ORIGINS OF THE CDS AUCTION
COINED THE BEST ANNUAL EVENT IN KING The Country Day School will host its 42nd Annual Auction on May 29. What many in the CDS community may not realize is how much the Auction has evolved over the years and what a long and storied history it has. by Kim Sillcox
EDITOR’S NOTE: These memories are but a few from the first 15+ Auctions. Another story will appear in the coming issues documenting the next 20 years, as well as the history of the CDS Rummage Sale. Please feel free to share your related memories by emailing me at kim. sillcox@cds.on.ca. Thank you! 14
|
SPRING 2015 THE LINK
R
ECOLLECTIONS OF THE early days evoke hilarious stories and gales of laughter from those who experienced it, some not fit for print. I had the privilege of hearing these memories last June when CDS Co-founder and parent Moffat Dunlap generously offered to host a small group of those responsible for organizing and attending the original Auctions – what they fondly remember as the “best annual event in King.” The first CDS Dinner & Silent Auction was held on May 30, 1974 at Eaton Hall on what is now Seneca College’s King campus, 1 km north of CDS on Dufferin Street. It was organized by CDS parents, in particular the late Margo Bindhardt Dunlap and the late Bob Murgatroyd, with a goal to raise $3,500. It reportedly raised $6,500. “Margo was the driving force behind everything,” remembers CDS parent and wife of Bob, Barb Murgatroyd, who worked closely with Margo on Auction and the annual Rummage Sale. “It was her idea to have an Auction, it was her idea to hold Rummage, and it was her idea to start the School. She deserves a mountain of credit.” Sheila Thomson, whose two eldest children attended CDS, remembers how Margo not only suggested the idea of the