven of the boys, Ed, Bus, Percy, Victor, Robert, Charlie and George, the youngest who was only 15 at the time, voluntarily enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. Extraordinarily, after serving overseas in many dangerous encounters, ALL SEVEN boys returned safely home to Bracebridge after the war. The new playground at Annie Williams Memorial Park is to be named in recognition of the dedication of the Brazier family, in honour of those who served and returned and in tribute to all those who supported and sacrificed for Canada. The dedication of the new playground will take place on September 10, 2011 as part of the Annie Williams Memorial Park Extreme Make-over

Anyone looking to volunteer with this project or make a donation can sign-up and learn more at www.ltbk.bracebridge.ca or by emailing anniewilliamspark@gmail.com. Everyone is invited to help honour and remember the Brazier family and all those who have given so much for the people of Bracebridge.

"Let Them Be Kids" is a volunteer, non-profit organization created to build community capacity at the grassroots level; while building playgrounds, skate parks and fitness parks across Canada. These projects leave a legacy of community members who are inspired and better equipped to lay a strong foundation for a brighter tomorrow.

For further information regarding the Annie Williams Memorial Park Extreme Makeover contact:
• Mayor Graydon Smith, (705) 645-5264
• Cathryn Willard, Chair, Annie Williams Memorial Park Board (705) 644-3235

About Bracebridge
The Town of Bracebridge is Muskoka’s fastest growing urban municipality with a current population of over 15,600 that increases to over 30,000 during the summer months. Bracebridge, “the Heart of Muskoka”, offers citizens a unique quality of life through its location in the centre of Muskoka, a world-renowned pristine natural environment. The community has a diversified economic base with numerous educational, social, recreational and cultural resources. The Town is positioned on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, and is recognized as Santa’s summer home.