Remembering a friend

Four years after Beaconsfield resident Kelly-Anne Drummond's life was tragically cut short at the age of 24 when she was killed by her boyfriend in October 2004, her loss is still felt by her loved ones.

"It's the first time in my life that I lost someone so close," said friend Martin Leprohon, who, along with the Lifesaving Society, is helping to promote a fundraiser in Drummond's honour to be held at the Dollard Civic Centre on Nov.28, which would have been her 29th birthday.

Leprohon and Drummond used to both partake in global life guard competitions, representing Quebec and Canada.

"Every day is painful," confessed the victim's mother, Doreen Haddad-Drummond, who first approached the Lifesaving Society with the idea for a fundraiser event soon after her daughter's death. "We can't forget how Kelly-Anne died, but we have to always remember how she lived as well," she said.

The funds are raised for Quebec athletes to help them travel the world for lifesaving competitions, she said.

This year, the fundraiser event's honourary president is The Chronicle news director Marc Lalonde, who was a reporter at the time when the crime occurred and won awards for his sensitive coverage of Kelly-Anne's murder and its repercussions.

Though crime news frequently make it to the The Chronicle's desk, the victim being someone Lalonde personally knew did not make it easy. "It literally sucked the breath out of me," he recalled, stating it was a great honour to be even mentioned in the same breath as Drummond.

To reserve tickets, call 514-252-3100.