Health and wellness for everybody

The competition for the first South Dundas Recreation Logo has come and gone and the winner is… Nikki Ault.

In addition to having her design be the logo for South Dundas Recreation for the foreseeable future, Ault’s face and logo will grace the cover of the second South Dundas recreation guide, coming out this spring. 

According to Recreation Program Coordinator Ben Macpherson, there were almost 30 entries in the logo contest. The decision, he said, was based on five criteria: simplicity, memorability, timelessness, versatility, and appropriateness.

To see the new South Dundas Recreation Logo, watch your mail for the spring/summer recreation guide coming out later this week!

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At the June 26th South Dundas council meeting, councillor Evonne Delegarde informed council of complaints she’d received from several Iroquois residents concerning use of the Iroquois Campsite dumping station.

According to Delegarde, Iroquois residents who had previously used the dumping station for free have now found that it is locked. To gain access they must pay a small fee.

“I’d like to propose that we remove the lock and eliminate the three dollar fee,” said Delegarde. 

“The people that I spoke to,” she continued, “use it only a handful of times.”

She proposed that council “in good faith allow residents to use the dumping station,” suggesting that Morrisburg and area residents have free access to the dumping station at Canadian Tire in Morrisburg and, therefore, Iroquois residents should have free access to the dumping station at the Iroquois Campsite. 

Clerk Brenda Brunt said, “the dumping station is for the campers. I’m not sure why residents who aren’t camping there, dump there.”

Deputy-mayor Jim Locke agreed with Brunt, saying, “I don’t know why they wouldn’t dump at the campground they’re coming from.”

In the end, mayor Steven Byvelds reminded that “there’s no free ride.” 

Delegarde’s proposal was voted down four to one.

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B. McNairn-Leader Staff

IROQUOIS–For two weeks, Williamsburg-area native Carl Van Allen went about his daily business, unaware that he was a millionaire.

On October 9, Van Allen purchased his regular weekly 6/49 Lottery ticket at Mustard’s Variety in Iroquois. On October 23, after having driven around for two weeks with the ticket in the console of his truck, he had  the numbers checked, and that’s when he got the surprise of his life, the win in the Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed $1 Million prize draw.

Although a cruise may be in the works this winter,  neither Van Allen, 62, nor his wife Ruby have plans to retire nor to make any big purchases. Carl is a longtime employee at Craig Packaging Ltd. in Iroquois, while Ruby works in retail in Morrisburg. Married 42 years, they have two children and five grandchildren.

Jim Mustard, owner of Mustard’s Variety, says “since day one, it’s been my dream to make someone’s dream come true and now it has.” It is also a great way for Jim to complete 24 years in business and to celebrate the upcoming 25th anniversary of Mustard’s Variety on January 3, 2014.

Mustard says he was present when Carl came in to have his tickets validated. “It was the same as usual. Erica [Mustard employee Erica Scott] always says, ‘how are you doing today’ and Carl always answers ‘I’ll know as soon as you check my tickets’.”

The next thing Mustard recalls is looking up and seeing a big printout coming out of the Lottery terminal. A message to Erica indicated she was to tell the customer not to leave the store. So, while they all knew Carl had won something big, at this point they didn’t know just how much. 

“It felt like an hour, but it was probably only four or five minutes later that the phone rang and it was the Ontario Lottery Association,” says Jim.  

After Jim and Carl answered the Lottery official’s questions, the ticket was run again and the $1 million result was officially revealed. 

“I was numb,” says Carl. “Once I talked to the girl in Toronto, it kind of sunk in. That’s when I got exited.”

But not too excited as he headed home to give Ruby the news. “I bought a scratch ticket and gave that to her when I got home. After about 20 minutes, she finally sat down to the scratch ticket and won $12. When she let me know she had won the $12, I said ‘that’s great. $12 is good’. How would you like to win $1 million. She wouldn’t believe me at first.”

“I had goose bumps from it,” says Jim, with Erica adding, “ I was  very excited. It was pure joy to watch his [Carl’s] face. It was amazing.”

Carl and Ruby are well-remembered for their hard work and their commitment to the Volley for Cancer event which they and a committee of volunteers ran for over 10 years on their farm (and eventually in Morrisburg). Over the years, Volley for Cancer raised thousands of dollars for cancer in memory of Carl’s mother.

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