Month: October 2012

Organizers Brian and Tracey Shaver couldn’t have imagined any better results as they set to work on their second decade of running their annual Ball Hockey Tournament in Support of the Dundas County District Council of Easter Seals in Williamsburg.

For their 11th event at the outdoor rink in Williamsburg this past Saturday, the Shavers were absolutely thrilled to see records set in the money raised, $6,020, and the number of teams (11) participating.

The only constant of the day was the third consecutive tournament win by team Morrell which included James Morrell, Ben and Jon Macpherson, Billy DeJong, Greg Millard, Colin Moran, Kelly Verhoeven, Lindsay Waddell, Laura McDonnell and Meghan Macpherson.

The Morrell team defeated Jamie McIntosh’s Delft Blue Veal in the A final.

For the first time ever, the event included a dance which was held at the Cedar Glen Golf Club with music by Wreckless.

The dance was sponsored by area businesses Wells and Son, Sevita International, Pioneer Winchester and Whitford Construction and added $518 to the day’s returns through ticket sales and another $156 when Wreckless passed the hat and collected another $156 to play another hour.

Through the community’s generous pledges to the ball hockey players and donations, the tournament raised a record $5,346, well up from last year’s $4,208.

“Brian and Tracey have done an amazing job getting this all in place,” said Easter Seals administrator Deanna MacKillican, who with Dundas County Easter Seals council chair Ian McLaughlin attended the event. “They organized and got all the sponsors. They do everything. They are amazing.”

In total, this year’s event received the support of 52 area businesses and individuals who put up prizes and/or made cash donations.

“It’s been a good year for businesses to donate,” said Brian Shaver. “This is really impressive for a small community. We had a handful of businesses step up and pay for the band so all of the ticket money is going to go back to Easter Seals. That is fantastic.”

“And as well, the prizes are very impressive, and for probably only the second time in 11 years, the weather is great.”

Coming in with the most pledges for the second consecutive year was Ben Henry at $700. Once again he was followed by Jason Rooney with $300. Jon MacPherson brought in $270, Janet Mackey $225, Scott Barkley $157, Bill Streng $145, Christine Carswell $140, Tammy Merkley $140, Greg VanBridger $124 and Adam Froats $105.

Each of the players is asked to raise a minimum of $25 in pledges.

“We have all set the bar high for next year, so we look forward to the challenge of beating it,” said Tracey Shaver.

The Easter Seals Society assists families who have children with physical disabilities.

Last year, the Dundas County District Council of Easter Seals counted on just under $20,000 raised at various local fund raisers which include the annual Ball Hockey Tournament, along with the Paper Eggs Initiative, Snowarama, a Curling Bonspiel and a Blooperball tournament.

There are approximately 11 families in Dundas County that are registered with Easter Seals Ontario.

[…]

Of the approximately 10,000 residents of South Dundas, one quarter of one percent of the population attended council’s open forum meeting at the Iroquois Civic Centre last Tuesday evening.

Asked if he was disappointed with the turnout, South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds said, “No. I think the turn out was good. It is always hard to anticipate how many will show, but it was as I expected.”

The main topic of discussion that evening was also exactly what the mayor expected.

The hottest topic of interest the 25 meeting attendees wanted council to discuss was the refurbishment of the former Morrisburg Collegiate Institute.

One third of the questions asked of council by area residents concerned the high school refurbishment project.

“What’s wrong with the old municipal building?” asked Bert Geertsma. “I can’t see the feasibility of going to Morrisburg,” he said, suggesting a referendum on the issue. Geertsma was the only person who suggested a referendum on the issue, but others did ask, why the move out of Williamsburg? 

Byvelds pointed out that, from the time of amalgamation, housing the municipal offices at Williamsburg was always meant to be temporary, and that the municipality has definitely outgrown that building.

“The issue of (renovating) the old high school has been debated for two years, so I don’t think people didn’t have a chance to tell us their stance,” said Mayor Byvelds. “Public opinion is likely as divided as council was the night we made the decision.”

“The (old high school) renovation was the most economical option. It’s $4 million,” said Byvelds. “Two engineering firms have told us that building is structurally sound or we wouldn’t have gone down that road. The decision was not made on a whim.”

“The high school renovation is a done deal, it’s not going to stop,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Jim Locke. “In a township with virtually no debt and reserves that are in good shape, it’s not that big a deal. The township can handle it.”

Clare Brown asked questions concerning the proportion of the cost of the project that will cover the medical and municipal portions of the building.

The medical portion of the building is about 25 percent of the total square footage, but the cost of the medical space is about 40 percent of the $4 million price tag.

“When you go to medical facilities they look expensive, because they are expensive,” said Mayor Byvelds. The doctors’ lease contribution agreement will only cover about 60-75 percent of the entire cost of the medical portion of the building, but Byvelds said that council decided that the municipality will cover the extra.

According to Byvelds, the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic felt strongly that with the township’s help, they would be able to use the new, much improved space, to help entice new doctors to the community in a time when some of the existing doctors are planning retirements.

“With a new building, I think that gives us an opportunity to bring medical services in South Dundas to a higher level,” said Byvelds. “We didn’t want to be known as the council that chased the doctors out of South Dundas.”

Liz Daoust asked about the cost of utilities for the building.

“The doctors will cover their own utilities and we (municipality) will cover ours,” said Byvelds.

She questioned the heat and hydro costs in such a large building.

“You are paying $16,000 per year already and there’s no one in it. Now, we are going to be much more efficient with spending your tax dollars,” said Byvelds.

Glenn Beckstead and Leslie Disheau both asked about the removal of asbestos from the building in such close proximity to a school.

“I hope you will be in communication with the Upper Canada District School Board as to when the cleanup of asbestos will happen, so that parents are well informed before any kind of emergency happens,” said Disheau. 

“That is not a bad suggestion,” said Byvelds. “It makes sense.”

[…]

They may not resemble conventional fliers, but this group of plane lovers are definitely ‘pilots’.

“We have jokingly called ourselves the Willyburg Fliers,” said Adam Hill, a remote control (RC) plane enthusiast. “Right now, we’re a small group, just the four of us, but we welcome others to come out and join us. We will teach people how to fly the planes, how to build them if they want. The whole experience is just a lot of fun. I guess you could call us plane addicts,” he laughed.

They can be seen out in the fields behind Williamsburg, at the waterfront in Morrisburg and even up at the point in Iroquois, piloting their graceful crafts. The group flies year round: they firmly believe that no one is too young or too old to enjoy flying remote controlled craft.

The planes the group flies are often striking looking replicas of real planes like the Pitts, the F4 Phantom or the Sbach 342. Among the four of them, they own some 17 planes.

Many people, thinking back to the heavy gasoline powered model planes from a few years ago, might believe that hobby flying is an expensive hobby.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Dave Rae explained that “our planes are all electric now. New battery technology and the electric engines have dramatically reduced the costs of the planes from what they were a few years ago. Now, instead of needing $1,000 to get started, a person can start on about $200.”

“The planes are all electric and definitely environmentally friendly,” said Jerry Gibson.

The Willyburg Fliers also have experience in building models and would be glad to share their expertise. 

“Right now, I’m actually building a Cessna 182 with a wingspan of eight feet,” Adam Hill  said. “It’s still a hobby plane, but building your own flyer is really a big part of the fun.”

How did the four get drawn into the hobby of flying RC planes?

Michael Butler, 14, the youngest fly boy, said he “spotted the guys out flying, and I went over with my small plane. They let me join them. I listened and learned, and then Jerry let me fly his plane. I was hooked. They ordered the parts, and helped me build my own plane. Now I come out on a regular basis. I say planes before homework,” Michael added. 

“As a kid I drooled over RC magazines,” Dave Rae explained. “When I was growing up, it was still too expensive a hobby, but in May of 2011, I was able to get my first plane, and I’ve been flying since.”

Jerry Gibson began with RC helicopters, but he soon got into the planes. Despite a crash or two (“Crashing is actually part of the learning process,”), he, like the others, was quickly hooked. 

Adam Hill  flew once, the others laugh, and was immediately “addicted.” He is now a major plane collector, who has built a miniature landing strip outside his Williamsburg home.

The hobbyists gather a lot of attention from the public wherever they fly. 

“Our planes are equipped with lights,” Dave said, “and we often fly at night. Actually, some people spotted us night flying and called the police thinking we were UFOs. Fortunately,” he laughed, “Jerry’s brother-in-law is with the OPP and he realized it was just us out there.”

Jerry has also mounted a camera in the cockpit of one of his planes, and been able to record the river and the colours of fall.  “The videos were crystal clear,” he said, “and fairly dramatic. We loaded two inflight recordings on YouTube.”

 A hobby shop (RPM) recently opened at Dixon’s Corners makes getting supplies and kits locally much easier for people interested in flying.

The Willyburg Fliers are looking forward to sharing their love of flying remote controlled planes with anyone in the area who might be interested.

“You don’t need to have your own plane,” Adam said. “We can buddy box two planes hooked into a remote, and we would be glad to work with you, and teach you. We welcome everyone (over age 12) to our hobby flying group.”

Adam Hill can be reached at 1-613-330-7630 for questions, references or information.

[…]