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Toronto,” said Arber. “I’ve done little projects all over the place from Vancouver Island, to Jamaica and James Bay.” As busy as Arber is, at 76 years of age, he has no plans on slowing down any time soon. “I have been at this for a long time and will continue for a long time to come. What is the alternative? Retire? I kinda doubt that.” “The most interesting thing about what I do is it’s always new and never boring,”Arber grinned.“I wear 6 or 8 hats. I am also involved in an antique business. I never get bored. All the things I do are unique and uniquely sep- arate and di!erent.” Although Arber does a lot for the commu- nity, he insists that what he does is not that newsworthy.“There are anawful lot of people that help in the community, people whose stories should be toldmore thanmine. Helen Gourry takes in furniture and donates it to people in need. Irene and Lloyd Howes have been running the food bank. They are in their 80’s and 90’s. They go way over and above what they are really supposed to do. People do a lot for the community without recognition. They deserve thanks. I don’t need thanks. I think I can accom- plish a lot more pushing from behind than pulling from the front. I don’t need the accolades that come with being in front. Human compassion is a rare commodity these days.” Phil Arber wears a lot of hats DIANE HUNTER DIANE.HUNTER@EAP.ON.CA
VANKLEEK HILL | Phil Arber has lived in a lot of places and has had his hands in a lot of pots. He has done everything from build- ing a small town in James Bay, to hosting a Christmas Fair inVankleekHill. Surprisingly, the man doesn’t think he has a story to tell. “I don’t know why anyone would want to know anything about me. I am not news,”Ar- ber said, in protest of our interview request. “There are plenty of other people in the com- munity that aremore interesting thanme,”he added. However, he did agree to meet with us to discuss about what seems to be his pas- sion: getting things done! “I got a long of things I want to get done,” he said. “I don’t su!er fools right along. That is my biggest downfall.”Among many other things, Arber has been the owner of the Arbor Gallery in Hill for the past 15 years. Al- though not involved in the day-to-day busi- ness of the gallery, Arber is involved in other activities such as The Speaker Series. “I don’t run the visual and gallery part. It is run by an independent board,” he explained. “There are a lot of other things that go on at the gallery that I am involved in, like The Speaker Series.”The Speaker Series runs eve- ry winter for 14 weeks, from January to April. “Our speakers are a number of local people with stories to tell. Some speaker topics are from ideas that I have in my head for which I "nd the appropriate people. The Speaker Series is an appropriate vehicle for that to happen.” Arber also runs an antique business as well as Excellent Events, which hosts seve- ral events throughout the year, such as the Christmas Craft Fair in Vankleek Hill, on November 28, 29 and 30, and The Highland Christmas Craft Fair in Maxville, on Novem- ber 21, 22 and 23. “We run 13 events in Van- kleek Hill and area throughout the year,” Arber boasted. “We put on festivals, trade shows, fairs and things like that.” Excellent Events is operated with the help of volunteers and occasionally an adminis- trative assistant. “There are no committees or groups but there are a lot of volunteers,” Arber explained.“I hatemeetings so we don’t have any. If you have a meeting, everyone is entitled to their opinion and rightfully so. If we had meetings, I’d be obliged to listen to everyone’s opinion. So, we don’t have com- mittees or meetings. You could say that it is a benevolent dictatorship,” he said, tongue- in-cheek. Some of the other events hosted by Excel- lent Events include the Festival of Flavours, the Vankleek Hill Horse and Buggy Parade and the Champlain Commercial Fair. “There are three reasons I do what I do,” said Arber. “One; it needs to be done in my own very humble opinion. Two; what we do always has the name of Vankleek Hill attached to it in an e!ort to promote the village as a go-to destination. Three; I try and make what other people refer to as a living.” From events to farming Arber moved to the area in 1973 and star- ted a farm, turning it into an organic farm in 1981. “I operate the 200-acre farm and rent some land out as well,” said Arber. Originally from Stoney Mountain, Manitoba, Arber has lived in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Jamai- ca and James Bay, to name a few. “I lived in Montreal for two or three years after being transferred from an engineering company in
Photo Diane Hunter
The Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill is one of the many ventures that Phil Arber is a part of.
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