The Amherst Island BEACON Newsstand $2.00 Issue 350 www.amherstisland.on.ca May 2007 B I EGINNING AN NCREDIBLE JOURNEY PHOTO BY BRIAN LITTLE WILL ADAM GIVES A THUMBS-UP TO THE CROWD THAT ARRIVED TO SEE HIM OFF. WILL LEFT AMHERST ISLAND ON APRIL 28 TO CATCH A BUS TO SYDNEY, NOVA SCOTIA, WHERE HE WOULD BEGIN HIS BICYCLE TRIP ACROSS CANADA TO RAISE MONEY FOR MULTI- PLE SCLEROSIS. WILL EXPECTS TO TAKE ABOUT 4 MONTHS TO CROSS THE COUNTRY. FOR MORE ON WILL’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, TURN TO PAGES 10 - 13. THIS ISSUE - Ian Murray, editor surgery; and to Caroline Yull, who made a trip to the hospital. My apologies to Carol Langwald, Lois Henderson, and to other Condolences to Helen Bulch and Ida Gavlas and families, fol- members of Garnet McDonald’s family for the errors on page 9 of (Continued on page 2) the March Beacon. That page, with corrections, is re-printed in this issue. THIS ISSUE WILL’S RIDE… PAGES 10-13 NEIGHBOURHOOD BLIZZARD OF ‘71—SEE THE PHOTOS… PAGES 4 & 5 - Lyn Fleming GOING TO WAR OR PEACE WITH ZANDER… PAGE 14 Get Well this month to Lloyd Wolfreys, who had some minor 1 n o ac (Continued from page 1) Be lowing the passing of their son and WOMEN’S INSTITUTE he brother, Dave Bulch. Dave grew up on - Joyce Reid T The General and Annual Meetings Amherst Island. were held at the home of Coralie Larry and I are thrilled to announce the Marshall – hosted by her and Judith birth of our first grandson. Jason Harrower on April 18, opening with and Ange became the proud parents of the Ode, Collect and the National Braden Dillon Fleming, 7lbs. 14 oz. on The Amherst Anthem. April 3rd. Tia loves her "baby bruller" Island Beacon This year the Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario cele- Issue 350 and has become quite the big sister. The brates their 110th anniversary. As this goes to print an event is May 2007 name Braden Fleming goes back to 1835 on Amherst Island, when a 25 year old being held in Napanee to commemorate the occasion and to raise Published monthly, awareness and funds for GRANDMOTHERS TO GRAND- Braden Fleming (and twin brother, Tho- the Beacon is MOTHERS, the organization that supports orphaned children in wholly funded by mas) arrived here from Ireland. Braden Africa and their grannies. The Stephen Lewis Foundation will paid subscriptions settled the (Ernest Fleming) farm on the and by copies sold 3rd concession, which has just passed out have a film there to show the work being done. by Daniel Little, A Queen Victoria Tea is to take place on Saturday May 19th of the Fleming family in recent years. and at the Amherst as the Lennox and Addington Historical Society celebrates 100 Island General Good Luck to Will Adam, who left this years. This will be held at the Allen McPherson House in Napa- Store. month on his cross country bike ride to raise awareness and funds for MS. nee. Subscription Camden East W. I. celebrates their 80th year, June 5, 7:30 pm The Amherst Island Rec Association's Rates: in the Shirley Memorial Hall. Canada $30,yr Friday night Euchres finished the season All members and guests are invited to the above events. USA $35/yr with prizes awarded for the highest over- Overseas: Contact all scores (as well as the lowest). Books about the Women’s Institute of Ontario will be avail- Us! able to borrow, from a shelf in the Neilson Store Museum after Jason Fowler, a favorite return per- E-Mail $20/yr May 19. former, played to a sell out crowd on the The number of hours given by the Amherst Island group to the May Printing 28th of April. Approximately 70 people 325 Copies packed the Lodge for this concert. community is close to 3,000 for the past year – an impressive donation of time! Amherst Island radio (CJAI, 93.7) held Subscription & We took a brief break between meetings to view the new moon Editorial its annual General Meeting this month. lying on its back in the western sky – looking as though it was A.I. Beacon Save the date! October 20th has been 14775 Front Road set as the date for a community walk for cradling the full moon in shadow. Stella, ON Refreshments supplied by the hostesses were delicious, fol- breast cancer. K0H 2S0 lowed by a brown bag auction – funds going towards GRAND- The committee hopes to have every MOTHERS TO GRANDMOTHERS. The next meeting is May Voice & Fax family on the Island represented in some (613) 389-3802 way. 16 at Kirsten Bennick’s – bring a recipe of a Wild Food and cop- E-Mail: aibea- ies to hand out. Spring is struggling to make it's pres- [email protected] Meeting adjourned about 9:45 pm. ence known on the Island this year. We Photo Editor: have had a couple of mild and sunny Sue Frizzell c/o days, but they have been few and far aibea- between! Some early bulbs are starting [email protected] to peek through and the grass is starting Typesetting: to green to add a touch of colour to an Sue Frizzell c/o otherwise drab and wet landscape. aibea- May also brings the lilacs and more [email protected] spring flowers, and socially, the Mother's Deadline for all Day Ham Dinner and the Rec Associa- submissions: tion's Spring Dance/Fish Fry. 25th of each Month Of course also coming in May is the Printed By: highly contentious ferry rate increase! Burke’s Printing, Napanee Credits: Word 2003 Microsoft Publisher 2003 Pagemaker 7.0 Acrobat 6.0 Family Tree Maker 9.0 2 T h e B e a different size plastic pails, from relish pails to garbage pails. co Recently, the Bucket Drumming Performance Band from n Odessa P.S. put on a 45 minute performance for A.I.P.S. stu- - Lyn Fleming dents. While it was very LOUD, it was amazing to hear what can Spring has been and continues to be a very busy time at our be done with some empty buckets and a couple of drumsticks. little school. Students took part in the annual Pitch-In day at the end of Senior Class students have been and continue to raise funds for April. Groups of students and their supervisors each took a sec- their 3 day year end trip to Montreal. Ms. Jardine has planned a tion of road on the Island and picked up garbage left behind "jam-packed" 3 days, with the highlight being tickets to Cirque when the snow melted. Students enjoyed the fresh air walk but du Soleil. Students have catered AIMS breakfasts, held movie had very mixed feelings about some of the spring wild life nights, sold A.I. t-shirts, Easter chocolates and much more to (ie:snakes) they all met in their travels! help defray the cost of their trip. Kindergarten students explored the school yard on a nature The A.I.P.S. Public Speaking Competition was held this past walk, looking for signs of Spring. They have also been writing month. Congratulations to Ben Whitton and Muressa Fabian- in their journals daily. Robinson, who will go on to the area competition in May. Senior class students attended the Heritage Fair at Queens with Thanks to Cathy Glenn, Joyce Haines and Rev. Margaret Johns- their Heritage projects, that had been done earlier in the year. ton-Jones for giving their time to judge the competition. Still to come is an Electrical Safety presentation, a trip to the Our annual Art Exhibit at the Lodge opened to an appreciative Owl Woods for Primary students, and the annual Jump Rope for crowd in late April. Many forms of student art are currently on Heart. display at the Lodge. Students and staff are busily getting ready for "Spring Fling" - Senior class students had an interesting workshop on clean a talent show in place of a Spring Production this year. water, presented by a representative of the Medical Museum. Queen's Sports Camp for senior students, year end class trips Loyalist Township Fire Safety officer, Derrick Ethridge, vis- and the Awards and Graduation Ceremony will round out the ited both classrooms to teach fire safety to the students. fast approaching end of another school year. Senior class students have been learning bucket drumming over the winter. Songs and rhythms are played on a variety of PREVIOUS PAGE: QUENTIN SCOTT PAUSES FOR A QUICK PHOTO. LEFT: REBECCA WOLFREYS SHOWS OFF HER CAM- ERA FACE. ABOVE: BEN WHITTON PRACTICES HIS SOCCER MOVES. PHOTOS BY BRIAN LITTLE 3 n o T F P —T B ‘71 c ALES ROM THE AST HE LIZZARD OF a e B e h T TOWNSHIP DUMP TRUCK WITH SNOW PLOUGH. FARMER WITH A FILL-IN FOR THE FERRY TRACTOR IN BACKGROUND. ABOVE LEFT: FRONT ROAD, LOOKING EAST FROM THE SCHOOL. ABOVE RIGHT: THE SNOWBLOWER AT WORK. LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE IT. ADJACENT PAGE PHOTOS: WITNESSING THE SNOWBLOWER AT WORK. ***A special thank you to Glenn Sheil who took these photos, and to Shirley Miller who forwarded them to the Beacon. 4 T JANET’S JOTTINGS he B - Janet Scott housekeeping. He cruised the fields looking for just the right e a As each new day opens on Amherst Island you will meet and branch which she sometimes cruelly rejected and let fall to the c o greet another species. They have come back as if they can read ground. By the last week of April they were gathering grass to n the calendar. The data that I have are average arrival and depar- pack in the interior for padding and also diapers I imagine. They ture statistics for 1948 to 1987 as supplied by the Kingston Field appear awkward when picking up objects but as you have proba- Naturalists. It is uncanny how close to these dates the spring bly noticed two toes go ahead and two back unlike other hawk arrivals show up. species. They always carry a fish with its head into the wind in a The middle of April brought The Greater Yellowlegs on cue. streamlined manner. They have chosen a telephone pole on the You probably spotted this long legged shorebird by the slough north side of Front Road as their eating and observation post but near St. Paul’s as you drove to the ferry. His habit of bobbing, once Momma settles down on the nest Father will bring home while standing at the water’s edge, is distinctive. As he takes off “Take-out” every meal. When the babies hatch in June he’ll be he shows a white rump and makes a three noted call. This bird is very busy feeding everyone. If Momma (you’ll know her by still migrating and will continue to its breeding grounds in the more black necklace than Poppa) spots an Eagle she’ll call in a muskegs of Northern Ontario. By the middle of May they will high-pitched panic cry and he’ll come running from wherever he have fed on the insects and crustaceans that they have found on is fishing. If you approach too close to the nesting post she will our shores, flooded fields and mudflats and be ready to warn you with three kyews. They are nervous of the people complete their flight north. around the school but no longer fly as soon as a car drives in. The arrival of the Tree Swallows in large numbers usually The nest moving of the Osprey nest in Belleville seems to have coincides with our swarms of gnats that look like clouds of worked and the established Ospreys are sitting on their old nest smoke. The gnats were delayed slightly by the Easter Snow but on a new pole. soon were being happily devoured as they hatched in that warm Jacquie Sylvester spotted a Pileated Woodpecker down her period in April. Not only the Swallows, Phoebes and Chickadees way so watch for that neat bird. Russell McGinn has spotted are enjoying the gnats but waterfowl are too. Unable to fly deftly either an Eagle or Osprey with a trap on its leg so watch out for after the gnats they have adapted their behavior in a variety of that poor creature and let either of us know if it’s downed. Susan ways. The Bonaparte Gulls, those small white gulls with the Filson has spotted a Swan wearing a numbered tag #861. I will black heads, will swim in circles creating an eddy that the float- inquire among other birders and hopefully find out more about ing gnats get caught in and are quickly gobbled up by the gulls. this study and can pass it on. Thankfully they’re not using yel- The Mallards, Gadwall and Blacks swim with beaks slightly ajar low vinyl collars as they did in one study from Cornell Univer- on the surface and scoop up the delicacy. On April 26th I was sity. Those collars turned into a hazard in mushy ice. Vince and amazed to watch a group of Longtailed Ducks swimming in for- Lance Eves had to rescue the geese from drowning when the mation. They appeared to be a diagonal line until I stopped and collars were so heavy with ice that the geese couldn’t lift up watched with binoculars and realized that they were ducks, their heads anymore. Thanks for all those interesting sightings. It swimming in a closely formed line gathering gnats in front of makes Birding so much fun! this snowplow effect. I have never seen this before but found it If you ever need help with Bird Rehabilitation, call Sandy fascinating to watch. It was effective that day because it was Pines Wildlife Refuge 613-354-0264. They will try and tell you unusually still on the South Shore. The cruising Loons showed what to do or where you can get help. Kitt Chub the Bird Lady ripples and reflections. at Verona is now retired and has passed on the torch to Sue The schoolyard Osprey arrived on their due date and set up Meech at the Wildlife Refuge in Napanee. Good Birding! 5 n co COUNCIL GLEANINGS a Be - Ian Murray Regarding the ferry rate increases: “Councillor Ashley indi- e Twelfth Session of Council, Tuesday, cated that, contrary to various reports from the public that met h T April 10. with Ministry officials, the last word from the Minister to the The agenda consisted of 150 pages municipality was that there was no money in the budget for any which is fewer than usual increased assistance for ferry service this year. The only thing Laurel Brady, of Amherst Island, was presented “with the the Minister agreed to was a compliance audit for 2007.” 2006 Young Heritage Leaders Certificate of Achievement in ** recognition of her actions in helping to preserve, protect and Council passed the following resolution: “Whereas Loyalist promote the Township’s diverse heritage by volunteering her Township and the residents of Amherst Island agree that an in- time”. equity exists between the operating agreement with the Ministry Notice was given at this meeting that the Township will of Transportation of Ontario and Loyalist Township on ferry “consider the adoption of the 2007 Municipal Budget at its meet- operations to Amherst Island and the operation of the provin- ing to be held on April 23 at 7 pm”. cially operated ferry to Wolfe Island and the Adolphustown The Miscellaneous Fees By-law, that was deferred from the ferry; and, March 26th meeting was adopted by Council. This is the by-law Whereas both Loyalist Township and the residents of Amherst which includes the new ferry rate schedule; the new ferry rates Island have made presentations to various Ministers of the will be imposed on May 1. Crown for the Province of Ontario to seek resolution to these Three more letters regarding the ferry service were received by inequities; Council. The following people made presentations at the March Therefore be it resolved that upon review by Council of all cor- 26th meeting: Judith Harrower, Caroline Yull, Lorna Willis, Eva respondence on these issues, that correspondence be forwarded Little, John Schutzbach, Zander Dunn and Ross Haines. with comment to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Trans- The 2007 budget process consisted of 9 meetings: 3 for the portation, the Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Leona Capital Budget and 6 for the Operating Budget. Staff and Coun- Dombrowsky, MPP. cil members spent a lot of time working over these budgets. I do *** not envy them the job: Township residents demand ever more The 2006 Annual Report on our landfill site states that, at the services; unionized and non-unionized Township employees estimated 350 cubic metres of waste per year, the site should last demand more wages, and Township ratepayers resist paying until 2031. The “blue box” type recyclables amount to about more taxes. 14% less material going into the landfill. Here’s the breakdown on $100 of residential property taxes: The ferry operating budget is up slightly from last year: 2.19 Loyalist Township gets $41.89; L&A County gets $39.19; and million $; 2.18 million $ in 2006. This is a bit more than the 2 the school boards get $18.92. Loyalist water treatment plants combined. The 3 mainland sew- The Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund has stated that Loyal- age treatment plants are budgeted at 1.55 million $. ist Township is 54.5% Rural and Small Community municipal- The total approved Loyalist budget for 2007 is 18.7 million $ ity. (17.9 million in 2006). Over the years, I have often heard The Amherst Island library is to have $30,000 work done to neighbours say something like: “Just what do we get for our make it structurally sound. This cost will come equally out of the taxes”. Here are some of the services that our taxes pay for: con- Ferry and the Recreation budgets. struction, maintenance, snowploughing & lighting; fire protec- Fire Chief Wayne Calver informed Council that it takes $2000 tion & emergency services; police services; dog catching; gar- to equip a new fire-fighter. bage disposal; conservation authority; planning & building in- *** spection; parks & other recreation services including the Neilson The Friday the 13th Whig-Standard had an article headlined: Store Museum. “Cut 32 schools, board told”. A consultant’s report recommends The area-rated services are water & sewer in the urban areas, that the Limestone Public School Board close 30 of its 55 ele- Amherstview Transit, and our ferry service. mentary schools and build 9 new ones. And close 2 of 11 high Capital improvements are budgeted as follows: for the South schools and build 2 new ones. Shore Road, Lots 7-20, $50,000 in 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010 & It is no surprise that our school is on the close it list – Island $20,000 in 2011; and the same amounts for the North Shore students are to go to Bath. Ernestown High School is also on the Road Lots 2-9. list with students to be sent to 4 other high schools. End-loading docks are also included in the 10 Year Capital The Whig quotes Ron Sharpe, the Board’s director, as saying Budget: $100,000 in 2013 for the Environmental Assessment; that “no more than a handful of recommendations are likely to $100,000 in 2014, and $4.3 million in 2016. be acted upon and only then after school communities are con- The Ferry Reserve Fund is as follows: end of 2005, $250,914; sulted”. end of 2006, $182,336. Perhaps Deb Kimmett will work up a satire on the topic of The Ameriks Scholarship Reserve Fund is as follows: end of community consultation 2005, $10,064; end of 2006, $10,515. **** The Waterside Series Reserve Fund is as follows: end of 2005, Thirteenth Session of Council, Monday, April 23. $12,027; end of 2006, $16,019. There were 377 pages in the agenda. Most of these pages dealt with water & sewer matters as well as budget information. The following is from the minutes of the 12th Session. 6 Judith did not know exactly what the referendum question is T AIMS going to be, but she thinks it will be do you want a mixed mem- he B April 14, 2007 ber proportional system? e a - Hugh Jenney If you vote yes you will get two votes. One for your riding co Twenty-two men sat down to a delicious n and one for a political party. breakfast prepared by the senior class. This system has been very helpful in the countries in which it They are raising money for their year end is being practiced--New Zealand, Germany, Mexico, etc. for trip to Montreal and will prepare breakfast getting minorities and women into government. This MMP sys- for our May 5, 2007 meeting too. tem gives the voters true majorities. It also forces people to talk It was agreed to spend up to $1,000 on ten new baskets. to each other if there is a minority legislature. Paul Lauret warned that we can not continue to spend $1,000 So if you want to stick with our present system of first-past- per month until more money comes in. the-post, vote NO. The Island Market will start on May 19. If you think we can do better, vote YES. Tree Planting: Marc Raymond said he and Doug Martin are Marc Raymond gave a very humorous and heartfelt thank you ready to go again and that their plants are under warranty, so if to Judith. anybody has a dead tree from last year's planting, just call and it (See AIMS Photos on Page 18) will be replaced. School Closing: Dick Dodds advised us to get ready to once May 05, 2007 again fight this closing as reported in the Whig. 32 schools are 25 men sat down to a delicious breakfast of sausages, scram- scheduled to be closed which means at least six will be. Let us bled eggs, home fries and croissants. Terry Culbert thanked the make sure AIPS is not one of them. Paul Lauret mentioned that AIPS grade seven student (Daniel Little) and his parents for such the school board couldn't get a better deal than the one they have a fine feed. for the kids who visit the owl woods. Gary MacDonald re- Brian Little whipped through the AIMS business in order to get minded us that there is a binder from previous years with all our to our robotics demonstration. documentation. Dick had to close 16 schools when he was the First there has been no change in the swing situation. Director of Education. He told us that there are ten steps to clos- Dayle Gowan reported on the hanging baskets saying they are ing a school and that we should become involved early in the in the works. process. Gary MacDonald suggested it would help tremendously Paul Lauret reported that our finances are fine and that his if the whole community came out to support school functions. transportation committee serviced three Islanders last month. "Closing a school takes the heart out of the community," said Brian reported on Will's bicycle trip from the east coast saying Dick Dodds. that Sydney gave him a rousing send-off and that people are Walk for Cancer is an Island event slated for October 20th. passing him money for his MS campaign as he bikes Ask Jane McGinn or Bonnie Caughey for details. along. Restaurants are feeding him for free too so that certainly Guest Speaker: Hugh Jenney introduced the president of Fair helps. Will will stop on the Island for a couple of days and Vote Ontario-Kingston Chapter, Ms. Sandra Willard and then he when he gets here we are planning a grand welcome. The Cape read Judith Wyatt's biography. Judith is a newly retired English Breton chapter of the MS Society has so far raised just over teacher whose husband, David, served as the AI principal for $1000 as a result of Will’s Ride. several years. Alan Glenn reported helping install a dining room fan for an Judith has always loved the political process. She started in Island lady so now Brian wants one too. Toronto at 16 working for the Conservatives when Bob Stanfield Dayle Gowan reported on our Home Care Committee saying was leader. The next year she worked for Trudeau in Ot- that he and Peter Trueman helped a couple of Islanders. tawa. Judith does not like the fact that all her work and votes Under New Business Brian reported that Judy Harrower has were wasted most of the time. Most young people feel the same asked for assistance in replacing the flower boxes down by the way today. In the last Federal election 40% did not vote. Our ferry. Loyalist Township has given her $250 for supplies but first past the post system is 215 years old. 81 countries have a she needs talented people to build the boxes. Allan (Black- fairer proportional system. 1937 was the last time Ontario Eye) Kidd, Ross Haines, Dick Dodds, Dayle Gowan, Bruce Bur- elected a legitimate majority government. Judith then showed us nett, Gary McDonald all volunteered to help. several charts demonstrating that a fairer system would benefit Moved by Dick Dodds and seconded by Terry Culbert that we all parties except the Bloc. make available an extra $100 for supplies. Carried We were truly embarrassed to learn that Canada is 109th in the Call Marc Raymond or Doug Martin for your tree planting world for voter turnout. needs. The Ontario Liberal Government has financed a Citizens' As- Old, and lucky to be living, Allan “Black-Eye” Kidd explained sembly consisting of 103 members - one from each Ontario rid- his big bump on his head. Seems he only missed the flat field by ing. “www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca” They have held hearings 20 feet when his engine quit. Allan explained that when he all over Ontario to learn what people believe is a better system. practiced his stalled engine procedures that he never did actually All systems may be accessed at “www.fairvote.ca” The Ontario turn off the engine so that the propeller kept turning. When the Students' Union has organized a similar committee and they engine did quit on him the propeller ceased to turn causing a have both agreed that the mixed member proportional system much greater drag on the plane than anticipated i.e. Alan never (MMP) is most people's choice. did have the real experience before. Being fully experienced (Continued on page 19) 7 n torcycle accident, a broken nose, an operation on a serious aco ANTHONY DAVID HENDERSON wound in his arm to save the use of a hand, and a broken leg Be Passed away at age 57, after a brief illness in a hospital in from a chain break in the oil fields, just to name a few. e Grande Prairie, Alberta, on March 19th. Funeral service was h When he finished high school he apprenticed with a local T held at James Reid Chapel on March 23, followed by burial in Kingston electrician, and worked for a time in the Kingston area. Glenwood Cemetery. The officiating minister was the Reverend He went out west about 1978, and worked basically in Alberta, Bill Clarke of St. Thomas Anglican Church, Reddendale, King- but wended his way for a while into the Northwest Territories to ston. Pallbearers were Richard, Jeffrey and Matthew Paul Hen- Inuvik and Iqaluit. derson, and Herman Langwald, all of Kingston, and Douglas and Anthony was home for a while after that, and attended St. Bruce McDonald of Ottawa. Eulogy was given at his funeral by Lawrence College. He was very creative as evidenced by a pro- Kerri Ashurst, which included thoughtful words written by his ject he presented, when the teacher, instead of assigning a topic, brother Richard. gave the class the chance of presenting one of their own choice. Anthony was the loved elder son of Doris (nee McDonald) and Anthony borrowed a horse from someone, and took it into the the late Bill Henderson, survived by his brother Richard, and classroom. He taught the students about horses, and had them adult children Kerri and Ryan. practice the right way to get on and off a horse, as well. He spent many happy weekends and summers visiting his Is- I only heard of this when talking to the teacher later, who said land grandparents, the McDonalds and the Hendersons. He grew that Anthony had the class “in the palm of his hand”, and would up in the Point Pleasant subdivision near Kingston, and attended have made an excellent teacher, but that did not happen. R. Gordon Sinclair School and Frontenac High School. He went back out west again, and was in partnership for a He attended Sunday School at St. Thomas Anglican Church in while at a camping type resort near Whitehorse, in the Yukon. Reddendale where he sang in the Junior Choir, and was also While there he took visiting clients on horseback treks though confirmed. the forest for a day or more at a time. It was necessary to carry a When seventeen, he spent the summer with a youth group gun in case they met an unfriendly bear. There were cabins for planting trees somewhere in the area of Temagami. the guests to sleep in for longer stays, and a lake nearby for fish- Another summer he went picking tobacco near Tillsonberg. ing. After the resort was sold he went back to Alberta ranging After that experience, he remarked that he would probably have basically from Fort McMurray to Grande Prairie, wherever his come home the first day if some friends and relatives had not electrical work took him. told him that he would never last the summer. He was home infrequently but maintained telephone contact Anthony and his brother Richard enjoyed playing their guitars every week or two always closing with “I love you”. together while they were still at home. He enjoyed being in the His last visit home was about four years ago, after cancer treat- middle of things, and his hearty laugh was often heard. ment. He was urged to come home to stay, but other medial He enjoyed working with horses, and entered local rodeos in problems began to occur recently, and he left it too late. He is various places. home now, and out of pain, but not in the way his family hoped. He seemed to be somewhat accident prone, surviving an arrow between his eyes, nearly smothering in a straw stack, had a mo- ABOVE LEFT: BILL HENDERSON AND WIFE, DORIS (NEE MCDONALD, MARRIED NOV. 27, 1948). CHILDREN RICHARD ON FATHER’S KNEE, AND ANTHONY. RIGHT: ANTHONY HENDERSON ~ 2000. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DORIS HENDERSON 8 T GARNET EDWIN MCDONALD he B Born December 4, 1918 to Florence (nee e a Detlor) and Edwin McDonald in Erinsville. c o They returned to the Island 8 weeks later n where he would live as a 5th generation McDonald farmer; first dairy, then beef. His talent for gardening was appreciated by many. He sold his cattle in 2005 but thoroughly enjoyed seeing Gary’s cows running in his fields. In October 1941, Garnet married Gene McMaster and eventually had Carol (Herman Langwald) who gave them 2 grand- children – Joe (Sabrina) and Tammie (Wally Stanton). His great-grandchildren Mika (whom he had just met), Emma, Damien, Lillian and Molly were a source of great joy and amusement. Garnet was extremely independent –quick to offer help but reluctant to accept it. He has been described as an “unofficial historian”; he liked nothing better than to relate past events especially during frequent card games. He is going to be missed as a fair and patient father and Fishing on Sundays with Carol and later Herman was his way grandfather and as a loyal friend to many. of relaxing. In later years he took up bow hunting with his Garnet is also survived by his sister Doris Henderson. He nephew Richard and friends. The hunters often remarked that was predeceased by his brother Roger McDonald. Garnet enjoyed visiting while waiting in the truck as much as, if not more so, than the hunting. GARNET, DOUG GLENN , AND MARSHALL GLENN PHOTOS OF GARNET MCDONALD COURTESUY OF CAROL LANGWALD AND MARION GLENN GENE MCMASTER AND GARNET MCDONALD ON THEIR WED- DING DAY. 9 n co WILL’S RIDE—OCEAN TO OCEAN FOR M.S. a e B e h T WILL IS OFF BEHIND THE SCENES (AND ON THE - Sally Bowen COMPUTER) FOR WILL’S RIDE There was quite a crowd on the esplanade in Sydney to -Sue Frizzell For those of you who are interested in tracking Will’s progress send Will off on his journey. online, there are a few options: The local MS Cape Breton chapter members, the mayor of Sydney, John Morgan, a local 1. www.facebook.com - You must sign up to be a member school group with about 20 kids on bikes, and (it’s free). Once you are a member, you can search the Nova Scotia championship Junior High School May is MS in Groups for “Support Will Adam in his Bike Girls cheerleaders - over 20 or them - with home- Across Canada”. Once you have found the group, made banners and good wishes. Will did a couple of Awareness join it to add it to your profile, and make it easier to interviews with radio and newspapers, then was find in future. Month escorted out of town by a few members of the local 2. http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/willsride - cycling club, Velo Cape Breton. I understand they This is a mailing list. You must sign up for a Yahoo arranged accommodation for the next day or two, as well. account if you do not already have one. Once you have an ac- The day started earlier, at Glace Bay Beach, where Will count, you may join this group. This group takes the form of e- dipped his wheels in the Atlantic, then cycled the 20 km to Syd- mail messages delivered to your inbox either as a digest or indi- ney. vidual messages (you choose). For those of you who are interested in his route, he's heading www.willsride.ca - This site is in progress, but will be the Offi- down #105 through Baddeck, Whycocomaugh, to Port Hastings cial Site for Will’s Ride. and the Strait of Canso, then Antigonish, New Glasgow and Pic- tou. He's already been on the radio at Port Hawksbury, by phone If you would like to send messages of encouragement to Will, interview. or if you know of any links to articles or stories about Will’s Ride, please send them to [email protected]. Will told me the 31 hour bus trip really impressed him with the We now have a PayPal option set up for donations. If you extent of the territory he is going to travel through – impressed would like to use PayPal to donate to either Will personally (for but not daunted. food and supplies), or to the MS Society, please e-mail [email protected] for a link. You can also find these links on Facebook, Yahoo, and on the Will’s Ride Official Website. PHOTO HARVE GRANT 10