PORT HAWKESBURY: Community members and former town council colleagues are still “in shock,” a week after giving their official farewell to former councillor, local businessman and long-time community volunteer Ken Anderson.
A funeral service for Anderson took place at St. Mark’s United Church on January 25, three days after he passed away at his Port Hawkesbury home at the age of 64. The sudden loss of Anderson caught many off guard, including current town councillor Hughie MacDougall, who sat at the council table during seven of Anderson’s 13 years of public service.
“I was texting him some information just the other day, and I got the message from the town [office] that Kenny had passed – it was a real shock,” MacDougall told The Reporter. “He was still a young man.”
A civil engineer who oversaw the Port Hawkesbury office of the consulting firm Jacques Whitford for over 22 years, Anderson’s years in public service and attention to detail made him a role model to Port Hawkesbury Town Council’s newcomers.
“He always had his facts down and he was a very intelligent man,” MacDougall recalled.
“He was a fellow to look up on council, and I tried to follow in his footsteps.”
Years after his lone run for the mayor’s job in Port Hawkesbury, which saw him finish second to veteran incumbent Billy Joe MacLean in 2000, Anderson threw his support behind the rookie town councillor who wound up replacing MacLean this past fall, Brenda Chisholm-Beaton.
“When I ran in the 2012 municipal election, Ken was the first to sign my nomination forms… and when I decided to run for mayor, Ken was again my first nomination signature,” recalled Chisholm-Beaton, who was frequently exchanging opinions with Anderson on social media during what would prove to be his final days.
“We’d brainstorm ideas and he’d give me feedback on any ideas that I had. I also would ask him about history questions about prior town issues… All good information to know for a relatively new councillor.”
While Anderson was well-known for his participation in the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, the Strait of Canso Superport Corporation, InRich Business Development Centre and the Strait Area Waterfront Development Society, he also gave generously of his time in smaller ways.
As an example, Mayor Chisholm-Beaton recalled Anderson’s involvement after a collection of gift cards destined to assist an underprivileged local family this past Christmas was stolen from Chisholm-Beaton’s Port Hawkesbury restaurant, The Fleur-de-Lis Dining Room.
“I put a call out on social media and Kenny was the first to give to the cause,” Chisholm-Beaton recalled.
“We received so much help that we were able to sponsor three families that Christmas and Kenny was one of the driving forces to make that happen. He did so with absolutely no wish for recognition publicly.”
Described by many as “a big man with an even bigger heart,” Anderson’s absence will be felt in many corners of the town and surrounding area, according to those who worked closely with him.
“He’s going to be greatly missed,” MacDougall predicted. “He was a pillar of the community.”