Locals band together to rebuild clubhouse that burned down on Ward's Island

Volunteers are digging holes and putting up wooden beams at the site where the Ward's Island Association Clubhouse once stood.

The historic structure was built by members in 1937 and, nearly 90 years later, residents are bringing it back to life.

"We are building a temporary staging area/pavilion," said Alison Gzowski, president of the Ward's Island Association.

"Until we build a clubhouse, which will take a while, we wanted to have a place where we could continue to have community events," she said.

In March last year, a massive fire destroyed the clubhouse and Island Café. A temporary replacement for the café opened next door to the site in the summer months.

And now, a place that can serve as a meeting spot aims to capture what the clubhouse once was: an important gathering place for life's milestone moments, such as weddings, funerals, birthdays and community events.

Martin Earl, a lifelong island resident, came up with the idea and is overseeing the project, working alongside his two sons. He's a retired carpenter, but this work is fuelled by decades of memories.

"I remember doing the hokey pokey in there when I was little, and it was a beautiful wood building," Earl said.

"I wanted to make sure this was going to be fun and all, and so far, if you look at any pictures that anybody's taking, everybody smiling," he said.

Those smiles range in age from young kids to residents in their 80s like Andrew Peace.

"I'm slower than the young guys, but I could still put in a full day," Peace said, adding it's fun to work with his neighbours.

"It's always been a do-it-yourself thing on the island for a lot of projects," Peace said. "Almost every one of the clubhouses were built just with volunteer labour."

The association, which is funding the materials, said the goal is to have the pavilion built in roughly 12 weeks.