Friends remember Julian Ambrose: “He made an impact”

The OPP is still investigating the death of a Dundas resident who died in a crash near Brantford, Saturday night.

Julian Ambrose was heading home on German School Rd after visiting a friend, when his car went off the road, and slammed into a culvert in a ditch.

CHCH News spoke with Julian’s mother Catherine by phone this afternoon, and while she said the family was too shaken to speak publicly about the accident — they did want others to know what happened to Julian, and about the kind of young man, he was.

20 year old Julian Ambrose left his mark on people.

Nicole Harrison of Liaison College remembers: “Absolutely he made an impact! Just his out-goingness, his friendliness, his attitude towards life…”

Earlier this year — after kicking around a bit — Julian decided to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Ashton, setting his sights on a culinary career, and coming away with a graduation certificate, from Liaison College.

Chef Dan Notley: “He could bring a real passion for it, he was a kid that would stay late, he was a guy that was here wanting to learn it, more than some, maybe.”

He worked long hours — and had finished a shift at King’s Forest Golf Club earlier in the day — before setting out to visit his friend in Brantford. His family believes that he may have fallen asleep at the wheel, just before the car went off the road.

Although Julian was thrown from the car in the crash, the family says they were told by the Coroner this afternoon that there was strong evidence he was, in fact, wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Something he always emphasized to his brothers and sister — when they left the house.

“He was fabulous! He made you smile, he made you laugh…”

Nicole Harrison says the news of Julian’s death rocked the college this morning, and made the kitchen feel, just a little more empty. And to Chef Dan Notley, the reality of Julian’s death still seems a little unreal.

“He was a good kid. He really was. And like, the last conversation we had was, ‘I’ll be back in the fall for the advanced class.'”