July/Aug 2011 - Ramara Chronicle

Transcription

Chronicle
The
RAMARA
$3.00
July/August 2011
2
Beavertonʼs
historic library
Constructed in 1911-12, Beaverton’s
library was an expression of the town’s
hopeful, thriving spirit
The majestic
great blue heron
8-11
This imposing bird with a seven-foot
wingspan can look prehistoric at times
$75,000 grant
for Brechin project
18
Federal funding means full accessibility
for the Brechin Ball Park building
Searching
for Ramara
26-29
An area’s built heritage tells us
about our past
Travel with
Pat Bellamy
Presents
Upcoming trips
• Segwun Boat Cruise
Monday Aug. 8
• The Railway Children Wednesday Sept. 14
• Disco Fever (The Famous People Players)
Wednesday, Sept. 28
Our cover photo
Ramara photographer Rick Moore took our
cover photo in his fatherʼs Bayshore Village
garden last year. He used an Olympus PEN
E-P1, apterture f5.6 at 1/1,000 of a second.
For his story and more photos, see Page 32.
• Prince Edward County Taste Trail
(Wine Route) plus 1000 Island ʻHeart
of the Islandsʼ Lunch Cruise
3 days, 2 nights, Oct. 4-6/11
For details and itinerary on these trips
or other upcoming tours please contact
Pat Bellamy
RR3 – 121 Bayshore Drive, Brechin, ON
L0K 1B0
705-484-5072
Muskoka Travel Service TICO reg# 2065423
Exploring heaven together
The Ramara Chronicle, July/August 2011
Since we last chatted, the world has lost two extraordinary men. This issue of our magazine is very
special for me because it is dedicated to the memories of my brother and father, both of whom passed
away recently. My brother died of cancer and my
dad of Parkinson’s just days later. I believe my
brother told my father it was
OK to let go, and he did. I write
this on what would have been
Dad’s 89th birthday.
Both would have wanted
their memories celebrated, not
mourned. The two of them really did live life to the fullest,
and each day was filled with
curiosity and wonder.
Darleen Cormier
My brother, Gary
Williamson, was 62 going on 29. He was a globetrotting adventurer, always taking the path least
travelled. He immersed himself in the culture and
the people of the places he visited. He was not a collector of things but of memories, and the colour of
his stories has made his memories mine. I can picture him sea kayaking in Belize, exploring the Galapagos, snorkelling the clear waters off Thailand and
haggling at the markets in Korea. I won’t go into
detail about his road trip through Russia.
His greatest treasure was found in Nanjing,
China, which was his home for the last 10 years.
His wife, Wei Wang, truly an Asian princess, was
born in Mongolia, and they travelled to her birth
place for a traditional wedding ceremony. Gary was
my childhood companion and my best friend.
Growing up as Air Force brats, we were often start-
Contact us
ing up again as strangers in new
communities, and within two
weeks we would have been everywhere and done everything. And
neither of us would back down
from a dare. I’m smiling as I take
this trip down memory lane, remembering a man who was truly
unique.
John and Gary
I shared some stories of my dad, Williamson
John Williamson, in our November/ December 2010 issue, in
which we celebrated our veterans.
This month, he would have been a
72-year member of the Royal
Canadian Legion. To keep this tradition in our family, I am proud to
have become the newest member
of the Brechin Mara Legion
Branch 488. Dad was born to golf, and in Florida
you could catch him every morning teeing off and
walking the back nine, then riding the front, where
carts were mandatory. He still shot 80 when he
turned 80. In Goose Bay, Labrador, we would explore the native communities, by boat in the summer and an old USAF jeep in the winter, driving off
the docks and onto the ice. One mile off the base
was wilderness survival. Our sense of adventure
came from him. My dad was my mentor and hero.
I know in my heart that they are both off exploring the adventures of heaven together.
And now we invite you to sit back, relax and
enjoy your read.
— Darleen Cormier, publisher
I (705) 484-1576
I [email protected]
I P.O. Box 99, Brechin, On., L0K 1B0
For advertising rates, contact
Linda Keogh, Manager, Sales
and Marketing, at 705-437-2032,
or email [email protected].
Published six times a year
by Darleen Cormier and Rob McCormick.
Printed by Rose Printing in Orillia.
Elder Care Services
See The Chronicle in full colour online
www.ramarachronicle.com.
Support with compassion, comfort and dignity
Ingrid Huggett, a certified, mature PSW
• Conversation and interaction
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705 484-0619
Email: [email protected]
Page 1
Darleen Cormier, Publisher
Rob McCormick, Managing Editor
Linda Keogh, Manager, Sales and Marketing
INSIDE
Heritage United Church
Handshake with the Pope
Tracking Swan A 32
Early settlers
A floating party
Strawberry Islandʼs heyday
The store on the corner
New business
Play ball
Encouraging young artists
Weeds in the water
Butterflies welcome
Around the Next Corner
Out to Pastor
Dadʼs in the garden
Community calendar
Dropping In
Fare Share
4
6
7
12, 13
14, 15
16, 17
20
21
22
23
24, 25
30
31
31
32, 33
34, 35
36
37
This issueʼs contributors
Beverley Baker, Suzan Bertrand, Rod Brazier, Doug
Cooper, Neville Cowan, Mike Crosby, Adrienne
Davies, Andrew Elliott, Rae Fleming, David A.
Homer, Larry Kirtley, Bruce McRea, Rick Moore,
Shannon OʼDonnell, Lou Probst, Jonathan Shier,
Howard Raper, Anne Saso, Michael Whitwell,
Donna Wood.
Where to buy
The Ramara Chronicle
• Argyle General Store
• Allan Byers Equipment
• Beaverton Mower
• TerrTech Computer Solutions
• Your Independent Grocers
• Foodland
Brechin
• Royal Canadian Legion
• Ultramar
• C and Cʼs Hawthorne Grill
Hwy. 169
Lagoon City • Harbour Inn
• The Bird House
Orillia
Nature Company
• Manticore Books
• The Orillia Museum
of Art and History
• Rama Moccasin and Smoke
Rama
Uptergrove • Leskaʼs Meats
and Delicatessen
• Home Hardware
Washago
• Red Door Market
Argyle
Atherley
Beaverton
eco logo from rose printing
Beaverton’s library
Page 2
Like all the Carnegie libraries built during the era, the Brock Township Public Library in
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Beaverton
was a thriving commercial port and tourist town,
seen as a gateway to Lake Simcoe and nearby Thorah Island. Consequently, a well-defined main
street developed, and some outstanding civil, commercial, religious and residential architecture was
built, much of which remains today.
By
ANDREW ELLIOTT
Community
Correspondent
Beaverton’s prominence in the region can be
seen as far back as the 1870s, when Toronto native
Alexander Muir, the noted public school teacher
and composer, arrived to teach at the local public
school from 1876 to 1879. About a decade earlier,
in 1867, Muir had written The Maple Leaf Forever,
which, because of its popularity and its authorized
use in schools in many provinces, became the unofficial national anthem for English Canada.
An 1887 book entitled Industries of Canada, Historical and Commercial Sketches: Peterboro, Lindsay, Gravenhurst, Orillia, Millbrook, Uxbridge,
Markham and Environs, devoted three pages to the
town, and had this to say about it: “Beautifully situated at the mouth of the Beaver River, in Thorah
Township, Ontario County, the village of Beaverton lies. It is on the main line of the Midland Division of the Grand Trunk Railway. The Beaver
River gives good water power, which has been utilized by several manufacturing concerns…”
It was noted that Beaverton had a library containing 200 volumes, a public school, a town hall, a
bank, several churches, a weekly newspaper (The
Express) and that the businessmen were considered
to be “progressive.”
In the early 1890s, The Beaverton Harbour was a
hub of activity and a focal point for people arriving
by train, ferry, steamship, sailboat and car. Those
who were drawn here came as day-tripper tourists,
cottagers, boating enthusiasts and fishermen.
Cottages were built on the lakeshore by four
brothers who operated the Edwards Leather Company of Toronto, and other cottages were built by
Clockwise, from top left: The exterior of the Brock Township Public Library in Beaverton; the m
the Weston family who owned Weston’s Bread.
On the north side of the harbour, the grand Victoria
hotel, complete with a dance hall, was built, and
provided accommodations for longer-term tourists
who did not want to camp or could not afford to
own a cottage on Thorah Island.
The waterfront was a busy place, with steamboats such as the Lorna Doone and the Islay, or ferries like the Wawanesa docked and waiting for
passengers, people in fancy dress strolling about
the edge of the harbour and sail boats and other
pleasure craft in the water. Entrepreneurs were here
as well, such as a farmer who came into town
every day with a tank of milk on a cart, a man who
sold flags, popcorn, and chewing gum, and native
people from Georgina Island who sold their handmade crafts to cottagers and tourists.
Amenities were built, among them a grand new
public library.
A small library had been in operation since as
We carry everything native
Moccasins, crafts, art, jewelry and a fully
stocked walk-in humidor. Two kilometres
past the casino on your right. Remember,
if the sign doesnʼt say Rama Moccasin
and Smoke, you are in the wrong place.
6413 Rama Rd. Rama, Ont. L0K 1T0
phone: 705-325-5041 www.ramashop.com
early as 1853, in the court house on the north side
of Simcoe Street where the existing post office and
bank are today. This reading room was renamed
the Mechanics Institute in 1890.
In 1897, the community asked town council to
give consideration to a new library, as noted in The
Express. More than a decade of deliberations ensued, and a $7,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York was received by the library
board in 1910.
Noted architect William Edward Binning (18511928) was hired to design the building. Beaverton
was in good hands with Binning, the architect for
six Carnegie libraries in Ontario small towns in the
preceding 10 years, including the Teeswater Public
y an enduring credit
Page 3
Beaverton is an expression of the town’s hopeful, thriving spirit of community
Rob McCormick
main entrance in the 2002 addition; and the Mary Fowler room in the original part of the building.
Library in 1907, identical in many ways to the
Beaverton building. Binning lived in Listowel and
had started his career as a carpenter. He is credited
with designing more than 40 churches and numerous schools in Perth county. His early work was in
the Romanesque Revival style popular during the
1890s, and later, for his libraries, he turned to the
classically inspired Beaux Arts style.
Construction on the Beaverton library began in
1911 and was completed in 1912. The official
opening was held in December 1913.
Known today as the Brock Township Public Library, it is a marvellous piece of work. Prominently
situated on Simcoe Street, Beaverton’s main street,
it is constructed of red bricks on a stone foundation
and designed in a neo-classical revival style, with a
grand central staircase leading up to the original
front entrance. There is a triangular centre gable
with a porthole window at the top of a central column that sticks out from the front facade, but there
are also unusual recessed panels (rather than
columns) on either side of the main entrance. There
are large symmetrically placed windows on each
side of the entrance, tiny hooded dormers within
the roof, two massive chimneys at each end of the
building, and the words Public Library prominently
displayed.
The original interior was reached via another
small staircase going up from the main entrance,
and these sections can still be seen today as the
David Annesley and Mary Fowler rooms. Here you
will see the library as it was originally meant to be,
with the original oak floors and B.C. fir bookshelves, which have been stained a dark chocolate.
High ceilings with large windows provide lots of
light, and there are fireplaces at each end that have
been converted to electric. The effect is to create a
spacious yet cosy space, with a prominent reminder of who funded it all: A portrait of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie hangs on a wall over one
of the fireplaces. Though now the second floor, this
would have once been the main floor of the library,
with additional space in the basement.
In 2002, an addition of about 4,000 square feet
was opened, more than doubling the square
footage of the original building. The addition now
serves as the main entrance and main floor, and
the original entrance is no longer used. The new
exterior tries to capture some of the elements of
the original classical design, while the interior has
large wood beams reaching to the high ceiling,
providing a sympathetic modernist dialogue with
the old structure. The original south wall has been
removed in order to connect the two spaces.
Though perhaps not as rich and comforting in feel,
the new section still creates an airy, welcoming
place for library patrons. The work serves as a fine
example of how we can create a new building
space while retaining the heritage features of the
old.
Thankfully, this wonderful structure survived
the wave of demolitions in the middle of the 20th
century that led to the disappearance of many
other libraries of its kind in Ontario. It is one of
the very few Carnegie libraries, of which there
were 111 in the province, that continue to be used
for their original purpose, and is designated as
being of historical and architectural interest under
the Ontario Heritage Act, 1990.
The Brock Township Public Library, like all the
Carnegie libraries built during the era, is an expression of the town’s hopeful, thriving spirit of
community; designed not only to be a place where
intellectual betterment could occur free of charge,
but also a prominent landmark and meeting place
to inspire all visitors who pass by or through its
doors.
It stands today as an enduring credit to a community that has long recognized the importance of
its built heritage.
Andrew Elliott is an architectural historian,
archivist and freelance journalist working on
the Canadian Register of Historic Places
for Parks Canada. He can be reached at
[email protected].
Royal Canadian Legion Brechin/Mara Branch #488
Serving Veterans, their families and our Community for over 60 years
Join us at our Steak & Strawberry Supper, Friday, July 1 from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Steak barbecued over charcoal, with strawberry shortcake.
• Pig roast and dance following
the Classic Car and Boat Show Saturday, July 16.
• Beef Barbecue Saturday, July 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Why not Join us? Call 705 484-5393 for information.
E mail: [email protected] Website: www.brechinlegion.ca
Church built in 1874 rem
Page 4
Community raises $176,000 for renovations to Washago United Church hall; finishing tou
By ROB McCORMICK
Managing Editor
Over 151 years, Heritage United Church in
Washago has been a congregation within three
churches: Presbyterian, Methodist and United.
The seeds that gave rise to Heritage United were
sown in 1860, with the establishment of a Wesleyan Methodist congregation in Bethel, in Morrison Township. This was the same year that
Morrison Township was first divided into farm
lots, and only two years after the construction of
the first bridge over the Severn River. The church
that was built there in about 1866 served settlers
from Ardtrea to Gravenhurst until other churches
were built. While this church no longer exists,
Bethel cemetery remains, about three kilometres
north of the Severn River on the east side of Highway 11.
The mid to late 1800s saw the construction of
five churches integral to the history of Heritage
United: Washago Presbyterian (now Heritage
United), Washago Methodist, Severn Bridge Presbyterian, St. Paul’s Presbyterian (Sparrow Lake)
and Ramona Presbyterian.
When Church Union occurred in 1925, the first
four faith communities became congregations in
the Severn Bridge Pastoral Charge of the new
United Church of Canada. The congregation in
Washago occupied the Presbyterian church, and the
Methodist church there was sold and eventually demolished. In later years the churches at Sparrow
Lake, Severn Bridge and Ramona were closed, Ramona having become a member of the charge in
1948.
Today, Heritage United, as the only active place
of worship among the five, counts among its membership families with ties to all its former sister
churches. Its congregation of about 120 is active
and vibrant, its facilties widely used by community
groups including the Washago Heritage Sunshine
Seniors.
And its members are efficient, judging from the
results of their latest project, a fundraising campaign that generated $176,000 for renovations to
the church and its hall.
In February, Heritage United had to be closed for
several weeks of work on the 1,300-square-foot
hall that included the installation of drywall to replace old panelling, upgrades to wiring and plumbing, a refurbished kitchen and drop-down stairs to
the attic. The church reopened in April.
The most recent round of renovations was the
latest in a series over the last year: new shingles,
new propane furnaces for the church and the hall,
and accessibility ramps and doors.
Money for the project, raised through event proceeds and donations, was in hand before any work
began, says Margot McNiece, a member of the renovations committee. The campaign consisted of “a
lot of little efforts” such as barbecues and concerts.
“It’s been an ongoing thing, but I think we really
got on a roll about three years ago,” she said.
“We are in a community that doesn’t like to do
something unless we have the money to pay for it.
The fundraising comes first, then the job.”
An added touch of colour has been the installation of a second stained-glass window that had
been removed from the Sebright United Church before that church was sold last year.
The window, in memory of Sebright resident
George Young, was created by Brian Metcalfe, a
stained-glass artist in Barrie, whose company,
Rainbow Makers Stained Glass, has created or restored windows for churches throughout the area.
Metcalfe also created the original window at Heritage United, and is pleased to now have two of his
works in the church.
“As a boy,” he says, “I lived in Washago for a
brief period. I met some of the local residents and
ended up knowing some of the people who were in
the church from when I went there, so I was happy
to have my windows there so many years later.”
Metcalfe removed the Sebright window in the
fall of 2009. Over the winter he redesigned it to fit
the space at Heritage United, and added thermal insulated glass before installing it last summer. It was
dedicated at Heritage United Oct. 3.
While further improvements, including new siding for hall, are being considered by the committee
and will go ahead as money becomes available,
McNiece said the congregation is proud of what
has been accomplished so far.
“We had a bit of a push on to do it, and yes, we
are kind of purring.”
— With files from Rod Brazier and Ken Joslin
mains a work in progress
Page 5
uches to be added as money becomes available
Photos by ROD BRAZIER
Above, the interior of Heritage United Church in Washago. At right are the churchʼs two stained-glass
windows by Barrie artist Brian Metcalfe. The window on the right came from Sebright United Church.
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Shaking the hand of a Pope
Page 6
On a sunny September afternoon in 1987, Ramara residents all along the sandy shores of Lake
Simcoe sat, one or two at a time or in groups invited for a Pope-spotting party, all eagerly watching Strawberry Island, waiting for the arrival of
Pope John Paul II.
A Senior Moment
By BEVERLEY
BAKER
The Pope had returned to Canada to fulfil a
promise to visit the Northwest Territories. His
scheduled visit to Fort Simpson had been cancelled during his 1984 Canadian tour because the
airport was socked in.
As he had done on his first visit and again when
he returned in 2002, The Pope stayed at Strawberry Island, which was then a spiritual retreat run
by the Toronto-based religious order the Basilian
Fathers.
Throughout the afternoon, helicopters hustled
back and forth like harassed stage managers getting ready for opening night. Each time a chopper
approached the island, folks wondered if this
might be “the one,” but time passed and one after
another the small aircraft came and went.
At last, a whole squadron approached in a
tightly knit flight pattern, surrounding one helicopter just slightly larger and of a different
colour. There was no doubt that His Holiness had
arrived.
For my husband and me, that was all we saw of
the Pope’s visit to Ramara, but it was as if our
township was reciprocating the hospitality that
had been extended to us two years earlier in
Rome.
On Jan. 18, 1985, we had the honour of attending a private papal audience with the faculty and
members of the NATO Defense College and their
families. The college trains military and civilian
members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in preparation for their work with the organization. As part of its international diplomacy, the
Vatican maintains a relationship with the college,
sometimes inviting members to sit in a reserved
section in St. Peter’s Square for one of the weekly
public audience sessions. From time to time, a
Beverley Baker shakes hands with Pope John Paul II in 1985.
private audience is granted to the group.
This occasion was organized with all the precision and protocol of a military exercise or a royal
visit. As instructed, we were driven to a specified
entrance in St. Peter’s Square where two Swiss
Guards in their colourful uniforms stood guard. A
third Guardsman led us up a steep staircase to a
small but beautifully decorated auditorium. It was
about the size of a country church, just right for
our group of about 70.
The military members wore the uniform of their
respective countries. The women were instructed
to wear “sober attire.” Most chose black or dark
colours and all the women wore hats with the exception of the ladies of Spain, who arrived bareheaded, and one French woman wore severe black
from her toes to her elaborate lace mantilla. An
English woman appeared very regal in a long
cape of royal purple with a hat of the same rich
shade on her snow-white hair.
When everyone was in place, a door opened in
the wooden paneling and the Pope entered with
his entourage, one of whom spoke words of welcome to NATO and to the college. The college
commandant, Lieutenant General Franz J. S.
Jolly’s Towing and Storage
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Submitted photo
Uhle-Wettler, responded with a short speech of
appreciation for the invitation. He also presented
a gift book for the Vatican Library in commemoration of the event.
After these introductions, the Pope, slipping
seamlessly from one language to another, delivered a short homily and then, stepping away from
the lectern, rubbed his hands together and said
with a grin, “Now for the pictures.”
With cameras recording every moment, the
German commandant and the three deputy commandants, one Dane, one Italian and one Canadian, and their wives, were presented to His
Holiness. His comment, on seeing the Canadian
uniform, was, “Ah, Canada! I liked Canada.”
This was just four months after his 1984 visit.
After the formal presentations, the Pope moved
among the rest of the members, seeking out the
few children who were there. He laid his hands on
their heads and gave them his blessing. The
mother of two little boys remarked later, “I may
never wash their hair again!”
Too soon the appointed hour came to an end.
The hidden door opened and the papal party took
its leave.
Among those invited that day, there were many,
like ourselves, who were not Roman Catholic. In
fact, given the diverse composition of NATO, it is
likely that some were not even of the Christian
faith. Yet there is no doubt that every person in
the group was touched by the aura of that devout
and gentle man. He stood before us clad in heavenly white garments but he kept his feet on the
ground in a pair of brown oxfords.
It was an honour and a privilege to shake the
hand of a Pope. Perhaps one day we will be able
to say we shook the hand of a saint.
Ramara resident and writer Beverley Baker
can be reached at [email protected].
More than Swan A32, where are you?
400 attend
nature fest
Page 7
By DAVID HOMER
Community Correspondent
More than 400 like-minded enthusiasts
came together at the Carden Recreation
Centre during the first weekend in June to
celebrate nature in its many forms at the
fifth annual Carden Nature Festival.
The festival, organized by the Couchiching Conservatory, featured more than 100
events, including wild flower, tree and bird
identification; boat trips on Lake Dalrymple; wilderness exploration; getting to
know reptiles and amphibians; tours of the
Dufferin quarry and nature photography
techniques.
Not even a major rain and wind storm
half way through the Saturday program
could dampen spirits or stop the exploration, fun and pursuit of knowledge.
Clad in rain gear, cameras and binoculars
around their necks, enthusiastic festivalgoers set out from the recreation centre for
events that began at 6 a.m. and ran through
the day.
A new initiative at this year’s festival
was a children’s program, Kids’ Nature Safari, which included a demonstration of
birds of prey and insect location and identification.
Keynote speakers were Jeff Hathaway of
Scales Nature Park on Friday evening, and,
following the festival banquet on Saturday
night, professors John and Mary Theberge,
well known for their many years of research into wolves in Algonquin Park.
The conservancy’s partners for the festival included Orillia Naturalists, Carden and
Kawartha Field Naturalists, Ontario Nature
and the Carden Important Bird Area committee.
Proceeds from the festival, typically
about $1,500, support the conservancy.
Bill Robertson
When Marlene Robertson saw several swans
at her Bolsover home on the Trent Talbot River
in March, she and her husband, Bill, took some
photographs.
When she saw one bird had yellow and black
wing tags identifying it as A32, she got curious, and called The Chronicle for assistance in
finding out about the visitor.
The swan was tagged as part of the Ontario
Trumpeter Swan Restoration Project, says
Harry Lumsden, of Aurora, a retired Ministry
of Natural Resources biologist who started the
project in 1982.
At the time, trumpeter swans had not been
seen in Ontario since 1886, when one was shot
at Long Point on Lake Erie. Today there is a
self-sustaining population of about 600 nesting
in Ontario.
Sightings of tagged birds help track movements, habitat use and reproductive success, allowing biologists to produce a genetic family
tree and to keep track of population growth and
range extension.
Lumsden, who continues to run the project in
retirement, says Swan A32 is a male, hatched
in 2007. His place of birth is not known, but he
was caught and banded as a cygnet in January
2008 at La Salle Park, Burlington, his winter
home, where he remained until April. He was
in Cobalt, some 500 kilometres to the north,
from May 4 until Aug 21. In 2009, he was seen
at La Salle Park between Dec. 17 and 29, and
in 2010 he was recorded again at La Salle in
February and March.
In 2011, he was reported at La Salle on March
14. Three days later he turned up at the Robersons’ home. After that, Lumsden says, Swan
A32 was seen at in April at three locations: Sturgeon Lake in the Kawarthas, again in Bolsover
and at Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon.
For more information on the restoration project, or to report a tagged swan, call Lumsden at
(905) 727-6492 or contact him by email at
[email protected].
— Chronicle Staff
Page 8
Big
blue
Avian Affairs
By DAVID A. HOMER
The Great Blue Heron
is an imposing bird nearly
four feet tall, with a long
neck and a wing span of
nearly seven feet wide
There is an great proliferation of acronyms in use
in our culture. They are used to such a great an extent that many times one has to stop in the middle
of a conversation to ask the meaning of a vowelless word one has never heard before. Others we
know from their constant use: MRI, RBC, TGIF
etc. The birding world is not without them either:
LBJs (little brown jobs, aka sparrows) and GBH,
the acronym for the great blue heron.
The great blue heron is an imposing bird, nearly
four feet tall with a long neck and a wing span of
nearly seven feet. It is the largest member of the
heron family found in North America. In flight,
with its neck folded into its back, it looks like something that just flew out of Jurassic Park.
When women’s hats were in fashion, the breast
and head feathers of the great blue were prized for
their colour and delicate texture. Although never endangered, the GBH is a protected species in North
America.
Great blue herons have a broad array of entrees
on their menu. They will eat just about anything.
However, they are most often found standing motionless at the edge of the water waiting for prey
such as fish, crawfish, frogs, snakes and insects.
Their long legs help them wade through weeds and
their height enables them to see a great distance. As
they stand perfectly still, they move their eyes and
head very gently to follow the prey. They will fold
the neck back and move one leg in the direction of
the prey before striking with lightning speed, thrusting their long, sharp bills into the water. If the prey
is too large to swallow in one gulp, they may take it
to shore and beat it to death, breaking off the large
spines on the back of fish prior to eating. Herons
have been found dead with large fish caught in their
throats, unable to swallow or eject the meal.
Taking a break from some outside chores one hot,
late-summer afternoon, I watched a heron stalk a
chipmunk. The chippy got a good head start, so it
was able to outrun the heron up the yard and into
the downspout of my neighbour’s eaves trough system. The heron aligned itself parallel to the downspout and patiently waited for about 45 minutes
until the chippy ventured out. In a flash, the chippy
was down its throat. When the fishing is poor, great
blues will frequently walk our property searching
for anything that moves.
Great blue herons mature at two years of age, and
choose a new mate every year. Courtship displays
by the males may include such antics as flying in
circles above the nest site, head extended; standing
on tree limbs with the head erect, displaying the
beautiful plumes on its breast; jumping up and
down flapping its wings; offering sticks to the female; and both male and female clapping their bills
together.
Nests are often built in dead trees drowned by
flooding from beaver dams. Great blue herons are
social, and like to live in groups, so it is not unusual
to see a heronry or rookery consisting of 100 or so
nests. I know of one local colony with 125 nests on
an island.
The male brings sticks, twigs, grasses, pine needles and mosses to the female, who builds a nest
that can be up to a metre in diameter. Three to six
eggs are laid and are incubated by both parents for
about 29 days. The female tends the eggs at night,
the male during the day. The young will hatch over
a period of consecutive days. Young birds are fed
regurgitated food brought back to the nest from distant hunts.
The oldest and larger young bird becomes quite
aggressive toward its siblings, wanting the better
part of the food that comes into the nest. The eldest
sibling will frequently push the smaller birds out of
the nest. In years of low food supply, the oldest bird
may be the only survivor, the corpses of its siblings
often found hanging from lower branches.
At eight weeks of age, the young will climb to
nearby branches, but return to the nest to beg for
Page 9
Photos by LARRY KIRTLEY
More photos on Pages 10, 11
food. The young typically spend their days “fencing” each other with their bills, dancing around the
nest and flapping their wings. At about 12 weeks of
age they leave the nest to fend for themselves.
Great blues migrate in groups or by themselves in
the fall to southern climes, returning very early in
the spring. I once saw more than 100 standing on
ice floes in the St. Lawrence River east of Quebec
City, fishing in the open water between the cakes of
ice in early March.
So now you know that GBH isn’t just a PBS television station in Boston. It also stands for one of our
most majestic birds of summer, the great blue
heron.
David A. Homer is the past president of the
Carden Field Naturalists. He can be
reached at [email protected]
Page 10
Continued from previous page
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Page 11
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Home District directory list
Page 12
By MIKE CROSBY
Mara Township was first surveyed in 1821 by
James G. Chewitt, who received 2,484 acres for
his efforts. However, Chewitt gave up halfway
through, reporting back to the government that
the land was not suitable for anything. This did
not dissuade a member of his crew, chain bearer
Patrick Corrigan, who staked a claim to become
Mara’s first settler. He was joined by Arthur
Kelly in 1827. The survey of the township was
finally completed in 1836, by Robert Ross. Two
years earlier, in 1834, William Keating had surveyed the western portion of Rama, and like
Mara, it was done in parts, the last portion being
completed in 1855.
Until 1869, Rama and Mara were united
townships under one governing council, the latter lacking sufficient population to justify status
as a separate entity. The 1836-1837 Directory of
the Home District reveals that the Mara population was 153, comprising 49 males above the
age of 16; 37 males 16 or younger; 32 females
above the age of 16; and 35 who were 16 or
younger. The 1840 population of Rama was 14, excluding the 500 natives on
the reserve.
Most of the early settlers located in the area just north of the Talbot River.
On Concession A, along the river, in the eastern portion of the township, you
would find John McRae on Lot 3. He was born in Scotland in 1803. In the
1820s his family came to Canada, first settling in Lancaster Township in
Glengarry County. After his father’s death, McRae and his family relocated
to Thorah Township, and by 1835 had moved to Mara. John McRae was a
farmer and community leader. In the late 1840s, before the establishment of
Ontario County, he represented the united townships of Rama and Mara on
the Home District Council.
Next, on Lot 4, was John’s brother, Donald McRae and his wife, Anne,
married in 1842. The couple had five children, the youngest of whom, Farquhar Alexander, studied in the Presbyterian ministry and served in mission
fields in Ontario and western Canada.
Farther west along the path, on Lot 6, was James Alexander McGregor. He
and his wife, Elizabeth, had five children. His neighbours on Lot 7 were
William Gilchrist and his wife, Anne Calder. They married in Scotland and
had eight children. The first four were born in Scotland, the last four in
Mara.
The next settler on Concession A was Michael McDonagh on Lot 15. In
1835, at the age 25, he came from Ireland to settle in Mara Township. In
1839 he married Louisa Cunningham, also from Ireland. Together they
raised a family of eight children. McDonagh was a successful farmer, and he
expanded his land holding to include Lot 16. He, too, was a community
leader. He was appointed a commissioner for the Court of Request, and later
a justice of the peace. In 1852 he was elected reeve of the united townships.
A mile and a quarter north, on Concession B, Lot 1, the most eastern lot in
the township, was James Ritchie. He and his father, William, came to
Canada from Glasgow, Scotland in 1829. Two years later he was joined by
his nine-year-old brother, William, and two sisters. James married Helen
Downie. They had four children: two sons and two daughters. He was a lifelong Reformer, and held firmly to his principles in days when politics meant
more than a name. He died in 1899, on the same homestead he claimed in
1829. His eldest son, John, remained on the homestead, where he raised his
family of eight. James’s younger brother, William, remained in Mara. In the
early 1840s he settled on Concession 2, Lot 14, where he raised a family of
eight.
Some distance further west, on Lot 10, was the farm of Frances Chenier.
Little is known of him. His name does not appear in the 1846 Directory of
Mara. There is some speculation he may have been a relative of Angus
Kennedy, whose mother’s maiden name was Cheiner.
Next were the brothers Colin and William Simpson, each with 90 acres on
Lot 11, for which they had paid about $2 per acre.
A little farther west, Lot 15 was the homestead of Robert Waddle, from
Glasgow, Scotland, who was married to Elizabeth Ritchie, a daughter of
William Ritchie. They had three daughters and two sons. Their daughter
Jeanette was the first non-native female born in Mara Township. Robert died
in 1841, leaving Elizabeth with a young family ranging in age from six to 11.
The next lot, No. 16, was split between Alexander Belly, about whom little
is known, and John Cameron. John was married to Jane Johnston, and they
had six children.
By 1836 there were only two settlers on Concession C. First was Angus
Kennedy on Lot 14. He was born in Canada, about 1810. His wife, Josette
Dolly, was born in Canada in 1812. The couple had eight children. The other
early settler on Concession C was Michael Graham, on Lot 15. He married
Nancy McRae, and they had four children.
Farther north, on Concession 1, was Donald Gilchrist, on Lot 6. Natives of
Gleneigadale, Isaly, Scotland, Donald and his wife, Margaret MacDougall,
were married in 1809. They came to Mara with seven children circa 1835.
Next, on Lot 9, was John Graham, born in Scotland about 1806. Some time
after 1836, he relocated to Concession A, Lot 10, a property he farmed for
several decades. Next was the farm of Angus Campbell on Lot 12. Little is
known of Angus, and by 1846, this property was owned by Donald Cameron.
West along Concession 1, on Lot 13, were the two Bruce brothers. They left
Scotland for a new home in Canada and settled in Mara prior to 1837. Robert
married Mary Ann Shuter. They had nine children, most of whom remained
in Mara, except their daughter Mollie. She and her husband, William Bannerman, moved to New Zealand. The other Bruce brother was Hugh, who married Mary Bain in 1835. They had five children before Hugh’s death in 1845.
Lot 14 was farmed by Finlay McRae, who married Isabella McRae in
1832. They had 10 children, five of whom died young. Finlay passed away
in 1848 at the age of 40. His wife remained on the farm with the five surviving children. Later it was passed on to the eldest son, Philip, who rose to significant prominence in Mara Township matters, at various times serving as
justice of the peace, councillor, deputy reeve and reeve. Philip passed away
in 1924, on the same homestead where he was born in 1838.
John McDonald was on Lot 15, Concession 1. He and his brother Angus
were both members of the Glengarry Militia, and received land patents in
1835. John married and raised seven children. The property eventually
passed to his son William, who raised 11 children on the homestead.
Continuing north, on Concession 2, Lot 13, were two McDonald brothers,
each with 100 acres. Joseph McDonald was born about 1808 in Canada
West. In 1850 he married the widow of the late Hugh Bruce. The couple had
six children. Little is known of Joseph’s brother, Donald McDonald.
ts Ramara’s earliest settlers
Page 13
By 1836, there were only six settlers north of Concession 2, none on Concession 3, and only one on Concession 4. William McDonald was on Lot 11, on the west
side of today’s Highway 12 in Brechin, north of the
lights. Little is known of him, other than the fact that he
still held the property in 1846. It had changed hands by
1850.
Farther north, the only settler on Concession 5 was
Angus McDonald, on Lot 10, John’s brother and fellow
Glengarry Militia member. There were no settlers on
Concessions 6 and 7 at that time. On Concession 8, Lot
23, closer to Lake Simcoe, was a Sheppard French, who
did not remain in Mara long. On lot 25 was a Thomas
McDonald. Born in Scotland in 1798, he and his wife,
Deborah, had seven children. By 1846 he had relocated
to the 4th Concession, Lot 12. The first settler on Concession 9, on Lot 22, was William McMillan.
On the 10th Concession, Lot 23, near the lake, was
Alexander “Blacksmith” McDonald. He came from Uist,
Scotland and settled in Mara Township in 1833. He had
five daughters and five sons. The first year he had neither door nor window on his log house. He came in by
the chimney and went out the same way. This precaution
Illustration by Doug Cooper
was necessary as both wolves and bears were about in
large numbers. His son Duncan eventually took over the homestead after
Alex’s death in 1859. A David Morrow is shown as a settler on Lot 27. He did
not remain in Mara long, and little is known of him.
In Rama, there were only two settlers registered by 1837. Captain Allan
McPherson, who served 20 years with the 78th Highlanders, came to Canada
from Scotland with his wife and two sons. They lived along the shores of
Lake Couchiching on Lot 24. He lost one son shortly after they settled, and
by 1845 Captain McPherson had moved to Orillia. His son James remained in
Rama, and was known as Squire McPherson. He played a prominent role in
municipal affairs, and as a miller and quarryman, he developed business that
would help bring prosperity to Rama Township. Their daughter and son were
the first non-native female and male children born in Rama.
The other Rama settler was Captain James S. Garnett, who came to Canada
from the Isle of Man. He received a military land grant for his land in Rama,
but he remained in Orillia until a house was built along the shore of the lake
on Lot 23. His daughter married James McPherson.
Surprisingly, the 1836-1837 directory does not list Ramara’s first two settlers, Patrick Corrigan and Arthur Kelly. It is believed that Patrick had left the
area by 1837. By the early 1840s, a Michael Corrigan and members of his
family had relocated from Brock Township to settle along Concession 7 of
Mara. For years, family researchers have been looking for documents that
may link the first settler Patrick to Michael Corrigan, but to date no such evidence has been uncovered.
We do know Arthur Kelly, known as “Little Kelly,” was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1775. In 1824 he initiated an Upper Canada land petition for
land in Ramara, stating he had a wife and five children, and he was residing
in Brock Township. Kelly did not arrive in Mara until 1927, and it is not
known how long he stayed. By 1837 his first wife had passed away, and he
was again living in Brock. He remarried and had 10 children in this union. It
was not until the early 1860s that Kelly relocated to Mara, on Concession 13,
Lot 6, where he remained until his death in 1887 at the age of 112.
The earliest settlers were predominantly of Scottish origin. During the
1840s, the population of what is now Ramara grew quickly, and by 1851 had
increased to more than 1,400, with most of the newcomers being of Irish origin. As the land was cleared and swamps drained, Ramara became one of the
better agricultural townships in the County. The pioneers of Ramara were
strong and hardy people, who worked hard to provide a better living for their
children. They set a standard and work ethic for many generations to follow.
Area pioneers battled distance, isolation
Priorities were clear for the pioneering early
settlers in Mara and Rama, says Simcoe County
archivist Bruce Beacock.
“It would have been like any other wilderness
situation,” he says. “The first thing you look for is
shelter, and then some method of sustaining yourself. Depending on the area of the province, you
would have arrived in a pretty wooded area, so
there’s got to be some clearing of land and the
building of a dwelling pretty quickly, and a planting of some land that is going to sustain you.
“It was pretty much unsettled land. There would
not have been many people there other than natives and surveyors.”
The new residents were also on a tight schedule. Through settlement duties, Beacock says,
they were obligated “to do a certain amount of
clearing and cultivation within a period of two or
three years to justify the land grant, or it could be
revoked. Early on, it would have basically been
people just looking to establish homesteads and
farms.”
The townships of Mara and Rama were about
60,000 and 42,000 acres respectively.
“The place was a dense forest, with not one acre
cleared,” writes George D. MacDonald, the son of
early settler Angus MacDonald, in a 1909 article,
Early Highland Settlers of Mara Township.
The logistics of getting from Point A to B were
among the greatest challenges, as described in Re-
Mike Crosby contributes regularly to www.ramarahistoricalsociety.net.
He lives in Mississauga and can be reached at [email protected].
flections of the Past, the Story of Rama Township,
published by the Township of Rama in 1989,
which quoted local residents’ recollections of
their parents and grandparents: “Almost every settler had a tale to tell of the hardship of getting
grain to the grist mill because of poor roads, great
depths of snow, lack of horses, or distance from
the mill....My father in Longford Mills used to
take his wheat in a bag and walk to Barrie to get
flour made and sleep on the floor overnight and
walk back....My father walked from the
Rama/Mara border to Orillia. Nothing but a trail
through the bush.”
The book describes oxen as “the chief Rama
means of transport,” and points out that there
were “only two teams of horses in the whole locality.”
“There would have been an overwhelming
sense of isolation,” says Elwood Jones, retired
professor of history at Trent University and an expert on the political culture of 19th century Ontario. “Think of the distance, from farm to
wherever you would do anything. Where would
you shop for groceries, where would you pay
your taxes, where would you register your land?
“The basic principle of local government in the
1830s was district government,” Jones says. By
1850, when townships in Ontario were incorporated, the thinking had shifted to embrace the idea
that “government is best which is closest to the
people. It was the sense that you should be able to
go to your government centre and come home in
the same day, whereas in the old district concept,
you had to plan to be there for a couple of days or
so. It would take you that long to get there.”
The early settlers would aim for self sufficiency, but never really achieve it,” Jones says.
“You always depend on your neighbour or the
community somehow. You could grow wheat, but
to make it into bread, you would need the miller
to help you. So you end up with a kind of a system where you start to trade with people. You
need people around you if you are going to make
it possible to have some semblance of order.”
Men were more likely to do the shopping than
women, Jones says, because women “had enough
to keep them busy at home, with chickens, eggs,
making butter. Those were considered ways for
women to make money. But the major crop,
wheat, and things like vegetables, would be the
men’s responsibility.”
Having children was an asset, Jones says, “because having boys, as well as girls, would be
extra labour around the yard. The boys could help
dig fields or build fences. The girls would help
with the washing and cooking, and if you had too
many girls, they could be loaned or hired out as
help. Children also helped to take away some of
that loneliness.”
— Rob McCormick
A party on the w
Page 14
Boaters anchor off Big Chief Island for fun, and this is where it is likely t
By ADRIENNE DAVIES
On a satellite photo of Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching taken during the summer months, moving
boats show as white dots with a V-shaped trail behind them heading in all directions from marinas
and docks along the shoreline. Like jets leaving
vapour trails in the sky overhead, they give an indication of direction, but not of their final destination. It is interesting to speculate where they are
headed, but you might also wonder why there are
so few of them. Of the hundreds of boats berthed
along the shores of Ramara, why are there so few
visibly travelling on the lakes? Where are the all
the others?
To a cottager who is already enjoying a lakeside
retreat, a boat can be just a small part of the weekend and vacation experience. An evening cruise
around the islands or maybe a morning fishing trip
will be time enough on the water; those with families are interested in water-skiing and wakeboarding around the bays, coming home to lounge along
the waterfront and perhaps enjoy a barbecue.
A different outlook characterizes boaters who
keep their craft at local marinas and other docking
facilities. The price of operating a large boat is
daunting; gas at a marina can be up to 10 cents a
litre more expensive than on the road and the size
of the tank on a boat reflects the cost of mileage
which prohibits travel. Marinas provide picnic tables and public areas so that their clientele can be
comfortable staying at their slips, and many do,
saving up for their vacation time.
Ramara is ideally situated to launch a trip up or
down the Trent-Severn system, both of which require a commitment of time and of money. Some
boaters try to do part of the trip every year, but
weekend boaters need someplace more accessible
when the beckoning lake becomes too attractive to
resist.
Look again at that photo and you will see shallow areas in bays and around islands. Any that
combine a sandy bottom with water deep enough
to anchor, but shallow enough for swimming, will
be dotted with boats; Sandy Beach, McPhee Bay,
Thorah Island — all have their share of watercraft,
anchored singly or tied together in a group as
boaters share conversation, food and perhaps music
(often annoying the cottagers along the shore!). On
any given day, there will be six to 10 boats in these
areas, but if you really want to find the elusive
boaters, look at the middle of Lake Couchiching
and focus on Chief’s Island.
Oddly for our lakes, the island is uninhabited.
Originally it was a burial ground for leaders and
others important to the natives of the area; the public has long been discouraged from setting foot on
the shore. The south side of Big Chief — the island’s common name — has the requirements necessary for boaters wanting to anchor, and attracts
those who are looking for a private retreat. Next to
the quiet island, single craft find plenty of room to
anchor a distance from their neighbours and simply
wave a greeting. The opposite side reflects a different story.
Travel through the channel between Big Chief
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Island and on any weekend you are likely to find
30 to 70 boats anchored in the large bay which
marks the north end of the island. Families,
groups of singles, pontoon boats, cruisers and runabouts — all are there for fun, and this is where it
is likely to be found.
Meet up with friends, make new friends, turn
the radio up and chill. Music is always part of the
experience and on holiday weekends there is usually a band playing late in the afternoon into the
evening. Those who follow the rules know
enough to connect themselves to a boat with a
head if they want to drink. Walking from one boat
to another gives overheated bathers a chance to
cool down. As the long afternoon drags on, adults
are increasingly mellow, children are excited by
the party atmosphere and nobody complains if the
party gets a little loud. Wakeboarders show off to
a ready audience. A hot dog boat cruises between
the drifts of connected boats catering to those who
didn’t bring provisions because they didn’t intend
to get waylaid by the good times. As dusk falls
and lights start to twinkle along the shoreline,
some start their motors and head back to their
slips, but others stay for the night. The revelry
goes on.
When the weekend is over, lucky boaters return
to work with happy memories and plans to do it
all again. Their weekend experience has given
them hope for many more just like it — not too
far, not too expensive. They’re between the two
parts of the saying, “The best two days of a
boater’s life are the day he buys the boat and the
day he sells it.” Hopefully the charm doesn’t wear
off for endless seasons in the sun.
Adrienne Davies is the secretary of the
Ramara Historical Society. She can be
reached at [email protected]. The
society meets the third Thursday of each
month at 7:30 p.m. at the Ramara Centre.
Page 15
The last ship to
Page 16
Great Lakes Captain Charles McInnes bought an island, built a ship and, for a brief period
In January 1885, the name “Starvation Island”
did not fit well with Captain Charles McInnes’s
plans to develop his newly-purchased property as
a resort and destination for day excursions. There
seems to be no reliable explanation for how this
island of about 22 acres came by its gloomy
By BRUCE McRAE
Community
Correspondent
moniker. One story attributes the name to the
death by starvation of about a dozen native people
who were said to have perished when their canoes
were washed away by a storm sometime in the
18th century. Another account claims a party of
Beaverton fishermen almost met the same fate
when they were marooned on the island in the
1860s, but neither tale is verifiable.
Strawberry Island was the new name given by
McInnes to the Lake Simcoe isle located a half
mile south of Ramara’s McRae Point, then known
as Big Point. An article in The Orillia Times from
Jan. 15, 1885 described Strawberry Island as “a
lone island standing out boldly and picturesquely
from the outer extremity of the Big Point of the
east shore of Lake Simcoe and exposed to every
breeze that blows. As it has a fine, breezy situation and is a capital fishing ground, it will undoubtedly make a popular summer resort.”
Another article from July 9 of that year from the
same weekly newspaper told of the prominent
Orillia lumberman Andrew Tait returning from
McInnes’s island with a strawberry which measured “7½ inches around.” Tait is quoted in the article: “‘ Captain McInnes has well named
Strawberry Island, as the berries grown there beat
anything for size and sweetness’ he ever saw before.”
When McInnes bought the island for $800, construction was also nearing completion on his 90foot twin-screw steamer, which he intended to use
to transport paying guests to and from Strawberry.
The boat was built by J. H. Ross Boats in Orillia,
using a team of shipbuilders from Buffalo, New
York, which the captain had contracted. Buffalo
had been this Great Lakes captain’s home port for
most of his career. In his semi-retirement, the captain had returned to Lake Simcoe, where, in 1855,
he had started his career aboard the schooner
Queen. His new vessel would be named the Orillia.
Although not as large as other ships that had
previously plied the waters of Lakes Simcoe and
Couchiching, such as the 144-foot, 400-passenger
side-wheeler Emily May, built in 1861, the Orillia
was noted for her speed. On July 16, 1891,
McInnes put his vessel’s quickness to the test in a
race to the island from the Narrows, where Lake
Simcoe flows into Lake Couchiching, against a
double-sculling team of rowers. The unlikely
match race was witnessed by passengers aboard
the crowded Orillia, as well as many more watching from other vessels. The rowers stroked to an
early lead against the Orillia as the 135-ton displacement ship, with its capacity of 224 passengers, built up steam. The two vessels were as
different as two water craft could be in all measures except for speed, as both remained abeam
over much of the eight-kilometer contest. As the
race neared Strawberry Island, manpower prevailed over steam as the rowers were first to cross
the finish line. This result was a testament to both
the steamer and to the skill of local athletes. The
area had a history of producing strong rowers, and
the Town of Orillia had hosted the World Double
Sculls Championship the year before. After
McInnes significantly modified his vessel in
1895, lengthening it by 35 feet, the result might
have differed in the steamer’s favour if there had
been a rematch. After the modifications,
McInnes’s ship was rechristened the Islay (pronounced EYE-lah) after his birthplace in Scotland.
The profile of the Islay is distinguished from
that of comparable steam-powered vessels of the
era by its smokestack, which appears disproportionately further aft because the extension was
added entirely between the wheel house and the
stack. Thus extended, the Islay became the same
length as Lake Muskoka’s RMS (Royal Mail
Ship) Segwun, built in 1887, a charming vessel
that still cruises the waters of Lake Muskoka and
now ranks as North America’s oldest operating
coal-fired steamship.
In the early 20th century, the Town of Orillia
was already, or would become, more populous
than Barrie, Newmarket, or the several communities which amalgamated to become the City of
Vaughan. Orillia was a very progressive community which had justification for its self-proclaimed
title of “Trade Center of the North,” as was
widely promoted by the Orillia Board of Trade. It
was a prosperous, affluent market, one which
McInnes must have believed would embrace his
island as a leisure destination.
An event 110 years ago is both typical of the
kind of social gathering held on Strawberry Island
and notable for its scope. An article entitled
“Tudhope Company Picnic” in Orillia’s other
weekly paper, The Packet, dated July 26, 1901,
included the following: “There are, roughly
speaking, about six thousand people in Orillia and
its suburbs, and over half of these attended the an-
nual outing of the employees of the Tudhope Carriage Company at Strawberry Island on Monday.
So that, if it would not be literally true to say that
‘all the town and his wife was there,’ there was
probably more justification for the use of the
phrase than there generally is. The Islay and the
Enterprise were running between the Island and
the town all day, and were always well filled.”
The article continued; “Harry Gill, all round
amateur champion of America, was at the picnic
and gave a remarkable exhibition of his prowess.”
The article then described near record-breaking
demonstrations by this Orillia native of both shot
put and high jump, and an unofficial discus throw
which reportedly surpassed the world record by
10 per cent.
By 1887, McInnes had established amenities on
the island designed to enhance its value as a
leisure destination. According to the Orillia Times
of June 30, “Great improvements have been made
at this spot...since last summer, not only in the
erection of a summer hotel, but in the improvement of the grounds. Six pretty cottages have
been put up, all are completed, and some already
Strawberry
Page 17
d, created a thriving summer playground off the shore of Ramara
“As it has a fine, breezy
situation and is a capital
fishing ground, (Strawberry
Island) will undoubtedly make
a popular summer resort.”
The Orillia Times, Jan. 15, 1885
The Islay in 1907.
rented for the summer...The water-works arrangements are most complete, the grounds being almost surrounded with pipes of different sizes. A
windmill supplies power to a pump which brings
the water from the lake to a tank a short distance
from the hotel.” Five years later, an ad in The
Packet described the island’s “large Pavilion,
Public Cook House for the convenience of Excursionists, Bathing Houses, Ice, Swings, Boats,
Fishing Tackle, etc.”
Strawberry Island was also popular because,
being part of the then separate Mara Township, it
was “wet.” Prior to the 1916 Ontario Temperance
Act, which banned all liquor sales in the province,
individual municipalities or townships had the option of passing local bylaws to allow the sale of
alcohol. The Town of Orillia and Rama Township
were dry, but the original Mara Township permitted the selling of alcohol, and thus allowed a
liquor licence for McInnes’s establishment on the
island.
During more than 20 years, McInnes’s ambitious Strawberry Island experiment drew thousands to the property. Ultimately, however, it
Photo courtesy of the Orillia Museum of Art and History
failed, unable to survive the debt associated with
operating a capital intensive business over a short
season, as well as bad timing, because McInnes
seems to have misjudged what was happening
elsewhere.
In the early 1870s, rail lines extended only as
far north as Orillia, to which point the Northern
Railway was already transporting quantities of
lumber and manufactured goods. To increase passenger business, the company built the grand
Couchiching Hotel, with a 350-guest capacity.
The Grand Trunk Railway had also considered
building an equally luxurious facility at Barnfield
Point west of Couchiching Point, where J.B.
Tudhope Park is today. But by 1875, the Northern
Railway line had been extended to Lake Muskoka
at Gravenhurst, where it made connections with
steamships, and the company had already shifted
its focus to that area, which was growing thanks
to settlement, timber and tourism. When the
Couchiching Hotel burned down in 1878, the
company chose not to rebuild, and sold its 180
acres. Perhaps, had the hotel been resurrected and
the original development plans seen through,
McInnes’s Strawberry Island might have survived.
In the next decade, McInnes suffered from more
bad timing. In 1887, a mere two years after he
launched his steamer Orillia, A.P. Cockburn
launched The Segwun.
By 1907, McInnes had suspended the operation
of the island as a summer resort and rented it privately. By the time of his death in 1913, the business of passenger excursions via steam ship had
become less viable. One of the last cruises aboard
the Islay was offered in September 1914 by the
late Captain’s son in support of a fundraiser for
the Orillia Patriotic Fund to assist those destined
to become widowed or fatherless as a result of
The Great War, which had been declared only a
few weeks prior. The Islay wintered in the shallow water near Couchiching Beach Park until in
January 1919, when skaters seeking shelter
started a fire that quickly consumed all of the ship
above its waterline.
Three years later, the boiler of Orillia’s best remembered steamer was removed and the remnants of the Islay’s hull were relocated and laid to
rest near the shoal north of present day James B.
Tudhope Memorial Park. In this shallow grave,
the charred ribs of the craft posed a navigational
hazard, thus requiring the final destruction of the
wreck by dynamite some years afterwards.
Roughly 90 years ago, Strawberry Island became a summer retreat for members of the Order
of Basilian Brothers. It was sold in 2005, and
today, Ramara Township’s land ownership
records show it as being “in care of” of Trans
America Group, a real estate development company based in Alberta.
Strawberry Island’s heyday of hosting large picnics for companies, farm groups and fraternities
passed quickly, as did the dream of the visionary
captain to establish his beloved island as a summer playground for all.
In addition to his involvement in other
historical groups, Orillia resident and writer
Bruce McRae is chair of the history committee
of the Orillia Museum of Art and History. He can
be reached at [email protected].
Brechin project gets $75
Page 18
work for this grant,” said Bob Poyntz, chair of the
The Brechin Community Centre Board will receive
Brechin Community Centre Board, which applied for
$75,000 in federal funding for accessibility and other imthe grant and organizes the Saturday market. “The Raprovements to facilities at the Brechin Ball Park.
mara Township clerk’s department was extremely helpSimcoe North MP Bruce Stanton made the announceful with this process, providing necessary details.
ment at the May 21 grand-opening celebration of the Ra“The next big step forward will be the tendering
mara Farm and Country Market, now in its second
process so that the project can start sometime this fall,”
season.
Poyntz said.
“Under the Enabling Accessibility Fund, the governProjects like the weekly market, Stanton said, are
ment is putting $75,000 toward improvements here at the
“tremendous initiatives that help make the community
park for people who need that extra access to facilities”
special, and for those who are shopping, spread the
Stanton said.
word that this is the place to come on a beautiful SaturBrechin, he said, was among 300 communities across
day morning in Brechin.”
Canada to benefit from the fund, and one of only four in
Stanton also presented Poyntz with a certificate conSimcoe North. “And they got almost the maximum
Simcoe North MP gratulating the Brechin board on the market’s second
amount,” he said. “This is going to make the ball park
Bruce Stanton
year.
that much better, with access for people with mobility
Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop said events like the market
problems. As a government, we are proud to invest in these kinds of
“celebrate the heritage of our community. It’s wonderful to see the
things.”
community involved.”
The project, with a target completion date of the end of the year,
“This is a great project for the community,” said Ramara Mayor
will include structural repairs to the 924-square-foot ball park buildBill Duffy. It’s going to take a little while to get it up and running
ing, accessible washrooms and meeting facilities. The building will
and get the vendors coming, but with good vendors and product, the
be accessible by an east-side ramp for wheelchairs and walkers.
people will come, too.”
“It was a long, hard process, starting a year ago with three
— Rob McCormick
Brechin board members working for days to complete the paper-
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Page 19
h MP Bruce Stanton makes announcement at Ramara Farm and Country Market
Rob McCormick
Above, the ribbon is cut on May 21 at the grand-opening celebration of the second season of the Ramara Farm and Country Market in Brechin. At left,
Ramara Mayor Bill Duffy shows off his purchase from preserves vendor Ruth McKenzie, of Beaverton.
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Brechin’s ‘corner store’
Page 20
Super Food Mart has helped a succession of South Korean families start new lives in Canada
By SHANNON OʼDONNELL
Community
Correspondent
It is the reference point when giving directions
into, out of or through Brechin. It’s a bustling little centre of local commerce that aims to be all
things to all people; a last-stop-shop for cottagers,
travellers and passersby; part of a daily ritual for
readers of the Globe and Mail; a convenient place
to pick up a carton of milk or the anniversary card
you almost forgot.
It has been nearly 30 years since the Kong family purchased and opened the Super Food Mart,
more commonly known as “the corner store.” Its
current operators, Tony and Soon Kong, are a
busy, hardworking couple who rarely slow down
save for a moment to tease and laugh with a customer. The store on the southeast corner of
Brechin’s main intersection is open 365 days a
year, 11 to 15 hours a day, depending on the season.
Whatever you need, you will almost certainly
find it here. The store is packed, corner to corner,
with everything from chips, pop and chocolate
bars to milk, cheese, magazines and movies. You
can find what you need for a meal in minutes,
your basic but necessary office supplies, and even
toys and fireworks for backyard barbeque entertainment. In addition to the standard tobacco and
lottery products, gadgets and gizmos galore line
the walls and countertops; the ceilings are
adorned with colourful purses, hats and t-shirts,
and during spring and summer the front entrance
runs amok with plants, flowers and hanging baskets for last-minute gardening and Mother’s Day
gifts.
The Kongs are South Korean immigrants who
arrived in Canada, and subsequently Brechin, in
1992 from Pusan, a city of more than 3.5 million
at the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula.
Tony is the seventh of nine children, and one of
three brothers who have come to Canada to manage this store over the years.
When Tony’s eldest brother, John, and wife
Christine purchased the store they were the first in
Tony and Soon Kong outside the Super Food Mart in Brechin.
a succession of families who relocated to Brechin
to manage the business. While John and Christine
still maintain ownership of the building, they have
provided management opportunities to two of
John’s brothers, as well as a family friend. Over
the years, the Super Food Mart has been the starting point from which its various operators began
to build their new lives in Canada.
Once the business was established it swiftly became a busy venue. John invited his brother Jay
and his wife Yeung to help manage it, which they
did for a number of years before moving to Orillia
to open their own store. When Jay and Yeung
moved on, the busy centre needed a manager, so
at John’s invitation, Tony and Soon arrived in
1992 to manage the store for three years before
moving to Blackstock. For the next 13 years they
owned and operated their own store, but in 2008
decided to sell and return to Brechin to again help
John after the passing of Ken Bae, who was then
managing the store.
Tony and Soon are pleasant multi-taskers with a
keen sense of humour. Soon answers questions as
she stocks the cigarette shelves and serves a
steady stream of customers, at one point dashing
out of the store after someone who had forgotten
an item at the counter.
Neither care for highly populated areas, and are
content with small-town life. Crinkling her face,
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Soon chuckles, “I go to Toronto, but oh, I don’t
like it!”
The couple have transitioned comfortably from
the congested, urban environment of their homeland to life in rural Ontario. In Pusan, Tony
worked as a factory worker and Soon took care of
the home and their two children, Melissa and
Peter, who were five and three respectively when
the family immigrated.
“The kids liked it,” Soon says, and had no problem adapting to their new school or learning English. The process was made easier by provincially
funded services that sent English as a second language teachers to Brechin Public School to work
with her children.
Learning the language was more difficult for
her and Tony, Soon recalls, but they took English
lessons at the Learning Centre in Orillia, and
today they banter easily with their regular customers. “It’s very hard...still, I’m not perfect,” she
says.
Soon relies on the kitchen to help the family retain its Korean culture and lifestyle. They sometimes go out for Canadian food, “but always in
my house it’s Korean food,” she says with a
smile.
After 19 years, Soon says her family is happy to
have come here, and especially happy they were
able to return to Brechin.
The kids are mostly grown now—Melissa is
studying in British Columbia and Peter, now finished high school, is working for the family business to save for post-secondary studies and plan
his future. In the meantime, Tony spends his spare
time fitting in golf games and tells me that he and
Soon hope to retire here.
“I think we’ve been successful because we
started here, maybe,” says Soon. “Coming back
was good. We liked the people and they hadn’t
changed. Some had left, and some grew, but they
were mostly all the same.”
Ramara resident and writer Shannon OʼDonnell
can be reached at [email protected]
Shelf life
By ROB McCORMICK
Managing Editor
For newly permanent Ramara residents
Randy and Cathy Storey, it’s been an eventful couple of years.
The upheaval started in 2009, when General Motors wiped out the family business,
Storey Pontiac Buick in Peterborough, which
had been operated by the Storey family for
38 years. The dealership was among more
than 250 eliminated by GM across Canada,
for reasons that remain a mystery to the couple.
“When GM announced in February of that
year that it was discontinuing the Pontiac
line, Randy said, ‘This is not good,’” Cathy
recalls. The dealership purge followed three
months later.
“To this day,” says Cathy, “none of us
know what the criteria were. It’s almost like
they put up a great big map of Canada and
started throwing darts, because that’s basically what happened. There didn’t seem to
be any rhyme or reason.”
Randy, who had worked at the dealership since
he was in his early 20s, had taken it over after the
unexpected death of his father, Bill Storey, in
2005.
When the dealership closed at the end of July
2009, the Storeys decided it was time to make
other changes. They sold the building and its 6.5
acres to the owner of a Chrysler dealership looking for larger facilities, sold their home and moved
to Amelia Drive.
Both Randy and Cathy, who became permanent
residents in November 2009, have life-long ties to
Ramara as cottagers. Their property belonged to
Cathy’s great-grandparents, and she spent her
summers here as a child.
“It was just a fabulous place to grow up in the
summer,” she says. “The day after school let out
we got in the car and came up here from Toronto.
My grandmother would be here and my dad would
do the commute like all the other men, coming up
Friday night and going back to the city Sunday.
“The friendships I have forged up here have
been life-long,” she says. “A lot of these people
are still here, and their kids and my kids are all
friends. I love it up here.”
The cottage is also where Randy and Cathy first
met. “His grandparents had a cottage down the
road, and it eventually went to his parents,” she
says. “One day he was walking down the road and
I saw him...We have a real bond up here.
“The cottage was as built in the 1930s, and it
was getting run down,” says Cathy, “so we decided we would build something for retirement.
We wanted to have a place where we could retire
and our kids could come forever and ever. We did
that in 2008, just before the dealership was discontinued.”
Earlier this year, the Storeys became the area
dealers for Gliding Shelf Solutions Inc., a Canadian company in Havelock, near Peterborough,
Page 21
Long-time cottagers Randy and Cathy
Storey are now full-time Ramara residents
with a new home and a new business
back ends of drawers, and it can also increase the capacity of existing storage areas
with additional units. The sturdy steel glides,
even fully extended, can support up to 100
pounds. The system is also eligible for funding under the CMHC’s Home Adaptations
for Seniors’ Independence program.
The Storeys provide an initial free consultation, and if an order is taken, do the measurements, place the order with Gliding
Shelf, then return to install the units. The
turnaround time is three to four weeks,
Cathy says.
Their region includes Peterborough, Grey
Bruce, Muskoka and Simcoe County. “It’s a
big area,” she says, “but we are hoping that
as the business grows we can hire people.
This would be a great job for perhaps somebody who has taken an early retirement,
they’re handy and they enjoy getting out and
meeting people.”
“I don’t think there are any other afterRob McCormick
market products like this in Canada,” Cathy
Randy and Cathy Storey.
says. “This is the only one we know of
where you can go in after, other then having
that designs, manufactures and installs gliding sysa
carpenter
come in.”
tems for existing cupboards, cabinets and furniture
She also believes the Ramara-and-area demosuch as buffets and armoires.
graphic is right for their product. “There’s a real
Their association with Gliding Shelf had begun
need in this area. We have a lot of retirees who
several months earlier, when Cathy saw a TV
commercial for the company. Looking for a way in could benefit from these glides.”
Finally settled after months of change, Cathy
increase shelf space in her pantry, she had called
and Randy look forward to the future. “When we
the owner, Lee Anne Daniels, and one thing led to
got into this, we thought, ‘We can do this, and it
another.
will be fun. And it has been. We meet great people
“We got talking and she asked if I knew the Peand
we are providing a service.
terborough area, and I told her about the dealer“It’s a new venture and a new phase in our lives,
ship and moving to Ramara. I said we had been
and you have to move on. I believe things happen
looking around for a business and she said, ‘You
for a reason, and now we are full-time residents.
two would be perfect for this.’ So we met and deWe love it.”
cided it was a good fit.”
To contact Cathy and Randy Storey call 705Aimed largely at seniors, the Gliding Shelf full927-1777, or go to www.glidingshelf.ca.
extension rail system means no more time spent
on bended knee searching the dark recesses of
Rob McCormick can be reached
cupboards. It provides easy access to forgotten
at [email protected].
Township office
closed for move
The Ramara Township Administration Office will
be closed on Friday, July 22, 2011 to facilitate
the move to the new Administrative Office.
We will reopen on Monday, July 25, at 9 a.m.
Temporary access to the building will be from
Perry Avenue only.
Legends to take the field
Page 22
If you grew up in Ramara, odds are pretty good
that you might have played fastball as a kid.
I spent a lot of summers at the baseball park.
When I was young lad, I thought the local fastball
stars where as good as the Toronto Blue Jays, who
By JONATHAN SHIER
Community
Correspondent
at the time were in the process of winning back-toback world championships. I also thought God
was our local priest, Father O’Neil.
Those players may not have been quite as good
as I once believed, but the Ramara area did produce some talented players and teams. My uncles
always talk about the great Lagoon City teams
they played on, winning six championships between 1970 and 1978.
During the 1980s and ’90s, great teams included
Kyle Construction and Dufflawn Farms, as well as
the various squads from Udney and Rama.
For most of the local fastball legends of that era,
their playing days are behind them, but there are a
few still competing in their 50s, including two of
the better pitchers to chuck from Ramara, Jim Farrell and Randy Noganosh.
Both have won multiple MVP awards and championships over the years and have been staples of
the Orillia District Fastball League (ODFL).
Different teams come and go in Rama, but
Noganosh has been a constant. Also known as
Rudy, he has been pitching for Rama teams since
the 1970s, and currently plays for the Rama Reds.
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Rob McCormick
A Rama Reds player sprints for first base duing a game against the Brechin Merchants in June at the
Brechin Ball Park, which received upgrades at the start of the season.
Farrell has pitched in Brechin for years. In his
prime he was part of the Kyle Construction team
that dominated the ODFL in the mid 1990s, winning four of five championships from 1993 to
1997. Farrell now plays for the Brechin Merchants, and led them to consecutive championships in 2007 and ’08.
On Saturday, July 23, Farrell, Noganosh and
some of their old teammates and rivals will be
back on the field in Brechin, when the ODFL
splits up Rama and Mara once again in the first
Ramara Legends of Fastball game at 3 p.m.
After the game, the Brechin Mara Legion will
host a $13-per-person steak dinner and dance at
the Brechin Legion. Money raised will go to the
Brechin Community Centre Board, the volunteer
board that maintains and improves parks in Lagoon City and Brechin.
This year, the board provided $10,000 for improvements to the Brechin Ball Park, including
the regrading and resurfacing of the ball diamond,
repairs to the backstop and fencing, new lumber
for the bleachers and a fresh coat of paint for the
playground equipment.
The ODFL thanks the Brechin board for approving the funding, as well as Beverly Turf
Farms, McCarthy Land Improvements, Dave
Readman Mobile Welding, Claire Black, and
Dale Whalen for the work at the Brechin Community Centre, as well as the ballplayers and
other volunteers who helped with the manual
labour.
Meanwhile, the current and future legends of
Ramara are in action on local diamonds right
now, with the ODFL season past the half-way
mark. Go to www.orilliafastball.com for game
dates and times, and for anything to do with fastball in Ramara.
Jonathan Shier is president of the Orillia
District Fastball League and a member of the
Brechin Community Centre Board. He can be
reached at [email protected].
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Page 23
Close to Home
By ANNE SASO
Doug Cooper wants to bring art to young people, just like his counterpart in Mexico
As a kid I loved to draw. I spent
and acrylic. “I promised myself
more time drawing faces, horses
that when I could afford it, I
and houses all over my textbooks
would do the same for another
than I did reading their contents.
generation of children in Ajijic.”
But after an art teacher made fun
For about the last two years,
of one of my paintings in front of
Efren’s gallery/art shop has not
the class, I was mortified and
only housed his young family on
dropped art as an elective. That
the second floor, but is also
same year, my mother took one of
home to about 30 kids who come
my sketches to a local painter for
to his studio every day after
his assessment. “The girl has a
school to paint. All their painting
minor talent,” were his words of
supplies are free, as is gentle
faint praise. What I heard was,
guidance from the “Maestro.”
“Forget about it.”
“With some students all they
I didn’t pick up another paintneed is this place,” he says.
brush or drawing pencil for 40
“Their passion keeps them interyears. When I started painting
ested. With others, it’s the promagain, my teachers were different
ise of some dineros.” Their
… superb artists who understood
mentor turns their work into note
what it takes to foster talent: Concards that are sold in the shop.
structive criticism, but also heaps
The students receive 80 per cent.
of encouragement and praise. It
The rest helps to pay for the supmakes all the difference.
plies Gonzales provides to each
Artists Doug Cooper, of
child.
Washago, and Efren Gonzales, a
When I was there this winter,
resident of the Mexican village of
Efren was painting in the garden,
Ajijic, are separated by thousands
his students within view in the
Rob McCormick
of kilometers, but they share a
Washago artist Doug Cooper is starting an art club in the fall aimed at young artists studio, and all were working quicommon vision. They both seek to
etly on their individual masterlike Alise Artichuk (above), a student at Rama Central Public School.
teach and encourage young artists
pieces. Every now and again a
and they are both doing something
small
girl or boy would bring a
people,” Cooper says. “There seem to be so many
about it.
painting
to
Efren,
who
would
offer advice and entalented people who don’t utilize their artistic abiliCooper, 65, has started the Washago Art Club, a
couragement.
ties
until
later
in
life.
Hopefully,
we
can
encourage
free, weekly program that begins Sept. 22, offering
Come September, Doug Cooper will be doing
lifetime pursuits.”
instruction for students in grades 7 and 8 at the
much
the same thing in Washago. I often think of
Cooper and my friend and teacher Efren share a
Washago Community Centre. Classes will be held
how lucky the future artists of each small commudesire
to
nurture
talented
young
artists.
When
Thursday evenings and are planned to run through
nity are to have these men in their corners of the
Efren was a young boy, Neill James, an American
the school year.
world.
expatriate patron of the arts in Ajijic, opened her
The club will introduce young artists to various
For details, call Cooper at 705-689-5237.
home
and
resources
to
village
children.
Efren
was
media including water colour, acrylic, oil, pastel,
Anne
Saso is an interior designer and
one
of
them.
With
her
encouragement
he
discovsculpture and photography. Local guest artists will
former
instructor in architectural history
ered
his
life’s
work,
as
did
many
other
artists.
“It
address such topics as basics of drawing, the bewas Neill James’s influence that started me on this living in Lagoon City. She can be reached
haviour of light, colour values, observation, perroad,” says Efren, who paints in watercolour, oil
spective, washes, finishes and framing techniques.
The visiting artists will also will also help critique
students’ work. Parents will be invited to stay if
they wish.
“This is for kids who have interest in art and
want to pursue that art,” Cooper says. The club is
aimed at students in their last years of public
school because Cooper says it is important they be
aware of career opportunities in the arts before they
enter high school.
As well, Cooper understands that not every
school has the resources to offer adequate instruction for students with a keen interest in art. “We are
going to provide something here that perhaps not
every school is able to provide,” he says. “Depending on the school, kids may or may not be getting
this type of training, but if they are not, this represents an opportunity for them, provided they have
a high enough level of interest.
“If we can provide relevant information and encouragement, perhaps art can become a life-long
interest, hobby or even a career for talented young
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Want fewer water weeds
Page 24
Of the control methods, spreading corn is the least expensive and least difficult to imple
I don’t live beside a lake. I rarely swim, canoe
or boat but all my friends who do tell me that
their enjoyment of water activities has become significantly diminished by weeds in the water. Even
though I can’t find scientific data, their unanimous
sentiment leaves little question regarding its veracity. The question, therefore, is why and what can
be done about it.
Aquatic plant life is a natural part of all lakes
and rivers. Emergent plants are found in the transition area between land and water. They are important as nesting grounds for waterfowl such as
ducks and geese, and as food sources for mammals such as muskrats and moose. By looking
closely at emergent plants, you may be lucky
enough to see a dragonfly break out of its larval
case! Floating leaf plants, such as the showy water
lilies, are common in quiet, calm areas of lakes.
By shading the water underneath them, floating
leaf plants create an open underwater environment
that is ideal hunting ground for fish in search of
small aquatic invertebrates. Small plants that float
freely on the water surface are tasty snacks for
ducks as they swim around. Submersed plants create diverse and complex underwater habitats in
lakes. Fish, such as bass and sunfish, make their
nests in submersed plant beds, and young fish will
use the plant beds to hide from larger, predatory
fish. Zooplankton also use plant beds as hiding
spots, and the edges are often good places to
watch fish hunt for food.
In addition to providing habitat for fish, native
species of aquatic plants help to protect shoreline
from erosion by slowing wind and wave currents.
They provide calm areas for sediments to settle to
the lake bottom and thus increase water clarity,
and their presence helps resist invasion from nonnative plant species. It is only when aquatic plants
become too numerous that they become a threat
that can entangle boat propellers, impede a canoe’s
progress, cling to a swimmer’s feet and, through
decay, rob the water of oxygen, killing fish. In
Lake Simcoe, several oxygen deprived areas
known as “dead spots” have been identified where
fish cannot survive. In fact, for Lake Simcoe as a
whole, cold-water fish such as trout and whitefish
cannot reproduce, and only exist due to annual
stocking of fingerlings by the Ministry of Natural
Resources since 1975.
Why have aquatic plants flourished in recent
years? To grow, all plants need sunlight. The
clearer the water, the more sunlight penetrates and
reaches plants. Zebra mussels play a key role.
They are small, freshwater mollusks that grow attached to hard surfaces and feed on phytoplankton
in the water. They can increase water clarity as
well as deposit nutrient-rich feces on the sediment,
both of which can tip the balance in favour of
plant growth.
To be healthy, plants need other nutrients, most
importantly nitrogen and phosphorus. Phosphorus
is important for producing seeds and spores for reproduction, and nitrogen is important for growing
new shoots and leaves. Sediments are the major
source for nutrients, but plants can also pull dissolved nutrients from the water. It is estimated that
current phosphorus levels in Lake Simcoe are
seven times pre-settlement levels due almost entirely to human activity. Most government efforts
to improve lake quality are focused on reducing
the level of phosphorous.
The Ontario government has invested $50 million through the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to reduce phosphorous levels in the
lake. To date there has been measurable success
due largely to improvements in sewage treatment
in Barrie and Newmarket. However, reducing
phosphorous levels may not have the results anticipated. Lake studies in Florida over a 16-year period have determined that there is little
relationship between phosphorous and nitrogen
levels in the water and the weed population. They
speculate that the plants get most of their nutrients
from the lake sediment, which accumulated over a
period of many years, rather than the water itself.
If this is the case, the reduction of aquatic plants
by cutting nutrient levels in the water may take
much longer than previously hoped.
It appears that for immediate relief from weeds
in the water, a more direct approach may be
needed. There are several alternatives.
Benthic mats are covers laid on the lake bottom
that prevent rooted plants from obtaining the sunlight they need to grow. They are often a heavy
black cloth, similar to landscaping fabric, but can
also be plastic sheeting or screening. They can be
difficult to put down, especially in deeper water,
and are cumbersome to move. Mats left in the
water will accumulate sediments and allow new
plants to root on top of them. Mats should only be
laid down after fish spawning in the spring, and
should be removed at the end of each season. Benthic mats are not permitted in the Trent-Severn
s? Feed the carp
ement. It would be my choice if I lived on a lake
Illustration by Suzan Bertrand
Waterway.
Herbicides are a chemical treatment that targets
and kills plants. There is only one herbicide permitted for use in Ontario: Reward, whose active
ingredient is diquat. It is a liquid herbicide that requires direct contact with the plant in order to be
effective. Only the above ground plant material is
affected, not the roots. It can be toxic to other
water wildlife. Herbicide application requires a
permit and must be applied by a trained individual
using proper safety equipment. Herbicides are applied once, in July, on a day that has calm wind
and water.
Cutters include many different types and makes,
including the Weedsickle and the Weed Razer. All
cutters work by cutting off the tops of the plants.
The cuttings must then be collected and disposed
of on land, to prevent them from taking root elsewhere. How much of the plant is cut and how deep
they work depends on the type of cutter. Cutters
that mount on the back of a boat can be raised and
lowered. Depending on the water depth, they may
cut off all or some of the plant. Other cutters are
attached to a rope and can be thrown from shore or
the dock. They sink to the lake bottom where they
cut off the plants just above the bottom as they are
pulled in. Cutting may have to be repeated frequently depending on plant growth and abundance.
Mechanical harvesters are large-scale plant cutters and collectors. They cut off the plants above
the sediment surface, leaving the roots untouched,
and also remove the cuttings from the water. A
cutting blade is mounted onto the front of a boat,
and hydraulics are used to raise and lower the
blade depending on the water depth. Behind the
blade is a conveyor belt that collects the plants as
they are cut and dumps them into the boat so they
can be deposited on the shore. Depending on the
operator, harvesters can cut plants as deep as two
metres and as shallow as 50 centimetres. Harvesting can be done as frequently as desired; however,
operators may only visit a region once or twice a
season and the cost, which depends on the area
cleared, is substantial.
Raking from shore, the dock, or right in the
water collects plants so they can be removed from
the water. Rakes remove mainly the above-ground
plant material and leave most roots undisturbed.
They are also used to collect floating mats of
plants which have drifted in from other areas of
the lake. Specialized rakes with longer prongs and
expendable handles can be used, as well as ordinary garden rakes. Raking may have to be frequently repeated, depending on the plant growth
on your shoreline.
Because the prongs scrape the lake bottom,
rakes should not be used until after July 15, when
fish spawning is over. Raking should also not be
used in areas where rocks, gravel or other substrates that fish use for spawning would be removed.
Kernels of corn are thrown into the water along
the shoreline, from the dock, or from a boat in
order to attract carp to the area. Carp feed on
aquatic plants and thus remove them by eating
them or by dislodging their roots and allowing
wind and wave action to carry the plants away or to
the shore. Dried feed corn is used for this method.
Page 25
By LOU PROBST
Carden Field Naturalists
This method is used in early spring and continues
throughout the summer, as often as wished. Downsides to this method are that carp often prey on the
eggs of native fish; their feeding on the corn can
also increase local levels of turbidity in the water
and dislodge plants that will be fragmented and
dispersed. An interesting experiment took place on
Lake Baldwin near Orlando Florida where grass
carp were introduced to control the aquatic vegetation. The fish did such a good job that within only
two years, the aquatic plants went from occupying
69 per cent of the lake to zero per cent. Once the
plants were gone however the phosphorous content
tripled, green algae increased by five times and the
waters became very murky. Damned if you do and
damned if you don’t.
With the exception of spreading corn, all the
methods mentioned require permits, often from
multiple agencies. For properties on the Trent-Severn Waterway the appropriate agency is Parks
Canada at 705-750-4900, or visit
http://www.pc.gc.ca/trent. For everywhere else
start with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR) at 1-800-667-1940. Or visit
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/ContactUs. Applications for permits are often refused and can take
many months to reach a conclusion, so plan ahead.
The efficacy of alternate methods has been tested
by the Kawartha Lakes Steward’s Association
(KLSA). They found that all the options had some
impact with cutters leading at 70 per cent reduction when performed annually, mechanical harvesters the least effective at 30 per cent and all the
rest including spreading corn around 50 per cent .
In summary, weeds in the water appear here to
stay at least for quite a while. It took over a century of misuse to build up the nutrient levels in our
lakes and even if phosphorous inputs can be drastically reduced (a big if) it will take a long time to
return to previous levels. Of the control methods,
spreading corn is the least expensive and least difficult to implement. It would be my choice if I
lived on a lake.
The Bird House
Nature Company
Supplies and Gifts
for Nature Lovers
Lou Probst, a member of the Carden Field
Naturalists, can be reached at
[email protected].
108 Mississaga St. East., Orillia, opposite the Mariposa Market (705) 329-3939
Searching for Ram
Page 26
By RAE FLEMING
You donʼt have to go far to find history, Stephen Leacock once pointed
out, no farther, in fact, than a neglected corner of the family farm where
one might stumble across an artifact
or an old grave. Leacock may have
been thinking of the farm near Sutton
where he grew up in the 1870s; or
farms around Orillia, a town he grew to
know well in the 1890s and throughout
the first half of the 20th century.
An areaʼs built heritage, such as
homes, barns, schools and churches,
also tells us about our past. Over time,
as these buildings age, they are renovated, destroyed, expanded or replaced. Some buildings have
remained almost unaltered since construction. In this century the area continues to add structures to its built
heritage.
Ebb and flow are perhaps the best
words to describe the history of Ontario over two centuries. “The past in
todayʼs landscape,” Tom McIllwraith
tells us in his elegant Looking For Old
Ontario, “is a statement of changes,
blatant and subtle, year by year and
layer upon layer.” Such is the case, it
would seem, in our part of the
province.
ARGYLE GENERAL STORE
B a ke sh o p
Gi f t s h o p
L u n ch r o o m
W e j u st k e ep g e t t i n g be t t e r w i t h t i m e
270 Glenarm Road (at County Road 46), Argyle 705 439 4545
Limestone
farming, we
houses, bar
the Sebrigh
mara, old and new
and granite, the bane of crop
ere often used for foundations of
rns and churches, as in this case,
ht United Church (at left and above).
Page 27
Cedar logs, the first building material in Ontarioʼs pioneer
society, have proven hardy, though the buildings sometimes did not survive the changing tastes of an increasingly affluent Ontario in the latter part of the 19th century.
In Ramara and surrounding areas, one occasionally
glimpses the original log building carefully preserved and
acting as a room, perhaps a reading and television room,
attached to the back of a newer brick house, as can be
seen at left in this handsome structure near Gamebridge.
Photos by ROD BRAZIER
One of the joys of travelling the concession lines of old
Ontario is the survival of so many of those 19th century
two-tone brick farmhouses, like this one near Brechin. One
colour, usually buff or yellow, was used to enhance the
predominant brick, usually, but not always, red. The style,
so it is claimed, originated in the English Midlands, where
it was a working class style. Sometimes, whimsical
Victorian gingerbread has been added, and often thereʼs
an upper Gothic window that provides light for bedrooms.
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Page 28
Stone houses, and sometimes churches — the Old Stone Church near Beaverton, for instance — have stood the test of a century
and more of sun and wind. In Rathburn stands this magnificent house that has been the home of four generations of Johnstons. The
handsome stone house above was built in 1873 by John T. May. It was purchased by Nat and Mary Johnston in the early 1920s from
Harper Newman. There they raised a family of eight. When son Bill and his wife Janet owned the house, they raised a family of three.
In 2000 their son Ron and his wife Alison built a large addition, mostly stucco on frame, in the style of the old stone house. One day,
when an American visitor discovered that it was her great grandfather who had built the stone house, she burst into tears of joy.
Farming and butter making, the vocations of the first two generations of Johnstons, gave way, for many years, to a splendid bed and
breakfast, as well as an extensive storage business. Ron and Alison also raise animals that are a cross between deer and elk (below
right). One of them, Naomi, has starred in movies and TV commercials.
For information, advice and photographs,
my thanks to Rod Brazier, Rita James, Ed
Healy, Jean Steele, Percy Steele, Theo
Dimson, Bernie Flemming, Alice Flemming,
Ron Johnston
.SPKPUN :OLSM :VS\[PVUZ 0UJ
and Janet
Johnston. For
testing some of
my interpretaConvert your existing cabinets
tions, I chatted
with custom gliding shelves
with Rod Brazier as we amCall
bled through
705-927-1777
Ramara one
for your free
fine day last
consultation
spring. For inspiration, I consulted Looking For Old OnRandy and Cathy Storey, your local dealers
tario, published in 1998, as well as Ronald
Reesʼs New and Naked Land (1988) , a
www.glidingshelf.ca
study of perceptions and imagination on the
Canadian Prairies.
Many buildings, some of them substantial, have vanished. Take
the Healy homestead on the Monck Road at Ramara Road 25.
The 12-room house was solid brick with interior oak trim. After
Frank Healy sold the farm, subsequent owners preferred a
house on one level, so, about 1993, they replaced the
handsome 19th-century house with a bungalow. A log house,
located at the far end of the brick house, was torn down too, its
logs given new life at Bass Lake. Also about 1993, the barn lost
its L-shape. The land that, for more than a century, grew crops
and fed cattle operated for a time as the nine-hole Scottish
Hills Golf Course, the name inspired by the surrounding
ʻScotch Hills.ʼ Today the barn has been transformed into a
large billboard (above).
Argyle historian and biographer Rae Fleming
Page 29
Sadly, other houses,
like these two on
the historic Monck
Road, are simply
abandoned. The
empty, two-storey
house above, clad
in once-fashionable
insul brick, sports
aluminum windows
and a TV tower,
which suggest that
the house was occupied for most of
the last century.
Today turkey vultures are the memory keepers.
A butterfly B&B
Page 30
Gardening
By SUZAN
BERTRAND
Close your eyes and imagine the perfect garden.
Against a viridian backdrop, beds brim with blossoms. Flowers tumble from trellises, billow
gloriously endowed.
from baskets and wander from window
When they’ve eaten their fill and
boxes. Now push your imagination into the
entered the awkward stage of their
surreal. Embellish this fantasy garden
teens, caterpillars withdraw into
with “flying flowers,” and appreciate
cocoons and hang out quietly behow their random fluttering
neath the leaves once again. The
breathes life into the static landonly thing they need from you at
scape.
this point is to be left alone.
Colourful and delicate,
Some of these pupas are as orLepidoptera (commonly
nate as a pharaoh’s sarcophagus.
known as butterflies) are an
Others so closely resemble
integral part of summer garleaves that they could be easily
dens. They add colour and
pruned away from the plant if
animation but their loveliness
you’re not careful.
goes beyond mere beauty.
When the adults emerge as
They also happen to possess exbutterflies, they will begin their
cellent pollination skills. Who wouldquest for nectar. Because they
n’t want to attract more of these charming
are encumbered with those
creatures into the yard? If you wish to improve
enormous wings, Butterflies
your popularity among the butterfly set, it’s a
prefer blooms that are easy to sip
simple matter of anticipating their needs.
on. Clustered flowers like butterfly
In the presence of their adult glory, it’s easy to
bush or composite ones such as daisies
forget that butterflies have humble beginnings.
make their lives simpler. Different species
Egg, larva, pupa and butterfly each have different
are attracted to different colours, so diverrequirements. If you are to be a thoughtful host,
sity is important. However, all butterflies are
you must attend to the needs of all stages of their
terribly nearsighted. If you want to lure them
lives.
from flight, you will have greater success if you
Leafy plants and shrubs provide a safe nesting
plant large clumps of the same coloured flowers.
cradle for eggs until the babies emerge. SurprisFragrant flowers advertise to butterflies’ olfactory
ingly, a lot of butterflies have the ability to taste
receptors that nectar is there for the taking, so it’s
with their feet. Expectant mothers use this skill
wise to choose garden specimens that are heavily
to determine whether the leaf upon which they
perfumed.
Illustration by
have chosen to deposit their bundle of joy is a
Flat rocks placed throughout the garden soak
Suzan Bertrand
good source of nourishment for their offspring.
up the sun’s warmth. These little tanning beds are esSuperior choices for host plants include sumac
sential to butterflies, especially early in the day. They cannot fly until their
and service berry, both native to the Ramara area.
body temperature reaches 86 F. Male butterflies like to congregate at the edge
These same plants address the needs of overwinterof mud puddles, where they sip up minerals and salts. These necessary nutriing butterflies. Coniferous trees give shelter from the
ents heighten their libido, making them more attractive to females. When it
wind and provide a safe place to spend the night.
comes to appearing macho, butterflies need all the help they can get. If you’d
The childhood of a butterfly is spent foraging, so nourishlike to open a butterfly bar, use a large saucer or a discarded birdbath and fill
ment must be provided for hungry little caterpillars. Yes, they will
it with muddy sand. You can add a touch of un-iodized salt to make it more
eat a few holes in your foliage, but you can provide parsley and kale at the
appealing. Overripe fruit is another treat you can offer the mud puddlers. Be
back of your border and they will happily munch on that. If you’re lucky
certain to provide twigs and small pebbles on the surface of the sand. They
enough to live on some acreage, simply leave a small section of your propcan’t land on water and may get stuck if they fall in.
erty to grow wild. Nature will provide everything they need. The most imporA perfect butterfly haven would include food, shelter, warmth and recretant rule is to never use pesticides. Butterflies are bugs, no matter how
ation. To plant a garden specifically for this purpose, you’ll need a fairly large
bed of at least 10 by 12 feet in full sun. Start with a
buddleia (butterfly bush) and plan the rest of the garden around it, being sure to put the taller plants at the
back of the bed. Bright baubles and ornaments attract them, but don’t overdo it with these. They are
no substitute for nectar-providing flowers. Some
easy-to-grow plants to have in your butterfly garden
include goldenrod, joe-pye weed, New England
asters, ornamental cabbages (kale), dill, parsley,
globe amaranth, wild bergamot (commonly called
bee balm), black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia), yarrow,
swamp milk weed (this type is non-invasive) and
butterfly weed.
By offering all the amenities of a fine butterfly
hotel, you’ll be sure to attract many flying flowers.
Lagoon City resident Suzan Bertrand is
president of the Flower Buds Garden Club.
She can be reached at [email protected].
The shack
out back
Page 31
Halfway between Sebright
and Sedowa was a general
store owned and operated
by the Oxby family. Fifty
years ago it was a regular
stopping point for local children. They would stop in for
a soft drink, an ice cream,
or to pull penny candy from
Around the Next Corner
the old glass jars. For only
15 or 20 cents, their pockets By MICHAEL WHITWELL
would be stuffed with treats
for the day. The comings and
goings of the general merchant ended more than a quarter
of a century ago; today the homeowners are retired and
live a quiet life gardening and puttering around their property. Behind the house remains the original outhouse structure, where many years ago, business of a private nature
was conducted in solitude. The few of these structures that
remain in some beautiful, rural images serve as a symbol
of our rugged and simple pioneering past.
A light for those in darkness
Orillia artist Michael Whitwell
I was driving to work when I heard a story on the
radio. A woman had taken her three-year-old
daughter to Walmart, where she bought her a toy
flashlight. As they were walking out of the store,
the girl tugged at her mother’s coat and said,
“Mommy, can we go and find some darkness?”
As I thought about that story during the day, I
remembered what Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the light of the world…” (Matthew
5:14). He could have added, “Go find some darkness,” but He didn’t. Instead he said, “Let your
light shine before men (and women)…”
It occurred to me then that you can find darkness
most anywhere you want. I don’t mean physical
darkness, but moral, ethical and spiritual darkness,
as well as the darkness that comes from intense
suffering, from hurts to the heart, from unfulfilled
needs in a person’s life.
C.S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist of the
1950s and ’60s, lost his wife of only a few years to
cancer. Following her death he went through a time
when he felt as though God had forgotten him. He
described it as “the dark night of the soul.” In the
opening chapter of his book A Grief Observed, he
writes, “No one ever told me that grief felt so like
fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being
afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same
restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.
“At other times it feels like being mildly drunk,
or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket
between the world and me. I find it hard to take in
what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take
Out to Pastor
By NEVILLE COWAN
it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to
be about me. I dread the moments when the house
is empty. If only they would talk to one another
and not to me.”
Lewis went through a terrible time. In fact, his
book is really the content of a journal he kept to defend himself “against the loss of belief in God.”
During that time there were friends who met with
him, not so much to instruct him or console him,
but just to be there to let their light shine. Lewis
came through it all stronger and better in the end.
Every day we face people in this life who are
going through their time of darkness. Is there anything that you and I can do to shine our lights into
their lives? I have some suggestions how we can
do that, and I’ve outlined them in an acrostic using
the word LIGHT. For what it’s worth, here they
are.
“L” is for listening. When some one shares a
concern or a need with you, learn to listen. Look
them in the eye and give them your full attention.
Sometimes just listening to someone’s need meets
that need.
“I” is for inspire. Smile when you talk to someone if they need a smile and, whenever possible,
shift the conversation from the negative to the positive.
“G” is for give. Look for the silver lining behind
the dark clouds and share what you see. Give hope
instead of despair.
“H” is for help. Offer to help if you think it will
fill the need. Notice I said “need,” not “want.”
Sometimes what a person is wanting is not a real
need in their lives. We must help them to see that
this is something they can do without. But where
real need exists, we must try to help.
“T” is for tell. The Bible says, “Tell the truth in
love.” Shining your light sometimes means confronting a person with the truth about themselves
and what they need to be doing to get through the
darkness. We can only do this when we have won
their confidence and they have learned to trust us.
The purpose of light is to shine so as to dispel
darkness. People who “walk in darkness” will
stumble and fall. But if enough of us are shining
our lights for them, they will rise up and find their
way back to wholeness of life. When Jesus told his
disciples “You are the light of the world,” He was
inviting them to let their lights shine for all who
live in darkness. We can all be a part of that if we
chose to “let your light shine.”
Rev. Neville E. Cowan is the pastor at Talbot
Creek Community Church in Brechin.
He can be reached at [email protected].
His father’s garden
Page 32
Photos and story by
RICK MOORE
The spade sliced into the earth for
the first time in May 1988, and I do
not think it has stopped since.
My father has been cultivating his
corner lot in Bayshore Village every
year since moving in. At first the focus was on his vegetables,
but as that garden grew, so too did the flower beds. The catalogues that came to the house just had too many floral gems
to choose from, and when you can't make up your mind, why
not have them all? So as the years went on, so did the planting, weeding, rototilling, mulching and harvesting.
Many a neighbour has received the overflow of veggies, but so too have the flowers been a benefit for some. Every year he
provides the floral arrangements for the
yearly Spring Fling at the Bayshore Village Hayloft, other social events and
some political gatherings. There is also
the Horticultural Society plant sale, to
which he donates some of his blooming orRalph Moore phans.
People stop by to delight in the different varieties sporting
exotic shapes, colours and scents. Non-human visitors come to
enjoy the nectars of his garden as well. From dragon flies and butterflies to bird-eating frogs and white-furred squirrels, there is
something for all to savour. For me, my father’s garden can be the
inspiration for photography or a spot to enjoy a cold beer on a hot
summer day.
All through the season, the yard provides a bonanza of colour that
never fails to turn the heads of passersby. As one flower dies, another
one soon blooms to fill in the spot on the living canvas. A bit wild
and cluttered, it will never be considered a well manicured plot, but I
believe that is the way nature, and Dad, would have it.
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Page 33
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Page 34
Community calendar
By
HOWARD RAPER
Friday, July 1
Canada Day Parade: Washago Community
Centre, 2 p.m. Children are invited to decorate their bicycles or wagons and be at the
Community Centre rink area at 1:30 p.m. for
judging. Craft and food vendors, fireworks in
the park at dusk.
Steak and Strawberry Supper: Royal Canadian Legion, Brechin, 5 to 7 p.m. Barbecued
steak or hamburger, salad, baked potato, tea
or coffee, fresh strawberries and cake. Steak
dinner, $13. Hamburger dinner, $7 tax included. Tickets available at the branch. Call
(705) 484-5393 for information.
Saturday, July 2
Second Annual Ramara ArtPark and Studio Tour: Weekend tour showcasing more
than 20 local artists at four locations: Brechin
Ball Park, Brechin Legion, St. Columbkille
Catholic Church and Studio 37 by the Falls.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No Charge. Presented by
the Ramara Chronicle.
Sunday, July 3
Second Annual Ramara ArtPark and Studio Tour: Sunday hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
See previous listing for details.
Monday, July 4
Summer Day Camp: Runs through Aug. 26
at the Washago Community Centre. Call
Genevieve at 705 796-8476.
Saturday, July 9
Art on the Severn: Washago Community
Centre, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fifth annual show
featuring local and out-of-market artists as
well as artwork from local elementary students. Admission by donation. Contact Rose
Petit, 705 689-6424
Yard and bake sale: Dalrymple United
Church, beginning at 10 a.m., hosted by the
Dalrymple UCW. Vendor spaces available.
Call J. Townes at 705 833-2265.
Salad supper: Brechin United Church, settings at 5 and 6:30 p.m. Adults $15, children
six to 12 years $6 and under six years free.
Takeout available. For advance tickets call
705 484-5950.
Sunday, July 10
Art on the Severn: See Saturday, July 9 listing for details.
Monday, July 11
Vacation Bible School: July 11 to 15,
Brechin United Church, 9 a.m. to noon. Call
705 259-2338.
Wednesday, July 13
Carden Field Naturalists: Carden Recreation Centre, 258 Lake Dalrymple Road, 7
p.m. Tom Mason speaks on Spiders of Ontario. Call Tom Wilson, 705 484-1073.
On a roll
Rob McCormick
Brechin Post Office staff collected ʻPennies for Memoriesʼ over the spring, rolling more than $500
worth of one-cent coins. The money was donated to the Alzheimer Society of Orillia and District.
From left are assistant postmaster Marilyn McHugh, postmaster Darlene Young and rural mail carrier
Phyllis Weyrich.
Ramara and area events — all welcome
Friday, July 15
Community dinner: Dalrymple United
Church, 6 p.m. until all are served. Call 705
833-2223. No charge.
Saturday, July 16
Classic Car and Boat Show: Pier 3,
Crateʼs Marina, Lagoon City, 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Free admission. Sponsored by the Ramara Chamber of Commerce. Classic, vintage and muscle cars, boats from yesteryear
on display. Vote for best in show. DJ, food
booth, 50/50 tickets. Call 705 484-2141.
Pig roast and dance: Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Brechin, after the Ramara
Chamber of Commerce Classic Car and
Boat Show. Adults $13, children (12 and
under) $7. Preschoolers free. Family ticket
with all children under 15, $36. Tickets
available at the branch. Call 705 484-5393.
Walkathon: At Dalrymple United Church, 10
a.m. About five kilometres in support of the
Sebright Pastoral Charge. Anyone wishing
to walk for their own church is welcome. Call
Patricia Morton at 705 833-2140. Lunch free
to all participants. Prizes.
Thursday, July 21
Beef barbecue dinner: Heritage United
Church 3332 Muskoka Street, Washago.
First sitting at 5 p.m. Second sitting at 6:30
p.m. Adults $15, children 12 and under $6,
pre-schoolers free. For reservations call
Marty Clark at 705 689-2461.
Saturday, July 23
ODFL exhibition fastball: Brechin Ball
Park. Legends game at 3 p.m. Proceeds to
the Brechin Community Centre Board for
ball diamond improvements. Admission by
donation. Call Jon Shier at 705 330-9911.
Barbecue steak dinner and dance: Royal
Canadian Legion Branch in Brechin, following the exhibition games listed above. Tickets $13, tax included. Proceeds to the
Brechin Community Centre Board for ball diamond improvements. Call Jon Shier at 705
330-9911 for information.
Saturday, July 30
Beef barbecue: At the Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Brechin, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Roast
beef barbecued over wood fires, gravy,
salad, fresh corn on the cob, baked potato,
baked beans, coffee or tea and desserts.
Advance tickets $13 for adults, $7 for children (preschoolers free), $36 for family (children under 18). Tickets purchased Saturday
are $15 for adults, $9 for children and $40
for families. Live entertainment to follow.
Tickets available at the Legion branch. Call
705 484-5393 for information.
Wednesday, Aug. 10
Carden Field Naturalists: At the Carden
Recreation Centre, 258 Lake Dalrymple
Road, 7 p.m. Ron Reid leads bus-tour meeting leaving from the centre, presenting Historical Perspectives and Landforms of the
Carden Plain. Call Tom Wilson at 705 4841073 for further details.
(Continued on next page)
Community calendar
(Continued from previous page)
Friday, Aug. 12
150th anniversary outdoor dance: St. Andrewʼs Presbyterian Church, Bolsover,
Starts at 8 p.m. Donations appreciated. Call
Janet at 705 426-9382 or email
[email protected].
Saturday, Aug. 13
Charity golf: Brechin and District Lions
Club annual Tee Up For Charity golf tournament, Simcoe Shores Golf Club. Registration at 11a.m., tee-off at 1 p.m. Tickets, $110
per person, include 18 holes of golf, cart,
barbecue lunch, steak dinner and a prize.
Call Brian or Cheryl at 705 484-1579. Tickets at the Brechin Feed Mill or from any
Lions Club member.
150th anniversary cemetery walks: St. Andrewʼs Presbyterian Church, Bolsover,
church yard from 2 to 4 p.m. Call Janet at
705 426-9382 or email kbwchargeoffice@
bellnet.ca.
150th anniversary supper: Marking the anniversary of St. Andrewʼs Presbyterian
Church, Bolsover. At the Kirkfield Lions Club
hall. Starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for
adults, $10 for children under 12. For tickets
or information call Janet at 705 426-9382 or
email [email protected].
Sunday Aug. 14
150th anniversary church service: St. Andrewʼs Presbyterian Church, Bolsover, Sunday morning church service, 10:30 a.m.
followed by pot luck lunch and games for all.
Call Janet at 705 426-9382 or email
[email protected].
Friday, Aug. 19
Community dinner: At Dalrymple United
Church at 6 p.m. until all are served. Call
705 833-2223. No charge.
Thursday, Aug. 25
Beef barbecue dinner: Heritage United
Church, 3332 Muskoka Street, Washago.
First sitting at 5 p.m. Second sitting at 6:30
p.m. Adults $15, children 12 and under $6,
pre-schoolers free. For reservations call
Marty Clark at 705 689-2461.
Saturday, Aug. 27
Steak barbecue: Dalrymple United Church,
Community pride
In May, more
than 30 volunteers helped
carry out repairs
and improvements to the
Brechin Ball
Park. Volunteers
from menʼs fastball and Lagoon
City seniorsʼ
teams as well as
local residents
Board chair Bob Poyntz
and companies
donated their time, equipment and
hard labour to regrade and resurface
the ball diamond, repair the backstop
and fencing, replace bleacher seating,
plant 40 trees, paint playground
equipment and plow the volleyball,
playgrounds and community garden
areas.
Thank you to
our many volunteers
The Brechin Community Centre Board
5 p.m., hosted by the Sebright Pastoral
Charge. Fiddle jam session at the Carden
Recreation Centre following dinner. Call Patricia Morton at 705 833-2140.
Sunday, Aug. 28
15th annual Carden Old Tyme Fiddle
Contest: Carden Recreation Centre. Entertainment at 11:30 a.m., contest at 12:30
p.m. Lunch available. Call R. LaMarche at
705 454-9644 or Patricia Morton at 705
833-2140.
Who says thereʼs nothing to do in Ramara?
Send information on your non-profit or
charitable events to Howard Raper at
[email protected]. Listings for the
September/October issue must be received
no later than Aug. 10.
Page 35
Weekly events
Monday
Bid Euchre: Ramara Seniors host bid euchre every Monday at 1 p.m. At the Longford
Mills Community Centre, off Rama Road at
Longford Mills. Call Fred at 705 326-2892.
Line dancing: Heritage Sunshine Seniors
line dancing club at Heritage United Church,
3332 Muskoka Street, Washago, 1 p.m. Cost
$3. Call 705 325-0680.
Bid euchre: At the Carden Recreation Centre: Hosted by the Dalrymple Countryside
Seniors, 7 p.m. Call S. Brulotte at 705 4845712.
Tuesday
Euchre: Heritage Sunshine Seniors, Heritage United Church, 3332 Muskoka Street,
Washago, 7 p.m. Call Marty at 705 689-9464.
Thursday
Lunch at the Legion: Home style food at
great prices. Eat in or take out, 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 pm. Variety of soups, sandwiches and a
weekly hot meal special. Brechin/Mara Legion Branch, Concession 4 in Brechin. Prices
vary depending on menu. Call 705 484-5393
for information.
Friday
Lunch at the Legion: Home Style food at
great prices. Eat in or take out, 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. Variety of soups, sandwiches and a
weekly hot meal special. Brechin/Mara Legion branch, Concession 4 in Brechin. Prices
vary depending on menu. Call 705 484-5393
for information.
Euchre: Ramara Seniors, Longford Mills
Community Centre, off Rama Road at Longford Mills, 1 p.m. Contact Eileen at 705 3251847.
Saturday
Ramara Farm and Country Market: 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. At the Brechin Ball Park. Baking,
preserves, produce, collectables, jewelry, assorted vendors.
Crown and anchor meatroll: Brechin Legion, 4 to 6 p.m. Spin the crown and anchor
wheel to win packages of meat, $2 a spin.
Call 705 484-5393.
Keeping score
Page 36
Dropping In
By DONNA WOOD
Whether teaching or performing, Helen Hardy has spent a life and career at the piano
It’s all around us. The rhythmic beat of rain
drops against the window, the unique cadence of
the cicada, the melodic call of the many birds that
rest on our branches, all perfect in tone and timing.
Most of us hear it as background noise; others hear
it as music.
Helen Hardy of Lagoon City is such a person.
She is heavily laden with music credentials and
diplomas that attest to her hearing and translating
noise into notes and sound into song. She lives her
life as a professional musician and examiner; she
was born to it.
“I come from a musical family,” she says. “My
mother, Helen Sr., taught piano for many years in
Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay). I remember that one of Mom’s most famous students was
Paul Shaffer of The David Letterman Show and
conductor of the CBS orchestra.” She goes on,
“My father, Lou played piano in a silent movie
theatre and had a dance band.”
Helen recalls that piano was central to her life.
“While most kids spent their days on a bike, I
spent mine on a piano bench.” It came as no surprise that at the of age 17, Helen received a scholarship to attend the Royal Conservatory of Music
(RCM) in Toronto. Helen Sr. thought she was too
young to leave home, but her sister, Mary Lou,
came to her rescue and moved with her to
Toronto.
While at the RCM, Helen received an associate
of the Royal Conservatory (ARCT) in piano performance. She followed up with a licentiate in
piano pedagogy from the University of Toronto
and completed the licentiate theory requirements
of the Trinity College of Music of London, England. In the late 1970s she decided to try her hand
at creativity and received an ARCT in composition.
For the next 20 years, Helen taught piano, theory and composition at the RCM and served as administrator of the Mississauga division for three
years before moving to Orlando, Florida in 1987.
While in Orlando, she was assistant professor of
piano at the University of Central Florida (UCF),
where she taught applied piano, class piano and
courses in undergraduate piano pedagogy, and history and literature of keyboard music. She was
also the director of the UCF Community School of
Music and set up the graduate piano pedagogy
course there.
While Helen’s tour of duty was always heady
with academia, it was not totally devoid of adventure. As an examiner for the RCM, Helen travelled
to most of the major (and minor) cities in Canada,
the United States, Germany and Bermuda. “These
examining trips often proved adventurous,” Helen
says with a smile in her voice. “For example,
while in northern British Columbia during the
hunting season, I was on the hotel elevator with
hunters whose rifles were loaded, and so were
they! Later that week, I had to walk from the hotel
to the only restaurant in the area. Cars would drive
up beside me and stop because they assumed there
Helen Hardy at home in Lagoon City.
was a ‘new girl’ in town.” No wonder her mother
didn’t want her to be on her own!
In 2001 Helen returned to life in Toronto. She
spent the next few years teaching piano and adjudicating such events as The Toronto Music Competition, the Ottawa Music Festival and the
Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association
Festival.
Helen can’t remember why, but around 2003,
her brother mentioned Lagoon City and said she
needed to see it. Always the musician, she began
to orchestrate opportunities to check out the area
by requesting to be sent on examining trips to Barrie, Parry Sound and Gravenhurst. On every trip,
she also examined Lagoon City. Within a few
months she bought a condo and set up a weekend
retreat. In 2005, along with her sister, she purchased a larger home, one that could accommodate a full-size Steinway, and became a permanent
resident.
Toronto’s loss is our gain. Helen is now the musical director of the Lagoon City Singers, which
has become a three-part harmony chorus, entertaining the locals at the Community Center on
Canada Day and at Christmas. Helen also puts together small gigs at some of the local Wings
Nights — where any type of music goes (well
with a drink). Helen, along with her sister, also
started the celebration of Lagoon City Blooms,
now in its sixth year.
Helen still works for RCM as a senior examiner,
Rob McCormick
travelling to various Canadian and American cities
four or more times a year. She is currently a member of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’
Associations, Ontario Registered Music Teachers
Association and the Alliance for Canadian New
Music Projects.
Asked if she had time for other interests beyond
the piano, Helen reluctantly answered, “Oh I have
a weekend hobby, but nothing too interesting.”
“What’s that?” I coaxed.
“I am building a seven-foot replica of a 17th
century Flemish harpsichord,” Helen calmly said
in a tone one might use to describe painting the
garden furniture. She bought the kit in 2000 from
a shop in Connecticut. She had to saw a lot of
wood, glue, clamp, and paint it. She had a retired
Steinway technician do the stringing but she did
everything else. She hasn’t finished decorating it
yet because she wants it to be authentic and not
boring. “Most of the instruments of that era were
quite ordinary, but I don’t want this one to be,”
Helen explains. Whenever it is finished, I am sure
it will be anything but ordinary and boring— not
Helen’s style.
Attuned to life in Lagoon City, Helen has organized countless chorale events; not sure how
many—doesn’t matter—it’s the joy that music
brings us that counts and we can rely on Helen to
keep score.
Lagoon City resident and writer Donna Wood
Trifle tiramisu
This picturesque dessert is a combination of two
European traditions, English trifle and Italian
tiramisu. While the trifle is usually a combo of
cake, custard, Devon cream and jam, the tiramisu
includes chocolate, fruit, nuts and mascarpone
cheese.
If made a day or two ahead, the several layers
settle downward into each other to create a colourful, wavy effect.
Since I believe that cooking comes from both
the heart and the pages of a cookbook, the following recipe is merely a suggestion. Quantities and
ingredients, within reason, can be varied, according to taste and availability.
Ingredients
• 2-3 tablespoons sherry or
brandy or liqueur of
choice, or even fruit juice
• 150 gram package of
Lady Fingers or cup of
stale cake, cubed
• 3 egg yolks
• 275 grams mascarpone
cheese
• 500 ml whipping cream
• Cup or so of nuts, almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts but never peanuts
• 200 grams (two bars) European chocolate, eg 70
per cent Cacao Lindt or baking chocolate
• Tin of peach slices packed in fruit juice,
or fresh fruit in season
• Cup or so of sweetener (eg white sugar,
icing sugar, date sugar, coconut sugar Xylitol)
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup jam of choice diluted with a couple of teaspoons of fruit juice
• About a dozen strawberries
Cover bottom of bowl with lady fingers, either
whole or broken in half.
Dribble sherry over biscuits and cover with a
plate or plastic wrap.
Whip egg yolks in a medium bowl for about
three minutes.
Add half cup or more of sweetener and continue
Fare Share
By RAE FLEMING
beating for about three minutes.
Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth.
In separate bowl beat whipping cream until firm
but still moist.
Stir maple syrup into
whipped cream.
Fold cream into cheese mixture, taste for desired sweetness
and set aside.
Using the meat blade of a
Cuisinart mixer, pulverize
chocolate.
Reserve one tablespoon of
ground chocolate for top of
dessert.
Grind nuts and set aside.
Remove cover from compote
and start building layers.
Cover biscuits with a layer of
cheese and whipped cream mixture.
Add a layer of nuts, and a layer of chocolate.
Add a layer of fruit of choice.
Repeat the process, ie layers of cheese, of nuts
then chocolate, and more fruit.
Along outside at top, drizzle the diluted jam,
which will gradually run into crevices.
Top with remaining cheese and whipped cream
mix, and decorate with strawberries.
Sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of ground
chocolate on top.
Cover and let rest for a day or two in fridge.
Each serving should include all layers, so use a
serving spoon with a long handle.
Serves 6-8.
Argyle historian, biographer and consummate
host Rae Fleming can be reached at
[email protected].
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stone. Fully portable, for stones
too heavy to carry.
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Page 37
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July/Aug 2011 - Ramara Chronicle

Transcription

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