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the HERALD- SECTION B Wednesday October 30 E HILLS Youth Pago Sometimes life really can be a circus By USA The Herald One could say love was in the air when Richard Gardencurrent co- owner of Garden Brothers Circus met and fell in love with Azalea a trapeze artist From the looks of the con servatively dressed couple in their quaint Georgetown shared by their two children one would never guess the exciting lifestyle the couple once thrived on But it only takes a quick glance at a photo album filled with pictures of the couple in glitzy costumes flying high in the air to imagine the exciting world of the circus that made up their lives before they gave up the glamor of the spotlight to raise a family and run the 53- yearold Garden Brothers circus The story begins in when the late William Garden and his brother Robert established the Gar den Brothers circus Travelling across Canada the circus soon established a name for itself and was passed down to the next generation when Williams son Ian took over with partner Elliot in Ian married and they had two sons Ian and Richard who first got involved with his dads circus as a stage hand at age This was a job he earned out every summer before becoming assistant manager of the show looking after box office sales and Back In the days when they were trapeze artists with the Flying Ybarras Richard and Azalea Garden dressed in sequins and rhinestones Now you re more likely to see them in jeans and shirts or suits to fit the role of their new lifestyle that of parents and Garden Brothers Circusowners payroll But the circus bug hadnt bit him yet He earned his Grade 13 dilploma with a fierce desire to study aeronautics in a government- sored program that was being of fered at the time However he was turned down because of poor eye sight I stayed in limbo for a couple of years after that remembers Mr Garden and then I bartended for four years before getting a call from an old friend of mine m the circus business who needed a part ner for his highwire motorcycle act He accepted and for three years the two along with a third per former thrilled audiences with daring feats as part of the Hubert Castle threering circus It was at this stage that he met his future wife Azalea a trapeze artist Azalea her brother and parents made up the flying trapeze group the Flying Azalea had been flying with her Mexican parents since she left school at age eight It wasnt long before the two met and discovered that even if it wasnt love at first sight love was But before Mr Garden could ac tually begin dating Azalea he had to ask permission from her father After a minute speech during which I had to promise not to take Azalea away from the act he gave me permission to date her recalls Mr Garden And so the romance began and fortunately for them the adage absence makes the heart grow fonder was true because after a few months of dating Azalea left Canada for Mexico until her family rejoined the Hubert Castle Circus for the following season But Mr Gardens motorcycle act wasnt re contracted and he decided to join his father business again as an assistant in charge of setting up the circus At this point Mr Garden still hadnt made any concrete decision to make a lifelong commitment to the circus The only thing he was sure about was his feelings for Azalea which he kept alive through frequent letters and longdistance calls Finally after months of separation he decided to fly out to Kansas where Azalea was per forming and asked her father for permission to marry her This time there was no speech just happy consent As spring turned to summer the Hubert Castle Circus had a date to perform in and with a weeks notice the couple planned their wedding We were supposed to have a big wedding in Mexico but we just couldnt wait admits Azalea A short honeymoon was squeezed in before Azalea left with the circus to finish the seasons performance After the season the whole family and the headed for Mexico to join a circus and Mr Garden joined the trapeze act when Azaleas father retired For two years the couple flew together finding the success of their persona relationship was matched by their professional partnership In they left Mexico to per form in the the Garden Brothers circus and continued to perform til 1985 when they both decided to give up the high flying thrills and concentrate on business and family At four and half months pregnant Azalea gave up the only life shed ever known to be a stay athome mom for their soon tobe born daughter Richard followed three years later Mr Garden however decided to join the administration end of Gar den Brothers as an assistant executive director in advance sales telemarketing Four years later he joined his brother Ian in the head office and together theyre in the process of buying the circus from their dad and his partner Now were back to the true Gar den Brothers circus said Mr Gar den We always kept the name but since my grandfather and his brother owned it it hasnt actually been owned by Garden Brothers Finally Mr Garden has found in himself a desire to be involved in the circus By 1989 1 knew I had to make a decision concerning what I wanted to do with my life and though Ive always desperately wanted to study aeronautics I chose to do what Im doing now What he and brother Ian are doing is organizing a three- ring cir cus which varies from year to year but generally includes lion elephant clown flying trapeze motorcycle human cannonball aerial juggling comedy tumbling high wire and horse acts While brother strength is in contracting acts organizing the performances and taking care of production Richards forte is in ac counting and office management But being at the top of a thriving successful entertainment business isnt all fun and games One of the largest thorns in Mr Gardens side are animal activist groups concerned about the treat ment and lifestyle of circus animals which are carted from town to town and forced to perform at each stop hate the animal activists he bluntly admits They dont un what happens behind the scenes First of all people who work in the show dont beat their animals The animals are their bread and butter so why would they beat them he asked Sure the animals arent in their natural en but whos to say their natural environment is the greatest thing But he doesnt begrudge them their right to voice their opinion at his shows he just asks them to stand on the other side of the street The next time residents will be able to catch the Garden Brothers circus is on 2023 when theyll be performing at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto Until then the Garoen Brothers Circus will be flying high on its business and personal success A high as thrilling as trapeze flying Flipping through a photo album brings back memories for Richard and Azalea Garden of the days they used to fly high together as trapeze artists in the circus The Georgetown couple are now more down to earth as parents and owners of the entertainment giant the Garden Brothers Circus Herald Photo Layoffs at Burns By BEN The Herald Layoffs are expected at Burns Transport Ltd of Georgetown as a result of planned downsizing of the local trucking company said a company spokesperson during an interview Burns Transport which has been located in Georgetown for the last years employs 15 people he company was recognied Halton Hills Business of the Year in 1987 The spokesperson wouldn t say how manv will be laid off as a result of the downsizing This information will be included in an official release expected to be made public short lv The downsizing is in response to a loss of business due to the recession plus deregulation of the trucking industry said the spokesperson A major blow to the company was the closure of s Provincial Papers by its parent company Price earlier this year said the spokesperson While the trucking company will be downsized the same fate is not planned for the company s warehouse operation also located in Georgetown said the son No other information was made available at press time concerning the company s plans Ivan the survivor No doubt Ivan an orange tabby cat saved by the Acton Veterinary Clinic Is a survivor He was found run over on Hwy with a hole In his dfaphram and had to undergo extensive surgery Though It was touch and go for a while Ivan pulled through much to the relief of the vets and vet student Alison Jones seen here cuddling the friendly feline Now the clinic needs to find a good home for the four year old male cat which Is neutured and has all his shots If you would like to adopt Ivan please call the clinic at Herald Photo