John Merry

Small communities have always relied on the volunteerism of their citizens to flourish and grow, and in the history of Bridgetown, John Merry takes a rightful place at the forefront of our town’s civic leaders.

In addition to raising a large family and running a successful business, John volunteered his time and energies in many capacities, including, but not limited to: the Bridgetown School Board, Annapolis County School Board, Bridgetown Masonic Lodge, the Nova Scotia Pharmaceutical Society, Branch 33 of the Royal Canadian Legion, Bridgetown Curling Club, Eden Golf and Country Club, Bridgetown Recreation Association and the Bridgetown Lions Club.

It is John’s involvement with the Lions Club and the Recreation Association that has specifically led to his consideration for induction as a “Builder” into the Bridgetown Area Sports Hall of Fame. In 1955, John was a founding member of the Bridgetown Lions Club and he remained active in the Club for twenty years.

During those years the Lions supported many activities and causes in the Bridgetown area. One of the biggest programs supported by the Club was the swimming hole at Bloody Creek, known at that time as the Bridgetown Pool. The Lions Club oversaw a successful program there for many years, hiring swimming instructors and lifeguards and ensuring the physical structures were well maintained. Through that experience John saw the need for a pool in Town and from the early 1960s he began advocating for the Lions Club to support development of a pool in Bridgetown.

Finally, with the coming Centennial of Canada in 1967 and through the alignment of many stakeholders, John’s perseverance bore fruit and the Lions Club decided to support the development of the new Bridgetown Pool. Because of their advocacy on this project, the Lions Club was put in charge of that development and as the main (and probably most vocal) individual advocate, the project was put into the capable hands of John Merry. John spent countless hours and energies in ensuring that this complex project, involving the coordination and efforts of many groups and individuals and several levels of government, was successfully made a reality. As a result of that leadership, the Bridgetown Centennial Pool was officially opened in 1967 to the residents of Bridgetown and surrounding communities.

John’s involvement did not end once the pool was in place. For several years after it was built and with programs in full swing, John spent innumerable hours at the facility ensuring that it was well run and that all systems were running properly.

Over the ensuing forty-six years the Bridgetown pool has provided countless hours of enjoyment to citizens of the area and has provided the opportunity for young athletes to test their skill and endurance against other communities. Centennial Pool stands as a testament to the time and effort of many people who have been involved in its construction and maintenance, in its program development and in the ability of the community at large to enjoy those efforts, but none of this would have been possible without the forethought of the Lions Club and the man in charge of its development.