This week, Peterborough lost a fine citizen with the passing of Tony McMillan. For those that knew Tony, they know that he had a big heart, loved to laugh and only saw the good in people. He had big dreams and why not? Tony simply never encountered a challenge that he didn’t feel he could conquer.
The last federal election serves as a great example. Although he had only signed on as the volunteer co-coordinator, it quickly became apparent that Tony had skills, abilities and experience far superior to those possessed by anyone else on the campaign team. Determined to win, he would arrive daily by 8 a.m. and when the late shift went home between 10 and 11p.m., Tony went out and drove in lawn signs with anyone that he could convince to join him; often in nasty weather. He sacrificed so much and did so voluntarily without re-imbursement of any kind, including essentially abandoning his business for the entire 56 day campaign. Together, along with a strong group of dedicated volunteers we turned the largest vote swing in Canada, excluding Quebec. Without Tony the outcome may have been quite different, and my gratitude to him is eternal.
Tony liked life behind the camera; he never wanted to be in front of it and working on Parliament Hill was where his star shone the brightest. We hit the ground running right from the start; mostly because while I needed a map to find the washroom, Tony knew where everything was, who was who and how to get things done.
The fax incident that was referred to as a “scandal” in local media was an honest mistake. Unfortunately, in politics mistakes are rarely forgiven; your political rivals see to that. To say that we were both broken hearted would be a gross understatement, the knives were out for Tony and after only five months on the job I had to make a tough call. After being there for me constantly for nearly a year, we knew only an unpaid suspension would quell the attacks. Suddenly, I was alone in my travels and Tony was hospitalized taking months to recover. With his character in question, to his credit when Tony returned to work he demonstrated determination and dedication the likes of which I have never seen.
My friend Tony McMillan died a young man at the age of 45, having done so many incredible things and having met so many incredible people. Sadly, there was so much more that he dreamed of doing and quite frankly would have accomplished. At the top of his list was taking his incredible wife Leslie on a cruise vacation as soon as he got to the other side of the United Way Hockey fundraiser. None of us know what tomorrow holds, all we have for sure is today. I encourage you to make the most of today and your tomorrows, take hold of your dreams and seize the day.
Dean Del Mastro
