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PROFILE: Woman's life of 'twists and turns' is full of adventure

Carol Ivey has dealt with heartbreak and discovered new passions since moving here from England almost 50 years ago

Carol Ivey has left her mark on the community since moving here from England in 1974, and serendipity has played no small role in that journey.

“It’s funny how life takes twists and turns,” she said.

And, there have been many.

Ivey studied modern languages in England, which led to her getting a job as an interpreter with an international merchant back in London. That experience paid off when she moved across the pond. Her first job in Orillia was as a teller at CIBC.

On her first day, she turned to a colleague and asked, “What the heck is a nickel?”

Her financial knowledge would eventually grow significantly.

She and her first husband were drawn to Canada with visions of “wide, open spaces.” They worked with hawks and falcons and enjoyed hunting and fishing, so they saw it as a good fit.

Ivey arrived on a ship that docked in Montreal.

“I got to Orillia. I loved it. I loved the small-town feel,” she said.

After spending a short time together, the pair chose different paths and went their separate ways.

Suddenly, Ivey was alone in a foreign place. She got to know it well, though, when she was hired as a police officer with the former municipal force. She was its second female officer.

She left that job after falling for a colleague, who she eventually married.

So, she headed back to CIBC and landed a job on the investments side. After taking the Canadian Securities Course, she found her calling.

“I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is what I want to do,’” she said.

In 1988, Ivey began working at RBC Dominion Securities. She enjoyed the role of portfolio manager and chartered financial planner.

“You’re basically at the centre of everything that goes on in the world,” she said of being trusted with picking and managing stocks for clients. “You’re making a difference in people’s lives.”

One of the most important lessons she has learned in that job: “You can never judge people by their appearance” and their money, whether they have $5 million or $50,000.

“For the $50,000 people, that’s a fortune,” she said.

During her time at RBC Dominion Securities, she blazed a trail for women. She was the first woman to be named president of the company’s President’s Club, in 1991, and numerous times has served on the director’s council, executive council and chairman’s council.

Once in the top spot with the President’s Club, “they didn’t know what gift to give me,” she said.

Usually, presidents were given cufflinks. Instead, she received a gold pin featuring a bull and a bear to represent the stock market.

“It was unreal,” she recalled. “I was treated like I was someone special.”

Many in the community would argue she is, indeed, someone special. She has lent her time to a number of community causes and organizations, including the Orillia Kiwanis Club, the St. John Ambulance therapy dog program, the Community Foundation of Orillia and Area, Habitat for Humanity and The Sharing Place Food Centre.

“It’s about making a difference,” she said of her reason for volunteering. “I know how fortunate I’ve been and it’s a way to say thank you to the community.”

Despite her busy career and volunteer roles, she always found time to learn something new, to go on another adventure. She learned to fly a plane and drive a motorcycle and an 18-wheeler.

She also discovered a passion for horses, though it was a rocky start.

She hesitantly joined her son and his friend on a trail ride through the desert in Arizona.

“I hated it,” she said. “I had never been around horses. I just thought they were big, they were dirty, they were dangerous.”

When her husband suggested they buy two horses, Ivey — again, hesitantly — agreed.

“I got totally into it. My husband hated it,” she said.

Despite suffering broken ribs after getting bucked off of her first horse, she forged ahead with her newfound hobby, which goes beyond simply owning and riding horses.

She takes part every year in reining competitions, where she guides horses through a series of “high-speed but very precise” manoeuvres.

She serves on the boards for both Reining Canada and the Oklahoma-based National Reining Horse Association. She previously was on the provincial board, too.

She plans to embark on even more adventures, and she’ll have more time to do that now that she has retired.

Her last day on the job was March 31.

She is looking forward to a time when she and her husband, Brian, can do more travelling. They have a place in Myrtle Beach, S.C., they haven’t been to since February 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It all hinges on these vaccines,” said Ivey, who received her first dose April 7.

Getting “the jab” was exciting.

“I walked out of there feeling very relieved,” she said.

While she waits for better days ahead, she and her husband will enjoy their time together at their new home in Tiny Township. She sold her ranch in Coldwater, but her two horses are still boarded there.

She will hold onto the fond memories of her time at RBC Dominion Securities and her clients.

“We’re like family. We’re friends. Some of these people have been with me for 30 years,” she said. “It’s tough.”

While it is difficult to move on, she knows she has made a difference. That has become obvious as clients new and old have reached out to her upon learning of her retirement, thanking her for helping them and their families.

“I was totally overwhelmed. It’s gratifying,” she said.


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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