The landscape outside of 24 Augustus Street — a Cornwall Housing building — has changed considerably since Annie Simonne Desjardins first moved in, 33 years ago.
Mrs. Desjardins recently celebrated quite an important birthday in the building’s lounge room on the main floor.
“I turned 100,” she said proudly while sitting in her well-decorated living room. A small table nearby houses several of the impressive gifts she received. Among the many bouquets of flowers she received are several certificates.
One is from City of Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale, another is from MPP Nolan Quinn whereas a third is from MP Eric Duncan. But it doesn’t stop there.
Mrs. Desjardins also received one from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as King Charles’ official representative. If that wasn’t enough, she also received a very special certificate from Pope Francis himself, sent all the way from the Vatican.
Mrs. Desjardins has spent the last 98 and a half years of her life in Cornwall. She was born on August 3, 1923 and came to the city as a young child, from Lemieux, a small hamlet in Prescott-Russell, near Casselman.
“We moved here in a wagon pulled by horses,” she recalled vividly. “It was in February, so we had to travel through fields to get here.”
When they finally did get to Cornwall, her father, David Mondoux, turned around and went back to Lemieux to gather the rest of the family’s belongings.
He owned a plot of land in the city and, slowly but surely, the family grew, with some of her family members coming to Cornwall as well. Mrs. Desjardins raised four children — Diane, Carole-Anne, Rachelle and Daniel — in Cornwall who now help support her.
So, what is the biggest change she’s seen in city during her lifetime? — population.
“When I was younger, there were around 10,000 of us,” she said. “Now, we’re 46,000!”
Mrs. Desjardins moved into her 24 Augustus apartment — still the same one 33 years later — from what she called a large home. It was such a big home that she had to host several yard sales in order to slim down on her belongings.
Despite being slowed down by a leg injury, Mrs. Desjardins continues to go on some walks, albeit with the help of two walking sticks.
Prior to her injury, she regularly attended 1-hour exercise classes twice a week and did cross country skiing into her 90s. During the pandemic she followed exercise classes on television.
She was also a member of the St. John Ambulance for over 20 years in Cornwall and SD&G area, carrying out humanitarian services, and ultimately receiving a Service Medal of the Order of St. John in Toronto from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, John Black Aird, on June 18, 1983.
At the time, she was the only member of the St. John Ambulance in Cornwall to receive the award.
Mrs. Desjardins was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 297 for the past 28 years as well as a member of Les Filles d’Isabelle a spiritual, social and charitable organization for many years.
When asked what she loves the most about living at 24 Augustus, she quickly answers the proximity to the water.
“The neighbourhood is also very quiet,” said Mrs. Desjardins, before adding that Cornwall Housing staff have always been a pleasure to deal with. These same staff, along with local dignitaries and quite a lot of family members — some, like her niece Donna (Grace) Adams, coming as far as Vancouver — recently got together to wish her a very special and happy birthday. In all, five generations were present during the gathering.
“The lounge was very well decorated, and everything was really wonderful,” said Mrs.
Desjardins. “It felt like a dream.”
