– Brad Edgett, Executive Director, Mary Winspear Centre –
Seaside Magazine is honoured to celebrate those men who sustain our business community with our third annual Men to Watch special issue. We asked Brad Edgett, Executive Director of the Mary Winspear Centre, about mentors and role models and the place they have in our community. As with many men, his father was his first and most enduring role model.
Celebrating Dads, Mentors and Our Men to Watch
Growing up, I had an amazing relationship with my father. He was the one who drove me to hockey and baseball, always cheering in the stands. He was also the dad who would extend himself to any teammates who needed a ride. He was incredibly supportive, nurturing and loving. And oh yes, he was as strict as he needed to be to keep me in line! Without doubt, my dad instilled in me a strong work ethic but also compassion, respect, and kindness. He led by example and believed that as part of your own success, it was important to empower the people around you to be successful too.
This incredible man, my dad, passed away at the age of 45 after losing a short battle with acute leukemia, one month before I graduated from high school.
I had the best father for 18 years of my life. Wow, I was lucky! People often ask me if I’m sad, angry, or resent the unfairness of losing him so early in my life. Yes, I was sad, but angry, no. I had the best father for 18 years. I was incredibly lucky.
My dad’s legacy will live through me and I hope the values and generosity of spirit he extended to me and so many others will live on too. Father’s Day is always a special time of the year for me. I think about the many great things my dad gave me and look to the future with my two wonderful daughters, Hannah, age 11, and Cheyne, 7 months. I ask myself, what sort of dad am I? Will I ever play half the role in my daughters’ lives that my dad played – plays! – in mine? I sure hope so. Together with my wife, Deryn, I express gratitude every day that I have the gift of such a beautiful family.
Being a father for the second time has reinforced the wonder of it all. I arrive home after a busy and often stressful day, take one look at Cheyne or Hannah and suddenly the stress melts away and the sun peeks out, even if it’s raining hard. Recently, the sun burst out in full when Hannah said to me, “Thanks, Dad, I always wanted a sister.” At moments like that I can assure you, life doesn’t get any better.
So what’s the real message here? That as fathers I think we need to be supportive, nurturing, loving and caring, and most of all ‘be there’ for our partners, children, and our community. We need to be good listeners, keep an open heart, share a smile and a laugh, say thank you as often as possible, and step up to the plate in whatever ways we can to enable others to succeed and grow; skills that are also so essential in our business community. It’s a tall order but, hey, that’s what dads do, isn’t it? So as you read this special Men to Watch issue think about the impact you can make on someone else’s life and most of all, take time to hug the ones you love!
