Elora Mohawks are national Jr. B lacrosse champions

My first story for the Wellington Advertiser

By Phil Gravelle

ELORA - The Elora Mohawks came on strong when it counted at the Founders Cup tournament last week, winning the national championship for Junior B lacrosse in convincing style.

Players and team staff received their gold medals at a ceremony Saturday night, after defeating the Seneca WarChiefs 9-5 in a hard-fought game at the Turtle Dome in Akwesasne near Cornwall.

They were cheered on by a large contingent of supporters who travelled to the tournament, along with a crowd that gathered for a viewing party at the Elora Arena, organized as a food bank fundraiser by Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse.

“Hey Elora, we did this for you,” tweeted Captain Klayton Hoelscher, who had seven goals and eight assists for the tournament. “No better feeling and no other town I’d rather bring this trophy home to.”

It was the first national title for the team since 2005. They had captured the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League Championship on Aug. 9, defeating the Clarington Green Gaels in a best-of-five series.

Read more: https://wellingtonadvertiser.com/comments/index.cfm?articleID=41324

Tennis Club to be independent of Town

The Town of Erin is doing away with four Community Centre Recreation Boards, but is promising to do so with minimal disruption.

A financial audit advised council last fall that having independent groups such as the tennis club within the town’s structure creates an issue with oversight. A report from Clerk Dina Lundy said this could expose the town to legal liabilities and “reputational risk should there be issues with how these enterprises are managed”.

Council voted on March 6 to repeal a 1985 Erin Township bylaw that established recreation boards to operate the Erin Tennis Club (ETC) and the Ballinafad Community Centre (BCC), which are still active, and for Victoria Park and the Hillsburgh Community Centre, which are not.

The BCC is considered integral to the Parks and Recreation Department, so that board will be converted to an advisory committee. The Town of Halton Hills has agreed to increase its annual contribution to the Ballinafad centre from $500 to $5,000, and they will receive regular financial statements from Erin.

The tennis club gets no funds from the town, and membership fees are used for maintenance and a variety of programs. Unlike other sports organizations, the club operates on town property without a rental agreement, and the town holds their reserve funds.

The five courts were built and paid for by the town, which borrowed $171,000 for the project in 2002. There was a major court resurfacing in 2015, with the club paying more than half the cost.

The town will now sever its financial relationship with the club and negotiate a new agreement for use of the courts, which will also ensure public access.

ETC President Chuck Hall said there is concern about the club losing coverage under the town’s insurance, and reminded council that club members have made significant contributions of money and volunteer labour towards the facilities.

CAO Nathan Hyde said the club could be allowed to continue temporarily on town insurance, and that staff will work with them “to make the transition as seamless as possible”.

Mayor Al Alls said, “We won’t leave you stranded.”

Angelstone zoning approved by OMB

A challenge to the zoning of the Angelstone Farms show jumping facility on Wellington Road 50 has been rejected by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Frederick and Nancy Gilbert who live next to the facility complained about the disruption of their rural lifestyle caused by an annual series of tournaments, attracting up to 1,000 spectators.

They argued at a five-day OMB hearing that the entertainment aspect of the events was not a proper agricultural use of the property.

Angelstone and the Town of Erin argued successfully that the farm’s primary use is horse training, and the events are a permissible secondary “value added” activity within the bylaw. They said adequate measures had been taken, as demanded by the town, to offset complaints about noise, traffic, trespassing and bright light.

The hearing was conducted by OMB member Sharyn Vincent. She ruled that the “innovative techniques” used by the Angelstone business are in the public interest, do not hinder neighbouring agricultural operations, and conform to the official plan, provincial policy and Ontario’s growth plan.

She ordered that the maximum number of event days be limited to 25 per year.

Angelstone originally held its equestrian events without proper zoning, but was allowed to continue under a series of temporary zoning bylaws. Last April, Erin council approved permanent zoning for the operation.

Former County Planning Director Gary Cousins told council he believes the show jumping, plus musical entertainment and the sale of merchandise, food and beverages, qualifies as a permitted use in an agricultural area.

Bill Dinwoody an advocate for health and recreation

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin has lost a strong advocate for community health care and recreation services.

Bill Dinwoody, 73, chair of the Recreation and Culture Committee and the Erin Trails group, passed away on November 20 after a brief illness. He is mourned by his beloved wife Martha, and children Thomas, Johanna and Shana.

“He was thoughtful, kind and soft-spoken,” said Joan Fisk, Chair of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). “He gave great advice and had a deep feeling for community health care.”

Dinwoody was to retire this month from his service on the LHIN Board of Directors, which administers funding for hospitals, long-term care, community agencies and home care. He was on the Finance Committee, working to improve efficiency and accountability in the local system, which serves 775,000 residents.

“He was a very positive person – an important citizen who will be sorely missed,” said Mayor Al Alls. A memorial service was held on November 28 at Butcher Family Funeral Home.

Dinwoody was a senior manager at the Royal Bank of Canada, and had retired after a 45-year career. He managed the strategic technology planning and development function, and served on national and international committees to develop a strategic technological direction for the banking industry.

Bill Dinwoody helping out on CVC’s Check Your Watershed Day, measuring temperatures in the
West Credit River, making sketches of bridges and looking for obstacles to the movement of fish.

He lived formerly in Toronto and Shelburne, and had a passion for outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding and fishing. He had been a scout leader, a ski instructor, a Sunday school teacher, a guitar player and a wood carver.

He was very active with Credit Valley Conservation, which honoured him with awards for his work on the Woollen Mills Trail and organizing tree planting projects.

Providing leadership on the Erin Trails group, he also helped develop the Rotary and Water Tower Trails, as well as Riverside Park, which had its official opening this year.

With Recreation and Culture, he was an advocate for the Skatepark that was built next to the Centre 2000 arena.

Island Lake trail could provide some inspiration

As published in The Erin Advocate

For an enjoyable outing, and an idea of what a team of dedicated enthusiasts can accomplish, take a drive to Island Lake Conservation Area just east of Orangeville, where the final section of an 8.2 km loop trail has just been opened to the public.

We might not be ready to dream of anything on this scale in Erin, yet, but it could provide some inspiration.

The completed Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail has been a ten-year project of the Friends of Island Lake group, working with Credit Valley Conservation Foundation (CVCF). They have raised more than $2 million in donations of cash, in-kind labour and materials, and organized the contribution of more than 12,000 volunteer hours for the project.

“Completion of the west link now connects the park to the surrounding community,” said Bill Lidster, Operations Manager for the north zone at CVC. “It gives local citizens and all visitors an outdoor hiking experience that is second to none.”

The regular trail is hard-packed gravel and soil, about eight feet wide, suitable for bicycles and even wheelchairs, but the most interesting (and expensive) feature is a series of five boardwalk style bridges with observation decks.

Boardwalks are not only attractive, but allow people get close to natural features without trampling them. Erin could benefit from some boardwalks to show off its views of the West Credit River and beautiful wetland areas.

No one is going to donate money or time, however, based on talk. For Orangeville, an appealing plan and an achievable goal resulted in huge support from residents, local businesses, service clubs, charitable foundations, big corporations and various levels of government. Once a good idea gains exposure and momentum, cooperation increases and serious fundraising becomes possible.

Change is in the air for Erin, so residents need to figure out what they really want and start going for it.

The process for Orangeville was perhaps more clear-cut, since they had a beautiful lake surrounded by publicly owned land. The 400 acre reservoir lake was created with the construction of two dams in 1967 to regulate the flow of water in the Credit River. The Conservation Area also includes wetlands, forest, meadows and a wildlife sanctuary, protecting the headwaters of the Credit and Nottawasaga Rivers.

The general admission fee, which includes parking and a variety of uses, is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. The public can enter the area at no charge from various points such as the corner of Hwy 10 and Fourth Ave., or from Hockley Road to the north, for trail use only.

The area is popular for bird watching (including osprey, heron and mallards), fishing (with heated ice hut rentals in the winter), and canoeing, kayaking and non-motorized boating. There’s windsurfing, picnicking, a kids’ wading beach, ice skating, snowshoeing and of course hiking, not only on the long loop trail, but shorter trails. For more information on area activities, including special events like Yoga in the Park, go to www.creditvalleyca.ca. (The website has not been updated with the newest trail information.)

An official celebration of the Close the Gap Trail Campaign and completion of the lakeside trail is planned for August 28, at 11:30 am, at the newest trail section near Hwy. 10.

Singer’s stories bring underworld memoir to life

As published in The Erin Advocate

I’m reading a book called Davy the Punk, a tribute to a famous Toronto bookie, published by Porcupine’s Quill in Erin.

It was written by his son Bob Bossin, one of the founders of Stringband, an independent group that had its heyday in the 1970s with songs about Canada and issues of politics and the environment.

“Bob is a great political singer-songwriter,” says Erin’s Jay Mowat, who knew Bossin from the folk festival circuit.

Bossin retells stories about his dad, and by his dad, some of which are probably true. Davy the Punk was a Jewish bookie who ran a horse racing wire in the 1930s and ‘40s, broadcasting information to other bookies using the telephone system.

He was a “bookie’s bookie” who connected Toronto’s underworld to the North American betting racket and later ran a talent agency that brought in big name performers.

Davy the Punk is about anti-Semitism in Canada, the mob and the colourful characters that played their parts on the flip side of Toronto the Good.

Tim Inkster of Porcupine’s Quill was acquainted with Bossin when they both freelanced for the Varsity newspaper at the University of Toronto in the late 1960s.

“I was a bit of a fan of Stringband, and especially their big hit, Dief Will Be the Chief Again,” said Inkster. The 1974 song was a jowl-in-cheek tribute to former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, based on a comment made by Bossin’s buddy Bob Rae after watching Muhammad Ali regain his boxing title.

Stringband never had a deal with a major record label or much play on commercial radio, but developed a loyal following through performances. They were also known for their independent methods, including an early form of crowdfunding – soliciting donations from friends and fans to finance an album in 1977.

Porcupine’s Quill has developed a national reputation for publishing memoirs and was in a good position to present Bossin’s stories (and historical photos) in an attractive format. The book came out last year and they have just completed the first reprint. For more information, go to davythepunk.com or porcupinesquill.ca.

I am about halfway through the book so far and it is quite engaging – a mix of family history, horse racing, the scramble to prosper in hard times and a culture in which criminals could earn public respect. It is about corruption in business, law enforcement and politics – and the crusaders who were determined to stamp out the evils of gambling.

Bossin has done his research and included many factual details about organized crime and Toronto’s sporting scene, but readily admits that he cannot be certain about how much his dad may have embellished the truth. It doesn’t really matter though, since it is a story about storytelling. The outrageous tales give the book some real sizzle.

More than 10 years ago, Mowat made a contribution to a fundraising effort for a Stringband album. In thanks, Bossin promised him a performance, but they were never able to arrange it, until now.

I’m looking forward to Bossin’s touring one-man show, coming to David’s Restaurant in Erin on Saturday, April 25, at 8 pm. The Winnipeg Free Press calls it “humorous and sentimental”, and Eric Stein of the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto says, “Bob’s intelligence, erudition and folksy charm combine in an intimate musical theatre experience.”

Tickets are $20 and can be obtained by calling Mowat at 519-833-3383 or emailing info@willowcreekonline.ca. The price does not include dinner, but reservations can be made for dinner before the show by calling 519-833-5085.

Main Place group plans new youth programs

As published in The Erin Advocate

The Main Place Optimist Club of Erin is organizing a renewed effort to provide social and recreational activities for local youth.

Mary Shields and Kevin MacPherson from the group appeared as a delegation at the December 16 meeting of Town Council to provide an update and seek ongoing support.

The extensive activities of Main Place and Erin Hoops were severely curtailed last year after the death of organizer Patrick Suessmuth, and the deterioration of the old public school building to an unusable condition.

“We’re finalizing our incorporation and hoping to run a March Break Camp,” said Shields. “We are determined to fill that void. We really can’t have our youth with no place to go outside of school, because they will start looking for their own fun, and that won’t be good.”

They will be arranging activities at new locations. Being an Optimist Club provides them with essential liability insurance.

“I worked 10 years with Pat, and we had 100 kids a week for summer camps,” said MacPherson. “It was a really good thing.”

Councillor John Brennan said, “You have a great deal of dedication and courage – you are treading in the footsteps of a giant.”

Councillor Matt Sammut said, “What you are doing is outstanding. It is important that youth have things to do, especially some of the economically challenged families. I hope we’ll be able to support in different ways.”

Mayor Al Alls said that some funding for the group might be available through East Wellington Community Services.

Erin should promote its Greenbelt identity

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin should aggressively promote itself as a destination within Ontario’s Greenbelt, and express support for the protection it provides when the legislation is reviewed next year.

Local politicians were distressed ten years ago when the province decided to include the east side of the Town, including Hillsburgh and Erin village, in the 1.8 million acre Greenbelt.

Faced with loss of local control over development, they expanded the urban boundary by 300 acres in the north of Erin village, exempting it from the Greenbelt.

In other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, developers are trying to chip away at the Greenbelt to get more land for housing, while environmentalists are trying to expand the Greenbelt through river valleys to ensure long term protection for what has become known as our “natural heritage”.

Here in Erin, we still have plenty of green space, and more acres of urban land for housing development than we can actually use, given the small size of our river. Apart from development issues, the Greenbelt represents a marketing opportunity that we can use to target city dwellers to want to escape, even just for a day.

Part of that is the Greenbelt Route, a cycling route from the Niagara River to Rice Lake (south of Peterborough) that will be launched next year. It is mainly on existing roads, but a key section is the old rail line of the Caledon Trailway running 36 km from Terra Cotta through Inglewood and points north-east.

Every trail needs side loops to make excursions practical and interesting. Erin already has the Trans-Canada Trail (the Elora Cataract Trailway), so it is well positioned to take advantage of that need.

Erin’s rolling countryside is already popular with cyclists, but what if we were to advertise the “Erin Loop”? I’m sure we could pay a consultant to come up with a catchier name, but the idea would be to encourage groups of cyclists to use Erin as the home base for excursions.

They can show up on a weekend morning and have breakfast here. They can cycle down Winston Churchill, and possibly spend time at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Just south of there, they pick up the Caledon Trailway, travel to Inglewood, then turn north on signed bike routes to get to the McLaren Road entrance of Forks of the Credit Provincial Park.

The Park has many bike trails and it also provides direct access to the Trans-Canada Trail, looping them back to Erin where they can shop and go out for dinner.

At a recent seminar, Shelley Petrie of the Friends of the Greenbelt charitable foundation said the Greenbelt protects a critical mass of farmland from urban sprawl and provides connected lands that allow wildlife to migrate.

“It’s about the rural economy and recreation plays into it,” she said. “It’s about sustainability for the entire region. It’s taken 30 years to get here, but over time, people’s values started to be reflected in these plans – to protect the beauty of nature, to protect local food production, to have a livable region. For the entire farming sector, this is a hotbed from a jobs and economy point of view.”

She said alliances between farmers and environmentalists are needed as the Greenbelt is reviewed. Key discussions will not only be about whether to expand Greenbelt boundaries, but the impact of highway development (which drives urban sprawl), protecting water resources, dealing with contaminated soils (perhaps with a Clean Soils Act) and possibly adding a protected “Foodbelt” zone of agricultural land just outside the Greenbelt.

These are all issues that could affect Erin’s future, so we should be paying attention. Here are a few websites for additional information: greenbeltalliance.ca, walkandrollpeel.ca, greenbelt.ca and greenbeltleaders.ca.

Captain Canada rides to victory

As published in The Erin Advocate

Photo – Phil Gravelle

Canadian Olympic equestrian Ian Millar, 67, clears the first jump in a fault-free ride to win the Champions Grand Prix competition at Angelstone Farm in Erin on Saturday. Riding Star Power, the horse with whom he competed at the 2012 London Games (his 10th Olympics), Millar won $30,000. Liubov Kochetova of Russia picked up $22,000 in second place. Millar’s son Jonathon received $3,000 in eighth spot, one of ten other riders splitting prize money that totaled $100,000. There will be an identical purse under the lights this coming Saturday, August 30, when Angelstone hosts the National Grand Prix. The farm is located on County Road 50 west of 1st Line, and admission to all events is free.

Pan Am Games an opportunity for tourism

As published in Open for Business Magazine – Dufferin County

Headwaters Tourism is urging businesses and residents to provide visitors with an enthusiastic welcome to “Horse Country” – especially when they arrive next summer for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.

“We need all of our community members to be tourism ambassadors, so we actually have a culture of hospitality when visitors arrive from around the world in our area,” said Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association (HHTA) Executive Director Michele Harris.

The equine industry is already recognized as a prime driver in the regional economy, with marketing that includes Dufferin, Caledon, Erin and King Township, but when the Pan Am Games Equestrian Competition is held locally, promotional efforts will move into high gear.

The Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave will handle the dressage and show jumping events. It is being renovated with the help of $6.8 million from the federal government.

Will O’Wind Farm in Mono will host thousands of spectators for the one-day cross-country competition. The 5-kilometre championship course will have 30-35 jump efforts, such as water features, drops and log jumps.

“The Town of Mono is excited to welcome the world to our community, and showcase the best of rural Ontario,” said Mono Mayor Laura Ryan. “Hosting the cross-country equestrian event at Will O’Wind will further position our region as a centre of equine excellence in Headwaters Horse Country and provide a lasting legacy for our community.”

The Toronto Pan Am Games will be bigger than the Vancouver Olympic Games, with 20,000 volunteers helping to host the 7,600 athletes coming to Southern Ontario. The television audience is estimated at 380 million households.

“We have a tremendous story to tell,” said Harris, stressing the need to put the equine brand on the area and create a “Pan Am Legacy” to produce lasting benefits in other sectors of the economy.

“Often it doesn’t take a whole lot to up the ante and become a destination. We need you all to spit and polish your door handles. We want to push memorable experiences for visitors. They experience the competition, and then what?”

The Headwaters Pan Am Strategy says, “The Games will provide opportunities for us to highlight the other visitor experiences available in the region, that make Headwaters one of the province’s most sophisticated rural tourism destinations, just a short drive from the country’s largest urban centre.”

Specific initiatives will include prominent signage on area roads. There will be promotion of local food, arts, culture, trails and heritage locations. Contests will be held to choose a signature equine image, a signature food and a signature drink for the area.

“It’s not just what people experience while they are here, it’s also what they get to take home,” said Harris. “I’d like them to have the recipe to take home, so they’re always thinking about Headwaters, and have a reason to come back.”

Even businesses that do not rely primarily on tourists – gas stations, for example – can ensure that staff members make a good impression on visitors. Headwaters will have an ambassador training program available for front-line staff throughout the region.

“We need to promote a culture of tourism,” said Harris. “It’s all about importing money to our community, and those dollars circulate in our own economy.”

Headwaters is one of the most concentrated equestrian regions in Ontario, with premier horse breeding farms, coaching and training facilities, riding schools, boarding stables, equestrian ranches, suppliers (including farriers, veterinarians, feed, bedding and tack shops) and a range of equestrian events.

HHTA also wants to boost the equine export market, working with Equine Canada to bring in people from around the world to see what local breeders have to offer.

“We’ve had to become a destination marketing organization,” said Ron Munro, Chair of the HHTA, at a Tourism Symposium for local businesses and organizations held in March at the Best Western Inn & Suites.

“We’re here to help you re-invent yourselves. If you want people to come these days, you have to have an experience. It has to be worth their while to leave the comfort of their living room.

“We’re taking all the experiences that we can get in our region, and trying to knit them together to give people a compelling reason to get out of the house, go somewhere and experience something.”

HHTA does not have a budget for major advertising, but provides extensive information at www.thehillsofheadwaters.com, and helps coordinate the efforts of local businesses through working groups. It cooperates with Central Counties Tourism, the agency that markets a broad zone that includes the Headwaters communities, plus the Regions of Durham and York.

Angelstone gets permit

As published in The Erin Advocate

Angelstone Tournaments on County Road 50 has been granted a Major Events Permit for the remaining events in its show jumping season, after satisfying Town Council that problems on the site have been largely resolved.

Angelstone says it has provided the Town with a site plan, significantly lowered their speaker volumes, adopted softer music for entertainment, conducted a sound study, complied with a traffic study, created an emergency evacuation plan, built an eight-foot privacy fence in sensitive areas and made efforts to improve relations with neighbours.

“”We went to neighbouring properties and in some cases stood in their living rooms to run sound tests to determine a mutually agree upon level that would not be intrusive to them even with their windows open,” said Lianne Selke.

“We kept within these levels during the shows. We were pleased to hear positive comments from many of them. We have ensured all neighbours have been invited to attend each Saturday evening event in our VIP pavilion at no cost.”

Angelstone has promised to deal with a water drainage issue as soon as possible.

Hunters build skills and friendships

As published in Dufferin Sideroads Magazine

Fishing and hunting provide a unique blend of satisfactions for those that get hooked – the serenity of outdoor relaxation, the comfort of friendly company, the challenge of unpredictable prey and the hope of a fine meal.

With 125 acres of pristine woodlands, ponds and trails just north of Orangeville, the Dufferin Northern Peel Anglers’ & Hunters’ Association (DNPAHA) offers its members an opportunity to improve their skills and an escape that is much closer than a cottage.

Since 1932, they have promoted conservation and responsible hunting, providing stocked trout ponds, camping, target ranges, competitions and social events. Membership is limited at 300, with an annual fee of $200, and there is a waiting list of 60 hoping to join.

“It’s a cottage atmosphere – all for one and one for all,” said President Murray Johnston.

Members can enjoy two large fishing ponds within the Credit River Watershed. There are rainbow trout supplied by the Humber Springs Trout Hatchery in Mono, as well as speckled trout. The association has its own fishing permit system – $80 for 30 fish. The ponds are also suitable for swimming, including an enclosed kids’ area with a sandy bottom.

Pond Chairman Pat Black

For a low fee, members can also arrange to use seasonal or short-term campsites near the ponds, complete with firewood. There are woodland trails, a large pavilion for barbecue events, and a playground area. Members can bring guests three times per year. New members pay a $100 initiation fee and provide eight hours of volunteer work to help maintain the site.

Ice fishing is also popular on the upper pond, with the association supplying huts, and a new cabin on-shore for people to get warm. This past winter there was so much snow that they had to cut paths to the fishing holes with a snowblower. In February they held a Family Day event with skating and bonfires.

The association has a Conservation Fund that provides three $1,200 scholarships annually for students going into environmental studies. They also support school educational projects about fish, and funded a special dock for the disabled at Island Lake Conservation Area.

Some members are primarily interested in archery, and many meet on Saturday mornings. The association has a figure-8 trail with 43 targets in the shapes of various animals, including deer, elk, moose, turkey, wolf, wolverine, coyote and even alligator. These are placed among the trees, 20-40 yards from the shooting stations, and are embedded with concentric target areas, rewarding accurate shooters with higher points.

John Hunter

Groups of four or five archers follow the course together, like a group of golfers, taking turns at each station. It takes about 3 hours to complete – including time to retrieve arrows that miss the targets completely.

Different competitions are held based on three main types of bows, including traditional or recurve bows, where the archer has no special devices to guide the shot. Then there are compound bows with sights and stabilizers, and crossbows that mechanically pull and hold the string, releasing it with a trigger. Crossbow hunting has a longer season than regular hunting.

Bows used for hunting must have at least 40 lbs. of pressure when fully drawn to ensure their effectiveness said Jim Donnelly, an experienced archer.

“The last thing any ethical hunter would want to do is just wound an animal,” he said.

About 130 members participate in archery, and the sport seems to be gaining popularity with young people, said Johnston.

The DNPAHA clubhouse is a meeting place for members, and it is also made available to community groups such as Cubs and Brownies.

The facilities are located on Dufferin Road 16 at Blind Line, just west of the Cardinal Woods subdivision, where there has been concern about sound from the shooting ranges.

DNPAHA has brought in soil this year to raise the berms surrounding the ranges by 8 to 9 metres to reduce the sound. This will have the added benefit of creating a more consistent visual background for trap shooters as they try to hit their moving targets.

Trap shooting dates back to 1750 in England as a method of practice for hunters, and has been an Olympic sport since 1900. Originally, live birds and later glass balls were used as targets. The standard now is a clay disk, but they still call it a “bird”, with the shooter yelling “pull” when they are ready to have the target released.

DNPAHA has two fields and nine above-ground machines to throw the birds in fixed paths. There are also two machines in bunkers that vary the angles left and right, one at a standard height and the other wobbling to produce a more challenging variety of unpredictable trajectories.

“This simulates the idea of hunting in the field,” said Trap Chairman Dale Krushel. The counter on the second machine has reached 1.68 million.

Trap Chairman Dale Krushel

Dale Krushel shooting, and below, instructing reporter Phil Gravelle

Competitors normally take turns firing five times from each of five shooting stands, and scorers determine whether each bird has been struck or missed. In addition to a single target, variations include two birds thrown in quick succession or two simultaneously.

Trap shooters gather on Sunday mornings at 10 am, and on Monday nights, while Wednesday is Ladies’ Night.

Training is available to new shooters to help them learn etiquette and safety procedures (which include ear and eye protection), plus firearms and hunter safety courses to help members meet government regulations.

DNPAHA and its members are affiliated with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, which not only advocates for their activities but also invests in education, conservation projects, fish and wildlife research and anti-poaching efforts.

The Dufferin shooting range, for both rifles and handguns, is one of the safest in Ontario, said Krushel. It is narrow trench surrounded by high earthen berms, with a building for target shooters at one end. Paper targets are set at 25, 50 and 100 yards, in front of bunkers that trap the bullets.

There is pair of high wooden baffles in front of the shooting windows. Participants can see the targets while sighting below the baffles, but they cannot see the sky from their positions, eliminating the possibility of high, stray shots escaping the range. Targets can be suspended below the baffles for close-range handgun use.

Some members only do target shooting, but others consider it essential practice for success in hunting animals.

“I want to be as good a shot as I can possibly be – I want to be able to hit a target the size of my thumbnail at 100 yards,” said Krushel. “A one-shot harvest is ideal.”

For more on the association, go to www.dnpaha.org.

Life Profile – Patrick Feeney Suessmuth

Written by his good friend of many years: Robyn Peterson

Pat was born in Toronto in September of 1938. He spent his childhood in West Toronto. The family later moved to Etobicoke and Pat attended Etobicoke Collegiate. He went on to the University of Guelph, majoring in biology. After university, he took a position with the Department of Lands and Forests at Queen’s Park.

Pat served as the training officer for the Department. In this role he instituted instructional techniques and supervisory training programmes across the province. These were centred in the Forestry School in Dorset. Pat initiated programmes to which he invited trainers from other provincial departments. His series focusing on management training films became quite famous throughout the government.

In the early 1970s, Pat left his government position and launched his own training company, Cantra Training Limited. He bought a house on Bathurst Street a few blocks north of Bloor Street, which became the headquarters for his new company. His business thrived and Cantra became known for providing quality training programmes. Pat also became known for working with innovative techniques. Clients included Humber College, American Standard, the Department of Lands and Forests (later Natural Resources), the TTC, and others.

The magazine, Canadian Training Methods, was launched at about the same time as Cantra. Pat became one of the principal writers for this magazine, edited by Richard Guerrier. Marit Stengels was an associate editor. She and Pat met and later married. The marriage didn’t last and a divorce ensued. Pat then married Marigold McGregor, who worked for an advertising agency in Toronto. The pair of them hit it off well, and they made lots of plans for the future.

Pat and Marigold decided they would like a place in the country. Marigold loved horses and horseback riding. She dreamed of a beautiful place in the country where people could come to ride. They found a place on Erin’s Fourth Line and fell in love with it. They had all sorts of plans to fix the place up and make it a place where people would love to gather and, not incidentally, do some horseback riding.

In November of 1977, after a pre-Christmas visit to her sister’s place in Stayner, Marigold was killed in a head-on vehicle collision on Airport Road. Her loss devastated Pat. He didn’t know how he would carry on without her. The house on the Fourth Line, a place where so many dreams had been made, became a place of deepest sorrow and neglect.

Slowly, Pat recovered, at least a little. His business continued and he hosted meetings at his house of prominent trainers from different parts of the province and sometimes from other provinces. He became known as an excellent chef, and people made many good comments about the quality of the food he provided, as well as the stimulating discussions that occurred.

Pat became a well-known and respected figure in the Ontario Society for Training and Development (OSTD). He would take part prominently in OSTD meetings at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. He also played a leading role in developing training standards for corporate and public trainers in Ontario. In 1985, along with Bill Cumberland, he served as editor of the seminal publication, Weighted Bibliography Learning Resources for TD/HRD Practitioners. This publication proved significant in laying the groundwork for training and educational practices related to the fields of business, industry, and public service.

In 1986 Pat founded, along with Art Horrox of Winnipeg, the publishing company “Paracan”.  This publishing company was formed to publish books and journals related to education and training across Canada. In 1987 Paracan published Competency Analysis for Trainers: A Professional Assessment and Development Guide. The editors of this publication were Pat and Stewart M. West. It was published with the support of the OSTD.

In 1986 Pat’s book, Training Ideas Found Useful, had come out. It was a compendium of his articles over the years in Canadian Training Methods. It met good acceptance in the training and education communities.

Unfortunately, Pat’s partnership with Art Horrox did not last. They fell out over disagreements related to publishing policies, and the partnership dissolved.

Although he dated different women, Pat never married again. He never forgot Marigold and didn’t find her like again.

In the late 1980s business began to dry up. The community colleges were becoming more active in the field of corporate training, and small operators gradually were pushed aside. This process was accelerated by the 1988 Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which led to large American training corporations entering the Canadian picture. Cantra faded and the magazine, Canadian Training Methods, was wound down.

Pat turned more and more to basketball as a focus for his activities. He had always loved the game, and he poured himself into it. He had a prominent role in the forming of Erin Hoops to promote basketball locally. He also worked for a time at Steen’s Dairy. He became well known and respected in the community, although he was sometimes seen as controversial because of his strong views about how to get things done.

A young man, Malcolm Vipond, joined Pat at the farm as a boarder in the 1990s. Malcolm worked as a supervisor at Lever Mushrooms in Campbellville, and he was able to help Pat with various tasks around the farm. At one point Malcolm hoped to establish a business at the farm for growing oyster mushrooms. Pat provided advice on this. Unfortunately, because of repeated viral outbreaks in the growing mushrooms, Malcolm was unable to establish his planned business.

Pat liked to organize different basketball events at local schools. This included Erin Public School and Erin District High School. From time to time he went to other schools such as the ones in Brisbane and Ospringe. When the latter school was closed as a public school, it re-opened as a special education centre for troubled teens. Pat participated in some of the founding activities and provided support to that centre whenever he could.

He would also drive into Guelph quite often to play basketball at his alma mater, the University of Guelph.

A major activity involved the organizing of summer camps in Erin. Over the years these expanded in an impressive way and took in many sports and recreational activities beyond basketball. 

Pat ran into problems from time to time in his dealings with the Upper Grand District School Board. These generally focused on the fees charged and the scheduling arrangements. He was frustrated on different occasions when he put in a lot of work to organize something, thinking his schedule was all set, only to have his booking cancelled at the last moment by the school concerned. He began to think in terms of having his own centre where he could be sure about having space when needed for different activities.

When the new Erin District High School was built at the end of the 1990s, Pat saw an opportunity as discussion swirled around the establishment of Centre 2000. The Centre was to combine the high school with the Erin library, the old Shamrock Room, a theatre, and professional offices, as well as the hockey arena. Pat thought Erin Hoops and its activities could fit into this new arrangement.

Unfortunately, Pat ran into continuing problems with scheduling and costs at the new high school gymnasium. He would frequently drive into Guelph to go over matters with the officials at the Upper Grand District School Board. He found his dealings with different officials to be deeply frustrating and wondered why more couldn’t be done properly to accommodate the young people of the community.

When Erin Public School moved into the former Erin District High School structure, the old Erin Public School stood disused. Pat saw an opportunity. He arranged to rent the gymnasium part of the disused school. He named it Main Place and it became the base for Erin Hoops. He also made some connections with the Toronto Raptors and would enjoy occasional trips to the Air Canada Centre to take in games.

Pat turned to his friend, Dave Ingham, for advice and help on setting up Main Place properly. Dave had frequently helped Pat on the farm and was very capable with various kinds of tools and heavy equipment. Dave and Pat got on very well and together they were able to make Main Place suitable for the many activities being planned.

Over time, Main Place became the base for many other activities as well. Today, Main Place is an institution in its own right in Erin.

Early in the new century, Pat heard about an organization being formed in Toronto called SPACE. The acronym stood for: “Save Public Access to Community Space Everywhere”. Pat was intrigued. SPACE would bring together such organizations as the Childrens’ Aid Society of Toronto, Applegrove Community Centre, Guides Canada, Scouts Canada, the Ontario Sport Alliance, and many others. The purpose of the organization would be to provide a continuing forum for like-minded community groups interested in promoting more community participation for the people of Ontario. It was especially concerned with achieving better relationships and more accommodation with local school boards. Pat contacted Ann Fitzpatrick at Childrens’ Aid and started to attend the meetings Ann organized at the Childrens’ Aid offices in Toronto.

Pat hoped to see much more openness to the idea of building participation and opportunity for the youth of the province. He was particularly incensed about the way youth violence was dealt with. He felt that repressive methods were counter-productive. Not only that, but such methods ended up being much more expensive than providing proper accommodation for young people to begin with. He was deeply and passionately committed to this ideal.

Pat was very much a believer in the wise use of positive reinforcement. He felt that people weren’t rewarded often enough for their efforts. This applied to young people, but it also applied to adults. In fact, Pat very much liked the idea of trying to launch a programme in Erin to encourage people to be positive in all ways possible in their dealings with each other. He was sure that such a programme could result in a happier and healthier community.

The Optimist Club of Erin gave Pat public recognition and some support. Pat was very proud of this. He very much wanted to establish Main Place and its many activities as a viable, exciting, and continuing part of the community.

For the Summer Camps of 2014 Main Place has plans for camps involving baseball; badminton; basketball; the Erin Olympics; the Mighty, Mighty Dance Camp; arts, crafts and games; drama-skits; photography (digital); video/film production; floor hockey (with ball); skateboarding; biking; rollerblading; laser tag; archery; fine arts; scooters; plasma cars; unicycling; AM fort building, PM Movies; AM Variety Fun & PM Movies; variety sports; soccer. Things have gone well beyond basketball! Pat would certainly want all these camps (and more?) to continue.

Pat put his heart and soul into establishing and maintaining the activities of Main Place. He would work to exhaustion, often well into the night, to make things happen. He taught his coaches that the coach’s prime goal was to keep in mind, “kids first”. He believed in this deeply. For him the real needs of the young were of pre-eminent importance, first, last, and always. He lived this ideal with all the strength and conviction of his being.

Well done, Pat! Well done!