April 16, 2021

Page 1

The Creemore

ECHO

Friday, April 16, 2021 Vol. 21 No. 16

www.creemore.com

News and views in and around Creemore

INSIDE

THINKING OF THIS, THINKING OF THAT? Born and raised here with 24 years experience as a Real Estate Broker.

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!

Leaf it to the future Tree Society plants now for later PAGE 9

Publications Mail Agreement # 40024973

Vicki Bell, Broker 154 Mill St.Creemore 705-446-4539

LOCATIONS

ORTH B R O K E R A G E

PERSONAL I PROFESSIONAL I PROGRESSIVE REAL ESTATE SERVICES

Youth centre reach expands during pandemic

Photo: Sara Hershoff

Tom Wilson enjoys some of the Brush Away Winter art submissions while running essential errands in the village. The art will be up for people to enjoy for the next month. For a full listing of artists and their locations visit www. phahs.ca.

By Bonnie MacPherson While pandemic related shutdowns continue to frustrate staff at the Clearview Youth Centre, there may actually be a silver lining. Ward four councillor Robert Walker told the April 12 meeting of Clearview council that activities at the drop in centre in Stayner were just beginning to return to near normal when the latest lockdown was announced. Now staff are hopeful the centre will fully reopen in June. On a more positive note, Walker reported that all 75 activity kits available for the month of April have been snapped up, and they have been distributed to every corner of the township, greatly increasing the reach of the centre beyond those who can physically access the Stayner location. (See “Lease” on page 8)

Creemore visionary John Wiggins dies at 89 By Sara Hershoff John Wiggins, the founder of Creemore Spring Brewery, is being remembered as a visionary that shaped the village and had a positive impact on the lives of the people who live here. “John Wiggins is a legend,” said daughter Lisa of her father who passed away at his home at Balmoral Village in Collingwood on April 10. Born in Vancouver in 1931 to Dr. Reginald and Mary Jane (nee Hendry) Wiggins had the sort of life that legend is made of. Some of his earliest memories were of a cross country move during the depression. According to his written memoir John came face to face with a man-eating tiger on the first leg of the journey. He was pulled by the tiger to its cage leaving him

scarred for life and making the ride squeezed into the back seat of a 1926 McLaughlin Buick with his siblings even more painful. During his childhood, he moved frequently throughout the Maritimes for his father’s work until finally landing in Ottawa. In his early teens John’s father left the family for the States and his mother went to work as a nurse. Despite some hardship she did all she could to foster her children’s interests and opportunities. It was in Ottawa that John met his future wife Sylvia van Steenburgh (passed 2018). The beauty from a posh family was considered above him but with pointed focus John set out to woo her. He went without a winter coat so that he could buy the tuxedo required

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when courting a woman of Sylvia’s ilk. They married in 1954. John put the same determination and creativity to use in the field of advertising working with major national brands and creating logos that many would still recognize today such as Harvey’s and Dixie Lee. When he was not working his mind was still busy drafting plans for the family cottage near Havelock, painting or dreaming up ideas for electric cars. Wiggins first started visiting the area with his wife and children to ski at Devil’s Glen. During their early days as founding members of the club the Wiggins family came to know and love the village, moving to Creemore full time in 1977. John continued to (See “Creemore” on page 3)

Contributed photo

John Wiggins


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