It may not look like much now, but with time and luck, a four-foot tree will eventually grow in Aldershot to serve as a majestic reminder of the work of Lions Clubs across Canada.
The Aldershot Lions Club completed the planting of the tree in Bayshore Park on the last weekend in October. The planting was done, in cooperation with the City of Burlington, as part of the Lions National Centennial Project, celebrating one hundred years of Lions Clubs in Canada.
Commenting on the Centennial Celebration, Aldershot Club President Ron Hardy said: “Aldershot Lions are pleased to be part of a nation-wide team that has helped build better communities across Canada for a full century.”
According to Burlington forestry technician Laura Wright, this is no ordinary tree. It is a Larix decidua, better known as a European larch. Eventually, it will grow to 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It is one of the few coniferous trees that loses its leaves in the winter. She describes the tree that will eventually develop as “showy.” Its needles will turn yellow before dropping in the fall.
The Aldershot Lions Club began nearly 60 years ago and has contributed significantly to the community in a variety of public and private ways. Most recently, donations have helped the Carpenter Hospice, the Compassion Society, Camp Dorset (a resort for dialysis patients), the Burlington Food Bank, guide dog training, enhancements to Bolus Gardens Parkette and construction of a pedestrian rest area at the corner of Plains and Francis Roads.
Since 2018, the Club has raised funds with regularly scheduled garage sales in a vacant store on Plains Road. The monthly sales have proven to be extremely popular in the community and profitable for the club which, in turn, budgets annually for local causes.
The first Lions Club in Canada was established in Windsor in 1920.
Aldershot City Councillor Kelvin Galbraith joined the weekend tree planting celebration.
Fully grown European larch in the fall.
