Corwin Mills

Lisa Browne, who moved to Clarenville in the early 2000s, initially met Corwin through the Rotary Club.

She recalls that when her husband bought her a pair of cross-country skis on their second winter in Clarenville, she was ‘forced to try’ skiing.

Corwin was her teacher on that first day out.

She recalls his patience teaching a bunch of clumsy beginners how to, first of all, maintain balance and the basics of skiing, before leading them on a 3.5 km run around Harry’s Loop.

“I was exhausted after that first go round the loop. But it was his enthusiasm that made we want to stick with it,” she says.

She chuckles, as well, to remember how she had to understand Corwin’s language when it came to skiing. It could be snowing, freezing rain, rain, or slushy on the ground, but it was always a good day for skiing in Corwin’s world.

“With Corwin, it was never a bad time to go skiing, but you had to interpret his language if you wanted to be prepared.”

Bill Bailey knew Corwin Mills all his life; the two grew up together in Shoal Harbour.

Bailey recalls Corwin was “quiet, perhaps a little shy when he was younger, but always as smart as a whip.”

It was Corwin that encouraged him to try skiing. Bailey admits he was a little leery at first.

“I played hockey, so I thought skiing was a ‘sissy sport’,” he laughs.

He soon realized it would required physical fitness and stamina to follow Corwin on the trails.

One of their epic journeys on skis, and most memorable, was a trip across the Great Northern Peninsula one winter in the late 1980s.

“It was a long trek but as we came into Great Harbour Deep there was a full moon and it was just beautiful,” he says, of the memory that is now a treasure.

Bailey says it would be hard to figure out the exact number of people Corwin and his wife June taught to ski.

“For sure it’s hundreds, perhaps even in the thousands,” he said.

Dr. Geoffrey Bailey moved to Clarenville in 1987 and soon became an acquaintance of Corwin through Chamber and Rotary, but initially through skiing.

Dr. Bailey was among the group of people who worked to develop the White Hills Ski Resort, and Corwin was one of the visionaries.

“He worked with us to put the development plan together, he did some of the legal work for us and he was a strong advocate for the project,” he recalls.

In recent years, he noted, Corwin was instrumental in ensuring the future of the resort, when there was talk of the privately-owned enterprise being sold, possibly piecemeal.

Through Corwin’s enterprise, the Alpine Alliance Development Corporation was born as a non-profit entity, with the support of municipal, provincial and federal agencies.

The ski hill continues to operate as an important downhill and cross-country skiing destination.

“I would have to say that if it wasn’t for his actions, White Hills wouldn’t exist today.

Knowing Corwin and his passion for all things for the town, and for winter, he was the bug in the ear of anyone who could help,” says Dr. Bailey.

Clarenville Mayor Frazer Russell agrees.

“Only Corwin could have accomplished that unbelievable feat (saving the ski hill). When it looked like, in 2000, that the hill would close and never open again … Corwin believed that would be a serious mistake to allow the demise of the resort and I know … how hard he worked in that last half of 2000 to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Thanks to Corwin’s efforts, said Russell, the resort became a town property, with Corwin as chair of the Alpine Ski Development Corporation for the past 13 years.

‘His leadership is the reason why it has been a success,” says Russell, adding, “He wasn’t a downhill skier, but he did this because he thought White Hills would be a great economic enabler for our town.”

Russell also worked closely with Corwin on the 1994 Winter Games Committee (Russel was chair and Corwin his co-chair), as well as on committees that saw the building of the Winter Games Complex and the Clarenville Events Centre.

“The many things he did for this town are immeasurable,” says Russell.

And while hockey wasn’t Corwin’s forte — Russell quips “he couldn’t tell a hockey puck from a football” — he was the first one to call Russell and congratulate him on the Caribous’ 2014 Allan Cup win.

“He saw this as so wonderful for our town.”

A good example

When the Town of Clarenville hosted the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games in 2014, the committee made the obvious choice in choosing patrons for the games.

They chose the husband-wife team of Corwin and June; recognizing their years of dedication to cross-country skiing, and their work to help others learn the sport.

In fact, the past year was a time of many accolades for Corwin.

That same year he was also recognized as a business leader, with the Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame award. He was also named to the provincial Cross Country Hall of Fame, and was the recipient of the True Rotarian Award for his years of service to that organization.

Dr. Bailey says of Corwin’s passing, “This town has lost a citizen who loved the town dearly and would do anything he could to see it progress.

“He really, truly loved this community, and wanted to see it prosper. The idea of creating an outdoor world for the people who live here, the kids who live here, was important to him.”

His law partner, Greg Pittman, sums it up this way.

“He lived by example, both in his personal life and his work life. He lived a healthy and active life, he worked hard and he was ethical. For him monetary things weren’t important; people and family were the most important.

“If you patterned yourself by him, you would not go wrong,” says Pittman.

Corwin Mills was laid to rest Monday, in Clarenville, following a church service that saw hundreds show up to pay their respects, further evidence of the high esteem in which he was held.

After the funeral service his family and close friends went to the place he held dear — to the White Hills resort — to share stories and reflect on his life.

In his memory the family — wife June, daughter Sonja (Alicia) and son Steven (Marin) welcome donations to the ALS Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Dr. G. B. Cross Memorial Hospital or a charity of one’s choice.

Obituary – Corwin Mills, QC – The Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador