The Times Advocate, 2008-04-16, Page 1414
Times—Advocate
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
McCaffrey tells story of Exeter Furniture
By Yvonne Reynolds
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE
EXETER — Being born in
Woodstock proved prescient for Don
McCaffrey.
Since 1956, he and his employees
have been turning his stock of beau-
tifully grained oak wood from the
Appalachian Mountains into ecclesi-
astical (that's spelled "c -h -u -r -c -h"
according to McCaffrey) items in
demand across Canada and further
afield.
As March speaker of the Exeter
Probus Club, McCaffrey related the
series of events that brought him to
Exeter as co-founder of Exeter
Furniture Ltd. more than 50 years
ago.
Since graduating with honours
from Ryerson Technological
Institute's Furniture Arts
Programme in 1952, McCaffrey has
become adept in all aspects of the
furniture business.
McCaffrey was hired as a cabinet
maker at Preston Furniture, then
transferred to its sister company
Canadian Office and School
Furniture as a machinist. Later he
was moved to another department
to do layout drafting for hospitals,
banks and theatres.
In 1953 he joined Dunlop Canada
as an upholsterer in the foam latex
product design department, building
prototype cushion samples for
Preston Furniture, Sklar, Krug and
the Ford Motor Company. He pro-
gressed to co-ordinator of product
design, working with both sales and
engineering.
McCaffrey was the fifth generation
to work with wood. He helped his
father scout a suitable location in
Exeter to establish a business, set-
tling on one of the town's oldest his-
toric buildings at 15 James Street.
The brick structure was built origi-
nally by James Pickard in 1879 as a
stable and a warehouse for
Pickard's tailor and millinery shops
in Exeter. It later housed a pork -
packing plant, a turnip plant, a
trucking business and an automobile
Train collection on display
Model trains — Visitors to the Exeter Library can see on display 10 -
year -old JennyTrembulak's passion for collecting toy trains.The Grade 5
Zurich Public School student said she has been interested in trains since
she was three years old and has at least 15 different models. Her
favourite is a Canadian Pacific train for which she is still collecting cars.A
display of her trains has been set up in the lobby outside the library
since March and will probably continue for about another month.
(photo/Scott Nixon)
CWL donates to hospital
EXETER - The April 8 meeting
of the Precious Blood CWL opened
with the league prayer. There
were 16 members in attendance.
After our spiritual segment a
very interesting presentation was
given by Bob Geahan on behalf of
the South Huron Hospital
Foundation.
Finding the community hospital
a very worthy cause, we voted to
donate $500 to the campaign. A
contribution of $200 was also
made to Sleeping Children Around
the World.
Our Penny Sale is coming up in
November. Tickets for the draw
items will soon be available.
Watch for new and exciting
prizes.
showroom.
McCaffrey senior could see the
potential for his business. The
steady demand for church furniture
was already being supplied by
plants in Hensall, Goderich, London
and Waterloo. With financial back-
ing from Exeter citizens Elmer Bell
and Ulrick Snell, Exeter Furniture
Ltd. opened for business in 1956.
Duncan McCaffrey hired his son as
designer, salesman, installer and
general installer and general facto-
tum to do whatever needed doing.
McCaffrey recalled that the Adam
Black plant in Hensall catered to
Catholic establishments, and the
McCaffreys to Protestant needs, but
there was always friendly co-opera-
tion between the two.
The scope of both products and
placements is astounding. Exeter
Furniture has custom-made altars,
rails, kneelers, baptismal fonts,
pews, and lecterns for over 1,000
churches, seniors' homes, high
school, hospital and cemetery
chapels, residential schools and
funeral homes across Canada.
Among McCaffrey's challenges was
designing the pew arrangements in
line of sight for the Toronto Mission
for the Deaf, creating arm rests and
end panels for theatre seats on a
Disney cruise ship, arm rests on GM
locomotives and the Schubert
Theatre, and designing the main jig
for a sloping floor to accommodate
the fuel tank on Bell Aerospace hov-
ercraft.
When not busy at saw or molder
or shaper, Don is volunteering at the
Blyth Festival where he has been a
valued board member since the the-
atre's inception. He oversaw the
$2,500,000 expansion as chairper-
son of the Building Committee and is
011 the Finance Committee and a
consultant on building matters.
McCaffrey doesn't whistle while he
works, he sings. He has blended his
voice with the Huronia Choir, the
Fanshawe Chorus, the Blyth Festival
Singers and the Exeter United
Church Choir under the batons of
Robert Shaw, Elmer Eisler, Gerry
Fagan and famous foreign conduc-
tors in such locations as Roy
Thompson Hall, Ottawa's National
Arts Centre, Hamilton Place and the
Centre in the Square in Kitchener.
Fred Knip will be guest speaker
April 16, talking about his experi-
ences in Pakistan before being asked
to leave.
Exeter
Shuffleboard
April 8 - 3 wins Cor Rood 316,
Constance Kernick 287, Esther
Hillman 286, Clare Hayter 279
2 wins Jean Crerar 262, Millie
Ross 213, Jeanene Hayter 182,
Wilmer Adkins 149
April 9 - 3 wins Cor Rood 302,
John Horn 291, Clare Hayter 206
2 wins Bob Boogemans 208,
Bernice Boogemans 194,
Constance Kernick 168, Esther
Hillman 112, Phyllis Case 73
cooking with memories
BY DEBBY WAGLER
CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE
EVERYONE LOVES A QUICK RECIPE THAT WOWS THE
COMPANY. THIS RECIPE IS ONE I RECENTLY MADE FOR THE
SENIORS AND IT IS JUST SO GOOD! IT IS MOIST, EASY AND
TAKES JUST A FEW INGREDIENTS THAT YOU CAN HAVE ON
HAND AT ANY TIME.
I chocolate cake mix
I can cherry pie filling
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp almond extract
Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 35 minutes
or till tester comes out clean.
While still warm ice with a chocolate glaze. Melt 1/2 cup
chocolate chips with I tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. milk or cream.
Stir in 1/2 cup icing sugar and mix till smooth. Spread over
cake. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.
Winner!!
Coffee and fellowship
enjoyed at Granton UC
By Muriel Lewis
GRANTON CORRESPONDENT
GRANTON - The
Granton -Wesley United
Church congregation
worshiped on Sun.,
April 13 at the annual
joint service of the
North Middlesex
Churches, hosted by
the Ilderton-Birr con-
gregation at the Ailsa
Craig Community
Centre at 10:30 a.m. A
time of fellowship fol-
lowed the service.
There was no service at
Granton -Wesley.
Following the 30 -
Hour Famine on Sat.,
April 12, a pot luck din-
ner and games night
was held.
On Sun., April 13 at
St. Paul's Anglican
Church in Kirkton, Rev.
Dalice Sim led the ser-
vice of morning prayer.
The message was
about following Jesus
as the 'good shepherd.'
John Urquhart read the
Scripture Lessons. A
coffee hour and fellow-
ship followed the ser-
vice.
For more information check out www.atasteforlife.org
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