Help shape the future of Winchester Hospital

Game, set, match. Tennis has lost in Morrisburg.

South Dundas council agreed to the removal of the Morrisburg tennis courts at the June 18 council meeting.

“The condition of them: they’re not fit to be used,” said South Dundas councillor Evonne Delegarde.

“The issues with the property outweigh the use they’re getting,” agreed councillor Jim Graham.

“We can’t put money into them, when we don’t own the property they are on,” said South Dundas councillor Archie Mellan.

According to reports, the Morrisburg tennis courts originated in the 1970s/1980s with the assistance of Wintario funds. 

The property was owned by the Village of Morrisburg and subsequently sold to the adjoining owners – Chartwell (The Hartford Retirement Centre) and the Upper Canada District School Board (Morrisburg Public School). As a result the municipal tennis courts ended up on land that the municipality does not own.

“As the property where the tennis courts are located is not owned by the township, a long term commitment from the owners is required to justify any investment by the municipality,” said South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald in his report to council. 

The UCDSB has no interest in the tennis courts, and have given consent for their removal. “Chartwell has also confirmed their position that the removal of the tennis courts will give them an opportunity to revisit opportunities for more seniors housing on their site,” said McDonald.

“We don’t own the property, and they’re looking for it back,” said Councillor Mellan. He suggested that perhaps a single tennis court could be built in a different location in the future.

McDonald told council that with the school year coming to an end, and with the township having summer students available to help with the work to remove the courts, now is the time to do it.

Council agreed.

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Why it’s positively criminal how funny the upcoming Iroquois-Matilda Lions pro-duction of Monday Always Leads to Murder is!

Some of the characters die laughing.

Following in a tradition that dates back nearly 30 years, the Iroquois Lions (and friends) are taking to the stage at Upper Canada Playhouse this month with their latest theatrical offering, Pat Cook’s Monday Always Leads to Murder. 

These highly anticipated plays, which are presented every two years, are one of the major fund raisers for the Iroquois-Matilda Lions. 

Lions clubs have long been noted for their support of charitable organizations and works in South Dundas. The community often turns to area Lions for financial and volunteer support. 

Funds raised  by the productions at the Playhouse are invested right back into the South Dundas community. 

Ticket holders for the 2012 production can look forward to an evening of laugh-out-loud comedy and to ensuring that the Iroquois-Matilda Lions can continue to be a strong presence in the South Dundas community. 

The show’s volunteer cast has been in rehearsals since early February. As opening night gets closer, the production is transferring April 4 to the Playhouse.  Rehearsals  have been held at St. John’s Anglican Church, Iroquois, and the Iroquois United Church. 

The cast is having a lot of fun with the play, which is set in the seedy New York office of one Harry Monday, private eye. The year is 1939: Prohibition has lately been repealed, Humphrey Bogart is big at the box office, Al Capone is big in Chicago and women (at least where Harry is concerned) are still “stacked.”

Harry will certainly have his hands full coping with dames, would-be actors, cops, burglars, mysterious Egyptian professors and bodies that just keep popping up at the most inconvenient times when he takes on the sinister Barnstable case. 

The fantastic set for the show has been designed by John Thompson of the Playhouse and constructed by a crew under the leadership of Lion Jim Locke.  Sean Free, technical director of the Playhouse, is operating sound and lights for the show. Wendy Gibb is directing.

Tickets are $20 each for the evening shows, April 26-28, and for the Saturday matinee: they are going very quickly. Contact any Iroquois Matilda Lion, Mustard’s Variety or Upper Canada Playhouse for tickets to Monday Always Leads to Murder.  

[…]

From a 15 year old with peach fuzz on his top lip that grew into a proper moustache by the time he was 18, now South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds has never been without a moustache. 

That could all change at the end of this month if the residents of South Dundas take up the challenge being issued by Mayor Byvelds in support of the Flash a ‘Stache effort to help fight prostate cancer.

“I am issuing a challenge,” said Byvelds. “If $1,000 in donations are made, I will cut off my forever moustache.”

Saturday night at the Dundas County Hospice Hoedown Jan Clapp convinced Byvelds that he should participate in the Dare to Flash a ‘Stache fundraiser benefitting the Winchester District Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Ottawa Region Cancer Centre Foundation to fight prostate cancer.

“It definitely took some convincing,” said Byvelds, “This is a pretty big leap for me.” 

Although, now that he has decided to participate, he sincerely hopes people will take up the challenge and donate to this very worthy cause.

“I think each one of us knows someone who has battled prostate cancer,” he says. 

In addition to helping to raise funds, this effort helps to raise awareness so that people get checked and through fund raisers like this one ensure that the hospitals have everything they need to provide treatment.

There is only one week to reach Byvelds fund raising goal, so he asks that anyone interested in taking up the challenge by making a donation to the Dare to to Flash a ‘Stache effort do so before October 31.

Donations can be made online at www.flashastache.ca, click on Sponsor a Participant and type in Steven Byvelds and follow the steps. For those not comfortable with donating online, contact Byvelds and he will help facilitate the donation process. He can be reached by email mayor@southdundas.com or by phone 613-652-2271.

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