George Ayoub and Frank Robinson friendship

Laurent Robillard-Cardinal

The Frank-Robinson Arena project is a great example of community spirit; and George Ayoub, one of Bena Construction’s founders, has played an important role in this marvelous adventure.

“Frank often came to my restaurant but he just sat and said nothing. One day, I approached him and found out that he worked at D’Arcy McGee School. While we were speaking, he demonstrated some interest for the International Rotary flag I had behind my counter. I talked to him about the Club and he became a member,” explains George.

At the time, the Aylmer Agricultural Society wanted to dispose of the Barn and of the society’s land behind the old City Hall. Rumours spread about a possible housing development to be built there, but in the end, the Rotary bought the land for the purpose of giving the community recreational infrastructures.

 

“We had some money set aside so we bought the properties. Then the Club assigned the arena project to Frank. Sometimes Frank would hit a wall, and he would confide in me. I would give him advice and I encouraged him a lot to pursue his efforts,” says Mr. Ayoub.

Finally, the non-profit organization Aydelu Inc was founded in the 1970s around the time when Aylmer, Deschênes and Lucerne were amalgamated, thus the name Aydelu. The main goal of the association was to build an arena and Frank Robinson was its first president.

The Aydelu members wanted to build the arena quickly because many hockey players had to drive all the way to Shawville to play and practice. The Rotary then gave Aydelu the 14 acres of land it had purchased from the agricultural society.

The arena was designed pro bono by Aylmer architect Peter Douglas. The estimated cost of building the arena was $360,000, of which $106,000 came from the federal government and $200,000 had to be raised by the community.

The community responded generously with even some Aydelu members mortgaging their houses to pay for the arena. Spring 1973 saw the first shovel in the ground. The arena was inaugurated two days before Christmas of the same year, under the name Aydelu. On August 22, 1995, the arena was renamed when the ex-City of Aylmer honoured the late Frank Robinson who had piloted the arena project. He had died on the ice in 1976 at the age of 37.