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Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : We Once Had A Fair

Forty-three years ago in Bradford the annual Bradford and West Gwillimbury fall fair was held, with horse races, livestock competitions, dances, and a midway.

The weather was almost perfect and the fair attracted crowds estimated at 3,000.

The celery harvest was under way that week as well, and Professor W.H. Day's 40 acres were described as an "animated hive of industry," with 250 men and boys harvesting the celery crop.

Twenty-nine years ago in Bradford a just-completed census put the population of the town at 1,373 an increase of 66 from the previous year.

A huge wasp's nest, measuring three feet long, was discovered in a barn at the rear of the Orange Hall.

The nest's construction was "like basket weaving, and is in lovely tones of fawn shade." The wasps were killed by "liberal applications of DDT."

Municipality :
Community : Lefroy
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Ruffetts' Celebrate 72 Years of Marriage
By Georgina Mitchell

Bill and Susan Ruffett celebrated their 72nd anniversary last week, with many friends and relatives calling in to congratulate them.

Bill is well known for his recitations and he has memorized over 100 verses since retiring at the age of 80.

He recalls the first time he recited 82 years ago at the Churchill Presbyterian Church Sunday School concert.

Bill and Susan eloped when she was 16, and he 20.

The bride, born Susan Hardy recalls taking the train from Lefroy to Gilford (where her sister lived) and then north to Barrie where she met Bill.

The couple then walked to the Collier Street Methodist Manse where they exchanged vows.

Bill remembers having only $7 in his pocket, of which $2 went to the minister.

Bill began work at the ice company in Lefroy, and worked there from 1910 to 1930.

With the advent of electric refrigerators Bill turned to carpentry and built about 200 cottages before his retirement.

He continued to build bird houses as a hobby, and still does when the weather is favorable, with his son Charlie giving him a hand.

Bill and Susan raised a family of seven children, the oldest and youngest girls, with five boys in between.

They also have 18 grandchildren ranging in age from 12 to 42, 21 great-grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Historical Letter is Discovered

What has been described as a "once in a life-time historical find," was uncovered last week in the home of Bernard Horne in Bradford.

President Eleanor Reid of the Scotch Settlement Historical Society and Ruby Faris were invited to Mr. Horne's home to view a collection of letters and memorabilia belonging to Scotch Settler Angus Sutherland.

On the very top of the pile, Mrs. Reid was amazed to discover a handwritten letter signed by Lord Selkirk, who launched the first major settlement of Scots in Canada.

"It took a couple of days for this discovery to sink in," Mrs. Reid said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime find."

Included with the letter are about 50 other historical items, including bills, letters and accounts.

Mr. Horne turned the material over to Mrs. Reid who donated it to the Simcoe County Archives where it is now being restored.

The letter from Lord Selkirk was probably sent to the ship's captain who would transport Mr. Sutherland, his mother Elizabeth and sister Betty to Fort Churchill in Manitoba.

It reads: "Golspie (in Scotland) May 28, 1813."

"Angus Sutherland, Auchvalch, has paid 28 pounds eight shillings, in part of the passage of himself and two others of his family who are to be received on board the ship at Stomness on paying the balance of four pounds, two shillings."

It was signed "Selkirk."

Written below by another person was "balance (sic) paid."

Another letter followed written by Alexander Sage, a minister at Kildonan, Scotland.

FREE FROM ANY SCANDAL

It reads: "These do certify that Elizabeth Sutherland in Auchvalch a widow who has family of one son and one daughter, both of them single and unmarried, are natives of the Parish of Kildonan and county of Sutherland, and during the residence in said parish have behaved themselves Decently and Inoffensively. Free from any Scandal.

Meeting Church Censure may be admitted into any Christian society where Providence may Assign their lot is attested at Kildonan in name, Presence and by appointment of the Kirk Session of Kildonan, the 14th day of June, Eighteen Hundred and Thirteen Years and subscribed by Alexander Sage, Minister and George McLeod Session Clerk. Her son's name is Angus Sutherland and her daughter's name is Elizabeth."

CONSUMPTION

History has recorded the voyage of the Sutherlands, and Betty's death from consumption at age 18, shortly after their arrival in Fort Churchill.

Angus and his mother later settled on the 5th Concession of West Gwillimbury where he farmed 100 acres.

The rugged pioneer life in West Gwillimbury must have agreed with Angus Sutherland.

He died in March, 1885, aged 103.

Mrs. Reid said copies of all the material found in the box will be donated to the Bradford Library.

She said the letter, once restored, will likely be on public view at the archives.

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Former Teacher Gets Queen's Jubilee Medal

Miss Barbara Stewart, former Bradford public school teacher, has been awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal.

Miss Stewart, who retired last year after 36 years of teaching, said from her Markham home Friday, "I don't know how I got it or who recommended me. It came by registered mail last month and it was a complete surprise."

She joins Bradford lawyer Charles Evans as a recipient of the medal, awarded to persons who have made outstanding contributions to the community.

She said she had just returned from a trip to Germany, and would soon go back to Bradford public school for a day to tell the students about her trip.

As for retirement, "I'm just loving every bit of it."

Municipality :
Community : Barrie
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Art Evans is Honored
By John Slykhuis

BARRIE - They came to say thank you to Arthur Evans last Friday, almost 1,000 strong, including cabinet ministers, politicians from all parties, and a small portion of the thousands of friends he has made over the years.

They came to say thank you for the 17 years he held the Simcoe Centre riding for the Progressive Conservatives, and the 20-odd years before that he held political offices.

Almost a life-time of dedicated service to the people in his riding.

LIMOUSINE

Art Evans and his wife Audrey arrived by limousine at Barrie Raceway to the deafening cheers of the people gathered on a cold, snowy evening.

Among the podium guests were chairman for the evening George Taylor, who succeeded Mr. Evans as MPP, Lorne Richardson, minister without portfolio, James Taylor (energy), and John Rhodes (housing).

Each had personal reminiscences about Art and paid tribute to his dedication, common sense, and honesty.

Telegrams poured in, including one from Premier William Davis who wrote, "You are one of Simcoe County's finest citizens...the accolades are well-earned."

GOOD JUDGEMENT

James Taylor commented, "I came to respect the common sense and good judgement of a man who served you so well for so many years...I feel honored to have known you."

Political colleague and friend William Hodgson, MPP for York North, recalled the first time he and Art met, during the Hurricane Hazel disaster.

Art was reeve of Bradford at the time, and Mr. Hodgson deputy-reeve of King Township.

ORDER FROM CHAOS

He recalled that Art, organizer of the hurricane relief effort, almost single-handedly created order out of the chaos that Hazel wrought.

John Rhodes followed with a warm speech sprinkled with humourous anecdotes.

"I'm here to tell you the truth about Art Evans," Mr. Rhodes began, "It's fitting you held the ceremony here (at Barrie Raceway). Art's been going around in circles for years.

"Arthur was responsible for getting me elected and I've never forgiven him."

Mr. Rhodes paid a special tribute to Art Evans' wife Audrey for her unswerving devotion and support.

"For all the hours we put in, our wives put in just as many, " Mr. Rhodes said. "Arthur was successful because he had a good wife."

He concluded joking, "You've inflicted George Taylor on us, but we'll see what we can do."

Ken Tupling, Arthur Evans' campaign manager, presented a bouquet of roses to Audrey Evans and gave a summary of Mr. Evans' long and distinguished career.

He began his political career as a member of the Public Utilities Commission of Bradford, followed by terms as councillor, reeve, Simcoe County Warden, and as Bradford's first mayor in 1959.

In 1960, Mr. Evans gained the Simcoe Centre seat left vacant after the death of George Johnson, and held that seat until his retirement earlier this year.

TOUGHEST FIGHT

His toughest fight, Mr. Tupling recalled, was that first provincial election in which he defeated his Liberal opponent by a slim 600 votes.

During those hectic years, Art and Audrey raised four children, John, Donald, Robin, and Cathy.

Art and Audrey received several gifts along with the accolades last Friday.

They included a grandfather clock, framed campaign poster and cartoon, and a scrapbook spanning his career.

Mr. Evans, 62, now works as a loan consultant with the Municipal Savings and Loan Corporation in Barrie.

"I don't know how I lasted the 17 years," Mr. Evans concluded. "It's a tough racket; it really is."

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : BRADFORD - Former owner, publisher, and editor of The Bradford Witness, Ina McKenzie, died last Wednesday, July 8, after a lengthy illness.

She was 89.

Born Ina Galbraith in Paisley, Bruce County, Mrs. McKenzie's learned to be independent at an early age after the death of her father at age 29.

Her mother, a school teacher, struggled to raise her and younger sister Donalda.

"I went into teaching as well because there was nothing else a girl at that time could do, except become a nurse." Mrs. McKenzie remarked in an interview before her death.

TAUGHT

She taught for several years in the tough downtown Toronto core where her students included the famous Conacher brothers. "They were wonderful boys. Perhaps a bit mischievious thought." she recalled, laughing.

After marrying her childhood sweetheart, Stewart McKenzie (who died in 1975), she left teaching to move to Detroit with her husband.

"At that time - it wasin the 1920s - Detroit was a boom town. Everyone was playing the stock market and making a great deal of money - on paper at any rate. Stewart got a job on a financial publication called Saturday Night."

EXTENSIVE

Mr. McKenzie had an extensive background in the newspaper business. His father had owned the Paisley Advocate.

While in Detroit, the stock market crashed and Mr. McKenzie, because he was a Canadian citizen, was in danger of losing his job.

"I told Stewart, 'Let's look for a business now while you've still got a job.' so we went on vacation and looked at what appeared to be a very prosperous newspaper in Trenton." Mrs. McKenzie remembered.

However, being a very astute business woman, she noted that the paper printed a great deal of political material that would come to a halt if the government changed. They decided to look elsewhere.

Bradford was their next stop.

"When we arrived in Bradford, it was a beautiful day," she recalled. However the condition of the Bradford Witness was something else again.

"Stewart went in and told me 'The machinery is a disgrace,'" she remembered, but they loved the little town and decided to stay, contributing greatly to its prosperity and growth over the years.

In those first years of the Depression, Bradford was little more than a main street, the lower end shabby, the western portion relatively prosperous, she recalled.

"Everything was booming when we arrived in Bradford," Mrs. McKenzie noted. "But shortly after, many people were in dire poverty. It we would have collected what was on our books we could have retired, however people gave what they could.

During this time they relocated the paper's office from Holland St. to Barrie St. (where the European Bakery is currently located), remaining there until they retired in 1968, selling the paper to Gerry Barker.

Before deteriorating eyesight hampered her activities Mrs. McKenzie was extremely active in various organizations in Bradford.

During the Second World War, she headed the Bradford chapter of the Canadian Red Cross. She was a charter member of the West Gwillimbury chapter of IODE, and a past president of the Bradford Women's Institute. She also taught Sunday School at the Bradford United Church.

DRIVING FORCE

One of the driving forces behind fund-raising efforts for the Bradford
Community Centre, Mrs. McKenzie also lent her considerable energies and intelligence to the Hurricane Hazel flood relief program and various other community projects.

Ina McKenzie is survived by her sister Donalda Crosbie of Toronto, nephew Robert W. Crosbie, and good friend Ella Langford of Bradford. She was also a great aunt to Alexander, George and Cynthia.

Friends called at the Lathangue and Skwarchuck Funeral Home and a service, conducted by Rev. G. McFarlane, was held in the chapel on Friday, July 10.

She was buried next to her husband at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.

Donations to the West Gwillimbury chapter of IODE would be appreciated.

Municipality :
Community : Holland Marsh
Lot :
Concession :
Description : 1976 Was a Year Most Vegetable Growers Would Like to Forget
By Matthew Valk

The end of the year is a time when most of us look back on what we have accomplished and look forward to better things to come. 1976 was a year that many growers would like to forget.

The first few months were a struggle to sell a large crop of carrots which never brought more than $1 per bushel; in many cases, it was far less.

A large volume was fed to cattle. There were some hopes that the stabilization board would help to reduce the large financial losses, which most growers were facing. However, after several months of negotiations, Ottawa came across with a measly $2.25 per ton which would not pay for the seed.

The 1976 growing season was also less than desirable. Apart from a warm month of April, the early spring was cold and wet. June was more like what we were looking for, warm and dry, but the months that followed produced cool temperatures and lots of rain.

Diseases were more prevalent than usual, particularly "blast" in onions. Harvesting weather was deplorable; rain and cloudy weather hampered field operations which were mostly stop and go. Although storage temperatures were fairly good for carrots, the high humidity caused a lot of headaches for onion growers.

The market situation has made some compensation for all these problems. The price of carrots and onions has been somewhat better than last year and prospects for the new year are good.

The reason for this is that growers in other parts of the world have had and are still having still bigger battles with the weather than we have had. Everyone has heard about the drought in Europe and the shortages.

In particular, potatoes and onions have been in great demand by European buyers and large quantities have been going overseas. Although most of the onions have been shipped by U.S. shippers, the effect has been a steady market for us as well.

Recent abnormal rainfall in the southern USA, mainly Texas, is affecting the growth of onions and carrots and the volume that may be expected in the next few months.

The acreage of these crops will certainly be down from normal and the quality could be affected due to the wet field conditions so far. So as we go into the new year, there seems to be nothing new as far as marketing our produce is concerned.

As usual, our marketing problem is really a production problem. The weather factor continues to play a big role in the volume of production. Growers usually say that they are better off if we all produced less and received more. No one can argue with this philosophy.

Since no one will volunteer to reduce production (this is against a grower's nature), the weather is left to do the regulating for us.

As we go into the New Year, I would like to wish friends and readers a healthy, happy and prosperous 1977 and good markets.

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : He Helps Plan Area Growth

Art Kneeshaw was appointed to the Bradford planning board in 1969, just when growth began to surge in town.

The appointment to the Bradford board was followed two years later by his being named to head the joint planning board with West Gwillimbury.

"The idea behind joint planning is to make Bradford and West Gwillimbury work together," Mr. Kneeshaw said recently in an interview.

The pressure on the town of Bradford to develop never lets up, he said.

"With gas prices so high, commuters to the north are suffering," he said. "People are moving closer to Toronto. Because we're not that far away, we're getting hit by that."

The Simcoe-Georgian Task Force has suggested that the population of the town of Bradford should grow to 12,000 by 1991.

"Even at the present rate it's going to be ahrd to hold it," Mr. Kneeshaw said. "Right now we have enough development approved to take us up to 7,800 people."

The official population for Bradford in 1975 was 4,566. "We're still in the process of going from 5,000 to 7,500," he said. "It's going to be busy for the next two or three years anyhow."

The main limit to growth right now is the delay in approval of the proposed sewage plant extension. Council asked the Ministry of Housing for approval 18 months ago.

"It appears we're getting in more industry than we should," Mr. Kneeshaw said. "The plan is set up for 75 percent residential and 25 percent industrial."

"This town can someday handle 20,000. We're very fortunate that we'll never have to annex for years."

When asked what has been the toughest problem he has faced while sitting on the planning board, Mr. Kneeshaw replied:

"The time element. A developer always feels there is a time delay from the time he makes application until he get approval to go ahead."

An area resident all his life, Mr. Kneeshaw is the Land Registrar and Master of Titles for the County of Simcoe.

He has worked for the county for 25 years.

He and his wife, Ruth, have two grown children, Brian and Faye.

Mr. Kneeshaw's numerous interested include curling, golf and the Bradford Lions Club.

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Area Historical Society Formed

The first major steps to preserve the heritage of the Scotch Settlement and area were taken last week when about 20 people officially founded a historical society.

Known as the Scotch Settlement and District Historical Society, it will seek to preserve the historical record of not only the struggles of the Scottish settlers but those of Bradford and West Gwillimbury as well.

Philip Baker, a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Recreation was on hand to describe the procedure in setting up a historical society, the grant structure, and the initial problems that will have to be faced.

DISINTEGRATE

He told the group that the common mistake of most historical societies is to concentrate all activities on one particular project in the beginning and then disintegrate when it is completed.

He urged members to set up a variety of projects that could be tackled over the years.

The next step in the formation of the group is to adopt a charter, Mr. Baker said, and consider affiliation with the Ontario Historical Society.

He commended the society for its decision not to concentrate activities only on the Scotch Settlement, because of the danger that it would then be too limited and not self-perpetuating.

Funds for the immediate future would present the group with its first major hurdle.

Grants from the ministry and Wintario are of the matching variety and the group will first have to acquire funds on its own.

With this in mind, the society will probably ask the councils of Bradford and West Gwillimbury for a grant.

The maximum grant available from the ministry is $550 a year.

WINTARIO

Mr. Baker said other grants are available through Wintario, but also on a 50-50 basis.

The society elected its first officers that same evening, with Eleanor Reid as president, Andrew Rettig secretary-treasurer, George Brown in charge of architecture and historical buildings, and Ruby Fairs, program director.

A fee structure was also approved, with a $5 annual fee for a family, $3 single, and $1 student.

Don Beatty of the Innisfil Historical Society was also present at the meeting, and he related experiences of his own group, especially financial and the difficulty of maintaining an adequate number of members.

The society will meet again later in the fall at a date to be announced.

Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : Robert Evans is Named QC

BRADFORD - When Bradford lawyer Robert Evans read through the Globe and Mail January 1, he found his name listed among about 150 lawyers chosen for appointments to Queen's counsel by the Attorney General of Ontario.

He wasn't exactly surprised by the honor, but was very pleased.

"Appointments are awarded to lawyers who have been in practice for a number of years, and I had applied for it," said Mr. Evans, with the Bradford law firm of Evans and Evans.

Perhaps one reason he wasn't amazed by the appointment is that a number of other lawyers in his family have been similarly honored.

FAMILY

Robert Evans' grandfather T.W.W. Evans started the law firm in 1894 and not only was he named to Queen's counsel (it was then King's counsel because King George V ruled Great Britain) but so were his father Charles, uncle Brock, and his brother Thomas.

Robert Evans was born in Bradford and called to the bar in 1966. Since then he's worked in the Bradford family firm doing most of the litigation work.

An active member of the Progressive Conservative party, Mr. Evans admits the appointment has political overtones, but points out that members of other political parties are also appointed to Queen's counsel.

He told the Witness his appointment was "a mark of experience and was likely considered in light of his other community affiliations.

A member of the York Region Law Association, he was president of that group for two years, and is also active in the Simcoe County Law Association.

ACHIEVEMENTS

A term as president of the Bradford Rotary Club, and another as master of the Masonic Lodge in Bradford round out his list of achievements, and one of the personal highlights he proudly points to is that he was among several businessmen chosen to represent Canada in an Australian exchange program in 1967.

His family of wife Janet, and three daughters, Heather, 6, Jackie, 5, and Pamela, 3, have welcomed other exchange students into their home in past years.

Mr. Evans said he has been proud to watch Bradford growing over the years, and is equally proud of his family's law firm.

Although there are no specific duties attendant with his appointment to Queen's counsel, a few changes will result.

"I'll have to have a new silk gown made up to wear in court, and we'll have to have new letterhead printed with Q.C. after my name," he laughed.