Dear Collishaw Family, I am sorry for your loss. Neil was always helpful, kind, hard-working, and smiling He taught our little NBE cottage group how to make it work. He will be missed but not forgotten.

I think that it was late August 1976 when the original partners gathered at the Fletts to discuss how to purchase a cottage property that became known as New Bolingbroke Estates – the name that Barb came up with.
The Fletts served a crown roast of pork at their house on Hinton. It was a wonderful evening and the large number of wine bottles consumed over the evening made it clear that an offer should be made and presented to Mr Arsenault.  

How did the group come together? Neil and Eugenia worked at Health Canada with John Bachynsky. Gail Graser worked on health data at Statistics Canada. Roy Flett and Ray LaBrosse, who worked at the Bank of Canada, were the other half of the connection. 

How did the group select the cottages? Well, the choices were clear since most of the families had kids and needed bedrooms. Barb and Neil like the cottage on the hill and distinguished it from the rest by painting it green.

Who helped make the offer? Gail Graser called on Dan Kimmel to draw up the offer. Dan muttered that he could help but was skeptical that the arrangement would last. Dan was invited to our 25th anniversary celebration, where he revealed his initial assessment. Neil was key in keeping the group together, and we are now 48 years strong, having celebrated two on-site weddings, many parties with too much wine and beer, a tractor toss, and several births nine months after the cottage openings on Victoria Day weekend. 

As Neil always said, NBE is our piece of heaven on earth.