HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-06-22, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017. PAGE 11.
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Godkin reminisces on lessons learned as Queen
Hang on tight
Lynne Godkin (nee Dodds) rides on the hood of her new car after being named the 1984-85
International Plowing Match Queen of the Furrow. Godkin was one of the last IPM Queens to
receive the car. Later winners would receive a vehicle leased for a year by the Ontario
Plowmen's Association. Godkin would later recount to The Citizen the important lesson she
learned that day about how to not slide off the hood of the vehicle. (Photo from `Furrows, Crowns and
Gowns')
Continued from page 10
first important lesson about being
the Queen.
"In the very first parade, I sat on
the hood of the car with a blanket,"
she said.
"I was slipping and sliding all over
the hood and having trouble hanging
on. That was the first thing I learned
was how important it was to hang on
to the windshield wipers to make
sure you stay on the hood," she said
with a laugh.
The car took her all over the
province, Godkin said, and most
times, it was just her.
"Those kinds of things, driving
unchaperoned across the province
and sitting on the hood of a car for a
parade might not happen in this day
and age," she said.
Godkin's first event also provided
important learning experiences, she
said.
"My first banquet was in a place
called Bognor in Grey County," she
said. "The first thing I learned
thanks to it was to ask for at least
three estimates as to how long it
would take to get somewhere."
Godkin pointed out that GPS
systems weren't available when she
was Queen and she had to rely on
hand -printed directions she taped to
her dashboard.
"I made it to the event just in time,
but I learned then and there to not
trust one person when scheduling
out trips," she said.
The banquet at Bognor, which is
nearly a two hour drive from
Godkin's childhood home near
Winthrop, held some more teachable
moments. Godkin said she wasn't
aware of the fact that she wasn't just
at the event to bring greetings from
the OPA, but she was also there as a
guest speaker.
"I wrote my speech on the paper
table cloth," she said, laughing at the
memory. "Then, they told me the
speeches were going to be made in
the upstairs of the hall we were in, so
I had to rip the speech off the table
cloth and bring it up stairs with me.
That was a real baptism by fire."
Godkin said she learned to always
bring a speech with her just in case.
After those early experiences, she
said her time as Queen was a piece
of cake, with the exception of
attending the Royal Agricultural
Winter Fair in Toronto.
"I was driving to Toronto to the
Royal and I lost my bearings on the
401," she said. "I didn't know what
to do, but then I saw a dirty car with
a decal from a Huron automobile
dealer. I figured they must be
farmers and must be going to the
Royal."
Sure enough, the people in the
dirty car were on their way to the
Royal and, aside from a stern talking
to when she got home, Godkin was
no worse for wear.
Aside from the Bognor banquet
and the Toronto trip, Godkin said
everything else went well.
"I opened fairs, participated in
parades, attended banquets and was
the official representative for the
OPA at farm shows," she said,
adding that she would also lead a
session at the convention the
NORTH HURON COMMUNITY FOOD SHARE
Invites you to their
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday, June 28 at 7 pm,
At the North Huron Community Food Share Building,
Located at 405-D Josephine St., Wingham
AGENDA
- recap of the last year's events
- projects going forward
- nominating and voting in new executive
Contact us at: nhfoodshare.ca
519-357-2277 ext. 4
following years for the upcoming
competition's Queen hopefuls.
The experience opened a lot of
doors for Godkin, who is now a
teacher at Central Huron Secondary
School in Clinton.
"I worked for the OPA for a
couple years afterwards and that was
fun," she said. "Then I took time to
go to school."
Godkin said her year as Queen
gave her a chance to travel across
Ontario and make friends she still
keeps in touch with to this day,
especially at the annual International
Plowing Match.
Godkin has signed on with the
2017 IPM in Walton as Secretary for
the executive. Previously, she was
chair of the Queen of the Furrow
competition at the 1999
International Plowing Match near
Dashwood.
Being Queen allowed her to have
fun, but was also a growing
experience because she learned
how to handle interviews, how to
think on her feet and how to handle
a crowd.
"Having those skills has proven
invaluable," she said.
Veldman was Queen for 2010 and
said that, while the win seems like it
was a long time ago, she remembers
being passionate about the
competition.
"I was excited," she said. "I
wanted to win. I was in Tecumseh,
so a lot of family couldn't make it to
support me but the Huron County
plowing community is a strong
group and all of them were there. It
was nice to win in front of a bunch of
hometown people."
She said she looked forward to the
coming year and enjoyed having the
leased car the Ontario Plowmen's
Association made available for her.
While there was a quarter -decade
between them, Veldman said her
responsibilities were very similar to
Godkin's.
Both said they were responsible
for going to local plowing matches,
promoting the next International
Plowing Match (both of which were
in Elgin County) and wherever else
the Plowmen's Association asked
her to.
As for Veldman's most memorable
moment, she said there was a
Continued on page 12
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