CQL_Winter_2014

WINTER 2014

P R I N C E

E D W A R D

C O U N T Y

A N D

Q U I N T E

R E G I O N

INSIDE: The Drake Devonshire, Water Buffalo, Murder, and so much more. . .

Dr. R. Younes

DENTAL CARE FAMILY • COSMETIC & IMPLANT DENTISTRY

Your complete dentistry in one office backed by a warm & caring team Now Accepting New patients Latest Technology in Same Day Dentistry Now Available For Crowns, Bridges & Veneers • Oral Conscious Sedation • Orthodontics (Including invisalign® The Invisible Way to Straighten Your Teeth) • Laser Dentistry • Implants & Full-mouth Reconstruction • Tooth Coloured Fillings • One Hour Whitening • Dentures • Preventive, Gum Disease Therapy • Root Canal Therapy • Same Day Emergency Service •

613-208-0807 96 Division St Trenton

www.younescosmeticdentist.com

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND QUINTE REGION

14

LAZIER MURDER TRIAL

Justice or Vengeance?

30

STIRLING’S WATER BUFFALO

by Cindy Duffy

KEMP STEWART Veteran, Vinter, Visionary

EACH ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: www.countyandquinteliving.ca

48

VOLCANOES OF ICE AND OTHER WONDERS

by Sharon Harrison

by Peter Lockyer

22

IN THIS ISSUE

36

THE DRAKE DEVONSHIRE

by Catherine Stutt

by Catherine Stutt

54

ADOLPHUSTOWN REDUX

The United Empire Loyalist Centre and the Daverne Farm

by Lindi Pierce

4

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

66

SAITARG’S GQ

Michael MacMillan

by Alan Gratias

ON THE COVER

After the ice storm at Hillier Creek.

Photo by Daniel Vaughan.

Brown_220

WHAT'S YOUR STYLE?

Try our online style quiz to find yours at la-z-boy.com/style

Now, thanks to the wide selection of great-looking furniture La-Z-Boy offers, you can have your very own sofa...and chair...and ottoman, just the way you like it. There are 100’s of fabrics to choose from, so every piece is 100% you. lzb.ca Ottawa-East • Ottawa-West • Kingston © 2014 La-Z-Boy Incorporated

lzb.ca

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

5

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY AND QUINTE REGION

DIRECTOR OF SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS Ron Prins rprins@metroland.com EDITOR Catherine Stutt editor@xplornet.com PHOTO EDITOR Daniel Vaughan daniel@vaughangroup.ca ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Laura Dawson 613.966.2034 x 505 ldawson@metroland.com DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kathern Bly and Monica McTaggart Susan K. Bailey Marketing & Design info@skbailey.com

It’s your skin. Thousands trust Beauty Works Day Spa for high quality skin care, wellness and medi-spa treatments since 1977.

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE Book Your Complimentary Consultation Today Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

613.966.5211 615 Sidney Street, Belleville www.BeautyWorksDaySpa.com

CMYK / .ai

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cindy Duffy Peter Lockyer Alan Gratias Lindi Pierce Sharon Harrison Catherine Stutt

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sharon Harrison Ramesh Pooran

T H A N K S !

Daniel Vaughan

ADMINISTRATION Heather Naish hnaish@perfprint.ca DISTRIBUTION Paul Mitchell 613.966.2034 x 508 County & Quinte Living is published quarterly and is available free of charge through strategic partners, wineries, golf courses, real estate, and chamber of commerce offices, retail outlets, and advertiser locations. County & Quinte Living may not be reproduced, in part or whole, in any form without prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed by contributors are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of County & Quinte Living. Subscription rate $25 a year. HST included.

County & Quinte Living is a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

The Canadian Cancer Society would like to thank all those who made the Heels for Hope women’s evening a huge success. The generous support of individuals in this region make is possible for us to support local people living with cancer, and to fund lifesaving cancer research so that someday soon no Canadian will fear cancer.

Office: 250 Sidney Street, Belleville Mail Address: P.O. Box 25009 Belleville, ON K8P 5E0 613.966.0234 www.countyandquinteliving.ca Find us on Facebook ©2014 Metroland Media Group Ltd. Printed in Ontario Canada

6

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Picture Perfect!

Nothing beats life at Kingfisher Cove.

A beautiful sunrise on the Bay of Quinte. A visit to an award-winning winery.

Fine dining restaurants, chic shops and boutiques. All this and much more just minutes from your doorstep at Kingfisher Cove. Come see how wonderful your life can be at Kingfisher Cove on the shores of the Bay of Quinte.

Our beautifully decorated model home is open daily.

ExcEptional quality watErsidE bungalow townhousEs

quality. integrity. Value.

613.962.4600

|

www.hhltd.ca/kccq COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

7

from the

Editor’s Desk ourtrooms have always held a certain fascination for me, so when Peter Lockyer called to tell me about a re-enactment of a famous Prince Edward County murder trial he had my full attention.

The original and re-enactment trials were held in the same courtroom which hadn’t changed much, and the courtroom was the venue for young John A. Macdonald’s first trial.

I used to cover murder trials, and my husband at various times throughout his policing career served as a court officer. Courtrooms evoke a certain reverence for a timehonoured process, particularly a jury trial. It is a sacred trust, putting a person’s life in the hands of 12 jurors who are expected to learn intricate legal and scientific nuances while absorbing gruesome details, often about someone they know. For the most part, it works, other than that entire O.J. Simpson fiasco, and the three high profile Canadian cases of Marshall, Milgaard, and Morin.

Thanks to Justice Robert Sharpe, whose book The Lazier Murder tells a sad story of Canadian justice at 8

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

the time, and to Peter for producing the re-enactment, we can now add Thomset and Lowder to the list.

Darryl and I met Peter in Bloomfield and drove a short distance to the sight of the murder where the house still stands. He related the story much as he does in his article in this issue, all while standing at the side of the Loyalist Highway in front of the scene of the crime. It was a beautiful early summer day, completely different from that cold December night in 1884.

Peter is a natural storyteller and a passionate advocate of history as an industry, devoting countless volunteer hours to local organizations. His History Lives Here series chronicles important events in the region’s history, and connects us with our past.

Even so, when Peter told me the tickets were $125 each, and I’d better reserve one because they were going fast, I thought he’d lost his mind.

Who, besides committed courtroom junkies and the most serious of history buffs would spend $125 to see a 90-minute performance of a 130-year-old event.

About 140 of us, it turned out, not counting all of those tardy souls who were on a waiting list.

It was a magnificent performance, well paced, and disturbing, far more so when we toured the old gaol and gallows. It became more than a play when we walked the same path those young men took, wondering if one or both of them were not guilty of the crime for which they hanged.

To write about this region well is to write about its colourful and important history, to see who we were before we became who we are.

Peter, Justice Sharpe, and all involved in the re-enactment know this. They know history can sell; history can be a contributing economic factor to any community, and a very interesting one at that. They are so certain of it, they are contemplating repeating the event in 2015, so if you see the tickets available, act with haste. History waits for no one.

In 1977, I had the good fortunate to be in a Canadian history class taught by Mr. Petersen. He was patiently passionate about sparking our curiosity, instilling a love of the subject rather than just a recitation of the facts. He wasn’t teaching history, he was teaching us to love learning.

He left part way through the year, disappearing from our lives, but never forgotten.

In mid-November, the day after shipping this magazine to press, I’m off to Kingston to see Ed Petersen who at 80 and thanks to Facebook has been able to reconnect with his past. I’m honoured to be part of it and have always appreciated the gifts he bestowed upon his students.

I don’t think I can call him Ed, as he has invited me to do. That wouldn’t seem right. He’s Mr. Petersen, and he’s a history teacher. And frankly, 37 years since I last saw him, I’m still a little intimidated.

Go find your history, and send a former teacher a note.

Thanks for turning the page.

Catherine Stutt, Editor, County and Quinte Living editor@xplornet.com

Brighton Economic Development fnl

11/7/14

7:58 AM

Page 1

BRIGHTON

BECKONS YOU TO EXPERIENCE AND EXPLORE

Brighton invites you to come and explore all the exciting recreational opportunities only winter has to offer. Experience cross country skiing on our picturesque trails, try your hand at ice fishing along our shoreline, enjoy a family skate in our indoor

arena, or just take a stroll through our historic downtown.

Unique shops, warm hospitality, and thrilling outdoor adventure awaits you here.

The faces of Brighton are ready to welcome you.

Arts, eats and boutiques, Beautiful Brighton

www.thegablesrestaurant.net

www.willowpublishing.com

www.firstplacetrailer.ca

www.brightonauto.ca

613.475.4555

613.475.2697

www.mrsb.ca

www.hendersondevelopments.ca

www.vitosbrighton.ca

www.magnoliacottagebrighton.com

www.ymcanorthumberland.com

www.dragonflybrighton.com

www.sinesflooring.ca

www.brightonrecycling.ca

www.nofrills.ca

come visit us at www.brighton.ca

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

9

Wines PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY

2008 Pinot Noir

2013 Dea’s Rose

2011 Pinot Noir

GPE

GRANGE OF PRINCE EDWARD

hilliercreekestates.com

2011 Chardonnay

clossonchase.com

10

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

casadeaestates.com

2011 Pinot Noir

thedevilswishbonewinery.com

grangeofprinceedward.com

Waupoos Feral Cider

countycider.com

l a c i g a m

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

11

ADVERTISER INDEX

ACCOMODATIONS The Wexford House ......................... 56 AUTO Belleville Nissan ................................ 17 Belleville Toyota .............................. 33 Lexus of Kingston ...................Inside BC BUILDERS/DEVELOPERS Ducon Contractors ............................ 50 Elliott Sage Design ............................ 45 Hickory Homes .................................. 29 Hilden Homes....................................... 7 Renovation Restoration ..................... 27 COMMUNITY Canadian Cancer Society ................... 6 Highland Shores CAS ....................... 62 Municipality of Brighton ...................... 9 Welcome Wagon ............................... 62 FASHION City Revival ........................................ 21 H.D. Rolf The Jeweller....................... 61 L’Elle Couture .................................... 21 Quinte Mall ........................................ 24 FOOD/DINING/WINE Campbell’s Orchards ........................ 57 Natural Sequence ............................ 65 HOME DÉCOR/GIFTS Countrytime Furniture ....................... 25 Green Gables .................................... 28 La Z Boy Furniture Gallery .................. 5 The Birdhouse ................................... 13 HOME IMPROVEMENT/DESIGN A & B Precast .................................... 12 Anderson Equip/Sales ....................... 58 At Home Interior Design .................. 61 BlackBird Stone & Tile........................ 19 Dynamic Home Technologies............. 38 Fireplace Specialties .......................... 53 Kitchens by Paul Holden ................... 41

6648 Hwy 62 North R.R. #5, Belleville, ON

613.962.9111•1.800.267.2851 12

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Limestone Trail ................................. 39 Nhance Wood Renewal ..................... 52 Interiors by Cindy ............................ 57 Picton Home Hardware .................... 44 Quinte Paint and Wallpaper .............. 65 Red Ball Radio ................................... 43 St. Lawrence Pools............................... 3 The County Fireplace ........................ 61 Vanderlaan.......................................... 46 VanVark Electric ................................. 47 William Design Company .................. 20 LANDSCAPE/GARDEN Lockyer’s Country Gardens................ 34 Picture Perfect Landscaping............... 26 Terra Vista .......................................... 40 Wentworth Landscaping ................... 39 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - DENTAL Dr. Brett’s Family Dentist ................... 59 Dr. Younes Dental Care ....................... 2 Riverside Dental ................................ 35 Steinberg Dental Centres.................. BC

State Farm Insurance.......................... 43 Vaughan Group ................................. 16 Vision & Voice..................................... 12 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - REAL ESTATE Royal LePage – Elizabeth Crombie........................... 63 WELLNESS/FITNESS/BEAUTY Beauty Works Day Spa ....................... 6 Laura’s Style ....................................... 61 PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY WINERIES ........................................... Pages 10-11 Casa Dea Closson Chase County Cider Co. Devil’s Wishbone Hillier Creek Estates The Grange of PEC

v Seed & Suet v Bird Feeders & Accessories v Nest Boxes, Benches v Bird Baths, Books, Gifts v Garden Flags Tel: 613-397-3230 Toll Free: 1-877-480-7434 Email: connie@thebirdhouse.ca www.thebirdhouse.ca Tues.-Sat: 9:30-5:00 • Sun: Noon-4:00

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - GENERAL Eyes N Optics..................................... 13 H & R Block ....................................... 38 Ontario Coachways ........................... 65

8 km N of Hwy 401 at exit 522

EYES N OPTICS

613-392-3040

EYE EXAMS ON PREMISES

Lots of new designer frames arriving daily

www.eyesnoptics.com • 73A Dundas Street West, Downtown Trenton, Ontario • 613-392-3040 COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

13

Justice or vengeance?

The Lazier murder trial of 1884

Article by Peter Lockyer Photography by Daniel Vaughan The packed crowd jostled into the stout, curved, and bum-numbing wooden benches of the Picton courthouse on July 11, 2014 settling in expectantly for the lively entertainment and rough justice to come – a re-enactment of the most infamous legal case in Prince Edward County history, the Lazier Murder Trial of 1884.

The re-enactment was a fundraising event for the Macdonald Project of Prince Edward County to celebrate the country’s first prime minister and the County’s most famous citizen. A bronze sculpture of Sir John A. Macdonald will be unveiled in downtown Picton in 2015, the 200th anniversary of his birth. More than 140 people paid $125 for a ticket to witness history.

The modern-day crowd was encouraged to be rowdy, to cheer the prosecution, and to jeer and heckle the defence, and they did. Their frequent outbursts over the next 90 minutes mimicked the tense moments of the original week-long murder trial 130 years earlier that prompted several threats from the judge to clear the courtroom. Back then, the intimidating antics of the courtroom crowd also sent a strong message to 12 local men sitting as jurors considering the conflicting evidence against George Lowder, his brother David, and Joseph Thomset – evidence that meant life or death to the three West Lake men.

Just as it was in the past, David Lowder was quickly acquitted of all charges. There was no mercy for his brother George, aged 23, and his co-accused Thomset, a 35-year old fisherman. The limitations of the imperfect laws of the times, shoddy police work, and an outraged community all conspired to sentence them to their deaths by hanging in the early hours of June 10, 1884. That too was an ugly botched affair that only added to the regrets and soul-searching of a community left to wonder if they sentenced the right men – the only men ever hanged in Prince Edward County. Decades later, the case still haunted the community making other local juries reluctant to pronounce guilty verdicts as the grim story of the Lazier Murder Trial deeply embedded itself into the folklore of this small, rural place.

“My fascination with this case started as I was growing up in Picton and I heard people talk about it,” says Justice Robert Sharpe of the Ontario Court of Appeal, and author of the book, The Lazier Murder: Prince Edward County 1884. “I thought, how can they still be talking about a case that happened all

those years ago? That’s what grabbed me, so I decided to do some research and I saw there was a real story to be told.”

Justice Sharpe’s research became a book released in 2002. The story began in the winter of 1883 with a failed robbery and murder which took place in an old

farmhouse that still stands just outside of the village of Bloomfield. Three masked men knocked on the door of Quaker couple Gilbert and Margaret Jones around 10 p.m. on a mid-December night demanding money. That day, Gilbert Jones, a farmer, received a $550 payment for his hops at the train station in Bloomfield. A shot was fired during the robbery attempt and a guest in their home, Peter Lazier, was killed.

Within hours a posse of local men followed intermittent tracks left in the snow leading them across West Lake to the homes of George and David Lowder and their neighbour Joseph Thomset. By the next morning, all three men were locked up in cells at the Picton gaol as police officials closely examined their boots, key evidence linking them to the crime.

Much of the testimony at their trial in May 1884 centred upon the patch bottom boots they wore – the most common boots worn by working men of the period. Ill-trained, local police assisted by Belleville’s overly zealous police chief Hugh McKinnon were convinced they had the right men, although the tracks were intermittent, no weapon was ever found, and both men had witnesses confirming their

We’re All Yours!

We develop your business plan take your pictures design your graphics build your website market your brand.

Give us a call today!

613-966-9193 | vaughangroup.ca

16

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

All new 2015

o n a r u M n a s is N g Winter co min 2014/2015!

28 Millennium Pkwy.

Belleville ON

613.962.7100 www.bellevillenissan.com

We have the best military discount!

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

17

ving Mother, Dear kind and lo m ready to die, a I s. d or w g in y st and d in T hese are my la hing I never did. I never was es et but I die for som se in 15 years. I never saw Jon is it hou Gilbert Jones’ the station. But I must say that t get any money a at is told about me. s th like all the storie the men were on ti a in m a ex e th ke ore at Mrs. Jones sw d at the trial that we look just li ad h an larger than we, the man that fired the fatal shot at th the men. She said eed. I had on my black clothes s a tw w on a grey suit of red the shot, but thank God I fi e day. T hey say I y shot so I cannot confess to th I an t. not there to fire will. Believe me I am innocen t n er crime, nor I nev e my last words. I die an innoce es declare to God th ches for my sweet little girl, but d a man. My heart of her and you all. Goodbye an re God will take ca ntil we meet in a better world. u r farewell foreve er, husband and fath , er h ot br , n so g Your lovin t Joseph T homse

presence elsewhere at the time of the murder.

The Quaker wife originally testified the three men involved in the robbery attempt appeared taller than the accused men, but reversed her opinion in the courtroom perhaps as a result of some coaching from Chief McKinnon. Her husband testified one robber had a rolling gait as he fled into the night, as if he were an older man troubled with an injury that hampered his flight. None of the accused men suffered this difficulty.

Other legal constraints conspired against Lowder and Thomset. Although it found them guilty, the jury recommended clemency, an appeal that had no influence on their fate. The dictates of the laws of the period meant they simply had to hang if they were found guilty of murder.

“At the time of the trial, these accused men were not allowed to testify, “said Justice Sharpe. “That seems to be very strange to us, but it was accepted at the time. At the time 18

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

of this trial, there was no formal appeal in the sense that we now know it. These issues are legally interesting and intriguing in terms of understanding how our legal system has evolved… so it’s a lot about community, and community justice as well as legal history and evolution.”

During the few short weeks after their conviction, Lowder and Thomset remained confined in narrow cells forced to listen to the construction of gallows, and the sounds of their graves being dug in the exercise yard of the courthouse. Their families visited along with two local clergymen urging them to confess their sins. The convicted men remained adamant about their innocence, and convinced the clergymen to join others such as Picton lawyer Edwards Merrill in developing a petition to appeal to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald for intervention in the case.

Macdonald was familiar with Picton and its courthouse. He held his very first court case in the same courtroom in 1834. Even the prime minister was bound by legal and political conventions of the period.

“At the time, people really believed in the jury. We still do, but we don’t to the same extent,” said Justice Sharpe. “They felt it was a guarantee of fairness and getting the right result and so as a politician, as a prime minister, he would be very reluctant to change a jury’s verdict. He thought that’s the jury’s job. They heard the evidence; he didn’t.

They convicted these men. It wasn’t up to Macdonald to say the jury was wrong.”

Just before 8 o’clock on the morning of June 10, 1884, Lowder and Thomset were led from their cells down the dim, narrow hallway to the gallows that still stand on the second floor of the courthouse. The local sheriff, a doctor, and the clergymen watched as a hangman imported from southwestern Ontario went about his grim task. A small crowd of guests watched from below in the prison exercise yard. As the church bells throughout the community tolled that fateful hour, the two men swung to their deaths. Louder died first, but Thomset struggled for a full 14 minutes.

Both men left behind poignant letters for their families.

The hangman collected $40 for his services and another $6.50 for refreshments while his prisoners were - according to legend - laid to rest in the prison grounds, as was the custom. Two trees stand over their graves today.

One of the enduring aspects of this infamous case is the mystery that continues to envelope it. The Lowder family appealed to Sheriff Gillespie to collect the body of

their son and a record of the sheriff’s letter seeking direction from federal justice officials remains in the trial files at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. There is no record of a response to Gillespie, but some years ago, a sunken pauper’s grave was discovered in Picton’s Glenwood Cemetery.

The crude stone marking the grave had a short, simple engraving, “G. Lowder, Unjustly Hanged 1884.” If this is truly Lowder’s final

EXCLUSIVE 25 YEAR STAIN WARRANTY

resting place, it is a huge statement by the community on his innocence. Burying a convicted murder on consecrated ground was a simply unthinkable act far outside Victorian conventions.

There is still more mystery to this long ago case. Two days after the re-enactment, a County man came forward to talk about the scuffed, black boots displayed as evidence at the re-enactment trial. His grandfather, he

Come Visit Quinte’s Largest

Granite Showroom

Kitchens, Bathrooms and Fireplace Mantels etc.

Professional installation and fabrication of Granite, Quartz, Marble and Tile

*TRENTONS ONLY TILE SHOWROOM

613-965-1800 30 CREELMAN AVE, TRENTON

x

Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm • Saturday 10am-2pm COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

19

stated, found the boots hidden in a wall in a Picton home he was renovating decades ago, and the family had donated them to the Macaulay Museum in Picton.

The report adds yet more intrigue to this unsolved murder mystery. Why would anyone hide a pair of old patch bottom boots in a wall unless these were the ones worn by the real guilty man?

“This case,” stated Justice Sharpe,” is rooted in the memory of this community. Those

gallows are still there. Those cells where the men were kept are still there. That courtroom looks very much today as it did in 1884. The case is part of this community’s

story so I think it is terribly important we mark these events - that we look back to our history, and celebrate it.”

The enduring interest in the Lazier Murder Trial and the sold out performance of its recent re-enactment also demonstrate the marketplace for history. This story of early justice is a riveting tale with national appeal.

“The re-enactment was a great success,” says David Warrick, the chair of the small, volunteer Macdonald Project Committee.

“There’s no question everyone who attended the event appreciated it. This is a story linking John A. Macdonald’s early years in Picton to a trial taking place 50 years after

his very first trial in the same courtroom in 1834, and during the period in the 1880s when he was Canada’s prime minister. It is one story of many stories in Prince Edward County saleable to the public. I think we need to tell more stories like this.”

In many parts of the world history sells – big time - and just like other products made in Prince Edward County and elsewhere in the area, history can be considered a commodity retailed to the world – to the 68 million people who Google the word ‘history’ every month. As local municipalities search for scarce sources of money, they could consider getting into the history business. The raw resources are there – the great narratives of Canada from First Nations’ history, French exploration by intrepid travelers like Samuel de Champlain, Loyalist settlement, and industrial, war, and political history that documents a time when the region was at the very epicentre of Canada. We already own retail outlets for the business – the history factories that are our archives, cemeteries, libraries, museums, and other heritage properties.

Heritage isn’t free. It has come at an enormous cost to previous generations. To neglect its great potential as an economic driver and rallying force for community pride of place is a squandered inheritance.

WILLIAM DESIGN COMPANY Because It’s Custom, Your Options are Limitless We design, build and install kitchens, vanities, bars, counter tops, fireplaces, and offices.

1209 Wilson Road, Hillier, Ontario, K0K 2J0 (613) 399-2344 • williamdesigncompany.com 20

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

local fashion

Selection Changes Daily!

Open 7 Days a Week! cityrevival.com 613-476-7445 275 Main St. Picton, ON

FASHION WITH

Flair.

12 GROVE STREET I BELLEVILLE, ON I

613.966.5754

www.countyandquinteliving.ca COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

21

Kemp Stewart

Article by Catherine Stutt Photography by Daniel Vaughan

Most visitors to Prince Edward have a

destination in mind. Perhaps it is the mysterious Lake on the Mountain, the vast dunes of Sandbanks Provincial Park, or the boutique districts.

For an elite group, there is a very specific destination, a waypoint literally with their name on it. For the members of 429 Transport Squadron from 8 Wing/CFB Trenton, they head for Hillier Creek Estates. Unlike other

visitors to the winery, they arrive with a different mode of transportation – the might Boeing CC-177 Globemaster III. Granted, they don’t actually land there while practicing short field landings and take offs at Canadian Forces Station Mountain View in nearby Ameliasburgh. They’re just checking the paint on the backside of the roof and letting their Honorary Colonel Kemp Stewart know they’re

thinking of him.

A few years ago, Glenn Rainbird spoke with Kemp about a friend who was interested in wine and wondered if he could drop by the winery for a chat. At the time, Glenn was the Honorary Colonel of 8 Wing, and he and Lieutenant Colonel Jason Stark took the 20-minute trip from 8 Wing to Hillier Creek.

“I was being interviewed for the honorary colonel position and didn’t know it,” remembered Kemp. “One day when we were cycling Glenn mentioned Jason was enthusiastic about wines and I invited them out. He was interested in my military career and we had a great visit. It was all a setup and I didn’t see it coming. When he asked if I would consider being the squadron’s honorary colonel, I was surprised and honoured.”

CL EO

Call it Spring

Eddie Bauer Northern S Reflections Winners

Bikini Bay

Orange Julius

Bluenotes STARBUCKS

S

ger ore ry St ootleg B

Ben Moss Jewellers

S

R EA

acto

Danier Leather

F GAP postale hâteau o Le C Aér

s s Sh o e s

Tan Jay/Alia

Boathouse

PEOPLES THE DIAMOND STORE ys America To Us n R Eagle Outfitters Garage

La Senza

s

Soft Moc

BECK

ER SH

OES

ES MAURIC

s ki’ hier c i R yS p RO Suz tep OT S

e

Arden

OLD NAVY

lo Sa n You

S

Rose

CHARM D IAMO CENTRE ND

Payle

Jason recalled the visit and said it didn’t take long to realize Kemp was a perfect fit. “The role of the honorary colonel is to create linkages between the squadron and the local community.

We were looking for someone with deep connections and Kemp certainly met all the criteria. He’s committed to the area as a business owner and leader.”

ie En La V

ROOT

Sport Chek

Typically honorary colonels are either retired from the military or high profile in the community. “Kemp is both,” noted Jason. “That was important because 429 is an operational squadron supporting missions around the world. 8 Wing is a huge part of the region and 429 is a huge part of 8 Wing. Kemp got that right away.”

www.quintemall.com

North Front St. at Hwy 401, Exit 543A Belleville • 613-968-3571 Facebook “f ” Logo

Monday-Friday 9:30 am-9 pm Saturday 9:30 am-6 pm . Sunday 11 am-5 pm 24

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

CMYK / .ai

Jason quickly realized getting Kemp brought an added bonus – his wife Dr. Amber Hayward-Stewart. “They are immensely dedicated to fundraising for military causes and as a local doctor Amber’s ties to the community are equally impressive. She’s an amazing person.”

Wanting an honorary colonel who was part of the community and could speak on the squadron’s behalf meant showing him what the squadron does. “We took Kemp to the Arctic, to Alert

Winter Dreaming

Countrytime Furniture Outlet Store is now located at our main store location.

1245 MIDLAND AVENUE, KINGSTON, ON

x

613.634.1400 Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

x

1.888.819.6990

CMYK / .ai

www.countrytime.ca COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

25

and Resolute Bay and to Thule, Greenland to familiarize him with some of our missions,” said Jason. “He has a lifetime of experience to share, and he is great for morale.”

In turn, Kemp welcomed 429 to his world. He and Amber had a large portion of the squadron and their spouses to the winery for dinner, and they continue to give a special welcome to visiting squadron members.

“Kemp gave us a code word to use at the winery so his staff know we’re part of the squadron,” explained Lt.-Col. Jean Maisonneuve, the squadron’s current commanding officer. “We are very proud of the Colonel’s Cuvée,” he continued, with reference to Hillier Creek’s red wine with a graphic of a Globemaster III on the label.

pictureperfectlandscaping.ca

call us

613-968-1940 Belleville, ON

26

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

“Kemp is a mentor for me. He’s very involved with the squadron, coming in sometimes to just walk with me and chat with members. He attends family days, parties, and mess activities and is as much a part of the squadron as any of us. He flies with us, and he and Amber are supportive of our mission. He is very supportive of the families, and it makes a difference to our members.”

He settled for a while in Edmonton at the University of Alberta, majoring in commerce and adult education with a minor in physical fitness.

He saw a sign for the reserves –he was a reservist in high school – and joined the military.

That awareness of the hardship on military families is deeply ingrained in Kemp Stewart’s history. When asked where he is from, he replied, “I’m not from anywhere.” Born in Brandon, Manitoba when his father was posted at Shiloh, he moved around like thousands of other military kids, never putting down roots. He finished high school and started university in Kansas City. He joined the RCMP in 1967 and spent the next five years moving around. He travelled Europe for a year and then worked for The Keg, first as a waiter and eventually finding property for the chain and opening new restaurants, on the road again.

He met Amber, who was also in the military, and they spent the first five years of their marriage apart. Kemp was in Europe serving in various capacities, including as a sector logistics officer in Croatia while seconded to the United Nations. A six-month posting turned into 18 months. Amber was in medical school – first earning a PhD in psychiatry from Carleton University and then her MD from McMaster. She is now taking courses at Osgoode Law School for a Masters of Health Law. In addition to her ongoing work as an emergency room physician at Picton Memorial Hospital, Amber is a coroner. Between that, growing more

standing at the corner looking over the field and imaging a vineyard and the barn reconstructed and a Victorian/Loyalist style house to reflect the community and its history,” Kemp recalled. “It was such a clear image.” than 100 varieties of roses, and helping run a vineyard and winery, she and Kemp fundraise for the Military Family Resource Centre, the Wounded Warrior Foundation, and PTSD support groups.

As ingrained in the community as they are, there were many tenuous steps in the large leap of faith.

Kemp spent his off hours in Europe quickly coming to the realization European wines at the time were superior to those in Canada. He smiled at what he described as years spent studying varieties and chateaux and learning to love Cabernet Sauvignon. A plan began to form, a vision lodged, and a dream retirement took root.

He spent the weekend taking soil samples and gathering profiles and within a week Kemp and his friend owned the farm, which had been all but abandoned. Local farmers used some of the land, but no one had lived in the house for 15 years. Amber didn’t see the property until March 2001, and shortly thereafter the friend was posted away and the Stewarts became the sole owners.

In 2002, 2003, and 2004, they planted 10,000 plants each year, knowing it would take at least four or five years for the vines to mature to what Kemp calls their adolescence. They finished building the charming home in 2005, and the focus turned to the barn.

In 2000, still active in the Canadian Forces and posted to CFB Kingston, Kemp and a family friend happened upon what was known locally as the Badgely farm at the corner of Loyalist Highway and Stapleton Road.

There was a viable shipbuilding industry for 75 years in nearby Pleasant Bay and when the shipwrights weren’t in the shipyard, they built barns, including the one at Hillier Creek. “It was built in 1860.

Abraham Lincoln was president. We had to save it,” insisted Kemp.

The friend wanted to be a subsistence farmer and loved the front pasture. Kemp envisioned what it could be. “I remember

The logistics officer’s plans went a little astray at that point. The barn was built in a common style of the era. There was no

InterIor & exterIor FInIshIng AddItIons decks new wIndows custom trIm work

OPENING DOORS TO A BEAUTIFUL HOME. Andrew wAdForth tel: 613.885.5477 2804 county roAd 10 rr#3 PIcton, on k0k 2t0

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

27

foundation – just the barn on the ground.

The intervening 140 years had not been kind to the structure, and finding the right contractor took a couple of years. By 2008, Kemp and Amber put the barn in the hands of Trenton-based builder Bill Knegt. Along with Ernie Margetson who is known for his engineering and architectural expertise and passion for saving barns, hope returned.

Finally her daughter convinced her to come down and meet us,” said Kemp. “She showed us an aerial photo of the farm she gave her husband as a gift. She worked for an entire year at a cannery to afford it.” The photo hangs proudly in the tasting room, a visual story of the farm’s evolution and a link from a wife’s love to the squadron now entrenched with the winery.

Kemp remembered a key member of the team – a 72-year-old from Kingston who was the first onsite every morning. He learned house moving in Holland and was integral to the project. He built 26 cribs over six weeks and painstakingly raised the barn inch by inch, taking a day to make one lift. With the barn suspended high off of the ground, Kuipers Concrete poured footings and the foundation, and the barn was lowered to a stable base for the first time in almost a century and a half. Exterior barnboard was removed and reinstalled in the interior, and another connection to the past was made.

By 2008 the barn was finished and the winery was set to open in April 2009. Kemp and Amber hired staff, launched a marketing campaign, and were anxious to get started, moving forward with a new winery policy unanimously approved by council.

“Lois Badgely would park at the side of the road and take pictures of the progress.

Four days before they were set to open, they received a registered letter with notification of an appeal of the plan.

They could not open. Finally, the Ontario Municipal Board adjudicated in December 2009, and once again they planned for a spring launch, a year behind.

Without further delay, Hillier Creek Estates opened to acclaim. With 30 acres under five varieties of grape, it is more than a retirement project, and in 2014 the

SOMETHING

for Everyone!

286 MAIN ST., BLOOMFIELD, ON OPEN 7 DAYS 10-5 p.m.

613-393-1494 greengablesbloomfield.com 28

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Stewarts took the next step of becoming a designated estate winery.

“We have to increase production and sales.

It is not just a hobby farm. We are farm winery. We grow grapes, make wine, and sell it, much like a maple syrup operation. We’re in the business of selling wine.”

In 2014, Hillier Creek was approved as an estate winery, meaning once conditions are met, they can host wedding and other events – much like the Grapes of Wrath fundraiser in September. “There is a point where we have to decide to stay a small boutique winery or take the next step and go bigger.”

Kemp is not blind to the challenges inherent with the area, noting Niagara yields three tonnes per acre while Prince Edward County averages about half of that. “All the same expenses, half the crop.”

The Stewarts are committed to continuous improvement and to the Canadian Forces.

While Kemp studies viticulture, Amber reads about roses. In addition to beautifying the grounds, her 100 varieties act as indicators for the health of the vines, “They are similar

in many ways,” explained Kemp. “They are sensitive and are both prone to black spot and mildew.”

With 8 Wing only 20 minutes away, much of Kemp’s focus is in that direction, allowing him to participate in professional development, promotions, changes of command, and personnel support. He does a lot of public speaking about Wounded Warriors, mental and physical health, and the Military Family Resource Centre. “They are our favourite charities on a personal level, so it’s a natural extension of who we are,” he explained.

“Wounded Warriors fills a void for serving and retired members and the companion dog program is very important to us,” he said while scanning the patio for Pinot and Riesling, his two Labradoodles. “Dogs by their nature bring us out of ourselves.”

In another crossover, Kemp is an avid cyclist, usually getting in a 25-kilometre ride each day. Last summer he participated in the Wounded Warrior

Foundation’s Battlefield Bike Ride in France. This winter he is going to take on Mount Lemmon near Tucson, Arizona.

At 67, he is not short of goals, whether on his bike or in his business.

To Kemp, life in Prince Edward County, life as a vintner is not just about the wine industry. “It’s the synergy with accommodations, arts, and restaurants.”

It is about connecting the wine and tourism industry with another huge economic driver in the area – the Canadian Forces. It’s about promoting everything the region has to offer in a cohesive manner.

“Niagara is Napa. We’re more rustic.

We’re the Sonoma of Ontario. Over the next decade we’ll mature as a wine region, we’ll gain more recognition, and we’ll see smaller wineries consolidate.

We’ll come into our own and will be as recognized as those other regions.”

Kemp will be there as a driving force.

The kid from nowhere is now a vintner in Hillier with substantial roots.

We’ll take care of everything from Foundation to Throw pillows.

The home of your dreams is just a phone call away!

Our Services include: New Custom Homes Additions General Contracting Project Management

Not sure if building a new home is right for you? Worried about the cost and stress?

Let Hickory Homes show you how easy it can be.

By offering turn-key service, you can rest easy knowing that we have taken care of everything.

When you are ready to start creating the home of your dreams, call us for a quote. Homes are avaliable for your viewing today. t: 613.922.9276

|

e: kyle@hickoryhomes.ca

|

www.hickoryhomes.ca COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

29

Stirling's Water Buffalo

30

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Article by Cindy Duffy Photography by Daniel Vaughan For city dwellers winter may appear to be a down time on the farm, but when there are more than 300 water buffalo to care for and 40 to milk twice a day, with one herd manager and a farm hand, there really is no down time. Lori Smith and Martin Littkemann seem to like it, maybe because both of them have farming in their blood.

Although Lori grew up mainly in Belleville, as a child she always felt most at home on her aunt and uncle’s farm. Her first husband was a farmer and they ran a dairy operation not far from the 350-acre

farm she now shares with Martin, just north of Stirling. Martin’s parents migrated from Germany in the early ’60s to settle on a farm near Ivanhoe, where Martin grew up. He has been farming ever since.

It is early fall and Lori doesn’t miss a beat as she unpacks this week’s supply of specialty cheeses made from water buffalo milk supplied by their own milking operation. She tells the story of how their farm, now called the Ontario Water Buffalo Company, became the first water buffalo milking operation in eastern Canada and

the second in the country.

While Martin spent his birthday working hard to get one last cut of hay, Lori chatted in the farm’s most recent addition. It is a modest structure used by the previous owners as a pottery barn. Set back a few metres from the road it is visible to passing traffic, making it ideal for its new use as the farm’s retail outlet. With the help of her son, who works in construction, they renovated the space during the winter months installing flooring and a striking ceiling made with reclaimed tin roofing embossed

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

31

with maple leafs. Aside from a couple of decorative ceramic buffalo, the space is sparse, filled only with refrigerators used to store the cheese and freezers containing the same cuts of buffalo meat a consumer would expect to find on a beef farm, including the jerky. The store opened this past spring.

“We didn’t expect to need a retail outlet,” Lori says.

Before they started milking they had a contract with Quality Cheese, a business run by the Borgo family in Vaughan, north of Toronto. The cheese makers would purchase all of the farm’s buffalo milk to make specialty cheeses such as mozzarella di bufala, ricotta, and Gouda. This business plan won Lori and Martin the 2008 Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

Still, people driving by the farm on the Stirling-Marmora road spotting the water buffalo in the fields would drive up the driveway and knock on their door to see if they had any meat or cheese to sell. The farm now buys back cheese from Quality Cheese, made from their buffalo milk to sell in the store, along with their buffalo meat they have butchered at nearby Hoard’s Station.

“Opening the store was the best thing we ever did because now we have people buying locally and we’ve also had people from Japan, Germany, Norway, and Brazil coming in, signing our guest book and saying how fantastic the farm and store are.”

By their very presence the water buffalo seem to be marketing themselves locally.

For the past six years the town of Stirling has closed off its main street to host the annual Water Buffalo Festival. It is now called Go Buff and features, among other things, food prepared by local chefs with water buffalo meat or cheese. “Sales at the festival and store this year were remarkable.

Our volunteers and staff could hardly keep up,” said Lori.

To be a farmer in Canada is to be adaptable, and the story of how the partners came to start milking water buffalo in the first place is a story of adaptation. When Lori and Martin got together they each had experience as Ontario dairy farmers. They missed dairy and really wanted to milk again.

Even though Martin still had the equipment, both had sold their quotas, and getting back into dairy would be both difficult and expensive. Martin’s brother suggested they try milking water buffalo. “Martin and I are alike in that we like to go down the path that is least beaten,” says Lori. Being the adventurous types, they did some research, agreed milking water buffalo was worth a try, and off they went to Caserta, Italy for the 2007 World Water Buffalo Congress.

“Fifteen percent of milk consumed worldwide comes from water buffalo and Italy has more water buffalo producing milk than there are Holsteins producing milk in Ontario,” said Lori.

While in Italy they toured farms, sampled different cheeses including mozzarella di bufala, and met a Vermont farmer who would later sell them their first 38 Italian-

We specialize in home automation

E SMARTHOM

Effortless control of your home or business. ™

613-779-1097 32

dynamichometechnologies.ca

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Covering Southern Ontario

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

33

bred water buffalo heifers and one bull, in April 2008. That same year they purchased 10 Bulgarian water buffalo from Fairburn farm on Vancouver Island - the first farm to raise water buffalo in Canada. Two years later they purchased 30 head from a farm in Michigan.

They started milking in September 2008.

Lori says because of their experience the

milking part was easy but they both had to work at getting to know the water buffalo.

“The only thing we really had to learn about, and it wasn’t a small thing, was the water buffalo. They have been domesticated for 5000 years, but still have so much of their natural instinct. It’s amazing to watch them give birth, watch them raise their babies, watch them interact with each other.”

A very enthusiastic Australian Shepherd named Molly and several barn cats accompany Lori on farm tours and visitors can easily see the attraction to the water buffalo. Lori calls them all by name - she insists they are all given names when they arrive or are born.

“They are really docile, friendly, and tactile thriving on human contact,” she

OPEN YEAR ROUND

34

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

calves per year bringing the herd to said. “They’re also more like horses picking people they like. Cow’s don’t give a hoot who its current 300 in total.

The tour ends in a state-of-the-art is putting the milking machine on but the free stall barn under construction. buffalo do.”

The hope is the barn will be up and As if it genetics might help to explain running by this winter. Currently some of the difference in their dispositions, Lori and Mike are milking 40 buffalo Lori noted even though water buffalo are classed as a bovine there is a difference of 14 with each producing about half the milk of a typical Holstein. In the chromosomes - water buffalo have 48 to 50, new barn they want to milk 50 to depending on the breed, cows have 64. “This means you can’t even breed the two together,” 60 but they could milk as many as 120, and the stall design will be more she said. comfortable for the water buffalo The water buffalo are organized by age and safer for the person doing the and gender, much like cows would be on milking. a dairy farm. The paddock of some of this Lori and Martin, because of their year’s heifers all want to be scratched on the dairy backgrounds, have always head. The milking herd is in the next field. voluntarily followed the same The charismatic Yvette uses her 2,000-plus regulations governing cow’s milk pounds to push the others out of the way in order to grab all of the attention. Apparently, in Ontario. Martin hopes water because of her love of the limelight, Yvette is buffalo milk production eventually comes under these same regulations, the one most often taken to public events to leading to the creation of a whole serve as a sort of water buffalo ambassador. new industry in the province.

Breeding and improving bloodlines is Since the 1940s, the number of both a science and an art. Last year about family farms has been decreasing in 40 calves were born between May and this province and across the country.

June. Some cows were naturally bred by Increasingly, the smaller farms are their own bulls, but most were conceived surviving by taking control of their by artificial insemination. “We meet with Italian breeders when we travel to the World own marketing and identifying or developing niche markets.

Buffalo Congress. We discuss the options Lori admitted she and Martin and they supply us with catalogues of the didn’t set out to follow this formula, most popular and productive bulls available but so far, it does seem to be in the world.” Of course the hope is the bulls will pass on these traits ultimately improving working for them. They’re adaptable farmers, after all. their future herd. They average about 70

WELCOME TO RIVERSIDE DENTAL CENTRE I am Dr. Robert Rawluk, and every effort is taken at Riverside Dental Centre to maintain your healthy teeth and gums with experienced preventative care.

See us at our office conveniently located in the Riverview Plaza, 255 Glen Miller Rd., Unit #3, Trenton – Just north of Highway 401.

NEW PATIENTS WELCOME riversidedentalcentre.com

613-392-2732

‘Over 30 years in the Quinte Region’ Doctor Robert Rawluk, D.D.S.

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

35

36

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

The Drake Devonshire

Article by Catherine Stutt Photography by Daniel Vaughan The Drake Devonshire is all that and more. Its hype doesn’t come close to the reality. It is the Drake by the Lake. It is a nuclear fusion of urban country. It is sensory overload, a spin class for the eye. It is an eclectic mix of thoroughly random perfectly curated brilliance.

It takes the disconnected oddities of two foreign worlds and smacks them into chaotic harmony. It is a bespoke hotel offering cultural sleepovers.

This side street is the new main street in rural chic. It’s farmhouse industrial. It works. It works so well it should have been there forever.

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

37

It is a trip inside Jeff Stober’s brain, and it’s a kaleidoscope of a journey.

Drake Devonshire – the Drake on the Lake in Wellington?

The yellow lights along the entrance walkway draw clientele like moths to a flame. Before visitors reach for the floating handle on the glass sheet door, it’s difficult to not notice the Barn Light USA fixtures lighting the walkway. They are not the bug light glow of midsummer; they are a quirky comfortable beacon blazing a trail.

Certainly the hosting crew is at the top of the list. Chef Matt DeMille never strays too far from the kitchen and dining areas and general manager Chris Loane is everywhere, maybe directing traffic in the parking lot or keeping a watchful eye over the beachfront – which is a gem all on its own.

the Devonshire to frame that ridiculously beautiful view,” he shared hours after returning to Toronto from an early November visit to Wellington. “This time of year, the lake has an attitude. During construction we would stand and watch the mist freeze and form mountains of ice.

The colours over the lake are magnificent.

Today started out overcast and then the sun broke through. It was a moody magical grey rainbow.”

Running a sma is a big task.

Le Running a small business

If Jeff Stober and his team of creative brains make a sidewalk this enticing, what treasures await within the newly anointed

The lake is the star of this property, and owner Jeff Stober makes no apologies for his love of the temperamental shoreline. “We architecturally recreated

Jeff’s passion for the Drake Devonshire is not abating with time. His dream of adding

Affordable business ser is a big task.

Let u± help.

Running a small business Running a small business is a big risk. Let u$ help.

From corporate and self-employed returns to offer smart affordable services that make ru

business services. Speak to an H&R Block Tax isAffordable a bigAffordable task.

Let u± help. business services.

From corporate and self-employed returns to GST returns and tax advice, 127 North St PO Box 159 102 Dundaswe St W offer smart affordable services that make running small businessTrenton, easier.ON Stirling,aON

Affordable services.

From corporate andbusiness self-employed returns to GST returns and tax advice, offer smart affordable services Phone: we 613-395-5151 Phone: 613-394-6612 Speak an H&R Block Tax From corporate and self-employed returns to GSTto returns and tax advice, weProfessional that make running a small business easier. offer smart affordable services that make running a small business easier.

today

297 Mian St E Picton, ON 613-476-5840 Phone: 613-395-5151 Phone: 27 Front St Phone: S 297 Mian St E 613-394-6612 102 Dundas St W

127 North St PO Box 159

102 Dundas St W

Speak to an H&R Block TaxStirling, Professional Speak to an H&R Block Professional today ON Taxtoday.

Trenton, ON 127 North St PO Box 159 Stirling, ON Phone: 613-395-5151

Trenton, ON Phone: 613-394-6612

Picton, ON Phone: 613-476-5840

Campbellford, ON Phone: 705-653-4822

127 North St. PO Box 159 102 Dundas St. W. 297 Main St. E. hrblock.ca | 800-HRBLOCK Stirling, ON Trenton , ON Picton, ON hrblock.ca | 800-HRBLOCK Phone: 613-395-5151 Phone: 613-394-6612 Phone: 613-476-5840 ©H&R Block Canada In. At participating offices. See office for details. © H&R Block Canada, Inc. At participating offices. See office for details.

38

© H&R Block Canada, Inc. At participating offices. See office for details.

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

hrblock.ca | 800-HRBLOCK

27 Front St. S. © Campbellford H&R Block Canada, Inc., ON

27 Front St S Campbellford, ON Phone: 705-653-4822

At participating offices. See office for details.

Phone: 705-653-4822

Ph

a rural property to the Drake collection is realized, but he is far from finished with it. “We have always played with the ironies and juxtaposition of rural and urban.”

The Drake Hotel - the company’s flagship presence on Queen Street West in Toronto - has a rooftop garden. In the winter, a fireplace warms guests during outdoor events like maple syrup tasting.

It’s perfectly orchestrated campy fun.

“We’re bringing rural out of context to an urban setting. We play a lot with rural influences at the Drake.”

Similarly, the Drake Devonshire brings urban touches to rural Prince Edward, capitalizing on the travellers. “I’m fascinated with the idea of people taking road trips,” Jeff admitted. “The Devonshire is the next generation vacation opportunity.”

He compares the Drake Devonshire with those historic vacation outposts of the 1950s and 1960s, reinvented for the next millennium. “We see the Devonshire in a similar light as leaving Los Angeles for Palm Springs, or New York City for the Hamptons.

They are modern throwbacks – all of those small hotels and repurposed country inns brought into this age.”

Growing up in Montreal, Jeff spent summers visiting the eastern townships of Quebec. “They were also founded by L oyalists, and it’s the same idea of older hotels from a simpler time updated and given new life.”

The quest for a rural property started about five years ago and Jeff happened upon the Devonshire. “When I first saw Prince Edward County, I got it right away. It’s Palm Springs and the Hamptons and the Laurentians. It’s the same.”

The Devonshire was a natural but challenging addition to the Drake stable.

Where others saw obstacles, Jeff and his creative village saw opportunity.

The history of the building was irresistible to his curiosity. The first structure on the property was a plain brick building built in 1860 housing the Wellington Iron Foundry. Sometime around the turn of the century W.P. Niles of the seed company fame added another building

“We have always played with the ironies and juxtaposition of rural and urban.”

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

39

LANDSCAPES REFINED. REDESIGNED.

ARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES

613.476.8872 terravista@kos.net terravistalandscape.com 40

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

to the foundry and turned it into his residence.

When he died, his wife’s nephew assumed ownership and took in tourists during the summer, calling it Clinton Lodge. The tourism operation morphed into a nursing home called Thistle Lodge until 1974 when it was again renovated, repurposed into guest rooms, and renamed the Devonshire Inn and then the Devonshire Inn on the Lake.

Its next incarnation as the Drake Devonshire officially began when Jeff purchased the property in 2012. It has 12 guestrooms and two suites including the famed owner’s suite, a multifunction room appropriately called The Glass Box, a full service restaurant, a bar, large decks, and beachfront, and a tilted piano outdoors whose sole purpose seems to be to listen to itself. That is the magic of the space – the careless happenstance of object placement hides the exceptional intention of every single element.

“There was a painful process of execution to make this look easy,” admitted Jeff, adding he loves hunting for art and treasures. His eclectic style shows at every turn. Beneath a paper and pipe cleaner suspended quilt is a two-foot long fishing lure. A short walk past the front desk is an inviting room filled with art and seating areas, leading to The Glass Box – an architecturally stunning room decorated with vintage furniture, meticulously chosen fabrics, curated art, beautiful flooring, and a ping-pong table.

“The Glass Box tells a beautiful story,” related Jeff. “It is newly architected and open for

Innovation.

Designed for living.

See the difference attention to detail makes.

425 WEST FRONT STREET, STIRLING • 613-395-1490 • kitchensbypaulholden.com COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

41

interpretation and we wanted to make it welcoming. There’s a lot going on, a lot of modern busyness, and then there’s the ping-pong table. It’s a throwback thing.

Who doesn’t want to play ping-pong? We’re living in complex times, in an information revolution. We’re all tied to our gadgets and 42

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

we crave simplicity. There is an insatiable appetite for that.”

Those who visit the Drake Devonshire for a single purpose have a battle ahead. The mantra seems to be, “Yes, you can come for coffee,” because there is a perception it is only a hotel, only open to overnight guests,

when in reality it is so open to everyone, always. Chris shared a story of a couple from Quebec who took a detour through Prince Edward on the way home. They stopped in for a coffee in the morning, took a walk through Wellington and came back for charcuterie in the afternoon, decided

Home Entertainment For the Holidays.

Audio-Video Solutions professionally installed.

SINCE

1983

.com 6 N. Front St. Belleville (613) 962-1333

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Anytime. Anywhere.

Anywhere.Any Anyday... day...

Anytime.

Any day...

That’s when you can count on State Farm®. ® That’s when can count onthem.

State Farm .

As your family grows, soyou do your reasons for protecting Get the right life insurance and peace of mind. ® That’s when can count CONTACT A you STATE FARMState AGENT GET TO family Awhen BETTER STATE As your grows, so do. can your reasons for protecting them. TODAY. Get the right That’s you count on Farm .life insurance and peace of mind. ™

Anytime.

Anywhere Anytime.

Anywhere Anytime. Anywhere

™ . CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT A BETTER STATE AsGET yourTO family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them.

Get TODAY. the right life insurance and peace of mind.

GET TO A BETTER STATE™. CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT TODAY.

on State Farm®.

As your family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them. Get the right life insurance and peace of mind.

Carey Webb, Agent 18 Heber Street CareyON Webb, Agent Trenton, K8V 1M5 Heber Street Bus:18 613-392-3384 Carey Webb, Agent www.careywebb.com Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 18 Heber Street Bus: 613-392-3384 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 www.careywebb.com Bus: 613-392-3384 www.careywebb.com

Peter Webb, Agent 18 Heber St Peter Agent Trenton, ONWebb, K8V 1M5 18 Heber St Bus: 613-394-5200 Peter Webb, peter@peterwebb.ca Trenton, ON Agent K8V 1M5 18 Heber St Bus: 613-394-5200 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 peter@peterwebb.ca Bus: 613-394-5200 peter@peterwebb.ca

That’s when you can count on State Fa That’s when you can count on State F As your family grows,you so do can your reasons for protecting them. Get That’s when count on State F

statefarm.ca®

™ GET statefarm.caTO A BETTER STATE .

As your family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them. Get th statefarm.ca CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT TODAY. GET TO A BETTER STATE . CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT TOD

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day..

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day...

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day.

Anytime.

Anywhere.

Any day...

1201039CN

1201039CN

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

®

®

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

™Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario State Farm International Life Insurance

1201039CN

™ . CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT A BETTER STATE AsGET yourTO family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them.

Get Tt ™ GET TO A BETTER STATE . CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT TO Carey Webb, Agent 18 Heber Street ® Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 ® ® That’s when you can count on State Farm .

As your family grows, so do your reasons for Bus: protecting them.® Get the right life insurance and peace of mind 613-392-3384 Carey Webb, That’s when you can on State Farm . ® ™ count As your family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them.

Get the right life insurance and peace ofAgent mind.

A STATE FARM AGENT TODAY. GET TO family A BETTER STATE As your grows, so do. CONTACT your reasons for protecting them.

Get the18right Heber life Streetinsurance and peace of www.careywebb.com ® CONTACT A STATE FARMState AGENT GET TO family Awhen BETTER STATE As your grows, so do. can your reasons for protecting them. TODAY. Get the right life insurance and Webb, peace Agent of mind.

That’s you count on Farm . ™ Carey Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 . CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT TO A BETTER STATE AsGET your family grows, do your for protecting them.

Get TODAY. the right life insurance and peace of mT CONTACT A reasons STATE FARM AGENT TODAY. GET TO A BETTER STATE .so

Anytime.

Anywhere. Any day...

That’s when you can count on State Farm .

That’s when you can count on State Farm .

That’s when you can count on State Farm . ™

™

As your family grows, so do your reasons for protecting them. Get the right life insurance and peace of mind.

18 Heber Street Bus: 613-392-3384 ™ Carey Webb, Agent . CONTACT A STATE GET A BETTER www.careywebb.com Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 CONTACT A STATE FARM AGENT FARM TODAY. AGENT TODAY. GET TO ATO BETTER STATE™.STATE

p

Heber Street Bus: 613-392-3384 Peter Webb, Agent 18 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 www.careywebb.com 18 Heber Street Bus: 613-392-3384 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 www.careywebb.com statefarm.ca Carey Webb, Agent Peter Webb, Agent 18 Heber Street 18 Heber St Carey Webb, AgentBus: 613-394-5200 Peter Webb, Agent ® State FarmStInternational Life Insurance Company Lt CareyON Webb, Agent Peter Agent Trenton, K8V 1M5 Trenton, ONWebb, K8V 1M5 statefarm.ca 18 Heber1201039CN Streetpeter@peterwebb.ca 18 Heber Heber Street 18 Heber St Bus:18 613-392-3384 Bus: 613-394-5200 ®

“We architecturally recreated the Devonshire to frame that ridiculously beautiful view…”

CareyON Webb, Agent Peter Agent Trenton, K8V 1M5 Trenton, ONWebb, K8V 1M5 Carey Webb, Agent Peter Webb, www.careywebb.com Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 Trenton, ON Agent K8V 1M5 ® peter@peterwebb.ca statefarm.ca Heber Street 18 Heber St Bus:18 613-392-3384 Bus: 613-394-5200 18 Heber Street 18 Heber St 1201039CN State Farm International Life Insurance Compan Bus: 613-392-3384 Bus: 613-394-5200 Carey Webb, Agent Peter Webb, Agent Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 www.careywebb.com peter@peterwebb.ca Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 www.careywebb.com peter@peterwebb.ca Bus: 613-392-3384 Bus: 613-394-5200 18 Heber Street 18 Heber St 1201039CN State Farm International Life Insurance Company L Bus: 613-392-3384 Bus: 613-394-5200 www.careywebb.com peter@peterwebb.ca Trenton, ON K8V 1M5 Trenton, ON K8V 1M5

statefarm.ca® 1201039CN statefarm.ca®

statefarm.ca

® statefarm.ca 1201039CN

®

1201039CN statefarm.ca®

1201039CN

statefarm.ca 1201039CN 1201039CN

®

www.careywebb.com Bus: 613-392-3384 www.careywebb.com

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

peter@peterwebb.ca Bus: 613-394-5200 peter@peterwebb.ca

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

1201039CN

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario State Farm International Life Insurance Company Ltd., Aurora, Ontario

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

43

to stay for supper, and booked a room for a few nights.

That in a nutshell is the Drake Devonshire.

The setting is quaint – a lakeside venue in a charming rural Ontario town. The entrance is beguiling, and the interior stunning. Even a quick cup of coffee means experiencing more than one slice of the Devonshire pie. As overnight guests check in, day visitors relax in several dining areas, and others explore the beach. It is impossible not to see more than expected, to not feel part of something wonderful.

To Jeff, it is a canvas created by a village of creative minds.

“It’s a cultural community centre, a living breathing contributing member of the neighbourhood. It’s a role all of the great hotels have always played. We curate our food, our mixology, our art, our rooms, our outdoor spaces. We are hospitality curators and cultural preservationists.”

Acknowledging it would have been much more efficient to build a 200-room cookie cutter hotel, Jeff stressed that simply is not his goal. “We want to embed ourselves deeply into our communities.

The canvas will respond to the conditions it faces. We’re just participants and it’s all about the partnership between us, our customers, municipal officials, suppliers, and neighbours.”

Relying on long-term associates to run the Drake Devonshire solidified an

immediate County connection. Chef Matt DeMille, his wife, and their families are from the area, and Matt worked at the Drake Hotel with Chris, who now lives close to work. A couple of others moved to the area, but most employees are local and by all accounts loving this new opportunity right in their backyard. Chris estimates 80 per cent of staff are local, and for many, it means changing careers and finding their dream job. “One of our front desk people used to work in factory until she came here.

We’re looking for passion; we can train the skills.”

Chris sees the hotel’s role as a County concierge, giving visitors a starting point to explore the area, connecting farmers, foodies, communities, and beaches. As head chef, Matt is committed to local sources and inspiration.

“We’re high volume and heavily supporting area farms. We’ve exhausted small local farms of their entire supply of rabbit, lamb, and leeks.”

Prince Edward County’s #1 Team for Kitchen & Flooring Design

Visit our friendly staff to turn your dreams into reality.

PAUL COURTNEY

JOCELYN DRIVER

KALYN QUAIFF

JOE SCOTT

Picton Home Hardware Building Centre 13544 Loyalist Parkway, Picton x 613-476-7497 44

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

info@pictonhomehardware.com

GOOD BONES GREAT FINISH

TURN-KEY CUSTOM HOME DESIGN & BUILD • Renovations • Additions • Restorations • Free Initial Consultation

VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 13360 Loyalist Pkwy.

Picton, Ontario 613.476.6834 www.elliottsage.com info@elliottsage.com

TIMBER-FRAME HOMES COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

45

In awe of Matt’s resourcefulness, Chris remembered serving strawberries and tomatoes still warm from picking, going from field to table with the least amount of processing and handling. Autumn brought dishes inspired by squash and cabbage.

“We’re blessed with such great local choices and we let the season and the terroir dictate what we serve. People supplying our beef eat here. We’re inspired by the lake to table opportunity and the availability of beautiful perch and pickerel. We build on that with a lake and sea menu. It’s all connected.”

Matt admits to some crossover items with the Drake Hotel, and then stressed the differences. “Our burgers are better,” he smiled, leading to the next ethos of the Drake mindset. “We’re elegant dining and we’re true inn or tavern style. If we’re open, the kitchen is open. We’ll make a guy a burger when he’s hungry. When the wineries are harvesting late into the evening, their people can stop by for a drink. It was a huge learning curve for us and an adjustment for the community, too.

People can stop by for a drink at 9 or 10 in the evening.”

With seating for 85 on the main floor, plus 45 on the patio and 48 in the pavilion, Matt can feed a crowd, but the zones are at once both open and intimate. “We’re giving people options,” he said, with a nod toward

the bar stocked with an array of bourbons, scotches, and wines – with emphasis, of course, on local wineries.

The menu, in Matt’s words is, “Not pretentious. It reads simple but is surprising when it arrives at the table. The dessert menu has a milkshake on it.”

The duo, friends and co-workers for so long, vibrate with excitement and energy in their new project. They miss nothing, focus on the most minute of details, and truly get the big picture.

“Hospitality is a term thrown around a lot,” explained Matt. “This company encompasses it holistically. People come for a coffee and can watch surfers and kayakers; they come for dinner and suddenly they’re treated to live bluegrass music. There is a touch of New York, a touch of Europe, and a lot of Prince Edward in every room, and it all works. It’s a wonderful welcoming experience in a sophisticated setting.”

They also recognize how personal the Drake Devonshire is to its owner. “This is Jeff’s dream project. He spent years on the details and sourcing the décor. It’s homage to his childhood.”

It is all of that, and more. It is more than the hype. It is the Drake Devonshire, and it might just be the start of a new wave of hospitality in Prince Edward County.

Open Up To A

Welcome Change

North Star patio doors are custom make to suit your style.

Available in a wide range of finishes, our attractive, long lasting hardware adds the special details that make a big difference. North Star windows and doors offer you the perfect combination of beauty and low-maintenance. And you can take comfort in knowing that you’re helping to save the environment, too. Enjoy the view through North Star windows and doors.

613.475.3684 13 Loyalist Dr. Brighton QUALITY WINDOWS AND DOORS. GREAT SERVICE. EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.

46

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

www.vanderlaanbuilding.com

LARGE SELECTION OF LIGHTS, LAMPS AND CEILING FANS

613.392.5867/ Hwy 2 Between Trenton & Brighton www.vanvarkelectric.com

Electrical Contractor Since 1968

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

47

Volcanoes of Ice and Other Wonders

The icy brilliance of winter Article by Sharon Harrison Photography by Sharon Harrison and Ramesh Pooran

48

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

I

ncredibly loud and not immediately recognizable, the roaring sound seems out of place on this rural stretch of shoreline sweeping the County’s western fringes. Nearing the headland, the distant growl becomes louder and could easily be mistaken for the rumble of a busy highway. Yet this place is an isolated one, miles distant from traffic. The source of the noise is revealed as the bay comes into view.

Broken ice drifts slowly yet noisily towards the shore as wind and waves give movement to the enormous mass. Encompassing a decent portion of the bay, the thick ice heaves ponderously as the current beneath the semifrozen concretion struggles to move the overlying mass. The

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

49

wind and the lake’s acoustics play tricks, and closer to the rugged limestone shoreline the roar is diminished, changing in rhythm, producing an entirely different note.

Farther along the lakeshore, the small bay is filled with crenulated sheet ice, broken into a thousand fragments, resembling enormous shards of shattered glass. It’s a majestic sight as the sharp trapezoid edges stand vertically, as if reaching for the sky. The din of broken ice,

50

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

overlapping and scraping as each piece jostles for space in the crowded arena, combines to create a unique winter symphony. The sound emanating from the setting is not a familiar one, and it momentarily confuses the ear.

The bay is covered for several hundred feet out in its ice mosaic. It’s one of those sights that must be seen to be believed, and it takes an adjustment of the senses to absorb every minute detail.

This is Canada at its winter best.

Looking towards the horizon, beyond the slushy conglomeration of ice blanketing the bay, the lake turns to water of cerulean blue. There seems nothing more pure. On a bitterly cold day in February, the view of the gigantic glittering lake is one of sublime beauty. This is Canada at its winter best. The strong sunlight is blinding as it refracts from the many thousands of glass-like pieces jammed across the expanse. It’s a dazzling visual feast; a vista of raw luminosity. The coruscating mirrors capture one’s gaze, hypnotically transforming the moment into a dream-like state of mind. The optical reflectance appears as nature’s sequins, sprinkled at random. It is just as a sea of jewels could be imagined; a vast collection of druzy quartz gems, where a million tiny crystals sparkle, twinkling far beyond imagination, and expectation.

Heading farther south following the County’s shoreline, the winter season brings with it a unique beach scene, one quite different compared with its summer counterpart. It is not just the golden sands now transformed into a glistening surface of frosty snow. At this point in the calendar, the once flat, narrow, sandy beach is very much changed and now resembles a lunar landscape, complete with craters and mounds appearing as giant molehills.

It appears far wider, and the water line has moved a considerable distance out from its usual point.

Ruts and crevices criss-cross the area, and hills of snow and ice in all shapes and sizes dominate the landscape.

The hills have distinctive cone-shapes and are scientifically known as cryovolcanoes, although commonly referred to as ice volcanoes. Conditions need to be just so for these unique ice formations to develop, and there have been many a mild County winter where they have failed to materialize. Cones can only start to form once the air temperature

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

51

Renew all the wood in your home or office

No Dust. No Mess. No Odor.

Call Mike Gutteridge at NHance today

905.269.8649 ridgewoodrenewal@gmail.com 52

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

cools sufficiently, allowing ice to collect and form at the shoreline. As the temperature drops below freezing, wind, waves, and spray build up a shelf of ice along its leading edge. The shelf extends outwards over the lake, and water - driven by wave action - begins to spout through cracks and gaps. The water freezes on the surface, building a cone-shaped mound of ice centred on the gap in the shelf.

This is how the ice volcanoes are born. Without the ice shelf, the volcanoes could not exist. It’s a finely balanced process. Driven by sustained onshore winds, big waves crash against the ice shelf where some of the water is channelled through a network of tunnels below the shelf’s surface. This water will spout through weak spots in the ice shelf and either create a new cone or use an existing one. The ice volcanoes continue to grow in size with every eruption, as the spouting water freezes when it falls back on the surface of the hollow cavities, building up the cone as it goes.

By midwinter, the starkly beautiful landscape is transformed into a stage of icy hills. Their presence commands attention as the ice volcanoes rise majestically out along the shoreline,

reaching 15 or 20 feet high. At their peak, the volcanoes tower so high that sight lines to the lake disappear, and there’s no clue this is actually a lakeshore. It can be difficult to witness the volcanoes in action: most of the active cones are situated closest to the water’s edge, which can now be 50 to 100 feet beyond the original shoreline.

The ice volcanoes work on much the same principle as regular volcanoes.

The exploding icy liquid rises up from within the volcano cavity, forced under pressure, spurting high above with great force, fiercely spewing water, chunks of ice, small stones - and sometimes even snow - up to 10 feet in the air. Some eruptions appear violent and chaotic with ice and water spraying in all directions; others are graceful and orchestrated in their performance, having a single plume erupting in time with the waves.

Soon after forming, the ice volcanoes often become dormant, as new ones are created to take their place. The tunnels and channels beneath their surface can change and vents can easily close, usually freezing over if waves decrease or the ice shelf extends farther out, meaning water can no longer reach the volcanoes. If

wave action is sufficient to reopen a weak spot in the tunnels, it is entirely possible for the volcanoes to come back to life again.

Mostly, they remain dormant and hollow and extinct, the assemblage littering the beach as far as the eye can see.

While it may be tempting to explore the ice volcanoes, they bring many elements of danger. The hollow cavities are often thin, and the conditions extremely unpredictable

and constantly changeable. The height of the formations, together with their fragility and unknown instability, make for a precarious adventure. Exposure to the deep, frigid waters beneath the volcanoes can be deadly. Exploration of any kind is never recommended. The ice volcanoes are best viewed and enjoyed from a very safe distance.

Ice rules here for a few short months and yet this Great Lakes phenomenon is by

no means a certainty. Just like so many of Mother Nature’s wonderful creations, their presence cannot be guaranteed from year to year as it depends upon the right set of conditions to work. As with any good recipe, all of the ingredients must be present for the magic to happen. This marvellous spectacle is the County’s very own arctic wonderland, and its icy brilliance is truly impressive.

773 Bell Blvd. West, Belleville

613.969.6699

www.fireplacespecialties.ca

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

53

Adolphustown Redux

The United Empire Loyalist Centre and the Daverne Farm Article by Lindi Pierce Photography by Daniel Vaughan

c

A

dolphustown. A sleepy little hamlet along Highway 33. A well-kept barn and a welcoming farmhouse are the first buildings to greet the visitor entering town from the west. A carefully restored board and batten village hall, a fine brick vicarage, and a picturesque Anglican church follow.

No businesses but for a family campground down a lane. And trees. Lots of trees.

Absorbed into the Town of Greater Napanee, part of the Ontario East Tourist Region, Adolphustown would appear to be losing its identity.

The heritage attraction signs tell a different story. For sleepy Adolphustown is the guardian of the area’s rich United Empire Loyalist (UEL) settlement history - and its future - thanks to the hardworking and visionary people dedicated to telling its story.

The stately Queen Anne style home of David Wright Allison has survived many changes in fortune over its 136 years. The fine brick house was built in 1878 for the wealthy entrepreneur, grandson of Loyalist settlers. Shorn of its tower and verandah, the house maintains its dignity with a magnificent entrance and intricate bargeboard. The house sits on 72 acres of

54

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

55

treed waterfront property, the actual site of the June 16, 1784 landing of the Loyalists.

Here the past is being preserved for the future by the Bay of Quinte Branch of the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (UELAC), formed in 1956.

“Adolphustown was the gateway to UEL settlement,” explained Brian Tackaberry, vice-president of the Branch. The first Loyalists settled in the area; succeeding generations ventured farther into newly surveyed townships in today’s Prince Edward and Hastings counties and beyond.

Each Loyalist was entitled to a grant depending on his military rank, from 100 up to 1,000 acres. Later, each son and daughter of the Loyalist was also entitled to 200 acres.

As a result tiny Adolphustown soon ran out of land, so families spread out.

Historic preservation efforts began early here. The original Loyalist cemetery just west of the Allison house (where a child who died within days of the landing is buried) was restored for the 1884 centenary celebration of the UEL landing, the first such event held in Ontario. Annual June commemorations continued, declining during the First and Second World Wars and the Depression years. By 1956, renewed interest and the financial support of Adelaide McLaughlin (wife of General Motors of Canada founder Colonel Sam McLaughlin) led to the purchase of the property and adjacent Baker farm, and a provincial park was created.

By 1960, the main floor of the Allison house had become a Loyalist museum

BOOK A SUMMER HOLIDAY NOW! THE PERFECT LOCATION FOR TOWN ACTIVITIES, WINERIES GOLF COURSES AND SUNNY DAYS AT SANDBANKS. Beautifully landscaped 13-room home on 3/4 acre; modern, luxurious accommodation for as many as thirteen people, in the heart of Picton, ON. Newly-renovated and open all year-round for vacations and special events.

Spectacular, Historic Vacation Rental Property in Picton!

56

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

341 Main Street East, Picton, Ontario, Canada • 1-866-576-5993 info@thewexfordhouse.com | www.thewexfordhouse.com

Crisp Apples & Homemade Baking!

Holiday Gift Ideas & Stocking Stuffers Personalized Gift Baskets featuring local products!

1633 Cty. Rd. #3 – RR#1 Carrying Place • 613-962-3751

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: 9:00am UNTIL 5:00pm

Only 10 minutes from Belleville

Follow us for updates, recipes and healthy eating tips!

Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy

and Country Market!

Interiors byCindy Cindy Dow is your “Total Look” design specialist and can colourize, dynamize and accessorize your home.

Cindy offers custom cabinet design and installation, kitchen and bathroom renovations, furniture and lighting floor plans, colour consultations and décor workshops.

613-967-7972 www.interiorsbycindy.ca

Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy

OPEN ALL YEAR!

Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy Interiors byCindy

campbellsorchards.com

(the former farmer, promoted to park superintendent, lived upstairs). In 1992, when provincial austerity threatened closure of the park, the Bay of Quinte Branch of UELAC took over management of the park in partnership with the St. Lawrence Park Commission, under the name Loyalist Cultural Centre. Finally in 2003 the Bay of Quinte branch assumed ownership of the UEL Heritage Centre and Park - a daunting prospect for a volunteer organization.

That was 11 years ago, and things just keep getting better. The mandate to preserve UEL history is being fulfilled, admirably.

In 2014, the aging 1884 monument was restored and stabilized. In the Allison house, original paint has been restored, displays of early settlement and Victorian life, military and UEL history expanded, and the research library developed. In the park, a tiny reproduction bateau lies near the shore, as if beached after unloading an exhausted group of Loyalist arrivals.

All funds are raised privately through the Dominion UE Association. The inviting fully serviced family campground is selfsustaining and popular; some campers have been returning for 50 years. The campground provides some operating funds to the museum, and in return benefits from the heritage connection.

During the summer of 2014, Christine Smith worked her fifth summer as librarian and general-duty historian at the UEL Heritage Centre. History is ‘the family business’ for Christine; she was volunteering

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

57

early as a re-enactor, plays fife in a Loyalist Fife and Drum corps, and sees herself “going down the history route” after studies at Carleton.

Christine and her colleagues Sarah and Cleo were hired by the UE Association through Young Canada Works grants. “The centre would not be the same without these students,” said Brian. Resourceful, creative, and energetic, the young team works Built for vineyard with minimal supervision in the library, and orchard work. cataloguing (they were almost caught up Narrow enough to work between the M6040/M7040 until Peter C. Newman recently donated vines and low enough to get you under M8540 Narrow the tree branches.

These narrow and Built for vineyard his research materials for an upcoming Builtcompact for tractors vineyard • Compact and narrow construction offer exceptional • Center-direct injection engine and assisting genealogy book on the UELs) maneuverability and power. work. orchard and and orchard work.

(E-CDIS) researchers.

The young women conduct • F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheel Narrow to work the between the M6040/M7040 w enough toenough work between brakes M6040/M7040 tours, create exhibits, manage the book and and low get you under nd vines low enough toenough get youto under M8540 • Bevel gear front-wheel drive with M8540 Narrow Narrow the tree branches.

These narrow and e branches.

These narrow and Bi-Speed turn gift shop, and do light housekeeping and • Compact and narrow construction • Compact and narrow construction compact tractors offer exceptional

r vineyard hard work.

ct tractors offer exceptional maneuverability and power. verability and power.

• M6040/M7040/M8540 available in • Center-direct injection engine • Center-direct injection engine ROPS models (E-CDIS) (E-CDIS) • M7040/M8540 available with • F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheel • F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheel factory cab brakes brakes • M8540 also available with rear tracks • Bevel gear front-wheel • Bevel gear front-wheel drive with drive with Bi-Speed turn Bi-Speed turn • M6040/M7040/M8540 in • M6040/M7040/M8540 available inavailable Picton Bellville ROPS models ROPS models Tel. (613) 476-6597 Tel. (613) 969-6246 • M7040/M8540 available with • M7040/M8540 available with Fax (613) 476-1594and narrow Fax (613) 969-1653 • Compact construction factory cabfactory cab • M8540 also available with • Center-direct injection engine • M8540 also available with rear tracks rear tracks

know the UEL story - or their connection to it. This past summer a CNN crew came by to shoot footage for a genealogy themed program and the story was aired midOctober on The Lead with Jake Tapper.

Indicative of how far the deep Loyalist roots travel, the show’s host is connected to the UEL Huff family. No doubt he was impressed to see the Huff family bible in the museum collection.

One early family story is told eastward along the Adolphus Reach. John and Alice (nee Daverne) Carlson live at the water’s edge along Bayshore Road, a bucolic side trip off Highway 33. The waterfront section follows the route of the original Danforth Road, Upper Canada’s first official highway.

Alice’s brother Gerald and wife Jutta live

neyard d work.

en the M6040/M7040 eyard u under M8540 Narrow w and work. onal

Built for vineyard and orchard work.

• Compact and narrow construction

(E-CDIS) M6040/M7040 Picton • F8/R8 transmission and Bellville 4-wheelBellville M8540 Narrow el.

(613) 476-6597 Tel. (613) 969-6246 -6597 Tel. (613) 969-6246

Built for vineyard M6040/M7040 • Bevel gear front-wheel drive with injection engine and rCenter-direct Bi-Speed orchard turn (E-CDIS) M8540 Narrow work.

• M6040/M7040/M8540 available in

brakes ax (613) 476-1594 Fax (613) 969-1653 -1594 Compact and narrow construction Fax (613) 969-1653

F8/R8 transmission 4-wheel Narrow enough to and work between the M6040/M7040 ROPS models brakes vines and low enough to get you under M8540 Narrow • M7040/M8540 available with Bevel gear front-wheel drive with and he tree branches.

These narrow factory cab • Compact and narrow construction Bi-Speed turn compact tractors offer exceptional • M8540 also available • Center-direct injection engine M6040/M7040/M8540 available in with rear tracks maneuverability and power.

(E-CDIS) ROPS models Narrow enough F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheel M6040/M7040 M7040/M8540 available withto work between• the Bellville enough to get you under brakes M8540 Narrow factory cab vines and low the tree branches.

These narrow •and Bevel gear front-wheel driveconstruction with M8540 also availableTel. with(613) rear 969-6246 tracks • Compact and narrow compact offer exceptionalBi-Speed Faxtractors (613) 969-1653 turn • Center-direct injection engine maneuverability and power.

• M6040/M7040/M8540 available in (E-CDIS) Bellville • F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheel ROPS models Tel. (613) 969-6246 brakes available with • M7040/M8540 Bevel gear front-wheel drive with Fax (613) 969-1653 factory• cab Bi-Speed turnwith rear tracks • M8540 also available

Built for vineyard Narrow enough to work between the • Center-direct injection engine work.to get you under vinesorchard and low enough (E-CDIS) and the tree branches.

• F8/R8 transmission and 4-wheelThese narrow and compact tractors offer exceptional brakes and power.

• Bevel gearmaneuverability front-wheel drive with Bi-Speed turn • M6040/M7040/M8540 available in ROPS models • M6040/M7040/M8540 available in ROPS models • M7040/M8540 available with • M7040/M8540 withstudents pass on maintenance.

Returning Picton Bellville available factory cab factory cab 13) 476-6597 Tel. (613) 969-6246 the corporate memory; Christine credits • M8540 also available with rear tracks 13) 476-1594 Fax (613) 969-1653 long-time student staffer Carson Murphy, • M8540 also available with rear tracks Picton Tel. (613) 476-6597 Fax (613) 476-1594

Bellville Tel. (613) 969-6246 Fax (613) 969-1653

Picton Tel. (613) 476-6597 Fax (613) 476-1594 58

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

who is now pursuing post-graduate studies Bellville Tel. (613)with 969-6246 in Dublin, much of her expertise.

Fax (613) 969-1653 The young staff seem undaunted by the large groups who descend occasionally, on side trips from large history conferences.

They are delighted when they can help a researcher find the missing piece of their puzzle. Sometimes separate groups of researchers are in, and they start talking with each other and realize they are related.

Visitors come from the United Kingdom, Europe, and the USA. Many visitors don’t

M6040/M7040 M8540 Narrow

• Compact and narrow constructi • Center-direct injection engine (E-CDIS) • F8/R8 transmission and 4-whee brakes • Bevel gear front-wheel drive wit on the adjacent waterfront property. Their Bi-Speed turn homes occupy the front of the historic •family M6040/M7040/M8540 farm; across the quiet road a signavailable ROPS ‘Daverne models announces Farm 1815’. Alice grew up on the Daverne attending a with • M7040/M8540farm, available one-room school in the village. University, factory cab marriage, careers, and travel followed, but •Alice M8540 alsoJohn available and husband returned to with settle rear tra in Adolphustown.

The Reverend William Losee (see CQL Summer issue) mayBellville have had a hand in the Daverne legacy. The story goes that one Tel. (613) 969-6246 Conrad Van Dusen retired from keeping Fax (613) 969-1653 the shoreline tavern he operated on Lot 16, Adolphustown upon his conversion to

YOUR FAMILY DESERVES A GREAT SMILE AND OUR DENTAL TEAM IS COMMITTED TO YOUR CARE.

FOR ALL YOUR FAMILY DENTAL NEEDS!

69 Division Street Trenton, Ontario

613.392.9586 COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

59

Methodism. The subsequent sale led the Daverne family, who had emigrated from Ireland to Adolphustown by 1803, (later farming in Hallowell near Picton) to stake their future on the fertile farm. Perhaps sons Daniel and Richard, who worked with the British naval forces in Kingston, had spotted the For Sale sign on their way home along the Reach.

Only two or three farms in Lennox and Addington County are this old. Next year, the Daverne Farm will receive official recognition as a 200-year-old family farm.

To preserve this rich Irish/UEL history and the rural way of life, the siblings have restored the old farmhouse and adjacent barn, and put them to good use.

Alice and John rent out the family farmhouse; Saturdays are lawn and laundry days, as the farmhouse empties and fills again with another extended family reunion celebration or wedding party, leadership training, retreat group, fishermen, or tourists. “I removed the only 60

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

Top Notch Style athomeinteriordesign.ca

We offer a quiet studio that respects your privacy.

LAURA POROPAT COMPLETE HAIR CARE LASER HAIR REMOVAL SKIN REJUVENATING SALON

613-394-4246 • poropatlaura@gmail.com www.laurasstyle.com

Bringing Interior Dreams to Life Darlene Paradis

613.813.6568

34 Brimley Crt., Belleville

Dare to Design... the Fireplace of Your Dreams Family Owned and Operated Since 1960

The County’s largest showroom

124 MAIN ST. PICTON 613.476.9259 www.countyfireplace.ca

hdrolfthejeweller.com 105 Dundas St. West, Trenton 613-392-3383

www.countyandquinteliving.ca

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

61

item I wouldn’t have been able to bear to see broken, my great-great-grandmother’s bow-fronted china cabinet,” says Alice. She needn’t have worried; in all these years of holiday rentals the couple has never had a bad guest.

The square pale yellow two-storey centre hall frame farmhouse stands at the top of a knoll, overlooking a shady lawn of ancient

maples and a gentle sloped vineyard path leading to the water’s edge. The original 1828 storey-and-a-half brick Ontario farmhouse burned and was rebuilt in 1862, then expanded in 1913 to accommodate a growing family - and today’s vacationers.

Behind the house a kitchen garden, beehives, a clothesline filled with flapping sheets, and a whimsical outhouse conjure

the old days. A large country kitchen and casual old-fashioned dining room make country folk out of city visitors. A verandah hugs two sides of the house; Muskoka chairs in Queen’s University colours encourage daydreams. The tidy red barn nearby has been restored over time and not long ago provided the perfect spot for the weddings of sons Daniel and Andrew. Since then, the

Fostering changes futures.

Learn more about how you can make a difference in the life of a child...

Call Today Belleville 613-969-9219 Quinte West, Brighton & PEC 613-475-5994 - Sharon

613-962-9291 or 1-800-267-0570 Highland Shores Children’s Aid is currently experiencing a need for Foster Homes for Adolescents.

62

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

barn with its dance floor and displays of farm tools, the mirror ball suspended from a hand-hewn beam, and the magical light slipping between the barn-boards has hosted other celebrations and barn concerts.

It’s a nice story. An old house saved from abandonment, a barn from collapse. New life in a very old community.

So many more places remain to explore in Adolphustown and area. So many more storytellers await the visitor’s attention.

FINE HOMES S

H

O

W

C

A

S

The work of cemetery researchers Ruth and Sarah Wright. The scholarship of Adolphustown-South Fredericksburgh historian Jane Lovell. Hans Ruuth and the story of the Finnish community. Loyalist re-enactors and members of the Loyalist Fife and Drum Corps.

Adolphustown has a story to tell.

Next time, don’t pass by.

Plan to stop and stay. Folks have been doing that since 1784.

Why not Live where you Love to Visit?

E

TRADITIONAL VICTORIAN

home renovated and preserved with lots of original trim and character. Located close to the famous beaches and dunes in Prince Edward County this century home is the very picture of Victorian style. Original tin ceilings, wide trim and beautiful pine floors enhance the classical proportions and gracious spaces. Park like setting with stone fence and unique trees.

$549,000

MLS®2141405

L I N K D I R E C T AT

ElizabEth CrombiE

W W W. C O U N T YA N D Q U I N T E L I V I N G . C A

Tel: 613.476.2700 Toll Free: 1.877.476.0096 elizabeth.crombie@sympatico.ca

Sales Representative

COUNTY & QUINTE LIVING WINTER 2014

63

delievnU

Savethe Date

January 18, 2015

CUTTING MEETS EDGE

CQL DIRECTORY

YOUR CHILDREN YOUR CHILDREN FIND EVERYONE YOU NEED RIGHT HERE

DESERVE DESERVE A HEAD START. A HEAD START.

YOUR CHILDREN

Come & mingle with us on

Sunday, January 18 • 10am-3pm 360 Pinnacle St., Belleville (the former Brick Furniture building) Tickets $10 in advance; $12 at the door

CUTTING MEETS EDGE

DESERVE A HEAD START. PictureNX Perfect!

NX

(cash only at the door)

www.quinteunveiled.com Facebook “f ” Logo

like us on facebook for updates, details, and vendor information.

CMYK / .ai

CUTTING MEETS EDGE

AUTO CUTTING MEETS EDGE

BUILDER / DESIGNER

BUILDER / DESIGNER

THE ALL-NEW 2015

It’s true. A comprehensive understanding of your It’s true. A comprehensive understanding of your child’s distinct oral health care must always go child’s distinct oral health care must always go hand-in-hand with treatment in a warm, friendly, BUILDING QUALITY hand-in-hand with treatment in a warm, friendly, comfortable and positive environment.

Children Our beautifully decorated model home is open daily.

It’s true. A comprehensive understanding of your comfortable and positive environment.

Children SINCEunique 1989 BUILDING TRUST are not merely small adults.

They have child’s distinct oralare health care must go They have unique not merely smallalways adults.

13360 Loyalist Parkway, Picton, Ontario dental issues which, with proper supervision, will hand-in-hand with treatment in a warm, friendly, dental issues which, withdictate propertheir supervision, willfor|awww.elliottsage.com 613-476-6834 oral health lifetime.

THE ALL-NEW comfortable and positive environment. Children B U I L D E R 2015 / DESIGNER B U I L dictate D E R their / D oral E S health I G N Efor R a lifetime. B U I L D E R / D E S I G N E R Nothing beats life at Kingfisher Cove.

THE ALL-NEW

A beautiful sunrise on the Bay of Quinte. A visit to an award-winning winery.

2015 Fine dining restaurants, chic shops and boutiques. All this and much more just minutes from your doorstep at Kingfisher Cove. Come see how wonderful your life can be at Kingfisher Cove on the shores of the Bay of Quinte.

THE ALL-NEW 2015

NX NX

are not merely small adults. They have unique In will keeping with our tradition of excellence in dental issues which, with proper supervision, In keeping with our tradition of Moving excellence in all Vision dictate their oral health for a lifetime. children’s oral health Your care, of us atForward Steinberg

children’s oral health care, all ofCentres us at Steinberg Dental are very pleased to introduce you

Dental Centres very pleased introduce In keeping with our tradition of are excellence andinyourtofamily to Dr.you Keith Da Silva.

ExcEptional quality watErsidE bungalow townhousEs and your family to Dr. Keith Da Silva. children’s oral health care, all of us at Steinberg Dental Centres are very pleased to introduce you is a specially-trained and highly experienced Keith and your family to Dr. Keith Silva.

Keith is aDa specially-trained and highly experienced

pediatric dentist - dedicated to providing the pediatric dentist - dedicated to providing the appropriate way for your finest care in the most Keith is a specially-trained and in highly finest care the experienced most appropriate way for your 613.962.4600 | www.hhltd.ca/kccq personality, medical history, and pediatric dentist -child’s dedicated providingchild’s the age,history, age, topersonality, medical social development.and Children as young as one finest care in the most appropriate way for your D E development.

NTIST CLOTHING BOUTIQUE social Childrenold as young as oneD E N T I S T child’s age, personality, medical history,year and are encouraged to come in for a visit. year old are encouraged to come in for a visit. quality. integrity. Value.

Flair.

social development. Children as young as one The dentistry that we recommend to our children, year old are encouraged to come in for a visit.

FASHION WITH

The dentistry that we recommend to what our children, is precisely we recommend to yours. There’s is precisely what we recommend to yours.

There’sfor specialty care for your The dentistry that we recommend to our children, no need to wait months need to wait for specialty care for is precisely what wenorecommend to months yours. There’s child, we’re ready to your treat them today! child,for we’re ready to treat no need to wait months specialty care for them your today! child, we’re ready to treat them today!

MADOC OFFICE 613.473.2142 | DESERONTO OFFICE 613.396.2974 | STEINBERGDENTAL.COM MADOC OFFICE 613.473.2142 | DESERONTO OFFICE 613.396.2974 | STEINBERGDENTAL.COM

MADOC 613.473.2142 | DESERONTO OFFICE 613.396.2974 | STEINBERGDENTAL.COM 12 GROVE STREET I BELLEVILLE, ON I OFFICE 613.966.5754

DENTIST

DENTIST

Dr. Robert Rawluk, D.D.S. 255 Glen Miller Rd. Unit #3, Trenton

69 Division Street Trenton, Ontario

613.392.9586

‘Over 30 years in the Quinte Region’ NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

613-392-2732 riversidedentalcentre.com

DESIGNER CLOTHING

GARDEN/LANDSCAPING

GARDEN/LANDSCAPING

GARDEN/LANDSCAPING

pictureperfectlandscaping.ca

call us

613-968-1940 Belleville, ON

H E A LT H / W I N E M A K I N G

HOME DECOR

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Natural sequence 613.394.2882

17477 Hwy 2 W Trenton

Wine making on premises Vitamins & Supplements

773 Bell Blvd. West, Belleville

613.969.6699

www.fireplacespecialties.ca

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

www.countrytime.ca 1245 Midland Avenue, Kingston 613.634.1400

x

Toll Free 1.888.819.6990

HOME IMPROVEMENT Colour Lock technology matters.

TM

With it’s incredible scrub and fade resistance, no paint is more enduring or endearing.

Quinte’s Largest

GRANITE SHOWROOM Kitchens, Bathrooms and Fireplace Mantels etc.

Quinte Paint & Wallpaper 366 N. Front St. (Bed Bath & Beyond Plaza) 613-969-9521 Visit www.quintepaint.reach.net

613-965-1800

* Trenton’s Only Tile Showroom 30 CREELMAN AVE, TRENTON

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Get fit.

Have fun.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

TM

Introducing instant-cure wood floor refinishing from N-Hance Wood Renewal

RETHINK REFINISHING Until now, refinishing hardQuality Hot Tubs. wood floors meant having a Quality Fitness Equipment. crew in your home for 3-4 days, lots of dust and odor, www.stlawrencepools.ca followed by another 3-4 KINGSTON BELLEVILLE BROCKVILLE CORNWALL days of dry and cure time before you can even move furniture Introducing instant-cure wood floor on and get back to life. Lightspeed from refinishing from N-Hance Woodreal Renewal N-Hance changes all that.

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

Before

After

WILLIAM DESIGN COMPANY Because It’s Custom, Your Options are Limitless

1209 Wilson Road, Hillier, ON, K0K 2J0 (613) 399-2344 • williamdesigncompany.com

CMYK / .ai

TM

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Aura_Ad_h1_CAE.indd 1

HOME IMPROVEMENT

HOME IMPROVEMENT

RETHINK REFINISHING Until now, refinishing hardwood floors meant having a crew in your home for 3-4 days, lots of dust and odor, followed by another 3-4 days of dry and cure time before you can even move furniture on and get back to real life. Lightspeed from N-Hance changes all that.

Before

After

TM

www.countyfireplace.ca

Call N-Hance today today at 435-755-0099 Call Mike Gutteridge at NHance 905.269.8649 orridgewoodrenewal@gmail.com visit us online at www.nhance.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

SHOPPING & MORE

124 MAIN ST. PICTON 613.476.9259

TM

Call N-Hance today at 435-755-0099 or visit us online at www.nhance.com

We develop your take your design your build your market your

613-966-9193

www.vaughangroup.ca

business plan pictures graphics website brand.

Picton Home Hardware Building Centre 13544 Loyalist Parkway, Picton

613-476-7497

S PA S E R V I C E S

125 Stores & Services!

Find us on Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

quintemall.com

11/14/13 2:52 PM

S A I TA RG ’S G R AV I TA S Q U O T I E N T Gravitas Quotient is a measure of o n e ’s r e s e r v e s o f i n n e r w i s d o m .

Michael MacMillan shares his Gravitas with Alan Gratias

Name one universal rule of friendship.

Give fully and don’t ask for anything back.

How would you like to rewire your brain?

So I could play music and keep a tune.

What are you going to do about growing old?

Keep trying new things and making young friends.

Why do we sometimes crave chaos?

Because it is out of chaos that we discover meaning.

What makes your heart stand still?

Braised lamb shanks with saffron-infused risotto.

Why should we hang onto our illusions?

Man’s reach must exceed his grasp; what else is heaven for?

What recipe for a successful home life do you want to share?

Get home in time to cook dinner.

When do reality and fantasy merge?

In the opening scene of a great film.

If you knew the truth, how would you reveal it?

In a poem.

What is the best way to get licensed as an adult?

Have children.

Give one example of life’s absurdities?

Our current government.

What do you wish you understood about the workings of the universe?

Why garlic tastes so sweet when slow roasted.

Name one secret you do not want to discover before you die?

What happens after death.

If you were going to launch a new prohibition, what would you outlaw?

Bad wine.

What takes you down the rabbit hole?

Small problems. Remarkable how long we all fuss over the small stuff.

Photo by Daniel Vaughan

About Mich a e l: Michael MacMillan co-founded Atlantis Films Limited in 1978. In its early years, Atlantis was primarily a film and television production house, winning an Oscar in 1984 for its short film Boys and Girls and an Emmy in 1992 for Lost in the Barrens, amongst other awards. In 1993 Atlantis became a broadcaster with the launch of its first network, Life Network. In 1998 Atlantis acquired Alliance Communications in a reverse takeover and the company became Alliance Atlantis Communications. Under Michael’s continued leadership, as Chairman and CEO, the company operated 13 Canadian television networks including HGTV Canada, Showcase Television, History Television, and Food Network. The company also distributed and produced movies and television programs including the hit series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2007, Michael retired from Alliance Atlantis after selling the company to Canwest Communications and Goldman Sachs.

In 2007 Michael co-founded Samara which is a charity that works to strengthen and improve the state of Canadian politics. Michael is the Chair of Samara.

Michael is a co-founder and co-owner of Closson Chase Vineyards and Winery in Prince Edward Country, Ontario. It makes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.

In 2011, Michael co-founded and is CEO of Blue Ant Media, a new Canadian media company. Blue Ant owns eight Canadian specialty television channels, as well as digital media properties and magazines, including Cottage Life.

Michael has volunteered with numerous community and industry organizations over many years, and is currently involved with Open Roof Films, Human Rights Watch, Civix, and the Community Food Centres Canada, amongst other organizations.

Discover your Gravitas Quotient at www.gravitasthegame.com

YOUR CHILDREN

DESERVE A HEAD START. It’s true. A comprehensive understanding of your child’s distinct oral health care must always go hand-in-hand with treatment in a warm, friendly, comfortable and positive environment. Children are not merely small adults. They have unique dental issues which, with proper supervision, will dictate their oral health for a lifetime.

In keeping with our tradition of excellence in children’s oral health care, all of us at Steinberg Dental Centres are very pleased to introduce you and your family to Dr. Keith Da Silva.

Keith is a specially-trained and highly experienced pediatric dentist - dedicated to providing the finest care in the most appropriate way for your child’s age, personality, medical history, and social development. Children as young as one year old are encouraged to come in for a visit.

The dentistry that we recommend to our children, is precisely what we recommend to yours. There’s no need to wait months for specialty care for your child, we’re ready to treat them today!

MADOC OFFICE 613.473.2142 | DESERONTO OFFICE 613.396.2974 | STEINBERGDENTAL.COM