By François Lavigne, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, August 14, 2015
Tom Spears’ article about the water level at McKay Pond brought back a lot of
memories to me. It also hit a nerve because McKay Pond is not its name. I grew
up in Rockcliffe Park, on Birch Avenue, in the 1970s. Back then, the “sand
pits”, as we called it, was a favourite spot for us to play, although back then
it was strictly off-limits for swimming. But that didn’t stop many of us from
cooling off there on a hot summer’s day. We managed to outrun the Ontario
Provincial Police (OPP) officer who occasionally chased us. It was easy enough.
Back then the pits was surrounded by swamp, especially between it and McKay
Lake. The land would only be reclaimed in the 1980s when houses were built
there. via
Letter: Call McKay Pond its true name | Ottawa Citizen.