The purple bench near the Long Lake dam is a popular spot for visitors to enjoy the view across Long Lake. It’s a special bench with a special meaning.
The bench was placed in Long Lake Provincial Park by the family of Barbara Baillie in 2015 with help from local MLA Brendan Maguire. Barb Baillie was a Spryfield resident who liked to spend time in the park. She was murdered by her husband in 1990. The purple bench serves both to remember Barb as a loving mother and also to raise awareness about domestic violence.
A Worldwide Project
The Baillie family did not stop with one bench but encouraged others to install purple benches in memory of lost loved ones and as silent witnesses to domestic violence. There are now five purple benches in communities around Nova Scotia and more elsewhere. Purple benches inspired by Barb’s Bench at Long Lake have been placed in Ontario and Australia as well as other places. Barb has passed away but her influence lives on.
Respectfulness
Spryfield volunteers both with Long Lake Provincial Park Association and other groups – such as the Spryfield Business Commission – help to keep the area near Barb’s Bench tidy. The bench is there to be used, It should be used respectfully.
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