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Friday, March 29, 2024
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HomeNewsA community in mourning

A community in mourning

The Fenelon Falls community is in mourning today after the tragic loss of a local teen over the weekend.

15 year old Harley Broome drowned while swimming with a group of friends near the cliffs behind Sobeys on Saturday. There are conflicting reports about exactly what happened, some say the group were cliff diving and others say they were merely out for a summer swim when Harley went under the water and failed to resurface. The OPP dive team was called in and located him about four hours after he went missing.

Harley Broome Facebook photo

Harley was a student at Fenelon Falls Secondary School. His friends say he was a sweet, outgoing, hard working young man. The flag at the school was at half staff today as students and staff mourned the loss of a friend and colleague. “The Trillium Lakelands District School Board brought in counsellors to help students cope with the tragic loss of one of our students, Harley Broome, over the weekend. Supports will be available to students for as long as is required.” says Catherine Shedden District Manager of Corporate Communications for the board. There is also counselling support at Langton Public School due to the proximity of the accident to the school and at Fenelon Township Public School which is the elementary school Harley attended.

FFSS has posted a large long sheet of paper in the front foyer of the school for students to write their condolences and messages as one way to remember Harley and there is also a yearbook that staff and students may sign.  It will be presented to the family at a later date.

Memorials popped up all over town including on the sidewalk behind the school and at the top of the cliff’s near site of the tragedy. There was a steady stream of students on Monday at a make-shift memorial at the bottom of the cliffs. Many placing flowers and stuffed animals in memory of their friend.

The loss has impacted the entire community. “I’ve noticed over the past couple of days that it’s effected the whole town, the morale, the spirit everything, it’s so tragic to lose a young life like we have.” said Fenelon Falls resident Paul Wilson. Wilson owns the local radio station and works part time at Sobeys where Harley also worked part time. “I didn’t know him personally but as a co-worker just the mood the feeling around towns it’s a small, close knit community and a tragic loss.”

The OPP say a post mortem is scheduled to help determine the cause of death.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses. Click here for more: https://www.gofundme.com/u39bqu-in-memory-of-harley

A tribute is being planned for Thursday.

 

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Pamela Vanmeer
Pamela Vanmeerhttps://www.kawartha411.ca/
Pamela VanMeer is a two time winner of the prestigious Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Award. Her investigative reports on abuse in Long Term Care Homes garnered international attention for the issue and won the Ron Laidlaw Award. She is a former reporter and anchor at CHEX News, now Global Peterborough and helped launch the New CHEX Daily, a daily half hour talk show. While at CHCH News in Hamilton she covered some of the biggest news stories of the day.

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