The Huron Expositor, 1995-03-15, Page 73'5 . . i •
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Port Elgin Junior Farmers
Three-quarters of a century!
by Jennifer Vandermeer
It's a big year for the Port Elgin
Junior Farmers.
This year marks the 75th anniver-
sary of the first meeting of the
group, making it possibly the oldest
club in the province. A special
reunion is slated for June 10 at the
Underwood Community Centre but
plans are still in the works to make
it a successful event.
Lloyd McGillivray is working
with club president Cynthia Hal-
liday to round up some of the past
executive members to help plan the
dinner and dance evening. He said
between now and June, they need to
contact as many past presidents as
possible to arrange for them to
attend the anniversary. Pictures and
clippings are also on the list of
items needed. Each decade since
the club's 1920 founding will be
represented on its own display
table. So far, it looks like items are
needed from 1960 and pre -1950.
Over the years, the focus of the
Junior Farmers organization has
changed. It still fosters the same
leadership and management abilities
it always has but now the group
operates as a service club, rather
than as the agricultural training
program it was originally designed
to be. "When Junior Farmers was
fust started, it was meant as an
education course for rural young
people," McGillivray said. There is
still an agriculture base in the
program. Members participate in
agriculture tours to different
countries or provinces which
promotes awareness of the differen-
ces in agricultural procedures in
different parts of the world.
McGillivray said there is a Junior
Farmers activity going on almost
every weekend. This month the
provincial annual meeting will be
held during which there is a leader-
ship training competition to deter-
mine the top 10 clubs in Ontario.
Port Elgin was among the top 10
last year. Clubs are judged on the
abilities they demonstrate over the
previous year in categories such as
Poulon, Pro & Husqvarna
Chain saws
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Windsor Saw Chain
GLEN SAWS
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Home Bus.
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environmental project, community
betterment and effective parliamen-
tary procedure.
"Port Elgin's club is probably the
most active club in the county,"
McGillivray said.
Fundraising is done through dan-
ces, car washes and catering
lunches to the Bruce County
plowing match. The Port Elgin club
also holds an annual raft race on
the Saugeen River for members
from other clubs.
"The real focus is to give young
people the opportunity to be in-
volved in things like that," McGil-
livray said. Club members work
together to organize events and later
decide how they will give out the
funds. The provincial level will be
donating to the Ontario Food Grains
Bank this year.
There are 110 Junior Farmers
members in the county, 36 of
whom belong to Port Elgin. There
are also clubs in Ripley and Tees -
water. Membership is down from
what it was 20 years ago but is up
from 10 years ago.
Grey County clubs are showing
the most progress in membership
with three new clubs formed in the
past two years alone. Only five
years ago, the Grey County club
was almost non-existent. The rise in
membership may be due to the
increased awareness that Junior
Farmers isn't just for farmers
anymore. Anyone age 15 to 29 can
join.
"We have members that live in
town and have always lived in
town," McGillivray said.
Mostly rural young people at-
tended the first Port Elgin meeting
in 1920. This short course, as it was
called, featured agricultural and
home economics activities. Within
a month, the Junior Farmers and
Junior Institute organizations were
formed. Later the two became one.
Since then, the club has been going
strong with only a short period in
1960 when it was inactive.
A lot of that same energy and
spirit is going into the planning of
the 75th anniversary celebration.
Although all of the club members
are helping out, McGillivray said
anyone who can offer their time
and energy or is a former club
member or knows of one should
contact him at 353-5449 or Halliday
at 363-2056.
4-H celebrates 80 years
The Ontario 4-H Council
kicked off the 80th Anniversary
of 4-H in Ontario during the
organization's Annual Meeting at
Geneva Park in January.
According to Anniversary
Committee Chair, Louise Harris,
the cornerstone of the 80th an-
niversary year will be a special
weekend of activities,
ceremonies and other festivities
for former and present 4-H par-
ticipants and their families at the
Ontario Agricultural Museum in
Milton. "We're very excited
about the Anniversary weekend,"
said Harris. "The whole thing is
possible through the generous
sponsorship of many or-
ganizations and individuals. 4-H
has touched many, many lives
during those 80 years."
Some of the events scheduled
for the Anniversary weekend'
July 29 and 30, include: a
reunion day, photo contest,
baseball tournament, rural Olym-
pics, family barbecue and
numerous displays by or-
ganizations from across Ontario.
Copies of the new book, Head,
Heart, Health, Hands: A History
of 4-H in Ontario, will also be
available for $25.
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