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"When Jean Keffer asked me to sign her petition to keep Gwillimbury in the Town name, I did so with the following in mind...Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Gwillim was an aide-de-camp of General Wolfe. He was with Wolfe when the General died on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. His daughter Elizabeth married John Graves Simcoe; the rest is history. My own connection to the "Gwillburys" began in 1803, when my 5G-Grandfather, John Eves, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, built one of the first settler dwellings, after he was patented with Lot 108 in West Gwillimbury. He is credited with the first industry in the "Gwillimburys", when he built a sawmill on the Holland River soon after. I even found reference to North Gwillimbury in the 1881 census where my Great-Great grandparents Thomas Lamb and Rachel Eves briefly lived. When I wrote on the Millenium Clock Monument, with assistance from George Jackson, I tried to balance the story of the Town and Township, so that one can see the relationship that existed, where we were intertwined socially, economically and emotionally. My wife Julie and I both spent our formative years in West Gwillimbury, and our two sons are the 9th generation in Ontario as descended from those original settlers on Lot 108. The name Bradford West Gwillimbury may be long and unwieldy, but historically and emotionally it is ours alone."

Description : The response to our book, Governor Simcoe Slept Here, has been overwhelming. It was never expected that our print run of 1,000 copies would be so well received. While there are still copies available, they are getting few in number. A sincere thank you to all who purchased a copy, or in many cases, more than 1 copy. Our appreciation also to those who have been in touch with us, to compliment us on the format and content of our book. This four-year project started in October of 2001, and culminated in our book launch on December 15th, 2005. Our publisher, Friesens and their representative Orland French provided assistance and guidance as we progressed along the path.

Description : Following four years of volunteer work by a team of members of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association, Governor Simcoe Slept Here - The Legacy of West Gwillimbury was launched on December 15th. In October, 2001 over forty people responded to the initial invitation to meet and discuss the possibility of writing a history of West Gwillimbury and they choose to call themselves WEGWHIST - West Gwillimbury History. The book was written by a team of 15 Bradford West Gwillimbury residents. Governor Simcoe Slept Here tells the story of the two waves of pioneer settlers to West Gwillimbury - the Scottish, Irish and English, who settled on the highlands during the 1820 - 1830 period and the European settlers who arrived a century later to the Holland Marsh. Churches, schools and hamlets are documented in the two volumes, along a CD which includes "The Many Faces of West Gwillimbury" as photographed by Franz Aschwanden, a listing of the Marsh Land Owners in 1949 and a Genealogical Index of the Families.

Description : It was a magnificent effort: for 4 years, volunteers with the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association and the community at large worked together as the "WEGWHIST" team, putting together a History of West Gwillimbury. The result was a 2-volume set, Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury, containing the stories, records and photographs of the families that settled the Township. MP Peter Van Loan flew in to attend, and praised the book as a "remarkable and strong community project - a gift from older generations to younger generations. I commend you all, and I congratulate you all." The book was published by Friesens Corporation of Altona, Manitoba, thanks to seed money provided by the Municipal council, an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, and contributions from Patrons. George Jackson, who chaired, co-ordinated and drove the process from the beginning thanked a long list of those involved.

When the WEGWHIST Team launched Governor Simcoe Slept Here last December, we underestimated your response. Hindsight, which always has 20/20 vision, indicates that we should have printed more copies, but by the same token, we didn't anticipate that many of you were going to buy 4 or 5 copies. All 1,023 copies have found a home, and many of you asked if we are going to do a reprint. We have considered this request, and we have decided to do a reprint that will be available about Aug. 15, 2006. Some factual errors have been brought to our attention, so we are preparing a correction addendum that will be included with the reprint, and will be available to all who have already purchased a book. Pre-publication sales of the reprint will begin July 1st. The pre-publication price will be $65, the post-publication price $75.

The WEGWHIST team has bowed to public demand, and will reprint Governor Simcoe Slept Here, the Legacy of West Gwillimbury. The reprint of the 2-volume set should be available mid-August, 2006. Some factual errors in the first edition will be printed in an addendum to be included with the reprint, and available to all who have already purchased a book. Pre-publication sale of the reprint is underway. The pre-publication price will be $5, the post-publication price $75.

Description : The reprint of the magnificent 2-volume local history book, Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury is now available. Those who wish to mail out a copy as a Christmas gift should call Bill Marks or George Jackson.

"Whipper Billy Watson (standing fifth from the left) attended a meeting of the Bradford Lions Club last week to thank some of the people who helped run the Snowarama which raised about $60,000 for crippled children in February. Five hundred and seventy snowmobiles were involved in the event on Lake Simcoe and 100 people helped organize it. Plaques expressing the gratitude of the Ontario Society For Crippled Children (OSCC) were handed out to representatives of nine clubs. Kneeling, left to right: Sue Brower of OSCC, Colleen Townsend of the Aurora Snowmobile Club, and Hank Lapierre of Keswick, York-Simcoe Radio Club. Standing: Bill Melbourne of Bradford, Bill Trent of Aurora, Bernard Horne, president of the Bradford Lions, Tony Townsend of Aurora, Whipper Billy, George Jackson of the Bradford Lions, Jim Derry of the Bradford Snowmobile Club, Cec Smith of the Orangeville and District Snowmobile Club, Terry Davis of Bradford, Frank Crisologo of Keswick and the Georgina Trail Riders, and Wes Styles of the York-Simcoe Radio Club."

"The Bradford Lions Club installed its new executive on Monday for the upcoming year. Front row, from left: Jack Armstrong, second vice-president; John Rutherford, president; Bernard Horne, past president; Gerard Van Albeek, first vice-president; Gerry Barker, third vice-president. Second row: George Jackson, director; Jim Swan, secretary; Bill Melbourne, director; Fred Dow, Lion hunter; George Fabing, assistant tail twister; Joe Vanderlinde, director; Bill Lotto, director; Bob Hardy, treasurer; Ron Coffey, Lion tamer; Ted Van Kuik, tail twister; Ron Wysinski, assistant secretary; George Robertson, director; Eric Hall, bulletin editor; and Keith Noble, director."