It is the oldest continually run business in the east end by far. In fact, it's arguably one of the oldest run businesses in all of Ottawa. What can't be argued is the importance that J.T. Bradley's Country Convenience Store has had in the ongoing history of Navan.

Founded in 1898 by John Thomas Bradley, J.T. Bradley's has undergone a series of transformations over the decades. The biggest occurred in 1948 when the original building was destroyed by fire. It was soon rebuilt, however, and Navan's beloved general store was back in business.

John Bradley holds the Bradley Cup in the Navan general store that bears his great grandfather's name.. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

Morris and Borden Bradley took over the store in 1932 after the sudden passing of their father. The two brothers managed things through the Great Depression and the Second World War.

After Borden passed away in 1952, Morris ran the store on his own with the help of his oldest son Lorne, who eventu-ally took over the business when his father died in 1975.

Lorne continued on as president until his own death in 1991.

The store was sold to Gerry Labelle after Lorne passed away and was run as a Quick Mart for three years until John Bradley purchased the business in 1994 at the age of 29 � the same age J.T. Bradley was when he first started the store in 1898, and the same age Morris was when he took over the business in 1932.

Far from being just another country store, J.T. Bradley's is an integral part of the community and has been for as long as it has existed.

J.T. Bradley's and the Bradley family are the living definition of the what it means to give back to the community.

Morris Bradley was a founding mem-ber of the Navan Lions Club and his wife Elda was a member of the Navan Women's Institute, the Navan Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Ottawa Women's Canadian Club.

Lorne Bradley was also a charter member of the Navan Lions Club and he played a leading role in the building of the first Navan Arena in 1952, its rebuilding after a fire destroyed the original building in 1955, the installation of artificial ice in 1972 and the construction of the third Arena in 1982.

Morris' other son and John Bradley's father, Ross Bradley, also played a key role in the construction of the third arena and he led the fundraising efforts for the Navan Curling Club and the village Cenotaph among a number of other projects.

Given his family's commitment and dedication to the community, it was only natural for John to follow in the footsteps of his father, uncles and grandfather. Over the years he has raised tens of thousands of dollars for a variety of local projects.

For their efforts, the Bradley family was given the key to the city in 2001.

J.T. Bradley's will be celebrating their 120th anniversary with an Open House on Friday, March 29. There will be live entertainment along with complimentary coffee and cake. The Bradley Cup hockey tournament will be contested the following day at the nearby Navan Memorial Arena.

The Bradley Cup dates back to 1926 when it was put up by John Thomas Bradley to be given to the winner of a two game, total goal challenge series between Navan and Vars.

Navan won the first series in double overtime. Cumberland Village won the pewter cup in 1929 and Navan won it back four years later. It would sit on a shelf in J.T. Bradley and Sons until 1948 when it was dusted off for a rematch between Navan and Vars which Navan won 8-1 on aggregate.

The Cup was won by a team from French Hill in 1959 when it was once again placed on a shelf to collect dust until John decided to organize a tournament to raise money for a local man battling cancer.

This year's tournament will be con-tested between teams from Navan, Vars, Cumberland, Orléans, Sarsfield and Embrun.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)