The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-07-19, Page 2A
FHE WINGNAM 4OW 1 NCFJI MES
•.
Sunrise Dairy developin
into major industry player
By MARGARET STAPLETON
The Advance -Times
A "can -do" attitude and a lot of
elbow grease is turning a Wingham
company into a major player in the
dairy business.
SunRise Dairy has enjoyed phe-
nomenal growth in the past year
and it appears the sky is the limit,
says Bernie Bailey, owner and gen-
eral manager of the business started
by his late father, Renus Bailey and
his mother, Patricia (Bailey) Beer.
SunRise supplies well over 100
retail outlets from Lions Head in
the north, Windsor in the south and
Oshawa to the east. Bailey now has
15 employees, up from four in
1991 and three trucks on the road.
The SunRise success story
comes at a time when other larger
dairies are closing or consolidating
operations in "mega -plants". But
more than anything, Bailey's own
attitude "'appears to be the catalyst
for their recent good fortune.
"I've realized there's no such
thing as impossible," says Bailey,
who at 40, is within reach of seeing
his wildest dreams and those of his
family, fulfilled.
Back in 1963, Renus Bailey was
looking to buy a dairy of his own
after several years in the business
with his mentor, Doug Harrison, fa-
ther-in-law of Ontario Premier
Mike Harris.
Bailey Sr. was looking for a per-
manent home for his family, which
had grown t six' children. When
they learned that Wingham's Fox -
ton Dairy, established in 1928, was
for sale, Renus and Pat made the
move.
To Renus Bailey, the dairy was a
way of life, says. his son. He nego-
tiated contracts with local farmers
to supply milk and after a full day
on the trucks, Bailey Sr. would re-
turn home to help his wife run the
restaurant located at the front of the
dairy.
As the family grew up and be-
came more involved in the busi-
ness, SunRise broadened its hori-
zons. However, stringent
government restrictions limited the
distance that small dairies could
serve. For example, Bailey said he
could sell milk at Exeter, but could
not go on to Lucan.
A number of small dairies rallied
together to form the Independent
Dairy Association, which put pres-
sure on government to change the
rules applying to small dairies. Fi-
nally, under then Ontario Agricul-
tural Minister Jack Riddell, the re-
strictions were lifted and Bailey
was free to go where he wanted in
the province.
Personal tragedy took its toll as
Bernie Bailey lost his wife and his
father a few years ago. But he got
back on his feet and put his energy
toward building the business.
The restaurant was phased out a
number of years ago to make room
for the expanding dairy business.
Around the same time, SunRise
opened a convenience store in
town.
r.
Dairy business expands...These photo-
graphs, taken almost 30 years ago, show, top, Bernie Bailey
with his sister Pam and brother Renus. In the bottom shot,.
mom Patricia (Bailey) Beer is playing with Pam and dog "Can-
dy", while little Renus sweeps the driveway. •
About three years ago, SunRise
started into the London market and
since then things have "mush-
roomed", says Bailey. He hired a
salesman with plenty of iniative,
Khalil Ramal, who recently nego-
tiated a coup -- SunRise will be
supplying milk to the new, 6,000 -
square -foot Valley Farms super-
store in London.
New equipment onsite at the
Wingham plant will double produc-
tion to 10,000 titres per day by the
end of August. Plans also are in the
works to introduce a line of Sun -
Rise sour cream, cottage cheese
and yogurt.
Bailey is the first to realize that
the main street Wingham location
for his dairy is not ideal. It is diffi-
cult for large trucks to maneuver
List of Advertisers to he found in this week's
Aja
1:i:in9bam
VlbetitCt-ZititeCi
ASSE Canada
All Wall Construction
A. R. MacDonald
Construction
Askes Bros. Construction
Cardiff & Mulvey
Real Estate
Coldwell Banker
Cowan Printing
Craig Hardwood
Dave's Aluminum
The Decor Shoppe
Doanne Raymond
Homestead Group Home
Homuth Optometrists
Howick Homes
County of Huron
J.J.'s Fireside Cafe
Jags Roadhouse
Jake Kikkert Auctions
Joe's Automotive
John Newell Carpentry
Keils Insurance
Len Metcalfe Auctions
Mclntee Real Estate
Montgomery Mechanical
Moran Mechanical
Morris Township
Ontario Ministry of Health
Orries Driver
Education Centre
Paul Rintoul
Gerreral Contractor
Pletch Electric
Power Vac Services
Psychic Answers
Reid & Associates
Silcorp Limited
Town of Wingham
Village Imports
Wattam's, Bob
Backhoe Service
Wingham Lindon Motel
Ward & Uptigrove
The Wellington
Tour Company
Wingham & District
Community Living
Assocation
Wingham & Area
Palliative Care
Wingham Advance -Times
Wingham Chiropractic Clinic
Wingham Legion Br. 180
Zehr's
Joe Zehr Auctions
and there is no room to expand. His
eventual goal is to build a new
plant, where he also can manufac-
ture butter, but he is not putting a
definite date on when he might
make such a move.
What he is determined to do is
be in the position to take life a little
easier five years from now, when
he turns 45. His dad may have seen
the dairy as a way of life, but to
Bernie Bailey, it is strictly a busi-
ness, a means to an end.
"I spill more milk in a day than
my dad manufactured in six
months," says Bailey with a tinge
of wonder in his voice. The future
is looking bright for SunRise Dairy
as it sets its sights on the larger
markets of the province.
Fire Board
approves low
troch tender
The Wingham Area Fire Board
approved the low tender for letter-
ing the board's pick-up truck with
the name of the department on
both doors.
Fire Chief Harley Gaunt said
only two quotes were received. He
noted he asked for three quotes,
but the third tender was not re-
ceived.
Woodway Signs of Bayfield
had the low tender of $125 plus
taxes. Gaunt noted that the letter-
ing would be done at the Wing -
ham fire hall.
The second quote was from Be-
vin Finlay of Belmore. His bid
was $200 plus taxes.
The fire chief also reported that
the light bar and two-way radio
had been installed in the pick-up
truck at no additional cost to the
board.
Chief Gaunt informed the board
that they should begin looking at
up -dating the ULC of the pumper
at the Gorrie station within the
next year of two.
He said it is now 12 year
and it should be up -dated before it
becomes 15 years old, or else it
will have to be totally rebuilt in or-
der to be certified.
„,va
YOEDNEN Y, JULY19,180
'What should I write about?'
(Editor's Note: Bombardier Ed
Sweeney is serving with United Na-
tions peacekeeping forces in the
former Yugoslovia. A native of
Wingham, Sweeney is the son of
Lee and Joyce Grove of Wingham.)
Dear Editor,
I have struggled with this letter
for some time now. What should I
write about?
Should I describe the total de-
struction of some of the villages?
Should I tell about the mortar and
artillery rounds flying overheadon
route to one of these villages?
Should I try to explain .the sights
and sounds of machine gun fire,
mortar and artillery, fire that are go-
ing on around our mountain -top ob-
servation post as I write this letter.
No, I won't, because you can tune
in to CNN or Newsworld for this
information and get daily updates.
I thought I would try to answer a
question a lot of people have been
asking: Should we (peacekeepers)
be here in the former Yugoslavia?
In my work here in Bosnia, I get
a chance to interact with the local
people. What has hit me hard is the
effect the war has had on the elder-
ly and, of course, the children. The
elderly are tired and worn down.
You can read it in their faces.
Th.; children, well, my heart
breaks to look at them sometimes.
The growing stage that should be
filled with memories of soccer, tag
and other playground games has
been replaced with memories of
war scenes played out live in their
towns and villages.
The elderly know they have it a
little better, they will pass on and
that will be it. For the children, the
memories formed today will be car-
ried over a lifetime.
For me, nothing says it better
than the opening words to a Ste-
phen Curtis Chapman song entitled
"Heaven in the Real World". It
goes like this:
"1 saw it again today in the face of
a little child,
Looking through eyes of fear and
uncertainty,
It echoed in a cry for freedom
across the streets and across the
miles,
Cries from their hearts to fins' the
missing part,
Where is the hope? Where is the
peace? that will make this life com-
plete,
For every man, woman, boy and
girl is looking for Heaven in the
Real World."
Still the question remains:
Should we be ,here? Why not ask
the refugees at the camps where we
are called upon to bring food and
water? Why not ask the children
that stand alongside the road hop-
ing we may give them candy or the
remainder of a ration pack? Why
not ask the residents of a hospital
for the mentally -handicapped that
we visit every Sunday?
For me, the answer lies in a state-
ment one of the residents made to
me through a translator. He put his
hand in nine and said, "We are
friends. We will always be friends.
You bring us food and water.
Thank -you."
No, I can't answer the question
on a tactical or political level. That
will have to be left to those who
ittgbam
:- lancll im ee
It's
more than
just news...
It's your
community!
The Wingham
Advance -Times
Box 390
5 Diagonal Road
Wingham, Ontario
NOG 2W0
3572320
Fax: 357-290O�/
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Royal Canadian
Legion
Branch 180
Wingham
Winners...
of the Branch 180
Royal Canadian
Legion Wingham
"Duck Race"
1st. Bob Gavreluk
Wingham $500.00
2nd. Carrie Anne Clancy
Kitchener, $300.00
3rd. Bryce Taylor
Wingham $100.00
wear the suits. But, from a human
level, I say, yes! We have a job
here and are making a difference.
Although that difference may go
unnoticed by many back in Canada,
it certainly hasn't by many of the
victims of this war. It is the behind-
thscenes work that makes me
pr d to say I'rn a peacekeeper
and, more so, a Canadian peace-
keeper.
In closing, I would like to say
"Hi" to my family and friends in
the Wingham area. I hope to see
some of you during my leave in
August. Thanks to those who have
taken the time to write. God bless.
Bombardier Ed Sweeney
QRRIES DRIVER
EDUCATION SERVICES
DRIVER EDUCATION
Classroom Certificate Courses
5 Days ONLY
July 31 to August 4, 1995
9:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
152 Josephine St.in Wingham 357®4472
Wingham • 1-800-361-2941
REX DIDN'T ADVERTISE. REX NOW LIVES IN A MUSEUM
AVOID EXTINCTION - CALL 357-2320
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Sponsored by:
•
INSURANCE BROKERS
(Wingham) Ltd.
Barbara Alton
Gorrie, 335-3525 • Wingham, 357-2636
Listowel, 291-5100 "INSURING TOMORROW TODAY"
WEDNESDAY. JULY 19 TO JULY 22
•Lifejacket Week at Canadian Tire, Wingham. Bring in your old life
jackets and receive a $5.00 coupon towards the purchase of a new
one. All 'old jackets will be donated to the Wingham Parks
& Recreation Department for pool programs.
FRIDAY. JULY 21
•Patsy Cline: The Sweet Dream Fantasy Tour, one show only.
8 p.m. at Mildmay Arena. Tickets available at door or advance tickets
available at Emie King's Music Store, Hillside Hearing, Wingham;
Flora's Flowers, Teeswater and various Mildmay merchants.
SATURDAY. JULY 22
*Barbecue at Blyth & District Community Centre.
Reserve tickets by calling (519) 523-4792.
(Price includes admission to A Taste of Country Food Fair.)
MONDAY. JULY 23
*Vacation Bible School, July 24-28 at Lucknow Christian Reformed
Church for children ages 4-12, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
To preregister please phone (519) 357-3182.
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