About Bruce Sutherland Memorial Bursary

Let me tell you a little bit about Bruce. I would normally start out by saying when and where Bruce was born and that he passed away 3 years ago on September 15th. But to the more important stuff, like who was Bruce as a person and why did I create this bursary in his name. As an army brat Bruce, his brother Gerald, mother Elma, and dad Gerald Sr. travelled the world together before they settled in Greely Ontario. This is where Bruce became a father to his first daughter Amanda, a product of a high school sweetheart relationship.

He then attended Fanshaw College in London Ontario for TV Broadcasting. Looking at his transcript, he was not an A student similar to myself but got through it. One night at the infamous Blue Room, Bruce and his friends went to pick up chicks. It was there that he spotted their mom. After several months of dating the deal was set when she had fallen on him during a skating date. Deliberate who knows? 

She ended up popping the question, and after he asked permission from her dad, they were married in Harty in 1981. A few years went by before Shawn was born 1984. Then after Madeleine had a visit with Santa sitting on his knee asking for a girl, Jocelyn was born 7 months later in August 1987.

Bruce had an incredible career with a steady stream of celebrity and high profile collaborations. He was a well known guy in Arnprior. Santa Claus aka Lenn Sheen, Kim Campbell, Mr. Dressup and President’s Choice Dave Nickel, are just a few examples. He was the go to guy when you wanted to get something on the air on our local TV station. He was the organizer of the crew of volunteers who did camera with him and is fondly remembered for his friendly yet professional demeanor. 

Bruce and his mother Elma were one of the few founding members of the Prior Player who use to put on plays in this very building.

Bruce was a grandfather of four girls, Ashley, Amy, Taylor and Juniper. He never got a chance to learn that he was going to be a great grandpa, with Amy’s Everly and Elise. 

The last two years of his life were very hard for all of them because they had to watch their father, this once strong guy, the guy who would give you the shirt of his back, the spider killer, the king of the bbq, the guy who showed Shawn how to change his own oil, the one who sat with me while she watched Sex and the City and called it her “sex talk”, they were watching him fade away. They really never got any answers as to what was wrong with him, either did the doctors, although they suspected several things. Then Covid hit and those same doctors didn’t see how much he was losing, his friends didn’t either. I understands it now though he didn’t want people to worry about him.

After he passed I was lost, it took a long time to find herself again and in all that I found my sobriety. Being two years sober now I knows Bruce would be proud of me. 

So with Bruce passing during Covid the Sutherland family never really got the big celebration of life, that they all felt like he deserved. Now as we are finally pass the pandemic, or for the most part anyway, I felt it was time to have that gathering. Thinking about it though and being the perfectionist I am , I realized that there could never have something big enough for me to be truly happy. This is how the bursary was born. It’s something that can happen every year or two, fundraiser, remember Bruce and award a deserving student from the Adult High School.

Why the Adult High School you say? Bruce was a huge supporter of continuing education. There is always something you can learn. His mom finished her high school diploma at 54. So the Adult High School was chosen. Bursary guidelines are that the student is going into college for TV or internet media. They could also be heading into the workplace for a similar field. 

Bruce knew the future of news would be all online and dreamed of hyper local stations. Who knows Bruce maybe the ball will be picked up and ran with somehow? 

The next event for the Bruce Sutherland Memorial Bursary will be an artist showcase featuring poets, painters, singers, anything you can think of really, to celebrate our unique selves. So stay tuned for more information on that event.