Clinton News-Record, 1985-6-26, Page 65People
PAGE THIRTY-NINE
Norman Baird is the third of three generations who have acted as weather observers for
Environment Canada. In fact the Baird family has performed the observations since
1903, making them the longest serving watchers in the country.
Best Wishes
to our
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on its
Sesquicentennial
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Third generation
of weather observers
By Jamie Friel
No other family in Canada has kept
weather records as long as the Bairds in
Brucefield and that prompts Environment
Canada and its Atmospheric Environment
Service (AES) branch to count the family
among the country's top volunteer weather
watchers.
They have logged the local weather
through three generations since 1903 and
received an award from Environment
Canada for their 75th year of service, longer
than any other watcher, said Norman Baird.
Norman and his late wife Edith assumed
the responsibilities of the tiny observation
station, basically as part of the family farm.
Norman's father, George Thomas, received
the duties from his father, George or "The
Master" as he .was nicknamed following 50
years of teaching at SS No. 1.
The Master started observing the weather
on top of his teaching duties in. 1903 after
agreeing to provide the data to the govern-
ment. His reports, based on temperatures,
precipitation levels and wind direction,
were also loaded with more personal
observations such as those near the beginn-
ing of his long service.
Culled from those early reports are such
comments as: April 30, 1903, swallows
returned; May 8, 1903, plum and cherry
blossoms out, hummingbirds seen; May 14,
forest in leaf; May 27, hail at 6 p.m.; June 24
smokey (it is presumed smoke had drifted
down from a northern forest fire).
Al] three generations have made their
observations twice a day since the early
1900's, walking out to the box which hung on
an outside house wall or the more recent
version placed out in the yard through the
weather extremes the region can throw at
its inhabitants.
The information the Baird generations
have collected, along with about 380 other
volunteers in Ontario (some of them con-
servation authorities and municipalities), is
sent to the Ontario Climate Centre in Toron-
to on a monthly basis. There it is quality
controlled for eventual release.
The centre provides the atmospheric in-
formation to students doing research pro-
jects, consulting firms, home heating com-
panies, insurance agents, lawyers and
police forces. In 1981 requests topped 49,000;
the staff handled more than 1,500 written re-
quests; and two staff climatologists provid-
ed evidence at 69 court cases.
The Baird clan has also provided weather
information to Ross ° Scott Fuels of
Brucefield to help with oil deliveries and to
the Clinton News -Record for its long runn-
ing weekly weather reports.
Unfortunately/ Norman may be the last of
the Bairds to take the, ;weather observations
which have been so much a part of the
family's lives. His son is a construction
worker whose job takes him to different
areas of the province. "He's near Toronto
right now," said the farmer.
The length of time left that a Baird will
make the twice daily trek may "depend on
how long I'm going to be around here," he
said.
fest Wishes to
Tuckersmith Sesquicentennial
from one of
Tuckersmith's
Newest Business
BilI, Kathy and Ray Dallas
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