Golden Gears shine at Iroquois

  Grace McDonough of the Morrisburg BIA could be forgiven for spending a lot of last week staring at the sky.  With 20 vendors and hundreds of visitors and shoppers expected in Morrisburg July 18-19 […]

Myrna Anderson, a member of the team which organized and ran the April 6 Pulling Together fund raiser on behalf of the Froats family, was finding it hard to find the words to express her emotions.

“The whole event was just beyond real,” she said. “Isn’t it wonderful? We can safely say, at this point, that we have passed the $40,000 mark, and that we will publish our final figures in the paper within a couple of weeks. From the smallest to the biggest donations, everything counted in the end. 

Isn’t it absolutely amazing what people can do when we all ‘pull together.’”

The goal of organizers was to raise funds to help the Froats family, Mark, Lisa, Brody and Brett, who are facing some very difficult challenges in the months  which lie ahead.

The Pulling Together campaign  began before Christmas, and culminated in a gala, Saturday,  April 6, 2013, at the Matilda Hall in Dixons Corners, with hundreds of people coming out from South Dundas and surrounding communities to take part in the  many activities.

The organizing team, made up of Myna Anderson, Mike Deighton, David Lapier, David Wells, Ruth and Paul Robertson, Keith and Linda Robinson, Gayle Hart, Loretta and Mike Anderson, Jim and Vivian Martin and Tracey Veinotte, was delighted with the support shown by volunteers and  the public for the fund raiser.

The Golden Gears Car Club ran a car rally on Saturday, and a sponsorship campaign: president Henry Swank presented a cheque for $4,600 to the committee. 

The Morrisburg and District Lions, and the Lions of Winchester, Chesterville and Finch handled activities throughout the day for the crowds of visitors. The Iroquois-Matilda Lions arranged for and looked after the hall.

The roast beef dinner (which completely sold out) was catered by Hart’s Special Occasions.

There were seven local bands performing throughout the afternoon and evening, with Elvis impersonator Paul Warren and his band, Mystery Train, entertaining after dinner. 

People danced the rest of the night away to the music of Ridin’ Shotgun.

A full list of those donating their time, talents, funds and fund raising efforts for the gala will be published later.

The silent and live auctions were popular and important factors in the fund raiser. 

Melissa Fisher, a flight attendant with West Jet, brought a special donation for the auction, from the airline, of two round trip tickets to wherever West Jet flies. “West Jet’s generosity is a major calling card for our event,” Myrna Anderson said. 

West Jet has a community investment program, Fisher explained, and if an event is trying to raise funds, it can submit a proposal to the West Jet board. The company was pleased to help support the Pulling Together campaign.

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds said that the “volunteers who put on this fund raiser should be highly commended. There was great participation from our entire community to support a family facing real difficulties. There is such a strong sense of community in this area.”

The Froats family was thrilled and truly overwhelmed to hear how much had been raised at the event, Anderson reported. 

“Everything on Saturday went like clockwork,” she said. “We had no issues. We had great volunteers, and a wonderful crowd. It was a very happy day.”

[…]

As soon as the South Branch Wind Opposition Group asked South Dundas council to consider a motion to oppose the construction of industrial wind turbines in this community, they requested that the decision be delayed.

First, Leslie Disheau, president of the SBWOG, read the motion they drafted for council to address pass as a resolution with a recorded vote.

Then she said, “BUT – I would like to ask that council hold off on dealing with this resolution until your next regular scheduled council meeting.”

She invited them, with appropriate municipal staff, to meet with representatives of the SBWOG to discuss the suggested resolution.

The group wants the opportunity to discuss specific areas of concern and share information to help council be more informed. 

They will get the chance.

Council agreed to the deferral and have scheduled a meeting with the group for next week. South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan will not be part of that meeting as he has declared conflict of interest in the matter.

At the council meeting, Disheau spoke about four myths regarding the South Branch wind project.

According to Disheau, municipal council’s hands are not tied, a lot of money has not been spent on this project by anyone other than the wind developers, the South Branch wind project is not a done deal as it is still under technical review, and she disputes the fact that this project will have no negative impact on the community, pointing to the marked decrease in property values. 

“As a council, you should take notice and have concern over the reduction in property taxes, as this is a direct effect on your revenue income,” said Disheau.

Disheau informed council about a public safety matter regarding the turbines. 

The Ashfied turbine fire resulted in a debris field that extended 1,800 from the turbine base. “If turbine 15, which is located between the villages of Brinston and Dixon’s Corners caught fire and had a debris field of 1,800 m like that in Ashfied, we have two villages getting bombarded by flying debris,” said Disheau. 

[…]