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The Citizen, 2005-10-06, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2005. PAGE 19. The plowmen McGavin legacy continues with fourth generation A family affair Three generations of plowers in the McGavin family line up together beside a tractor at the family business McGavin Farm Equipment. From left: Alex Melady, Brandon McGavin, Brent Melady, Jeff McGavin, Brian McGavin and Neil McGavin (Heather crawford photo) By Heather Crawford Citizen staff “My dad used to always say that life is like plowing. If you started out- straight and you kept it straight, you’d win,” Neil McGavin remembered. Gordon McGavin, Neil's father won the Canadian plowing championship in 1926. “When he won with the Ford tractor,” Neil said, “Henry Ford wrote him letters trying to encourage him to go into the business.” After beginning the business of selling tractors and farm equipment, Gordon McGavin later became the president of the Plowmen’s Association between 1942-46. After the war many people told him that there would be no plowing match but “you didn’t tell Gordon McGavin something wouldn’t be done,” said Neil’s wife Marie. He held the match at the Commonwealth Air Training Station that had been abandoned in Port Albert in 1946. At this match called “the Victory Match,” the county warden, R.E. Shaddick said “on this field were trained thousands of airmen in the arts of war. Now tens of thousands of people will watch men trained in the arts of peace - not, the least of which is the art of plowing.” There has always been an interest in plowing through the years in the McGavin family. Neil and his brother John competed in plowing matches through the 1950s. Neil and Marie’s sons, Brian and Jeff plowed as well. Jeff was the reserve champ in the Junior Championships in Chillowack, British Columbia in 1988. “Graeme Craig really worked with Jeff and really coached him,” Neil said. “At that time I was on the executive of the Ontario Plowmen’s and you couldn’t coach if you were a director.” “Brian got started by my dad teaching him,” Neil said. “Then Brian got Brandon going. [Then two other grandsons Brent and Alex] thought it would be fun too. So next year there’s supposed to be six [grandchildren] on.” Other than Brandon, Brent and Alex, Brian’s daughter Abby, Jeff’s son Jacob, and Brent and Alex’s sister Shayna plan to continue the plowing tradition. Brandon competed in the International Plowing Match in Listowel which was his third plowing match. He was Reserve Champion in the 10-16 class. Neil and Marie’s daughter Cathy has two sons who also participate in the family tradition. Brent (who won the IPM trophy for highest score for a first-time competitor) and Alex Melady are part of the 4-H Sod- Busters club and have taken part in the Huron County Plowing Match. Neil and Marie’s daughter Heather’s son Hayden, six, is still a bit too young for the plowing tradition. “1 don’t know if he’d be too interested,” Neil said. “He’s a critter man. He’s always got a frog or a snake.” Neil was a director of the Plowmen’s Association between 1982 and 2002. He was named president in 2000. “I was honoured to be named president,” he said. But there were some downfalls to the position as well. “The manager resigned the first day because we wouldn’t put her in the parade,” he remembered chuckling. He admitted to having seen some interesting tricks of the trade through the years. “Some of the [guys] were used to being allowed to take grass or something out of the way when they were plowing,” he said. “You can’t do that anymore. Sometimes they would get out and pretend to trip and fall, and then move something out of the way when they were getting up.” Plowing has not only been a great way for the McGavin family to spend some time together and share a passion but it has also helped the family business. Neil ran McGavin’s Farm Equipment for over 50 years and often learned about new farming technology and innovative machines from the people he met at plowing matches. “Almost all of the lines we have were discovered by meeting people at plowing matches,” Neil said. One of the highlights of the plowing matches through the years, Neil said, is the continuation of the Queen of the Furrow competition. “It’s good for the girls to get experience speaking in front of a crowd,” he said. “A lot of them go on to get good careers as doctors or lawyers.” Neil and Marie’s daughter Heather was crowned Huron County Queen of the Furrow in 1989-1990. Currently the Queen of the Furrow earns a scholarship of $2,500 and the use of a car for a year. “They used to win a car,” Neil remembers. “But now with the price of everything going up, they can’t do that.” He remembers a time when the plowing matches were taken at a slower pace. “It seemed years ago, every night you were able to have a snack and drink and play cards for a bit,” Neil said. “Now you'ie still out there at 9 o’clock, still working, still trying to get everything ready.” He added, “It seems like that’s just the way life is. It just goes faster and there’s more pressure.” For now he admits t > slowing down. His sons have since taken over the business. “I work for them now,” he jokes. Four generations of McGavins have been coh»peting in International Plowing Matches and learning to appreciate the agricultural business, the rural life and the land where they came from. But none of them seem to think there’s anything particularly special about it. Booking now for DRIPLESS OIL COATING Reasonable rates BRUSSELS AUTO COLLISION & RESTORATION COMPLETE AUTO BODY REPAIR AND REFINISHING SPFCIRUZING IN QURUTV WORK RT RFFORDRRLF PRICES 590 Turnberry St., Brussels Tel: 519-887-8000 Fax: 519-887-8001 fLUanks (w a gizat yeat “I’m sure [every family] 4 has something that it’s known for doing together,” Brian said. Marie agreed. “There’s lots of families in the area who plow,” she said. “There’s nothing special about us.”