The Tribune - April 2023

THANK

2022 Grant Recipients - 2 More Stories

Campbellford District High School - Tools to Build Futures

$4,781.81 grant for the purchase of cordless power tools

Campbellford District High School partnered with their school board to apply for grant funding from the community foundation to purchase cordless power tools and a storage solution for their construction technology program. Brandon Gay, CDHS Construction Technology Teacher, reported that the project funding contributed greatly to the overall student experience in the construction technology classes. “It allowed us to purchase industry standard cordless power tools to replace our old corded tools. Being able to eliminate the tripping hazards that extension cords and corded tools present has contributed to a safer, more convenient learning environment for our students. With the grant, we were also able to purchase a storage solution for these new tools with room for battery chargers and tool organization, which has greatly improved the flow and organization within the shop, and helps to keep things neat and tidy.”

One Grade 12 student taking wood shop likes that the Ryobi tools are safer and more convenient to use. He said that they make some very cool projects in the woodshop and that he would like to work in the trades next year after graduating. “Thank you for donating the funds so that we can have such nice tools to work with while at school!”

This grant has provided students with an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand experience with industry standard tools and has helped to prepare them for the workforce. With the large demand for skilled trade workers right now, Mr. Gay feels that these funds have been put to great use, helping to provide an enhanced learning experience for our future workforce.

Campbellford and District Community Mental Health Centre

partnered with the Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation

$4,400.00 grant to initiate a same day counselling program

This program is open to all community members over the age of 16 experiencing moderate to severe mental health symptoms. This project allowed clinicians to provide clients with evidence-based mental health workbooks for them to work on developing and implementing coping strategies and enriching their self-care regimes, as well as providing clients with “selfsoothing” kits containing a variety of items that can help mitigate emotional distress, such as essential oils, fidget toys, and coping cards. It also provided clinicians access to an online mental health data base entitled “Psychology Tools” which provides them with relevant tools and resources to share with clients.

Emily Grills, Program Coordinator for Mental Health, runs a group at the centre and reported that a few of the clients within that group had received the same day bags, and were sharing what they enjoyed best. “I smiled thinking how much joy these bags had given our clients. Small and simple things can make such a big impact on people’s lives.” Emily also had a client approach her and express how much she enjoyed the adult colouring books. She shared that each day now if she is feeling negative that she will sit down and colour even if it’s for a few minutes.

Another client wrote “I was provided with a bag that included many things that I was able to use to ground myself with when I was feeling overwhelmed. I have accessed the same day program on several occasions and love that it is solution focused and that every time I am building on my coping strategies and shifting my negative thoughts.”

This project is of great benefit to local residents as it minimizes barriers that have historically prevented community members from receiving mental health treatment, such as long wait times and limited clinical resources. The investment in the same day program widened its reach and helped clinicians address worsening mental health symptoms when they are most prevalent, thereby reducing the pressure often felt on emergency department and primary care providers.

Earth Day - April 22, 2023

The community foundation seeks to establish a network of partnerships with those who share concerns for our environment, with a goal of environmental well-being and sustainability. Please visit our website and follow the links to Environmental Leadership to see our current initiatives.

Giving the Gift of Time!

Volunteering time to the Campbellford/Seymour Community Foundation is one of the most valuable gifts anyone can give.

Our Board of Directors and our various Committees are made up of local people interested in philanthropy and community development. Each individual involved has a chance to share their vision and ideas while working with others toward the ongoing enrichment of our community. We can use your skills and talents on one of our standing committees:

♦ The Finance Committee provides financial analysis, advice, and oversight of our budget and investments.

♦ The Communications Committee assists with the annual marketing and communications plan.

♦ The Grants Committee assists with the annual review and recommendation of grants.

♦ The Environmental Stewards assists with the development and implementation of environmental initiatives.

Meetings take place in accordance with the consensus of the committee, which could mean daytime or evening and are usually 1 to 2 hours.

How to Become a Board Member

The membership of our board of directors is term-driven which means there are openings on a regular basis.

A call for applications will be made each year with new board members nominated at our Annual General Meeting.

As a potential nominee please consider the criteria that you are committed to the CSCF Vision: A strong, healthy, connected, inclusive and caring community.

♦ You have a real interest in and knowledge of the Campbellford/Seymour Ward of the Municipality of Trent Hills.

♦ You can make an ongoing time commitment and you understand the importance of this role.

♦ You have a volunteer history.

♦ You are committed to the vision and mission of the CSCF.

♦ You are at least 18 years of age.

How to Become a Committee Volunteer

You do not have to be a board member to sit on a committee. Community members with expertise, or interest in assisting us with various aspects of our community work are welcome to apply.

Applications can be found online www.cscf.ca under the About Us dropdown. It is a fillable application form or you can pick up an application at the CSCF office, 39 Doxsee Avenue North

Save the Date! May 25th Get Involved From Home

For ideas of how to get involved and make a positive impact on the environment from the comfort of your home, visit the Earth Day Canada website.

AT HOME

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

We invite the community to attend the Campbellford/Seymour Community Foundation’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 25th at the Aron Theatre. More details will be shared as they develop and will be posted on our website www.cscf.ca under the News dropdown.

#EARTHDAYATHOME ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS TO DO

Our Trent Hills Community

The Campbellford/Seymour Community Foundation is pleased to connect you to the outstanding local organizations who serve our community and who provide opportunities for socialization and well-being through their ongoing programs.

NATURE CONSERVANCY

Mary West Nature Reserve Nature Conservancy Canada

The Mary West Nature Reserve, is home to towering white pines, spring peepers, and the at-risk eastern wood pewee. Donated to the NCC through the estate of Mary West in 1991, the property protects wetlands and forests in the Trout Creek and Trent River watersheds. The reserve is an important part of the local conservation network, helping to provide carbon storage, flood mitigation and clean drinking water to the local community.

www.natureconservancy.ca

Seymour Conservation Area Lower Trent Conservation

The Seymour Conservation Area was opened in 1973 and has a few unique features such as an Oak Alvar Savannah and a quarry. There are 6.5km of trails for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing, a picnic shelter and a privy. Lower Trent Conservation was formed in 1968 to protect, restore and manage water and other natural resources within the watershed region.

www.ltc.on.ca

Crowe Bridge Conservation Area

Crowe Bridge Park is a beautiful little conservation area with small cascading waterfalls that create an idyllic swimming spot at the Weir Dam. The Crowe River flows over the rocks, creating a shallow swimming hole that is perfect for both kids and adults. Not only a great swimming destination, but the park also has plenty of hiking trails, and picnic spots. www.crowevalley.com/crowe-bridge/

ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITY

Keep Children Safe During the Spring Melt

By Janette Loveys Smith

Each year, Otonabee Conservation partners with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to offer the Spring Water Awareness Program (SWAP) to local schools. The program helps children understand and recognize the dangers around creeks, streams, and rivers during the spring. The spring melt, also called the spring freshet, occurs this time of year when temperatures increase, melting snow and ice, causing water volume and flows to increase in local watercourses. At this time of year, it is important to remind children to STAY CLEAR AND STAY SAFE around dams, hydroelectric stations, and waterways. Otonabee Conservation staff will be delivering the SWAP program to many local schools over the next several weeks and digital SWAP Activity Book-

lets are available for parents to download from our website to share with their children. The 11-page booklet includes colouring sheets, activities, and worksheets that help children to understand the rules for being safe around watercourses.

The OPG Kid’s Guide to Staying Clear and Staying Safe is also available for download.

“Fast flowing, cold, deep water, slippery streambanks and unsafe ice present real dangers for everyone this time of year,” shares Meredith Carter, Manager of Watershed Management Programs at Otonabee Conservation, “We would like parents to talk with their children about avoiding watercourses this time of year, especially if they are outdoors playing during the March Break.” Children and youth should also be reminded to obey all cau-

tionary signs around waterways and dams, and stay safe by playing with a friend, letting an adult know where they are going and when they will return, and dressing properly for the weather.

For further resources, including and a short video by OPG, please visit otonabeeconservation.com

Resourcces: www.otonabeeconservation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/OPGwatersafekids_eng_Booklet.pdf

The Campbellford/Seymour Community Foundation is pleased to bring you this monthly column.

Butch Kevin and the Sundance Kid

In grade twelve, I signed up for a film class — never before had such a subject been offered in our school. How thrilling to think that, for the next nine months, we would be studying and making movies. My artistic soul pounded with the aspiration of being the next Francis Ford Coppola.

First on the syllabus was studying The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: a documentary where the camera pulls back to expose the real guts of filmmaking: its sets, equipment, and crew. The documentary closely follows the director as he walks his actors through the different scenes. The tale of Butch Cassidy (played by the ever so handsome Paul Newman) is gripping. What set Butch apart from your run-of-the-mill robber was his extreme intelligence and charisma. Because he came from a family of Mormon homesteaders, he grew up a highly skilled cowboy. As a teenager, he started wandering from his religious ways when he befriended a convict

who began mentoring him in the art of cattle rustling. Butch soon caught this lawless bug and worked his way up to the big-leagues of train robbery. It was because of his intelligence that Butch went on to enjoy the longest crime spree in frontier history. He was a shrewd planner, scouting out his scenes for days, sometimes weeks, in advance. He was also a very good-natured outlaw and took great pains to assure that no one was kill during his robberies. The public loved reading about him in the newspapers and cheered his success, making him the most revered gangster ever of the Wild West. Cassidy was so unstoppable that the railway company arranged a pardon for him on the condition he end his crimes. They even offered him a job as a guard, but he turned them down, preferring his more adventurous and lucrative lifeon-the-run. Later in his career, he hooked up with the ever so dangerous Sundance (Mr. Robert Redford). The law eventually forced them

By Kevin Shortt

out of the US and they retreated deep into South America where they attempt to reform, but the straight-and-narrow didn’t suit them and they were soon back robbing trains. The movie has one of the greatest endings of all times. The men are holed-up in a house in Bolivia, completely surrounded. An entire troop of soldiers have lined the streets and are stationed on the rooftops. Left with no choice, Butch and Sundance storm out and the movie freezes on this last frame of these two gangsters charging to their deaths — guns blazing. Now a lot of people believed that the pair actually didn’t die. That the whole thing was Butch’s ingenious ruse of faking their deaths so they could live out the rest of their lives in peace. If the law thought they were dead, no one would be looking for them. It’s a fitting myth for these beloved outlaws that the public wanted them to live forever, but highly unlikely.

After being primed by the documentary, our first class as-

signment was to make our own film. I decided, in honour of Butch, I’d stage my own robbery. Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to a train to pillage. However a friend’s father was willing to let me use his antique store for my crime scene. I know, stealing Grandma’s rocker is definitely a step down from being a gun-slinging outlaw jumping from train to train, but it was my maiden endeavor and a struggling artist has to make compromises. I played the lead robber and was decked out in a trench coat and balaclava. That morning I went to Stedman’s and bought myself a toy gun. Just like in the documentary, my crew and I were walking through the different scenes. At one point as I exited the shop (very much in character and costume), I noticed a man hiding behind the corner of the next building. Was that a gun in his hand? When our eyes met, he jumped out and yelled, “Put your f-ing hands in the air!” What the hell was going on? I was confused and thought he

was mocking me by pretending to be a robber. So I did not put my hands in the air like he’d so rudely asked. Instead, I turned and went back into the store. “You won’t believe this,” I said to the crew. “But there’s a real-live robber out there.” Then it clicked. Oh shoot, he must be a cop.

Apparently a merchant down the street had seen my getup and mistook me for a robber (a compliment of my acting ability). This all happened in the small town of Orangeville, where there wasn’t a lot of action. Unbeknownst to me, a whole cavalry of police had surrounded the building. They were on the street, the rooftops. Suddenly my film was no step down. I now found myself in a full-blown drama, not unlike that last scene in the movie. Only these cops were pointing real guns and real bullets at me.

I felt the need to explain this misunderstanding so I went back outside. Unlike Butch and Sundance, I did not go charging out with my toy gun blazing. “This is all a big mistake.” But the plain-clothes cop wasn’t in the mood for conversation and continued his savage swearing rampage, his gun steadily aimed at me. Why was he so mad? When our eyes met a second time, I saw that he wasn't angry — he was scared. Which frightened me. “Drop the f-ing gun!”

Oh, the silly thing was still in my hand. But it’s not real, I almost said, but opted for the wiser decision to drop it. Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind and hammered into the window by another man. Sirens filled the air as a cop car came screeching in. Such a fuss. I continued claiming my innocence but there were no ears for me. Handcuffs were brought out and I was marched to the cruiser. That’s when the crew and owner came running out, pleading my defense. With everyone professing there was no crime, the officers were forced to take a step back. They laid out the evidence: the camera, the toy gun, the balaclava and came to the embarrassing conclusion that there had been an over reaction. I was not arrested and got off with a stiff warning.

Unfortunately my Coppola moment was completely lost. When the action got a little too close for comfort, the startled crew stopped filming. However, the next day, I did make the front page of the Orangeville Banner.

Twenty-five years later Jack and I ended up in Bolivia in that very town where those two infamous outlaws were gunned down. According to our guide book, the remains of those two men had been exhumed in recent years and DNA test revealed that they were not the bodies Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid.

People in my Neighbourhood: Judy Lawless

By Marcia Perryman

Allow me to introduce another writer with a brand-new book, Being Grace, ready to be bought and read for your pleasure.

Judy Lawless has an interesting story in her own right with love relationships, children, riding a motorcycle, and writing for her own pleasure and now the public. Judy is now settled with her partner, Jim in the Hastings Condominium and describes Hastings as a place where you can meet people easily.

Judy’s book, Being Grace, started as a COVID project with an online writing group who encouraged her to explore novel writing rather than historical research. She presented this group with chapter after chapter and slowly the novel was born. It is a historical romance novel with survival, trauma, family and love.

Judy’s previous writing has included family research after listening to Jim and his mother talk about their family history as they drove down back roads. She has also completed a book about all the residents in Millbrook Manor with historical stories. Both of these books include delightful photographs which bring the stories to life.

Judy Lawless’ story begins in

Brockville, Ontario where she was a surprise baby and the youngest sister. She describes herself as shy, and started reading as a child. Her mother was not a reader and her father was an insurance agent.

Judy went to Algonquin College in Ottawa and graduated as a legal secretary and then moved to Toronto because of employment. She returned to Brockville and worked for the crown attorney. Judy met her husband and lived on a farm north of Prescott and had three children. The relationship deteriorated and Judy headed to St. Lawrence College, Kingston to further study legal administration. She bought a house with her second partner who died of diabetes.

Judy’s story of meeting Jim is another synchronicity in her life. Jim asked her for a ride on a motorcycle and the romance was struck. Judy had her previous partner’s bike and her daughter, who Judy forbade motorcycling as a teenager, gave her mother a motorcycling course so she could ride off into the blue yonder. Judy and Jim lived in Peterborough in a triplex and then a big house until Jim got frustrated

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with caring for the pool and they moved to Hastings. So the invitation to buy Judy’s book is here. She names herself a Mind Traveler or Freelance Writer and can be reached at www.judylawless.com. Let’s support all of these exciting writers in our community.

Lights, Camera, Action at the Library

By Patrick Muldoon, Branch Supervisor at the Warkworth Library

Fresh off the Academy Awards, this month I’d like to highlight some movie-themed offerings available at your local Trent Hills Library. Our three branches, in Warkworth, Hastings and Campbellford have large collections of DVDs that are available for loans. Our DVD selection ranges from Classic Films to new releases and is rotated between our three locations to give everyone a chance to browse the entire collection throughout the year. In Warkworth, we have a great selection of blu-ray titles that have been generously donated by Bob Leahy and Meirion Jones. Our most popular category of DVD loans are certainly our selection of full seasons of television shows. We have a great variety of North American and British series that many people have a hard time finding on typical streaming services and we can order series through our interlibrary loan system if there is something that we may not have locally. We also have a wide variety of kids’ movies located in our children’s section at the library.

Another amazing resource to watch movies, documentaries and children’s content is Kanopy. Kanopy is a streaming subscription service that you can access free of charge with

your library card. To register and start using Kanopy, simply head to kanopy.com, choose “Trent Hills Library” under the “find your library” tab and enter your library card number (found on the back of your library card). You can then link any smart devices to your account through the Kanopy app and start streaming for free. Our library currently provides you with 10 movie streams per month, and unlimited streaming of children’s content. Kanopy features thousands of movies, documentaries and film festival winners and has something for everyone.

One of my favourite parts of our non-fiction collection is the biography section, and we have a number of great movie biographies. “The Boys”, by Ron and Clint Howard is a fabulous memoir of the careers of two Hollywood celebrities that follows the Howard brothers from child stars to film icons. It’s a book about life, show business, ambition and parenting, and is ode to the journey upon which actors and their families embark. Jane Fonda’s “My Life so Far” is another remarkable memoir about an equally remarkable personality. Jane Fonda, an actor, activist, workout guru, feminist and part of a fabled Hollywood fami-

Living Rural in Hastings Ontario

by Shannon Preston

ly, recounts her early life, her involvement in the issues of the Vietnam War, her activism and her acting. This memoir is a real page-turner of an autobiography and should not be missed. Another accomplished actor, Sharon Stone, has written a very personal memoir entitled, “The Beauty of Living Twice”. Stone, who played iconic roles in movies like Casino, The Quick and the Dead and Basic Instinct suffered a massive stroke that cost her not only her health, but her career, fortune and connections with her family. Her memoir recounts this stage of her life, her drive to succeed and how she fought her way back to find her own truth, her family’s reconciliation and love. She also reflects on the darker side of fame and Hollywood and how “not playing nice” in the film industry can have real effects on a career. These books and more can be reserved though our website, trenthillslibrary.com or you can just drop in to browse our collection. Looking forward to seeing you soon at your local library!

For those of you who do not know me, I live in Hastings but I also work here. I did not get my license so have always been very limited in where I can go and what I can do. There was a time when I lived in Peterborough but when I was done with my schooling, at Fleming, my partner and I moved our child to Hastings so that I could get out of the city and Cooper could go to a school where he would develop lifelong friendships in a small town. These choices have rarely resulted in regret, but they did limit our horizons a wee bit and my college diploma became just a piece of paper instead of a gateway to a career. Over the years I have worked for many people and in many spots around Hastings. In my thirties (and a bit beyond) I worked at a little place called Banjo’s. I met some amazing people (locals and tourists) while I was there and have friendships with people I would not have met if I had not worked there during that time. I’d say that’s a reason to celebrate with no regrets!

A particular group of people always joined me for lunch at Banjo’s every Wednesday from November through to March. They came in after their weekly hockey game, at the Norwood arena, and were always so happy to be in each other’s company. Some days there was six of them and some days there was 20 but every Wednesday they were great to interact with – regardless of how many showed up or how broken they were feeling after a good game (or a fall in the parking lot). I listened to stories and jokes and lots of laughter. I backtalked them and teased them and often screwed up their orders. When Banjo’s was sold and I lost my regular shifts, the hockey guys noticed my absence (they had been visiting every November to March for years).

After some COVID changes and stress (life is darn hard sometimes!), I took a year off work and then returned to a job at the Captain’s Table. Much to my delight the hockey guys go there for their Wednesday winter lunch! They let Carla and I eavesdrop on their countless conversations about games, vacations, and life. We collectively rib my “cous” and I try to help them understand that pickleball is a great sport for people of all ages (especially their ages). They are mostly loud and so full of mischief but they are always welcome at the Table.

Their weekly games and lunch will be over by the time this goes to print but I’ll look forward to seeing them again next November. Happy spring, guys!

Spring Flow

By Leisa Peacock

Spring has finally sprung, you can smell it now, as the earth starts to come alive again. And you can hear it, with all the birds starting to sing. Indeed, a glorious time after the constant barrage of snow storms we have had in the last few months. The world is waking up, as are we.

If we pay attention to nature, we can see that flow is starting to come back in everything. The spring runoff of the rivers and creeks, the maple syrup flowing in the trees, spring flowers starting to sprout up. Flow is back in everything and we can get our flow going again too. Being in flow is like bringing yourself back into alignment, back to your authentic self, so that your life flows with ease and grace. This is our true nature and where we are most connected to our intuition, our body’s wisdom and guidance. We know when we are in alignment when things feel right in our body, instead of heavy or constricted. When we’re in a flow state, manifesting (or achieving your goals) is much easier this way, as is day-to-day life.

Walking is a great way to get your body and mind back in flow. The ankles and calves act as a pump for the lymphatic fluid to get back up to the heart area to circulate and do its job of waste collection and removal, improving circulation and reducing inflammation.

Walking outside allows our minds to rest and rejuvenate with all the fresh air we’re taking in.

As always, I like to remind everyone to be mindful of how quickly we tend to jump into activity without properly warming up the body and its muscles. One thing that can wreak havoc on our bodies is the weekend warrior identity a lot of us develop when we get excited to be outdoors again and attempt to do everything at once. Spring cleaning the house, moving outdoor furniture back outside, opening up the garden, yard work, etc. Then there’s hiking and golfing and all the weekend fundraiser walk/runs. Whether you have warmed up your muscles sufficiently and stretched afterwards, will make a big difference on how you feel immediately after and in the next few days to follow.

If you experience “snap, crackle, pop or clunk”, then flow movements are what the body needs. Where there is flow there is movement. Everything is connected. We’ve only got one body this time around so don’t forget to be kind to it.

Leisa Peacock is an RMT & Holistic Therapist and a BodyMind coach with a studio in Warkworth in The Mews building. You can find her at www.leisapeacock.com

27 Main Street, Unit 8, The Mews Warkworth, Ontario (705) 977-2917

www.leisapeacock.com

The “Should” Word

By Emmanuelle Festas-Keogh

Good communication is one of the hardest skills for us to gain as human beings. I wish we had a course in high school called Communication 101. A course that would teach us how to interact with the world, and the principles of constructive, healthy communication. It would teach us how to express our feelings and needs, in an assertive, clear and respectful way. Unfortunately, this course is not taught yet, and many of us do the best we can, often relying on patterns of communication (or no communication) that we learned in our own home environments... which might not be the best!

I learned about communication skills through my training as a social worker and therapist and was able to share this knowledge with all the clients I talked with over the years. Also putting these skills into practice in my own life. Of course, nothing is perfect, and sometimes strong emotions get in the way of expressing ourselves in a skillful way. But then we understand what went wrong and can apologize, if needed, to help repair the damage. These skills are essential tools that we all need, simple principles, that are easily applicable in our lives.

One of these simple principles refers to the use of the word “should”. This word is one that we often use and can cause harm in our interactions. When others tell us what we “should” do, or when we tell others what they “should’ do, it is experienced as a way of imposing our view of things onto others, or others imposing their view onto us. This triggers negative feelings, such as anger, frustration, impatience, feeling misunderstood and will not lead to a positive dialogue.

I have made it my intention to scrap the word “should "from my vocabulary when talking with others. Sometimes it is tricky, especially when talking to my partner or my children. Instead, replace it with suggestions, such as you “could”. It opens space for listening to the other person, and understanding them, instead of being preoccupied with conveying our own point of view.

The word ‘should’ can also cause harm to ourselves as it leads us to beat ourselves up for not being the way we think we “should” be. There again, we need to learn to accept the way we are, instead of comparing ourselves to others and to some ideal that does not exist. As such, letting go of all the unrealistic “shoulds” becomes a necessary step to accepting ourselves as we are. Shift your inner dialogue from I “should” to “I need to” or “I want to”, to open up the possibility of change, keeping in mind that the world of “shoulds” does not ever deal with reality, expressing instead our inner resistance to change.

This understanding of what is enfolding when thinking in terms of “shoulds” is of importantance not just in our personal lives, but also at a macro level, when looking at the political and social sphere. Politicians and social activists talk in terms of “should” … what should happen, as opposed to what could or needs to happen. So here the discourse expresses a viewpoint that is not necessarily based on the reality of things, and as such will not lead to change. Clearly, the discussions need to shift from what should happen to what needs to happen; a willingness to have a dialogue, instead of imposing one’s own point of view.

Learning to communicate in a constructive way is essential for all of us, whether it relates to own personal lives, to improve our relationships, or to the political social sphere, when aiming to effect positive change. Yet it is not easy, and it seems we have a long way to go... So here is to sharing a useful tool of communication with you all. And wishing you the best, applying it in your own life, in whatever way you see fit.

Intergenerational Friendships

By Lisa Giraldi

Last year in August, I hosted a campfire at my home. I invited a dozen or so friends, most of whom knew each other, some of whom had never met. It was one of those glorious summer evenings where the food was simple, the company excellent, and the laughter prolific. At the end of the night, there was only two of us remaining by the fire, myself and a friend about thirty years my senior, staring into the diminishing embers of the quiet night. She turned to me and said, it was so lovely being here tonight, so nice to hear young people talk… what an incredible community of women you have here. Her words nestled in my bones. Months earlier I had moved back to Warkworth permanently because I love this town, this community, and the life I have here, but it came with growing pains that sometimes made me doubt my decision. It was a comforting nudge to hear someone else’s observations of what I know to be true. Later that month, I visited a couple (also thirty years my senior) at their beautiful home in Warkworth. I had met them previously, almost four years prior, at brunch a mutual friend of ours had hosted. I remember talking to them briefly and thinking, what kind and interesting people! Our paths didn’t cross again until a summer afternoon years later, but I made a point of reintroducing myself and keeping in touch. As we walked through their expansive garden that August evening, I reveled in the time, the work, the knowledge that had gone into their garden. So many plants had stories, where seeds or saplings had been gathered or saved, for years – a testament to a skill from another era. I’m familiar with flower and vegetable gardening, but this garden was next level. As our visit come to a close and I walked toward my car, one of them said to me, I still find it a bit of a mystery that you want to visit with us… us old folks. I laughed out loud and replied, because you can never have too many kind and interesting people in your life! And more to the point, I find it far more interesting to maintain friendships with people across generations. They agreed; admitted when they got together with friends of their own age the conversation inevitably drifted towards aging and sickness. I agreed: when I get together with friends of my own age, inevitably we talk about the cost of living and the impossibility of the housing market. Both conversations, in different ways, can be discouraging, and it’s easy to get sucked into a world where only one generation’s struggles exist. These two different experiences have been percolating in the back of my mind for months. The delight of getting to know interesting people

who grew up in a different decade, have different memories of time, know a different part of Warkworth; people who bring different stories to the table. My mother recently told me about a writing course she’s taking where she, along with a few others in their 70s and 80s, are given a specific writing prompt about their childhood – because, as the facilitator pointed out, often these small (seemingly insignificant) details are lost to history. I love that my mom is part of this group, giving a voice to stories I wouldn’t think to ask about, almost as much as I love reading her stories later.

I lived in Toronto in my twenties and what I loved most was being in a city where, regardless of where I lived or worked, I was able to develop lasting friendships with people my own age. Friends who, regardless of their background or political intent, were interesting and kind and loved food. As I left the city and drifted towards Elora and later to Warkworth, I found it nearly impossible to develop friendships with people in my own age group. Initially it was discouraging, but over time my mindset has shifted. I now feel a deep sense of satisfaction in seeing friends from various decades represented at my dinner table; I’ve learned almost as much from kids as I have from people twice my age. It can be a little daunting, initially, to step outside of what is known and comfortable, to meet and engage with people different from me.

I recently hosted a dinner party that gathered together almost thirty friends in my home. I set the table days in advance and placed name cards at each setting, reveling in the thought of conversations people might have as they met or reconnected with old friends. Just before we sat down for dinner, I made my way to the kitchen and found it brimming with people - tucked against the kitchen counter, nibbling on the cheeseboard, clustered in small groups of conversation. I felt a rush of panic. It was a lot of people. I stopped and stood still for a moment, looked around the room. The youngest guest was fourteen and the oldest guest was over seventy. Over the week that followed friends texted, emailed and told me about conversations they had with other guests. It was heartwarming to hear the ways in which they’d engaged with new people or caught up with old friends they hadn’t seen in years. This, to me, is the magic of community: a plethora of kindness, conversation, skillset and interests that link us to would-be strangers. This is the magic of friendship that cannot be defined by age or generation.

‘Stretcher Transfer Services’ Update

By Jenny McCaig-Lindsay

Community Care Northumberland’s (CCN’s) ‘Stretcher Transfer’ service is proving to be a significant success! CCN is grateful for the support of community donor Selena Forsyth, and the Northumberland United Way’s “Community Impact Investment Funding” without whom the program would not be possible.

United Way investment funding, together with Ms. Forsyth allowed CCN to launch its own Stretcher Service (by retro fitting CCN vans), and helping to fill a gap in services, while minimizing the cost to Northumberland residents. The goal for the Stretcher Service is to provide a dignified mode of transportation, with the hope of lessening the wait time for transport, including transportation to Ed’s House Northumberland Hospice Care Centre.

The early success of CCN’s Stretcher Transfer Service to date is measurable. So far (in less than 6 months), CCN has provided a total of 40 stretcher trips, including:

• 19 to Ed's House Northumberland Hospice Care Centre.

• 2 to The Bridge Hospice in Warkworth.

• 3 to Warkworth Place Long Term Care Facility.

• 16 for CCN Home at Last program helping people home from the hospital.

• Additionally, CCN has also provided 9 wheelchair transfers to Ed's House.

With the addition of stretchers to our transportation program, we are able to ensure clients get affordable and timely transfers that honours their wishes. The importance of the program is illustrated in the story of “Jeannie”. She was offered a bed at hospice, but the wait time for transfer by another provider was more than 36 hours and much more than her limited financial resources could cover. CCN was able to immediately schedule and transport her within an hour of receiving the request, at a much-reduced rate ($75), saving her several hundreds of dollars. She was able to be offered comfort measures for her pain immediately, and her family is forever grateful they were able to fulfill her final wishes to die at hospice.

Trish Baird, CEO of CNN comments, “We are very proud to build on our accomplishments so far and grow the service. It is nice to know that we can help lessen wait times and family burden, while at the same time, help individuals in Northumberland County receive

this service in a responsive, reliable, and affordable manner.”

A huge thank you goes to Selena Forsyth and Northumberland United Way for helping get this vital service off the ground and supporting older adults in our community through CCN’s In-Home Services.

Ms. Forsyth comments, “I am so happy that residents and their loved ones can access the Stretcher Service locally. When I first heard that CCN would be able to retrofit their vans with a donation, I knew this is where I wanted my donation to go.”

Furthermore, when combined with CCN’s Home at Last (HAL) program, Heather Marriot, CCN Manager of In-Home Services explains, “The new service

provides a much needed local and affordable ‘Stretcher Service’ for Northumberland residents. This major cost savings for our ‘Home at Last’ program will allow us to service more hospital patients transitioning home safely and in a timely manner."

Bobby-Jo Preston, CCN Manager of Transportation, adds, “Clients and their families are very appreciative of the service and care that they received, from making their first call to the moment they arrived at their location.” For further information, please feel free to contact CCN at 1-866-5145774, CCN Home at Last at 1-866-991-7497 or CCN Transportation at 1-866-768-7778.

Photo (L o R): Bobby-Jo Preston, Maggie Darling, Rick Reilly, Mike Gibson, Heather Marriot, Leiann Peart, and Trish Baird (Front – on Stretcher): Selena Forsyth

Hey Steve Dagg You are one of a kind. Be free.

Meghan SB

Steve, Thank you for showcasing the beauty of our Trent Hills with your music, your videos, your photos and your example. Thanks for being awesome! We will remember your ‘Dagg-Charm’ and will see you again sometime in the future!

Montse

Passionate, caring, talented and devoted to his family, friends, and career. Taken too soon from all who have had the pleasure and honor to call him, Dad, Shmoopy, son, friend or coworker. You are missed, but you were loved, and your legacy will carry on for generations. True immortality in your lineage and work.

Kristy Duc Emond

Certainly was a delightful guy to meet and chat with at Westben. He and his ability will be missed.

Alec Dewdney

Steve was such a great community partner/supporter. He and his talents will be missed! RIP.

Kimberly Hulsman

Those of you who were lucky enough to have met Steve Dagg… well, you just know! He was magical. We worked together at Westben and on this newspaper for which he donated his time to do more covers than I can remember. In fact, every time I needed a photographer or videographer, there was no hesitation… I went straight to Steve. It’s not just because he was so so talented, but because he was the BEST. A good person to the core, patient and kind, fun and funny and (perhaps most importantly) silly. Anyone who has the nickname Shmoopy has to be! You just wanted to be around him. The brightest stars burn fast, and while he is gone too soon, his light will live on. Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Nikki Fotheringham

Steve was the incredibly sensitive and gentle master behind the camera for virtually countless Westben projects as well as many throughout the community. He shot all our Digital Concerts, Dare to Share spotlights, and several marketing pieces as well. He also took a myriad of incredible still shots of performances, audiences, artists and the grounds. Part of Steve’s magic touch was the incredible ability to get at the essence of his subjects; capturing not only their authenticity, but also their best! Somehow, he was able to get so close without getting in anyone’s way. He did this by making his subjects feel safe and comfortable. He was astounding! Thank you Steve for sharing your love, music, talents and life with Westben and the whole community

Donna Bennett (Westben)

Stephen, our nephew and godson - but oh so much more than that, enriching our lives immeasurably since the day he was born.

Auntie Linda & Uncle Terry. Terry Harman

Such a kind gentle soul… he will be missed. Love to Kim and the girls.

Kelly Parks

The Goats are sad to report that our friend and drummer Steve Dagg has passed away. He fought a tough battle with cancer, but is now at rest. We offer love and support to his family at this time as we all process this great loss. You will be missed my friend.

Ken Tizzard

If you looked up family in a dictionary, you would see a picture of Steve, Kim & the girls. Always a smile and a friendly hello. Our sincere condolences to Kim & the girls. J.R. (Jim) & Jo

Steve Dagg is my brother-in-law. He was an extraordinary person. I want to thank everyone who has reached out and given support, or even just a kind word to my sister Kim and the girls in this difficult time. He will be greatly missed by all.

Jason Davidson

The outpouring of emotion from those who knew and loved Steve, solidifies the fact that Steve was as special as they get. May his light continue to shine through our memories of him and the good times we shared. Love, The Merrons.

From Kim Davidson

It was a leap of faith moving here 6+ years ago. We had loved our time in Toronto, but we knew our time there was done. We were open to where to live, as long as it was East, (closer to my family) and close enough to Toronto for Steve’s work. A friend had mentioned they had recently bought a place in Campbellford and that was literally the first time we had heard about this town that would soon become our home.

When we moved, Steve was still working 3-4 days/week in Toronto as a cameraman for City TV. He was experiencing the best of both worlds- getting his feet wet to small town living while still living the city life. To be honest, he struggled for a while to let go of the city that was so exciting and so very familiar. Even after moving here, Steve wasn’t sure he could be happy here. Would he find enough work or forever commute? Would our kids still have all the opportunities city life could provide? And would he find his people?

Not long after moving here, Steve made his way to the local pub one Wednesday night where he had heard there was live music by a guy named Ken Tizzard. The following week he was walking back into that pub with his drum set in hand. From that day on he had a regular gig doing one of the things he loved most - playing drums! And that Ken Tizzard guy quickly became one of Steve’s closest friends here.

And it wasn’t long until Steve started landing work locally. As word quickly spread about his remarkable talent behind the lens, the demand for his work grew. So much so that he could let go of his City TV role and no longer have to commute regularly to the city. Through his freelance work, Steve was fortunate to travel the globe with his camera. He traveled to multiple countries in Africa, Bangladesh, all of Central and South America and more. When he wasn’t traveling you most likely found him at Westben. Steve became the theaters official videographer/photographer, working alongside Brian and Donna who he adored, capturing beautifully the talent that entered through those barn doors. Landing a gig like this, right here in the town he was living, felt like winning the lottery. Several times he was fortunate enough to even perform on stage at Westben. This town gave him the opportunity to live out both his passions!

While Steve’s career flourished here, so did his love for the area. We spent our free time exploring the trails in Ferris with our girls, Frankie and Jolene and our three-legged dog named Charlie. In the summer, we would swim or paddle every day in the Trent that we are fortunate enough to have right in our backyard. Steve was a cyclist and started exploring the beauty of Trent Hills by bike. And any opportunity we had we would spend it with the friends we made here. The community that we are fortunate enough to be a part of was what sealed the deal. We found our people.

Steve left this world too early. I feel like he was just getting started. What happened to him is so cruel. So unfair. I shared this with Steve in his last days. In true Dagg-style, Steve reminded me of how full his life had been. How much he had lived. How fortunate he was. Steve loved his life and made the most of his short time here. What saddened Steve the most was leaving me and his girls behind. But I do know he died having comfort knowing that his girls are going to grow up in such a magical place. He took comfort knowing his girls were in nature with endless places to explore. Steve had comfort knowing we are part of a community that looked out for each other.

It may have taken Steve a little while but there is not a doubt that Steve called Trent Hills ‘home’. Thank You Steve

Campbellford Memorial Hospital Provide an Update on Proposed Hospital Redevelopment

By Pter Mitchell

As a community, we all share a responsibility to ensure that our hospital continues to provide access to the best possible care to those who need it. That is why the leadership team at Campbellford Memorial Hospital has been diligently advocating for a redeveloped hospital as part of a Campus of Care. Once complete, our Campus of Care will include a redeveloped Hospital, a new Long Term Care Home, community health programs like our Mental Health and GAIN clinics, and supportive community housing. Recently, we, along with a number of board members, have had the opportunity to present, in the forum of delegations, to both Minister of Health Sylvia Jones and

Minister of Long Term Care Paul Calandra, held meetings with MPP’s David Piccini and Ric Breese, and presented to a number of different municipal councils in our region.

Recognizing that our Board is comprised of residents across our regions we asked them to be part of the local delegations enabling them to provide local perspectives of the much-needed investments to our local health system.

Through these meetings and delegations, we were able to highlight the importance of investing in our hospital’s future and modernizing healthcare delivery in our region. We described the challenges and limitations of our aging

facility; such as difficulties in meeting modern infection prevention and control standards, and our lack of private rooms and accessibility features. Most importantly though, we shared our vision of a modern, larger hospital, as part of a state-of-the-art Campus of Care with partnerships with other area health facilities that will serve our communities for generations to come.

We know we cannot do this alone. Which is why we are so grateful for the support we have received from our municipal partners and Provincial representatives. We need their support, and the support of the community, to make our vision a reality. Together, we can rebuild Campbellford Memorial Hospital as part of a Campus of Care and ensure our communities have access to the exceptional care they deserve. Visit our website at www. newcmhnow.ca to learn more about the project and find out how you can get involved.

WARKWORTH BRANCH 380 12 Norham Road, Warkworth 705-924-2007

APRIL, 2023 EVENTS

NOMINATONS WILL BE HELD FOR THE NEXT LEGION EXECUTIVE ON APRIL 11TH. PLEASE ATTEND TO HELP SELECT YOUR EXECUTIVE OPEN APRIL 7TH GOOD FRIDAY!!

From 2:00PM ‘til 7:00 PM in the Club room

LEGION EXECUTIVE MEETING

Tuesday APRIL 11TH at 6:30 PM

LEGION GENERAL MEETING

Tuesday APRIL 11TH at 7:00 PM.

BRANCH EUCHRE

SATURDAY, APRIL 15TH

Club ROOM-WARKWORTH Legion

11:00 Am Registration- Play @ 12:00 NOON

$5.00 fee- cash Prizes awarded!

EVERYONE WELCOME!

MERLE NELSON MWEMORIAL EUCHRE

SATURDAY, APRIL 22ND

BRANCH 380 WARKWORTH Legion

11:00 Am Registration- Play @ 12:00 NOON

$10.00 fee- cash Prizes awarded!

EVERYONE WELCOME!

DART NIGHTS AT THE LEGION!

THURSDAYS: MARCH 6, 13, 20, 27 . CLUB ROOM-WARKWORTH LEGION EVENINGS AT 6:30 PM.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

WARKWORTH LEGION CLUB ROOM OPEN THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS, & SATURDAYS FROM 2PM TILL CLOSING TIME!

EVERYONE WELCOME!

LARGE HALL AVAILABLE FOR RENT

For Banquets, Receptions Dances and other Events

Available: Total Kitchen Facilities, Fully stocked bar and bartender

OPEN to EVERYONE: FOR DETAILS: PH. 705-924-2007, email: Warkworthlegion@gmail.com

Or message Warkworth Legion on Facebook

Travelling

By Margaret Santon

We travelled a lot when I was a child, mostly for fun. And it was fun for us kids although I can't imagine now how my parents found much enjoyment in driving hundreds of miles a day with five children in the car and Grandma too. Some of the time, Gram read to us which kept us quiet for awhile. For the ten-day trip to California, she'd chosen two western themed books: Jack London's Call of the Wild and Thunder Mountain by Zane Grey. I liked the Zane Grey book so much, I later read almost everything he ever wrote, at least fifty titles.

When reading wasn't happening, we amused ourselves by building forts in the back seat with blankets that we'd fasten up by closing the windows on them. Once the structures were up, we'd start bickering about details and proprietorship. First, there were arguments about who got which corner of the floor, who got the bump in the floor and who rated a seat. Then the altercations would get physical and someone would get hurt. Screeching and crying would follow and Mom would have to rearrange the seating plan. I was always placed next to my sister, who was carsick most of the time, entrusted with the job of holding the rubber bathing cap for her when she threw up. Dad would stop for a rest several times in the afternoons. He'd pull over to the side of the road and we'd be chased out of the car dressed in little more than our underwear to beat the heat— no thought of sunscreen in those days. We ran around in the Mojave Desert happily unaware of the habitats we were disturbing of various venomous spiders and snakes. Fortunately, we didn't meet any of these creatures.

Another delay on that trip was a tour around the Grand Canyon where Dad wanted moving pictures. To get them, he set Mom up with his

sixteen-millimetre Bolex movie camera to film him climbing out on a projection into space that was about a foot wide and a mile above the Colorado river.

He was wearing, as he always was, his business suit with slippery soled dress shoes. Now, almost seventy years later, I still have difficulty watching the old movie as he slips and slides his way back to the top, in case he doesn't make it.

One afternoon, I was leaning over the front seat chatting with my mom, when she spotted a strange cloud. We watched it for about half an hour as it darted around the sky, close to the sun. We stayed that night in Prescott, Arizona. The Prescott Courier carried an article about a man who had seen a UFO at the same time that we had. There weren’t the same security concerns back then and the newspaper article included the man's full address. My parents called him up and went to visit him. Mr. Porter introduced them to the writings of George Adamski who claimed to have met with aliens. Later, after we were back in Scarborough, Mr. Adamski came to our house for dinner, forming the basis for a lifelong interest in UFO's and alien visitors from outer space for them and all of us. Despite these and a few other mishaps and delays like a sandstorm that pitted the windshield and, invading the car, put desert sand between my teeth, we arrived at our destination, Newport Beach, California, in the predicted ten days.

Cleaning The Bulk Milk Tank

By Stephen Nelson

We stopped using 80-pound milk cans for storing milk when Dad bought a bulk milk tank. The milk tank meant we didn’t have to haul the milk cans to the factory. Although more milk could be stored in the milk tank located in the milk house, the new technology made a different kind of work, every other day, no matter if it fell on a holiday. The milk truck came to our farm every other day about 8 o’clock in the morning to pick up the refrigerated milk from the milk tank. Weekends and during the school holidays, the task of cleaning the tank was mine. Circular lids on each corner of the tank would be removed before I lifted the two sides on the top of the tank. I would take off the lid closest to the milk house door and the milk strainer would be placed in the opening so the milk carried in with milk pails would be poured in and strained before entering the tank. Removing the lids prevented them from falling and clattering on the floor when the rectangular metal tops were raised for cleaning inside the tank. The lids would be cleaned separately. Every nook and cranny was cleaned inside the tank to prevent bacteria and milkstone from accumulating. The

milk truck driver would take an unannounced milk sample each month to be sent away for testing. The test result would be mailed to the farmer the following month. You wanted to keep the bacteria count in a certain range on your monthly test of the milk from the tank to keep sending your milk to the factory. The mechanism to agitate the milk was in the middle portion of the tank. The valve tap at the end of the tank remained open after the milk truck driver had emptied the milk tank by suction. The paddles used to agitate the milk in the tank needed a good scrubbing with soapy hot water and a long handled scrub brush. I have no idea how many gallons of water we used with the water hose when spraying the soapy water out of the tank. Washing down the outside of the tank was easier. A spray of the water hose on the floor, even under the tank sent any debris down the drain in the floor. In the summer, it was very hot in the milkhouse, even with the screened windows and the door open.

Dad did have an automated tank washer installed some time later, but some elbow grease was still needed to clean the hard-to-reach places.

There’s a New Game in Town

By Jackie Igleheart

Otonabee Conservation releases 2023 Watershed Report Card

By Janette Loveys Smith

It’s not just your backyard party game. Cornhole has elevated to special inside venues and curling clubs across Canada. Campbellford District Curling and Racquet Club is pleased to introduce two very social Cornhole leagues. There will also be opportunities for tournaments and company teambuilding. Additional dates in August and September may be accommodated for company teambuilding as well. Sponsorships are available. Get your business additional visibility on the Cornhole boards as advertising.

There is no equipment purchase required. You only have to walk through the Club doors and you are ready to go. The Club is providing the Cornhole boards, special resin toss bags, and scoring. Oh, and adult beverages will be made available for purchase.

Two leagues have been formed – 10am Monday mornings and 7pm Thursday evenings with a very low registration and cost per game fee. All participants (age of majority) are welcome to play –you just have to be able to toss the bag from a standing point. Sign up with a spouse, friend, partner, and/or neighbour or sign up as an individual and be paired with the friend you haven’t met yet.

SUMMER FUN – MAY ONE! (League runs until July 31st)

For registration or more information please contact Bob Hemming at campbellfordcornhole@gmail.com

The latest set of Conservation Authority Watershed Report Cards are being released across the province today, on World Water Day. The 2023 Otonabee Conservation Report indicates that the state of natural resources in the local watershed region, including surface water quality and forest cover, continue to be graded as excellent to fair. Using data from local and provincial monitoring programs and standardized indicators, Conservation Authorities monitor and report on four resource categories: surface water quality, forest conditions, groundwater quality, and wetland cover. Otonabee Conservation’s 2023 Watershed Report Card also includes information on climate change and public health and tips for residents to help protect and enhance the health of the watershed environment."Local surface water resources received grades ranging from A to C indicating excellent to fair water quality; forest conditions resulted in grades from A to C suggesting excellent to poor. Groundwater quality and wetland cover have both remained consistent,” stated Meredith Carter, Manager of Watershed Management Pro-

grams for Otonabee Conservation, "We will continue to work with our municipal and community partners and watershed residents to enhance the health of our watershed, through stewardship activities and behavioural changes."

“March 22 is World Water Day and one of the reasons we celebrate it is to bring attention to how important it is to protect our natural resources. We rely on surface and groundwater sources for drinking water, forests and wetlands for habitat and natural infrastructure, all of which support healthy communities,” added Carter.

Conservation Authorities

across Ontario work in partnership with local, provincial, and federal governments, other agencies, landowners, and residents to plan and deliver watershed management programs that strive to keep Ontario’s watersheds healthy. Watershed Report Cards can be used to target specific actions that can address issues and improve conditions.

Otonabee Conservation’s 2023 Watershed Report Card is available at otonabeeconservation.com. To find more information about Watershed Report Cards across the province visit watershedcheckup.ca.

Otonabee Conservation’s Watershed Biologist conducts surface water quality monitoring at Cavan Creek.

Country singer SACHA is coming to Westben!

By Donna Bennett

Westben is back for its 24th Season of music in nature concerts and experiences on a 50acre farm near Campbellford. Westben is a Trent Hills community and audiences whether local, regional or national, love exploring the three beautiful towns of Warkworth, Hastings and Campbellford before and after the concerts.

Summer 2023 brings 26 performances from July 2 to August 6 featuring 70 artists from Measha Bruegergossman-Lee and Ben Heppner to Chantal Kreviazuk, Dan Hill and Warkworth’s own country singer SACHA. There will also be music and art shared by our neighbours from Alderville First Nation. Westben has three outdoor venues. The custom-built, timber-frame barn that seats 400 with doors that roll open onto a lush meadow, Willow Hill amphitheatre offering the outdoor festival experience and the cozy campfire venue where performers and audiences ,share songs and stories with smores and a sunset.

But Westben is more than just great performances, it offers music in nature experiences. Gourmet picnics in the meadow, Dare to Pair dining with wine tasting, pre-concert chats, guided nature and music walks and a chance to relax by the pond.

Measha Breggergosman-Lee opens the Festival July 2 having performed at Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center to London’s Wigmore Hall and Musikverein in Vienna. Ben Heppner with the Elmer Iseler

Singers is back on July 14, Juno award winning pianist Janina Fialkowska on July 22, Westben’s Co-Founder and pianist

Westben is more than just great performances, it offers music in nature experiences. Gourmet picnics in the meadow, Dare to Pair dining with wine tasting, pre-concert chats, guided nature and music walks and a chance to relax by the pond.

Spring Tea Party

Brian Finley performing works by Liszt on July 7 and a quintet of musicians on July 15 performing Mozart and Brahms.

One of Canada’s fastest rising country stars and originally from Warkworth, SACHA appears July 8 on Willow Hill.

SACHA’s first Platinum single which she performed with the Reklaws, called What the Truck (19 million+ global streams), is the fastest-ever Canadian country song to go platinum in history. Nominated for Rising Star at the 2022 CCMA Awards and the CMA Ontario Awards, SACHA landed her first-ever CCMA Canadian Country Music Association Award. That same weekend SACHA was named the winner of SiriusXM's Top of The Country contest. She is a member of Country Music Television’s Next Women of Country 2021 class and featured in major television, print and online press including CMT, Music Row Magazine, American Songwriter, Rolling Stone Country, Billboard and The Boot, SACHA has also appeared on A-list editorial playlists (U.S. and Canadian) on Spotify, Apple & Amazon Music.

Indigenous Artist of the Year 2022 (East Coast Music awards), Mi’kmaq fiddler and singer Morgan Toney appears July 7 and more fiddling with the group called The Fretless

on July 9. Natural Balance on July 20 is a gathering of Alderville First Nation neighbours as they meet at The Barn to share stories and music about their history including the creation and caretakership of Alderville’s Black Oak Savanna. Pop and singer songwriter concerts include industry legend Dan Hill on July 16 and Chantal Kreviazuk on July 23. Around the Campfire, winner of Canadian Folk Music Awards Del Barber performs July 15 and Ben Caplan on July 22 who mixes klezmer melodies and ancient sounds with a contemporary twist.

The annual Broadway revue run is a concert version of Les Mis from July 25 to August 2.

Expect the unexpected when Ben Finley and a group of improvising musicians team up with ET the Mime, on July 13 to explore a series of silent movies, and digital shorts, complete with on-the-spot creations

July 21rst brings vocal jazz jewel Emilie-Claire Barlow. Lennie Gallant appears August 4, Jill Barber August 5 and the summer festival wraps up with the music of Joni Mitchell and more with Laila Biali and the Brian Barlow Big Band on August 6. Tickets range from $5 to $65 with 18 & under only $5 and ages 19 to 30 only $30. Ask about our meadow passes and see you at Westben!

Music in Nature

Summer

Festival July 2 to August 6, 2023

26 concerts featuring over 70 artists of classical, broadway, jazz, folk, pop, rock, opera, country and artists from Alderville First Nation

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee

Sacha

Les Misérables

Dan Hill Sounds of Silence

Janina Fialkowska

Jill Barber

Warkworth's own SACHA

Chantal Kreviazuk

Super Soup!

By Carol Shaw

There is nothing more satisfying, especially on a chilly day, than the tantalizing smell of a pot of soup simmering on the stove. What kind will it be this time? Pea soup from the Easter ham bone? Turkey from that carcass that was frozen after Christmas? Maybe traditional onion soup with its crouton smothered in cheese? Or perhaps my favourite – mushroom? Each of these soups is special, but at our house, soup is never the same and is seldom created from fancy ingredients. Do you recall the story of the hungry traveller who told some unsuspecting villagers that he could make soup with a stone, if they would just give him a pot of water? As the stone was boiling in the water, he suggested that it would be even tastier with the addition of a carrot, and maybe a potato. He kept these requests coming, and soon he had a real soup, despite the initial reluctance of the villagers to give him food, and no thanks, really, to the stone. Well, minus the stone, that is how most soups evolve at our house. My refrigerator usually has either extras or left over veggies of some sort – everything from the tough but peeled stalks of broccoli to carrots and cauliflower. May-

be leftover meat too. Although homemade is best, I always keep store-bought containers of broths and cubes of beef and chicken on hand. If I think about it ahead of time, I may soak navy beans overnight to add to the pot the next day. Rice, barley, or small pasta shells work well. And, depending upon what finds its way into the soup, different herbs or a splash of lemon are great additions for flavour. The scope for soup experimenting is unlimited! Sometimes it is fun to puree whatever soup you have come up with, for a very different experience of the same soup, making it more like a cream soup. In fact, if a puree is too thick, the addition of either milk or cream works well. Grated cheese, or snippets of green onion are lovely garnishes. If you have pulled out all the stops and made beets into yummy borsch, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt adds to it when served. I even have a recipe for a wonderful peanut soup that is topped with bits of ham and cranberry sauce. In the summer, soup can be on the menu too, with fruit soups or vichyssoise, (basically a potato and leek soup), both served icy cold. Cold jellied consommé is a treat. Special crackers or cheesy bread sticks do well with these.

So you see, you can always mix up some sort of soup at the last minute with whatever you have at hand. Guaranteed it will be appreciated by family and guests, but when they request the recipe, you’ll just have to admit to having served them a unique soup, one that has never been made before and one that likely will never be the exact same again! Just be happy that it was enjoyed.

The GreenMoxie Store is a cooperative collection of local goods made right here in Trent Hills.

Get great produce, jams, pickles, soaps and hand -crafted treasures from local farmers and makers.

OPEN EVERY DAY 9-5 PM - WEST STREET IN WARKWORTH

Patient’s Miscarriage Highlights Limitations of CMH’s Emergency Department

By Peter Mitchell

Kelly Hubble was home in Springbrook with her two children when she started hemorrhaging from a miscarriage.

The ambulance brought Kelly to the Campbellford Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department for urgent medical care.

“My daughter experienced a miscarriage, one of the most intimate and traumatizing experiences a woman and family can go through,” shared Catherine Holt, Kelly’s mother. “She received incredible, compassionate, professional care in the Emergency Department, but it was distressing that there was only a curtain between her having a miscarriage and the elderly patient beside her experiencing heart issues. We heard everything they were experiencing, and they heard everything we were experiencing.”

Catherine added: “We were shocked that my daughter and her family did not have privacy during such a traumatic experience.”

The Emergency Department’s physical shortcomings

Dr. Eshay Elia, Chief of the CMH Emergency Department (ED), is all too familiar with how the current ED infrastructure cannot keep pace with the demands of the growing community.

“The ED was designed when the hospital did not face, nor could anticipate, our current struggles of high volumes and increased acuity levels, which far exceed

the infrastructure,” reflected Dr. Elia.

Dr. Elia points out that in addition to increased year-round residents, there has also been a boom in the cottage population.

As a result, CMH expects the ED volumes in the 2022-23 fiscal year will be 120% of the 2020-21 volumes.

“The summertime can be quite busy, and there are many injuries due to recreational activities,” explained Dr. Elia. “Unfortunately, we only have a single trauma bay, so if we get more than one trauma at a time, we’re really stuck in terms of our infrastructure. On top of that, our ED is generally pretty packed because of high volumes and admissions rates, which can cause backflow into our trauma bay. Sometimes, we have our trauma bay taken up by a non-traumatic patient because of a lack of space, which is not ideal.”

When Emergency Care Quality Lead Heather Campbell first toured CMH’s Emergency Department, she was struck by the infrastructure challenges.

“It’s remarkable how the ED team delivers high-quality care to patients despite working in an overcrowded space with serious limitations and challenges,” reflected Heather. “The environment is not conducive to providing emergency care, but our dedicated staff and physicians work extra hard to ensure high-quality patient care.”

Kelly Hubble’s ED experience is one striking example of patient privacy issues. In the ED, patients typically receive care in small cubicles sectioned off by only a curtain. When a patient arrives in serious condition at the hospital by ambulance, there is no dedicated ambulance entrance. Instead, paramedics must wheel patients through the main entrance by the waiting room, giving patients little privacy. The absence of private rooms also impacts infection control. There are also only two patient washrooms for the whole department, which creates increased processes for the team to follow the standard isolation guidelines when caring for a patient with a suspected or confirmed infectious disease.

Dr. Elia adds that the CMH ED volume levels are so high that ambulances have offload delays because there is no space to bring the patient from the ambulance into the hospital.

Space limitations also mean that the triage nurse works in insufficient space for patient assessments without a dedicated anteroom or separate space for clinical assessments and tests like an ECG or bloodwork.

CMH has recently applied for funding to renovate the current ED to meet the infection control standards, such as adding a negative pressure room and an additional washroom.

Heather explained: “These ren-

ovations will assist in the interim, but they will not solve all the issues and capacity limitations with the physical space, like patient privacy and being undersized.”

How a Campus of Care will transform emergency care

“My daughter’s experience illustrates one critical reason why our community needs a redeveloped hospital: the lack of patient privacy,” said Catherine. “The care given by all the medical staff at CMH is amazing, friendly, kind, and high quality, but the state of the building itself has a tremendously negative effect on the patient’s right to privacy and the overall care experience.”

As part of the Campus of Care, the new ED will modernize emergency care by creating a larger space designed in a layout that supports growing patient volumes and acuity levels, patient privacy, comfort and dignity, and supports better patient flow and adherence to quality standards. The new, right-sized ED will include a dedicated triage space with a closed anteroom, more private patient rooms, at least two trauma bays, more waiting room space, and a dedicated area where paramedics can offload more patients safely and discretely.

“With the new Emergency Department, we have the opportunity to create a space that can keep pace with the growing patient volumes and acuity by de-

signing a layout that places the healthcare workers in a central location so they can monitor every patient,” said Dr. Elia. “The new ED will allow for more patient rooms for privacy and optimal flow; multiple trauma bays; and better use of rooms by designating areas for patients awaiting results, for example.”

CMH has applied for a capital planning grant to redevelop the hospital as part of a Campus of Care that would create one location for a continuum of health services for residents. The redevelopment project would bring together the hospital, long-term care, affordable senior housing and services, mental health, primary care, and other healthcare services. CMH’s application for a capital planning grant to build a campus of care is pending approval from the Ministry of Health.

Contact your MPP to express your support for a new CMH as part of a Campus of Care. Learn more at www.cmh.ca/redevelopment

Remembering CDHS

By Bill Petherick

Interest is mounting as the 100th anniversary of Campbellford District High School (CDHS) gets closer. Starting July 13th, a variety of events will take place where students of the past will meet in Campbellford to renew old friendships. Some may have returned periodically for visits with relatives or former school friends, but some will arrive for the first time since they left CDHS. I still remember a tap on my shoulder at the 75th reunion in 1998. I turned to see a woman who lived next to our farm as a child. She had moved to Campbellford, then to Vancouver after marriage and hadn’t been east since. This will happen this summer to many people who want to get back to their roots.

As an 88-year-old former student of CDHS, I am almost as old as the school itself and can share some history that brought us to this celebration. Specific dates I use are from the book Gleanings: A History of Campbellford/Seymour which is a must for people who want to know the history of this area. Any errors or omissions in my own personal anecdotes are the result of my advanced age.

The first high school was built in 1877 on the grounds of the present-day Hillside Gardens Park at the corner of Bridge and Booth Streets. It was replaced in 1890 on adjacent land after fire destroyed the original. In 1923, this building became part of the elementary school system (Bridge Street Public School) on the completion of the 1923 building on Ranney and Market Streets where I attended. This building has had additions and renovations in 1960, 1963, 1970, and in 1988, the 1923 section was torn down and a new structure was built to link with the previous additions.

I started at CDHS in September of 1947 at 12 years of age. In town, you started kinder-

garten at age five followed by eight years of elementary school, which qualified you to enter high school in your 14th year. In contrast, in the rural one-room schools, there was no kindergarten. You didn’t have to attend until age six. Also, rural teachers with eight potential grades could, on occasion, accelerate pupils if they could cover three years of curriculum in only two years. It meant that we could be eligible for high school at less than 13 years of age.

One big problem faced by rural high school students was how to actually get there! In our area, you were on your own. My mother, who lived on what is now called “Catchmore Road” south of County Rd 8 in the English Line community, said she and her sister wanted to go to high school but her father simply couldn’t take them every day and they were too shy to board in town. Instead, her father offered to take them into town for piano lessons which were only once a week. This worked out well for them as they both became very proficient piano players. Some pupils flagged the train at Westwood and Godolphin. Up to 40 students arrived at the Campbellford station at 9:40 am, walked to school by 10 am, and were picked up on the return trip at 7 pm. In the 1930s, the train service was withdrawn and in 1933, two high school bus routes started. The buses were to arrive in Campbellford by 9 am and leave for the return trip at 4 pm. I was lucky because a neighbour and fellow student, Blanche (Reid) Foote was old enough to drive and took Fern Tinney, Clair Irwin, and me to school in our Grade 9 year. That’s why I always called her “my first bus driver.”

As I recollect, Grade 9 was rather uneventful unless it was the dislike most of us had towards “Latin” class which was first thing in the morning. Like all our classes that year, it was compulsory and not a good way

to start the day. Floyd Blake sat in the back seat in the corner behind Charlie McCoun. He often had a ‘snooze’ during class. One day, the teacher came back and asked Floyd if he was not feeling well. Floyd replied, “I’m tired.” The teacher then asked, “Do you think you will feel better for the next class?” Floyd quickly answered, “I think so.”

My Grade 10 year saw some important improvements. The decision had been made to bus all high school pupils from the rural areas. The bus I took started in Campbellford and headed out to Petherick’s Corners, then went north to Crowe River, then west to Trent River Village, and south on Highway 30 to Campbellford. It was a long ride, but I got to know where the students lived, and many friendships developed. The McCulloch clan was numerous at that time; I think nine of them got on the bus that year. The other important happening in Grade 10 was that I no longer had to take Latin. I didn’t shed many tears over that.

Grade 11 meant that bus routes had changed, and I rode from Petherick’s Corners to Burnbrae, Menie, Hoard’s Station, and then headed up the highway through English Line to Campbellford. That route was full of Grills and Stephens! Many people who had started with me in Grade 9 had dropped out after Grade 10 which was customary in those days.

In Grade 12, I had the same bus route as the previous year but eventually got my driver’s license so could drive occasionally. My best sport was softball, and the Grade 12 team did well. For readers much younger than me, Booth Street in the 1950s extended all along the school property and ended at Front Street north. The backstop was right at the intersection of those two streets (very close to the far end of the current school field). The high school baseball field was well-used

by all the community as it was the only ball diamond in town. Cars could park on both Booth and Ranney streets. The old Seymour Softball League that I played in used to fill that whole area, especially on Saturday night which was the prime shopping time. As for winter activities at school, the outdoor rink was in the area where the technical wing is now. Except for removing snow, the ice seemed to stay from late December to mid-March. During my Grade 12 year, the hockey team was very strong and never lost a game. Players such as Paul Bennett, Bill Hay, Ron Dooher, Jim Dunk, Ray Read, Ken Forde and others made it easy for Floyd Blake and me who took turns playing goal.

CDHS was very fortunate to have two outstanding teachers who started their careers in the original 1923 building: Kathleen Ferris, the English teacher, and Kathleen O’Shaughnessy, the French teacher, both taught there until retirement. In Grade 12, Miss Ferris was my home-room teacher and one day, she came to my desk: “Bill, I can’t understand how you get 75 to 85% in French but only 55 to 60% in English Composition and 40 to 50% in English Literature.” She was particularly concerned because passing both English courses was a must to graduate Grade 12. Miss Ferris then asked, “What can I do to help you?” I promptly answered, “It’s not your fault, Miss Ferris. I know you are a good teacher. It’s my fault I hate William Shakespeare and I can’t concentrate enough to improve my marks.” At year’s end, my report card said, “Pass to Grade 13 except Grade 12 English will have to be repeated because of a final mark of 44 in English Literature.”

About a month before school, the principal, Mr. Keith, came into our class and asked who intended to return to complete Grade 13. About 50% of the class indicated they wished to return and then he asked sev-

eral students not returning what their plans were. When he asked me, I said I was returning to help my father on the family dairy farm with the intention of owning a farm of my own in the future. He said that was an occupation that would always need young people and asked if there were any others in that category. About three or four other students expressed interest in leaving Grade 12 to work on the family farm, Neil McCulloch being the one I remember. Before Mr. Keith left, he made a comment that I will never forget. To paraphrase him, ‘you gathered here for four years, made new friends, mastered problems in different subjects, and now the end of school is close. I want you to know that the object of coming here was to prepare you for living and working in the world in the future and I wish you success.’ My immediate reaction was that Shakespeare wouldn’t be much help on the farm and I was ready for the end of school. Many decades later, I wouldn’t change a thing about my career choice.

If you are a student who walked through the hallways at CDHS at some time in its history, you have your own memories and experiences. I hope you register for the reunion and encourage some of your former classmates to do the same. When you gather in July, you can visit some old friends, reminisce about your classes and teachers, extra-curricular activities, and any adventures (or misadventures) you shared, and get caught up on what you have done since leaving CDHS. I have registered for the reunion, but my age group is not too dependable due to age and health problems. I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend one last reunion and hope to enjoy a walk down the halls of CDHS once again.