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6 Friday, October 8, 2021brooklintowncrier.com The 412-418 tolls are still there. Moving to Brooklin: A Newbie's View by Bianka Futo "Wait, you're moving to New York?" This was one of the more common questions I received when I told friends and family we were moving to Brooklin. "No, Brooklin with an "i." North Whitby," I'd respond. I can admit that before my first visit here and having spent my whole life in the GTA, I had never heard of Brooklin. When I mentioned our recent move to fellow parents at the bus drop or to my new hairdressers at Kc & Co, it seemed I was no outlier. It has been a movement: trading in bustling, CO2-filled streets, subways and skyscrapers to a more peaceful, picturesque place to call home. For us, the pandemic made us realize we wanted more room to breathe, more space for our daughter (and dog) to grow up in, more community. Neighbourhood watch is a real thing, and you can trust if you can't make bus pick-up someone will bring your kid home. It's a nice feeling to have. First visit I'll never forget coming to Brooklin for the first time earlier this year. Pleasantville was the first word that popped into my head as my partner and I drove down one of the residential streets to look at a listing. Charming homes with a modern Victorian curbside appeal lined beautifully manicured lawns. Neighbours were huddled together laughing while kids ran about. It looked like something straight out of a movie scene. I quickly envisioned myself living here, heading to my car in the morning while enthusiastically greeting my neighbour, discussing what dish we'd bring to our joint evening barbeque. We drove north on Baldwin for the first time, admiring the charming architecture and boutiques, and of course the impossible to miss pretty-in-pink Tip Top Creamery (a family favourite) across from Grass Park. It was love at first sight. My partner even said jokingly after our first visit that his heart was in Brooklin. And here it has stayed. We finally secured our new home after several failed, rollercoaster bids in a real estate market gone wild. But of course, it was all meant to be. We planned to move here along with our best friends who also bought a home a short 10-minute walk away from us, a childhood daydream come true. Driveway socials In just the three months of living here (that have felt much longer), our driveway has become the staple place to socialize with neighbours who quickly became friends. I grab the Brooklin Town Crier from our mailbox and see pure joy in our daughter's face as our neighbour's daughter teaches mine how to play hockey. We are home, and we have become the stars of our own picturesque movie too. For my partner, the central location to a magnitude of golf greenery was another big seller. Often commuting well over an hour to play 18 holes has turned into less than 10 when hitting up scenic Lyndebrook for a quick nine after work. We've gone to the Farmer's Market every single Saturday for fresh produce, pepperettes, and bread (the only local place to get any, it seems). One weekend, after the market visit, my friend (another new "Brooklinite") and I peeked into the window of Humphrey's Boutique and nearly spilled our Goodberry iced lemon teas as we hurriedly ran in to buy "Brooklin" sweaters, a proud expression of love for our cherished new home. Some of our favourite local eats have been Michael Kelly's pizza and Bangrak's flavourful crispy pad Thai. We've instilled Buckingham meats as our go-to butcher, the spicy Korean ribs being a personal favourite. They are to die for! Well, Brooklin with an "i", I can't wait to see what the future has in store for you. With impending growth on the horizon, it will be vital to keep the local charm alive. We look forward to playing our part, welcoming new neighbours with the same friendliness we've received, and getting involved with initiatives to keep the town true to its heritage and personable charm. First up on the docket: campaigning for a permanent bakery in town! The author with partner Tyler and daughter Kennedy Let's Thank Caremongers Regonal Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy We've been through some tough times lately. No one has been exempt. I like this analogy: we aren't all in the 'same boat' but rather we're all in different boats in varying degrees of sinking from the same violent storm. Let's hope we're seeing the waning of the gale force winds and that we now get some time to patch the leaks. During the last year and a half of turbulent pandemic weather, there's been a movement of positivity that needs to be recognized. The Whitby Caremongers group started up nearly immediately when the pandemic began as it became clear people needed help. This help included: pick-up and deliveries of medicine and groceries to the elderly and immuno-compromised residents; cheering up through gifts of music and drive- by parades for nursing homes and hospitals; celebrating Canada Day with pop-up miniature flags on our streets; supplying families in need with clothing for their children; stocking local food banks at their most desperate times; and much more. Jobs to do Every day there were posts on the Facebook group for people #ISO (In Search Of) or #done when the jobs were complete. There were zone sidentified by colour codes in Whitby communities. I live in the 'pink' zone. I've never in my life seen such an amazing movement of volunteerism and compassion. I get emotional recounting the days upon days when you saw the same people give of themselves over and over again for complete strangers. It appears their boat had that sort of hole to fill. I want to send a very big shout out to the small group who stood strong throughout in governing this unofficial charity that grew to 2700 people on a social media group. From the very beginning to the very end were the four women; Shauna Reay, Tracy Foucault, Niki Lundquist and Eva Guta. Bravo ladies! You are amazing and beautiful to the core! And there are so many more... Paul, Matt, Scott, Cindy...to name a few, and I know I will still miss someone on the list. I want you to know how much your service meant to us and how grateful I am. Identified needs Throughout this service, the Caremongers also achieved something that is valuable to me as your elected representative.This group helped identify needs within our community. We have holes within the system that people can fall through pretty easily. I hope to spend some time downloading more useful intel from them to help strengthen our community moving forward. We are going to look back at 2020, 2021 and likely 2022 as the years of the Covid-19 Pandemic. While it will be hard for many to see anything but the hurt, I hope we can at least remember the gifts of the Caremongers. Happy Thanksgiving!