Bearing Fruit- The Trees of Rideau Hall

When Prince William and his wife Kate visited Canada in July they planted a hemlock tree on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the home of Canada’s Governor General in Ottawa. It is a tradition that when someone famous visits Rideau Hall they plant a tree. When we went to Ottawa several years ago we took a tour of Rideau Hall and the park surrounding it and I made notes about some of the trees I saw. 

There are 120 trees planted by famous visitors on the Rideau Hall grounds.  Many of the trees have grown large and their boughs stretch wide and high.

The people who planted the trees at Rideau Hall are far from perfect, but God has used many of them to bear fruit with their lives and make a positive difference in the world.

There is a brass marker at the base of each tree telling you who planted it, when it was planted, as well as what kind of tree it is. 

I saw a sugar maple planted by Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president. This  anti- apartheid activist spent twenty- seven years in prison and became a worldwide symbol of hope to those fighting for freedom and equality.

Diana, Princess of Wales has a tree in the Rideau Hall Park. This popular British royal used her notoriety to draw the attention of the world to the needs of people with AIDS and the victims of land mines. In July of 2011, when William her son and his wife Kate visited Rideau Hall, they stopped for a few moments of silence beside the tree Diana had planted, just after planting their own tree. 

John F. Kennedy planted a flourishing red oak tree. Kennedy inspired the establishment of the United States Peace Corps. The organization has sent 200,000 volunteers to 140 countries to help those in need.

There’s a tree planted by  Kofi Annan of Ghana, the former Secretary General of the United Nations.  He won the Nobel Prize for his efforts to bring peace to conflicts in Iraq, Yugoslavia, Nigeria, Libya, East Timor and the Middle East.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito has a tree at Rideau Hall. In 2011 after a tsunami devastated his country he did something no Japanese royal has ever done before. He made a live television appearance to talk to his people to reassure them and give them hope and then he and his wife visited a shelter for storm refugees. 

Many of the famous men and women who have planted trees at Rideau Hall have used their lives to bear fruit, serve others, and make a difference in the world. 



Filed under Canada, History, Nature, People, Reflections

2 responses to “Bearing Fruit- The Trees of Rideau Hall

  1. If each of us plants a “loving tree” in our heart, we, albeit normal people, can equally bear fruit to others in small but constructive ways. 🙂

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