Volunteers are key to maintaining quality of life in small rural communities

Expositor Staff

Apr 22, 2026 - 2 min read

KAGAWONG—Maintaining an outdoor skating rink began several years ago for David Carr, when he made one for the neighbourhood kids while living in Burlington and raising his own kids. His degree in physical education also comes in handy.

Mr. Carr was approached back in the fall of 2025 by his neighbour and friend Phil Smyth to help out with the rink, aka The Kagawong River Complex, located on the same property as the Kagawong Park Centre. When asked, his immediate response was “no problem” as he lived close by and was available during the winter months.

While Mr. Smyth took the lead, helpers included Mr. Carr and Mark Turgeon. The team would visit the rink site every day, shovel and scrape the surface and flood it. This was every day all winter for 90 minutes. This is why they needed three people on the crew.