The Huron Expositor, 1988-03-30, Page 66 — THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MARCH 30, 1988
Seaforth Optimists look back on 20 years community � servjc
ep
THE OPTIMIST CREED
-To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
-To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
-To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
-To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
-To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.
-To be just as enthusiastic about the sucess of others as you are about your own.
-To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
-To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a
smile.
-To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize
others.
-To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, to strong for fear, and too happy to permit
the presence of trouble.
Optimist International.
The Seaforth Optimists celebrated their It is impossible to put a dollar figure on canoe races since 1973, as well as annual
20th Anniversary Homecoming on Saturday 'how much the Optimists have given ball tournaments and other sporting events.
evening, and looked back on 20 years of ser- Seaforth, as members give freely of their As the "Friend of Youth" the Optimists
vice in this community. time as well as making financial donations. support minor sports in Seaforth 8ubh as
Of the 38 men who make up the club's At almost every meeting the club gives $400 minor baseball and minor hockey, but they
members, three are charter members. to $500 to someone. also give support to the Sick Children's
Among them is Seaforth Mayor Alf Ross. "Any money we get, we get out of the corn- Hospital in London, the Heart Fund, block
Other charter members are Keith muni so we put it back into the communi-
MacLean, who is a Charter Life Member " a p Wpeek,
, Respect essay contests, Week, Y Safe-
ty says Mr. Dinsmore. Week, for the Law Youth A;► -
and Robert Dinsmore, who is the club's 1988 The Optimists are also responsible for predation Week, and the many Seaforth
president and was the club's president dur- making Seaforth amore lively place as they Scouting groups.
ing its charter year. have organized several successful • corn- Help is also given to the handicapped, the
These three were among 26 of the club's munity recreational events. blind and many other funds.
original members who saw a need for The club sponsored the Winter Carnival in HOSPITAL DONATION
another service club in Seaforth. The club 1969 which caught on immediately here in One of the club's most recent causes has
was visited by the Oakridge Acres Optimist the snow belt. At one time it was one of the been the Seaforth Community Hospital
•
club of London Ontario, who helped them to largest snowmobile events in Southwestern Building Fund, to which the Optimists
run their meetings, organize their club, and Ontario. donated $10,000 in December of 1987. At
also explained what Optimist clubs are all The Optimists have also organized the an- their 20th Anniversary Homecoming the Op -
about. The date of the club's official incep- nual Mardi Gras since 1974, the annual
tion was January 18, 1968. :rs>;:;az::; �:::;k:< .v,,:<.s: x»::;:::>.:;<:: _:::>::: <.:: c:.:.:.::<•s;: >•<•::<.:•:.::;;>:::<..,.::.>:: •::::::..:.::: .. Turn to page 22A
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timists mo ............... . :
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and the club has generally been interested
in helping young people.
"Our main project is dealing with kids
and their problems," said Mr. Dinsmore,
"and in Seaforth we needed someone to get
involved with kids."
In the early 1970s the Optimists took over
care and control of what is now the Optimist
Park. It was a lot overgrown with weeds
when they got it, but in the following years it
was furnished with a baseball diamond and
backstop, bleachers, a children's
playground, and the entire area fenced and
the field drained to form a soccer field.
In 1973 the club started construction of the
Optimist club house and recreation hall,
finishing it n '
n 1974.
68-69 Robert Dinsmore
69-70 Alfred Ross
70-71 Gordon Hulley
Harry Johnston
71-72 Ken Campbell
72-73 Ken Coleman
73-74 Ken Cardno
74-75 Charles Geddes
75-76 Martin Murray
Keith MacLean
76-77 Martin Murray
CLUB PRESIDENTS
77-78 Gerald Groothuis
78-79 Larry Wesenberg
79-80 Lloyd Eisler .
80-81 Harry Arts
81-82 William Campbell
82-83 Ken Miller
83-84 Bill Henderson
84-85 Ron Stewart
85-86 Gordon Phillips •
86-87 Jack Bedard
87-88 Robert Dinsmore
OPTIMIST BALL TEAM - Here is a picture from 1972 of one of the first ball teams spon-
sored by the Seaforth Optimist Club. Back row: Don Heard, Jerome Aubin, Perry
Broome, and Gord Carnochan. Middle row: Lloyd Eisler Sr., Wayne Nigh, John
Feeney, Rick Scott, Paul Gridzak, and Murray Bennewies. Front row: Bill O'Shea,
unknown, Kevin Bennett and Ross Govier.
ON CHARTER NIGHT - This photograph was taken the evening the Seaforth Optimist
Club was formed, and shows three of the club's initial members. Shown beside a
representative from the Oak Ridge Club, second from left, are, from far left, Alf Ross,
Keith MacLean and Gordon Hulley. Submitted photo.
CENTENNIAL FLOAT - From the Archives comes this Seaforth's Centennial parade. Driving the truck is Wayne Scott.
photograph of one of the floats entered by the Optimist Club in Submitted photo.
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