"BROCKVILLE IS A FINE TOWN"

Melinda Hodgins grew up on Butterfield Place in the house her father had built for his family in 1957. A 1967 graduate of BCIVS, Melinda attended Queen’s University in Kingston, where she majored in English Literature and History of Art. In her third year, she attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

“Living in Ireland was wonderful, and after graduating from Queen`s, I returned to Dublin and studied for a further two years at Trinity. I spent as much of my leisure time as possible in the countryside, riding the incredible Irish horses. I loved living in Ireland and being at Trinity, but ultimately, the pull of Canada proved stronger.”

Ready to enter the working world, Melinda, found that Ottawa offered her exactly what she wanted and needed. It had the amenities of a city while retaining a small town aura. “I could take advantage of all that the city offered and still be in the country within thirty minutes. I found it easy to make friends because I had a horse, and when you have a hobby, any hobby, you will meet people through that hobby.”

Melinda secured a position with The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), an agency that works with researchers from developing countries in their search for the means to build better societies. She was surrounded by experts from all over the world and loved working in the company of highly trained and dedicated individuals. She agreed with the philosophy of capacity-building but was never really comfortable in the role of a bureaucrat. In the mid-90s, she was able to take advantage of a buy-out after eighteen years with the IDRC.

Melinda moved to the Canadian Psychiatric Association, where she served as the Senior Copy Editor of several medical journals. “Although I had a background in the humanities rather than in science, my skills in grammar, proof reading and editing served me well. I had also learned some invaluable managerial and administrative skills over time. After working with the Psychiatric Association for almost ten years, I was offered a position with the Canadian Medical Association as Managing Editor of The Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and The Canadian Journal of Surgery.”

“I had certainly planned to work until retirement age. However, one day in June, I woke up to a beautiful morning and decided, just like that, to retire. It struck me that I was, fortunately, in a position to retire, and therefore ought to make the most of what might be the best years of my life.”

“In the meantime, my mother, back in Brockville, was widowed. I was again single after some twenty years, and we had been discussing combining our households. It made sense for me to move to the more spacious family home in Brockville.”

In August of 2008, with her house sold, Melinda moved back to Brockville, although it feels to her sometimes as if she never really left. “We have always been a close-knit family, and I was always coming home for week-ends, birthdays, that sort of thing. That’s not to say it wasn’t a change to actually leave the Ottawa area and re-settle in Brockville.”

Because of the close proximity to Ottawa, Melinda had watched Brockville change and grow since the 60s. “The core has not lost its charm, although I still regret the loss of the lovely old Revere Hotel, which once graced the site now occupied by the Bank of Nova Scotia.” As Melinda sees it, “After a decline, there has been a rejuvenation in the downtown area. Brockville will only improve. Over the years, I have seen communities go through amazing tranisitons. To give two examples, in the 80s I lived on a hobby farm just outside Carleton Place and watched that town revive from a depressed community with boarded up shop fronts to its present vibrant state. More recently, I`ve been watching Kemptville go through the same process.“

Melinda continues to maintain her friendships in the Ottawa area, where she still boards her Arabian gelding. However, on returning to Brockville, she made a point of joining The Newcomers Club of Brockville through which she was able to find and take advantage of groups of interest much more quickly than she could have done alone.

Asked what she does with her spare time now that she is retired, Melinda is adamant that she absolutely loves leisurely mornings. “When I worked, I was up at the crack of dawn to commute into Ottawa. It was always a rush, since I`ve never been a morning person. Now, I read the paper, drink coffee, and stay in my jammies all morning if I want to.”

“I do see my horse almost daily, but it’s not a long drive and there isn’t that urgency to be there at a certain time.”

In addition to her long mornings and visits to her horse, Melinda loves to cook and garden and has joined two book clubs offered by The Newcomers Club. She has recently taken up Irish set dancing. “A family friend had also lived in Ireland. She is an accomplished set dancer and has introduced me to it. As we get older, we need to work harder to maintain a healthy life style and keep moving. Stretch, limber up, but move! Set dancing does that. ” To that end, Melinda has also taken out a membership in the local Curves.

Asked if she would stay in Brockville, Melinda says that she has never been good at planning too far into the future, finding it easier to live for the moment and enjoy each day. “I've never had a rigid game plan. I’ve always built on past experiences. In the meantime, I enjoy living in Brockville. I'm watching the transition of our downtown with great interest. There are positive developments and we are moving forward well. The waterfront is beautiful now compared to when I lived here years ago. Brockville is a fine town.”