Volume 100, Issue 7
NOVEMBER 2014
Photos Samantha Mills
See you next spring!
President’s Notes
The 101st WIA season went out
with a bang on Saturday October
25th. Big thanks to Branko and Ariel
Cikvar for hauling 60(!) pumpkins
over to Ward’s. A happy crew of kids
and adults carved every single one
into jack-o-lanterns to decorate the
clubhouse for the Hallowe’en Dance
featuring Island faves Straight Jonny
and a whack of crazy costumes.
Thanks to all who came out to
help us make quorum for the AGM.
In time-honoured WIA fashion, the
election of next year’s Executive
turned out to be an acclamation-fest.
2015 will bring some impressive new
blood to the Association’s leadership.
There are still a few positions to be
filled, about which discussions (and
perhaps a bit of arm-twisting) are
ongoing. Of historical interest: Our
new President-elect Alison Gzowski
follows in the footsteps of her
illustrious parents: Her father, Peter,
served as WIA President in 1969, as
did her mother Jennie in 1975.
I can only pity those who
took a pass on this year’s fantastic
Volunteer Appreciation and Awards
Dinner, catered once again by
our own Anne Hynes and Mark
Howard. Awards were presented
for Tennis and Kids’ baseball, after
which the room exploded with
applause at the announcement of
Leida and Jerry Englar as recipients
of the 2014 Art Gay Community
Service Award. When Sheila Murray
and Jim Belisle first suggested their
names to the Executive, we asked
them to write a paragraph or two as
a formal nomination. So they wrote
four whole pages! Which only goes
to show that there’s no end to the
wonderfulness of Jerry and Leida.
A condensed version of Sheila and
Jim’s nomination is elsewhere in the
issue.
We are currently in discussions
with the Freeman-McIntyre family
toward a new five-year lease with
the Island Cafe. Among the items
being considered are an extension
of some weekend hours to 10 pm
and eliminating the restriction to
beer and wine, which is specified in
their current lease with the WIA, but
is not part of their AGCO license,
which allows any kind of alcohol.
The latter change would put them
on the same footing as the Rectory
Café and all other island licensed
establishments. Given that the
annual reviews of the Café license
have yielded strongly positive results,
we are giving careful consideration
to these requests and want to give
the community an opportunity to
comment as well. See the box on
page three for how and when to
submit comments.
We’ve received several intriguing
proposals for the Little Clubhouse.
We plan to share them with the
community in the coming weeks,
so that discussions about the future
of the LC can begin in earnest next
season.
Finally as I ride off into the
Past-President sunset, I want to give
a personal shout-out to the hardworking newsletter team: Samantha
Mills, Wendy Peters, Liz Amer and
especially the astoundingly talented
Allyson Woodrooffe. About this
there can be no dispute: The Ward’s
Island Weekly is the best-looking
weekly. Ever!
– Kathleen McDonnell
Announcing the WIA 2015 Executive
2014 WIA Executive
President
Past-President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Membership chair
Events chair
Clubhouse co-chair
Clubhouse co-chair
Tennis co-chair
Tennis co-chair
Lawn bowling chair
WIA Weekly Team Kathleen McDonnell
Bruce Rosensweet
Your Name Here?
Jay Bascom
Liz McDonald
Alison Gzowski
Mark Howard
Eliza Moore
Sean Bonar
Mike French
Yolanda Snels
Stephanie Smith
Allyson Woodrooffe
Liz Amer
Samantha Mills
Wendy Peters
President – Alison Gzowski
Past-President – Kathleen McDonnell
VP – Jacquey Malcolm
Sec - Jay Bascom
Treasurer - tba
Buildings Chair – Sean Bonar
Entertainment Chair - Mark Howard
Membership Chair – Yvonna Naumann
Tennis co-chairs: Mike French & Yolanda Snels
Lawn Bowling Chair - tba
HUGE THANKS to retiring Executive members Liz McDonald (six years), Eliza Moore
(four years) and Stephanie Smith (one year) for their hard work and dedicated
service to the WIA and the entire Island community.
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Art Gay Award Winners
distinguish who played a larger role.
They don’t differentiate between
Ward’s, Algonquin and Hanlan’s:
They have worked equally hard for
every square inch of the Island.
Here’s just a sampling of their
individual
accomplishments:
Leida was a founding member
of Shadowland and organized
mas camps for Toronto’s
Caribbean parade. She was
a member of the Executive
of the AIA and Rectory Art
Gallery for years, and was a
driving force to save the old
Island School and usher in its
transformation into Gibraltar
Point Centre for the Arts. Jerry
is a core team member in the
design & construction of the
Willow Square Mosaic. He
designed the Island community
flag, was part of the team that
designed and rebuilt the AIA
clubhouse after the 1989 fire,
and created several alternative parkland use proposals for the Island
Airport.
– Sheila Murray and Jim Belisle
Illustration: Nola Mills
We are proud to nominate
Jerry and Leida for the Art Gay
Community Service Award for
2014. They have supported the
Island Community’s culture
and spirit by their regular
help with events and projects
for over 40 years. They have
volunteered their skills and
talent with enthusiasm, joy
and energy! Leida and Jerry
almost invented the process
of decorating the clubhouses
for major events from New
Year’s Eve to Valentine’s to the
summer dances and Gala Day
Weekend. We rarely recall being
at a meeting or a “call to arms”
to help the Island that Jerry and
Leida were not there, in full costume
and with musical instruments. They
have been constantly supportive of
each other in their community work,
such that it is sometimes difficult to
At this year’s Awards
Dinner, Kids’ Baseball
medals went to youth
mentors Reilly and Bailey,
and participants Maxine,
Rebecca, Ireal, Faye,
Russell, Owen, Elliot,
Hamish, Gabe, Nola and
Ula. Congratulations to
all and a big thank-you to
stalwart manager Geoff C.
Anne Hynes hard at work at the Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner and Awards
Comments about the
Island Cafe Lease renewal
can be emailed to
wiacentennial@gmail.
com or dropped off in
the clubhouse mailbox.
Deadline for comments
is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday
November 8, 2014.
3
In memory of Bill Metcalfe
BILL
METCALFE
died
suddenly at his home in Grand Bend
on October 1, 2014. He was the
best Dad in the world to his four
kids and an adored Gramps/Poppa/
Groppa to 12 grandchildren and 10
great-grandchildren.
Bill and Maria fell in love with
the island through their friendship
with Don Napier, eventually
buying Don’s house at 17 Seneca
in 1971. Within a short time Bill
Jr., Marie, Jenny and Terry and
their sprawling families were also
on the island. Almost immediately,
Bill joined TIRA and became the
communications strategist and
spokesperson for the ‘Save Island
Homes’ campaign.
Bill and Maria moved to
Goderich in 1979. After Maria died
in 1984, he and Mary Edwards were
married. They lived happily together
for over 25 years, settling in Huron
Woods in Grand Bend, a community
not unlike the island.
Bill’s was a life well lived. He
was engaged and engaging; all who
knew him will miss his vitality;
intelligence; good humour and
wisdom. He died a week before his
87 birthday, still sharp as a tack and
embracing each new day.
A celebration of Bill’s life was
held in Grand Bend on October 7.
The family is planning a good oldfashioned Newfie wake on the island
this coming summer to share music,
memories and stories.
A real class act, he will be sorely
missed by:
Marie Metcalfe & Jerry Shiner:
Genevieve/Kate/Emma Makinson
Bill Metcalfe Jr. & Cathy Patton
Jennifer & Iain Hagreen: Nicole/
Leah/Dylan/Cameron/Luke
Morris Hill (Terry Metcalfe):
Caley/Garret/Elliot/Jordan
If desired, a donation may be
made in his memory to the Terry
Fox Foundation www.terryfox.org.
– Marie Metcalfe
Photos Kathleen McDonnell
We are also saddened by the recent losses to the community of John Moorhouse and Marci Crist.
4
“Untranslatable Words”
ANIMAL TAILES
that remind us of:
...waiting for the Ongiara last winter
Phew! I’m home at last. Just
got in the door from a crazy week’s
visit to the UK for my Mum’s 95th
birthday celebrations. Travelling
for 18 hours is exhausting; I’m
tired and jet lag interferes with my
senses...
“So what’s that weird clicking
sort of sound and where’s it coming
from? Can’t think; too tired, don’t
care. Clicking’s getting louder
when I’m closer to the door and
why are all those things from the
window ledge on the floor? Is that
a large leaf on the mat? OH MY
GOODNESS! It’s a BAT! Did I
step on it? Dare I look and see if
it’s injured? NO!” (I say that out
loud) “I’ll just pick it up gently
with the mat and put it outside.
Perhaps it’s not the only one!
How did it get in? Aha! Doors
ajar on the fireplace.
Hope it’s OK; better check.
No bat. Strange now I think of it;
I haven’t seen a bat on the island
in ages. Am I just so jet-lagged
that I imagined all this?”
– Liz McClelland
...myneighbours messages
From http://ellafrancessanders.com/#/untranslatables/
...Ward’s Beach in the summer
TALENT NIGHT
WILL BE BACK!
JUNE 2015
GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!
BARB ROERICK
416-203-0866
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AIA GENERAL MEETING
November 9
3 -5 p.m.
LORI DELL
STICKS & STONES
HABITATS FOR NURTURING MIND, BODY & SPIRIT
THE RECTORY CAFE, TORONTO ISLAND
NOVEMBER 5 - 30
OPENING WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 7 - 9 PM