Meri Newton Talks About Cherry Tree Lodge

Meri Newton, sitting in Cherry Tree Lodge’s bright dining room, reflects on what it means to be the current steward of W.A. Goodwin’s cottage.

“Hi, my name is Meri Netwon and I am the current owner of Cherry Tree Lodge. I came to Cherry Tree Lodge (image of cottage appears on screen), well really to Kawartha Lakes as a kid. My brother owned a cottage over on Cameron Lake, and so I remember coming to the area as a kid. When my partner and I started to talk about cottages and purchasing one, Kawartha Lakes was definitely high on my list. We came to view the cottage, I fell in love with it online, and when I first walked through the door I, I couldn’t believe the amount of emotion that I felt; so much so that I actually broke down and had a tear in my eye. You can feel the love that was put into this place from Goodwin, from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you put your head on the pillow. It’s quite a magical place, it’s filled with love, history, family, get togethers, parties, quiet times. It’s absolutely magical for me.

So when Jane, the former owner and I first had a conversation um, we got along like we had known each other our entire lives. Jane was telling me stories of her [great] grandfather coming from England, and my partner’s from England, and we just had such great conversation about all his political activism, the things that he used to do, mapping the Kawarthas, his paintings, his parties, and we’re kind of known now at the Point as being the, the sort of the place to be, people come and they see our light on and stop in and have a glass of wine, and so we feel like we’re carrying on that tradition of being this open and inclusive space for people at the Point, and I think Goodwin would be very proud (a portrait of W.A. Goodwin appears on screen) that his legacy has continued on, not just through his children, but through now, Sherry and I.”