Carrying the Torch

Michael de la Roche returned to Lakefield on Wednesday, December 16 as one of three Lakefield College School alumni and two current students who have been chosen to carry the torch for the 2010 Olympics. Michael was asked to return to Lakefield for his torch run and carried the torch from Ridpath Secondary School (Edward Street) to Crowe Lane.

Michael attended Lakefield College School from 1965 to 1973. From Quebec City, he was an active student during his time at the school. He was a member of the Ski Patrol and was well-known on the waterfront, having won the Outstanding Seamanship Award for several years. He participated in the Library and Debating and even tried his hand at directing with the house play, Inherit the Wind. In his Grade 11 year, he earned the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Today, Michael is a respected doctor at Belleville General Hospital, where he is the Head of Emergency. He has also devoted part of his professional career to the military in the Reserves and spent time in Kandahar in a multi-national hospital in 2006.

Michael competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, sailing in the Mixed Multihull competition; his team ended in seventh place overall. He was the youngest participant for Canada in those games at 21 years old.

Susie Pearce ’98 was the last torchbearer on December 9, 2009 and was given the honour of lighting the cauldron at the community celebration in Iqaluit. Susie is Nunavut’s most decorated, athlete having competed in eight Arctic Winter Games. She competed at the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Manitoba as the captain of Nunavut’s first women’s soccer team at a Canada Games. She was a member of Team Nunavut’s mission staff at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon. She also attended and represented northern Canada in a youth summit during the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Susie is a nurse in the health sector at Iqaluit’s Public Health Centre.

Tam Matthews ’73 carried the torch in Renfrew, Ontario on Sunday, December 13. Tam’s father was a member of the faculty at LCS from 1952 and became Head of School in 1964. So Tam’s career at Lakefield College School and his love for the waterfront began from a young age. Tam represented Canada on three Olympic Sailing Teams in 1980, 1984, and 1996. He returned to LCS as Director of Admissions in 1989 and he and his wife, Jan were house parents for the first girls' residence helping to implement co-education. Today, Tam is the Headmaster at Ashbury College in Ottawa.

Beth Idlout-Kheraj (Grade 10) will never forget her November break – she was a torch bearer in her home town of Resolute Bay, Nunavut on November 9. Beth carried the Olympic flame in a miner’s lantern due to high winds and freezing temperatures of -40' celcius on that day. Beth was chosen for her application and the essay she wrote asking to represent her community for the run. In Chapel this week, Beth shared the inspiring story of her experience.

Bilaal Rajan (Grade 9) carried the torch on December 17 in downtown Toronto. Bilaal is is a fundraiser, motivational speaker, author, Canada’s child ambassador for UNICEF, and founder of the Making Change Now organization. To find out more about Bilaal’s achievements visit http://www.bilaalrajan.com/blog/. Mrs. Susan Armstrong, LCS Grade 7 & 8 Coordinator, with students Lyndsay Armstrong and Stephanie Paoli, travelled to Toronto to see Bilaal. She says, "Bilaal received the torch in the atrium of Sick Children's Hospital, ran the block around the hospital, then greeted the public, posed for pictures and enjoyed the events at Nathan Philip Square. It was a really magical night with Canadian singer/songwriter Suzie McNeill belting out her song "Believe," lots of fan fair, and breathtaking fireworks to end the night."