If Only I Had Been A Sk8er Boi

aka – Reg’s Avril Lavigne story

Inspired by a our humble Minister of Finance and the continuing “Dullest Story Ever Told” series at Grant Miller Media, I have lovingly written for you, our valued Mitchieville readers, a post about Avril before she became famous. As to whether this post is dull, boring, or the best post ever at Mitchieville, I leave that up to you to decide...

Avril Lavigne and I are in many ways kindred spirits. I was born at Belleville General Hospital and Avril was born at Belleville General Hospital. Avril grew up in Napanee, my mother’s paternal descendants first settled in Napanee (in 1788. After the yanks won the Revolutionary War the relatives returned home to New York State after fighting for England to find their farm torched. The good King paid reparations by giving the family two plots of land in Camden East thus I can claim bonafide United Empire Loyalist heritage). My bond with Avril is more than just mere geography though. Years before ‘Sk8er Boi' and international fame came her way sweet little Avril Lavigne used to hang at Reg's house.

Avril has a cousin (whom we’ll call ‘April’), who lived on the street behind my parent's house in the small Centre Hastings village I grew up in. When Avril and her family would visit town the two Lavigne cousins would cut through the backyard to our place where they would hang out with my sister. Now my sister is 7 years younger than me so ‘hang out with’ really meant ‘play Barbie’s with’ or ‘played at the park across the street with’. I remember Avril coming around a few times, but as I was 18ish, and she was a little girl of only 6 or 7, I barely paid any attention to her.

Flash forward to five years ago to the Stirling Agricultural Fair “Big Daddy” Demolition Derby (where my brother will have two vehicles entered into competition this weekend). I was helping my brother get a car ready for the night when my little sister and April (who is attractive in her own right btw) stopped by to say hello. They told me that the little girl who used to stop by and play was about to be the next Shania or Celine. At the time I gave a half-hearted ‘good for her’ response all the while thinking that this was nothing more than small town wishful thinking. I saw the ‘Complicated’ video a week later on MuchMusic.

True story.