Inductees

Hard working and deeply religious, Lloyd McCarrell made the area a better place by putting his beliefs in the dignity of human life, into practice.

A North Monaghan farmer, Lloyd selflessly opened his home ,and heart to those less fortunate. Especially at Christmas, or any time a meal or place to stay was needed. Lloyd’s farmhouse became a haven for the homeless, and down-and-out.

That farmhouse, by the way, was already home to Lloyd, his wife and their 14 children.

The McCarrell home also served as a gathering place for local musicians and musical friends, such as Kent Brockwell and Stompin’ Tom Connors to come to play, and create music.

Lloyd McCarrell personified the best in human spirit by giving of himself to provide others with the four basics of life: food, warmth, love and music.

Margaret MacKelvie, teacher and community activist, was a woman with a deep, and abiding love for the magic of ‘living history.’

No one was more involved in the creation of Lang Pioneer Village.

Before Lang opened in 1967, Margaret supervised Village construction, including arranging for several buildings to be transported to the site. Over the years, she arranged ‘special days’ at Lang, as well as creating publications with a focus on Lang.

As evidence of her true devotion, Margaret served as volunteer curator from 1967 to 1995.

For her efforts, Margaret MacKelvie was awarded the Canada Commemorative Medal, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ontario Museum Association, and an honourary doctorate from Trent University.

From the 1950’s to the 1990’s, if there was a theatre production or live performance in Peterborough, Mabel Smith would see it, and tell you about it. For 40 years, she served as theatre critic and performance reviewer for the  Peterborough Examiner, writing critiques that were enjoyed, and respected.

With a lifelong passion for live theatre, Mabel was a founding member of Peterborough Theatre Guild, toiling backstage for countless productions. Mabel Smith’s work as Guild archivist evolved into the acclaimed history, Peterborough Theatre Guild – The First Thirty Years.

Chuck Vollmar’s contribution to local theatre in general, and the Peterborough dramatic arts scene in particular is immeasurable.

Over the years he has won Best Actor awards, and has had leading roles in productions that have traveled to festivals as distant as Asia, Aruba, Venezeula and Newfoundland. “Hedges” in which Chuck played one of the lead roles toured to Japan representing Canada in an International Theatre festival.

Chuck Vollmar is also a talented cartoonist and graphic designer, who designed and created the artwork for hundreds of promotional posters and program covers for the Peterborough Theatre Guild. It seems he has always been involved in some way in all aspects of the Peterborough theatre scene. Working with young people in developing their acting abilities is another area of theatre in which Chuck revels. In the 1990’s he founded Peterborough Improv Group (PIG for short), a troupe of improv actors who appeared at local venues and performed murder mysteries at private functions.

Chuck is known to possess a lightning wit which makes him in demand as emcee at local events – and he has also rescued the odd theatre production when lines where missed or flubbed. His play “Kawartha Love Letters” was well- received at the Theatre Guild. Later, he wrote “Fishing Buddies” which sold out during its run at Showplace and subsequently, when staged again a few years later at the Guild.

To say that Chuck Vollmar is totally immersed in all areas of the local theatre scene would be (as the old saying goes) putting it mildly.

Chuck has won the Peterborough Civic Award twice for his dedication to the Arts, and in 2016 was recipient of an Ontario Volunteer Service Award for over 30 years with the Peterborough Theatre Guild. There should be no doubt that Chuck Vollmar is without question one of the most selfless, proficient theatrical talents in Peterborough, and area.

It’s a telling comment in today’s news-gathering industry that reputation is built on seeking out the flashy, big-event stories while glossing over essential human elements inherent in every story. In his long, and varied journalism career, Don Grant never bypassed the true meaning of each story and how it affected his readers.

Starting out as cub reporter at the Peterborough Examiner, Don’s determination came to the attention of then-editor Robertson Davies who expanded his duties. During his Examiner years, he covered every possible kind of story and learned to excel at the new craft of photo journalism. His talents led him to a job with the Toronto Telegram and an enviable reputation as a tenacious, much respected reporter. After the Telegram folded, Don went to The Globe & Mail, where he rose to a weekend editor position and then assistant city editor. On the way, he always took time to help younger journalists learn their craft and responsibilities.

Throughout his career, Don Grant thrived at technical aspects of reporting, but, more importantly, he never minimized the humanity in each story. He developed a true, and abiding love for people about, and for whom he wrote. In today’s journalism, that’s indeed a rare and treasured quality.

Don Grant passed away in 2014. he was 85.

America’s loss was Peterborough’s gain, when Ohio-born Ada Lee moved here in 1963.

Ada possesses a remarkable voice, moving with ease from Jazz to Classical to Sacred. Over the years, Ada worked in elite nightclubs around North America as well as the legendary bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Since coming to Peterborough, Ada Lee, a jazz vocalist of international fame, is a tireless worker on behalf of many local causes: Cancer Society, Festival of Trees, Festival of Lights, Easter Seals Campaign.

Ada Lee now lives in Western Canada. She recently returned to Peterborough to help commemorate Black History Month.

• Photo courtesy Jason Bain, The Peterborough Examiner

The impact made by Agnes Logan Green on the appreciation of fine music is multi-faceted. But what else could be expected from such a multi-faceted talent?

As a youngster, her talents bordered on that of child prodigy, beginning on the piano at age four, giving recitals at age 12, sweeping music competitions and studying in England by her teens.

Agnes forsook a concert career for life and love in Peterborough. She often performed locally and spent years teaching music. As one of the original Peterborough Concert Committee members, she brought luminaries such as Glenn Gould to the City. During the 1950’s, Agnes performed a classical concert series on CHEX Radio.

Always willing to lend a helping hand, Agnes Logan Green was an early supporter of Kiwanis Music Festival and Kawartha Music Camp, as well as a number of worthy local causes.

Agnes Logan Green passed away on 2002.

Robert John Ainsworth, real estate agent, chiefly based in Peterborough, Ontario, has been a successful playwright and member of the Playwright Guild of Canada. Since emigrating from Birmingham, England in 1980, he has collaborated in producing musicals and children’s plays, and has written plays such as Dirty Little Secrets, Autumn Leaves and The Mouse House. As well as being a director and actor with the Peterborough Theatre Guild, he has directed musicals for the St. James Players, for Trinity United Church. He has twice taken productions to the Eastern Ontario Drama League festivals, both times winning awards as best director. The Mouse House won as well for best Canadian play and best production. He has also won Awards of Merit from the Peterborough Real Estate Board and from the City of Peterborough for his contributions. His play The Mouse House won the award for best production in the Theatre Ontario all ontario festival in Sault Ste Marie. The play won 7 awards including best director for Robert.

Jill, and her late husband Peter Adams were known as a great team working in countless ways to assist people near, and far. Jill Adams, a nurse by training, served as president of the Peterborough Theatre Guild (PTG) and as a long-time chair of the Anson House Auxiliary – as well as a member of the board for the Five Counties Children’s Centre. She has been an active volunteer with St. John’s Anglican Church, Canadian Hearing Society, Friendly Visiting Service, and the Lung Association. Jill was a producer and key fundraiser for the PTG when they submitted an entry in an international drama festival in Yokohama, Japan. She has volunteered with orphanages and shelters in Mexico, Jamaica and Baffin lsland.

Together, Peter and Jill visited Bangladesh, Honduras, lndia and Uganda on behalf of Sleeping Children Around the World. Both were also key volunteers for the Casa de Angelis home.

Peter Adams, a noted professor of Geography at Trent University, had a political career with the Peterborough Board of Education, and as Member of Provincial Parliament from 1987 through 1990, and Member of Parliament in Ottawa from 1993 through 2005. He also served as chair for the 1980 Ontario Provincial Summer Games held in Peterborough.

Peter Adams died September 28th, 2018 in his 83rd year. He is survived by his wife Jill.

Corporal George Hendren was the only Canadian selected to serve as bodyguard to British Commander Lord Roberts in the Boer War.  He also became a ‘charter’ member of The Royal Northwest Mounted Police when it was established in 1904.

On a very basic level, its obvious theatre is a ‘live performance.’  However, when that performance brings to life something precious to its audience, then, what is created is magic.  Ed Schroeter spent a sizable portion of his life and creative energies making magic come alive on stage.  An award-winning playwright and ‘live’ theatre producer, Ed took delight in creating dramas imparting a sense of reality and humanity to historical figures who’ve shaped our communities.

In cooperation with Centennial Museum & Archives, Ed served as a driving force behind the Heritage Pavilion Stage series, worked closely with 4th Line Theatre and a revitalized Arbor Theatre.  He conducted more than 50 play-writing workshops for elementary and secondary school students in the Peterborough area.  For his efforts, he earned four national playwriting awards, and shared in a City of Peterborough Civic Award for cultural achievement.

Thanks, in no small part to his creative commitment, Peterborough theatre and history are alive and well in young audiences and their families.  Ed Schroeter is dangerously close to making history fun.

No historical figure more romantically personifies the pioneer spirit of a young and growing Canada than does Catherine Parr-Traill.

Emigrating to Canada in 1832, Catherine lived in Lakefield, the Rice Lake area and finally, in Peterborough until her death.  During her 69 years in the Kawarthas, she balanced eking out life in the Canadian wilderness with a prolific writing career.  Her books are often referred to as complete studies in Canadian pioneer life, including the now- classics ‘The Backwoods of Canada,’ ‘The Female Emigrant’s Guide’ and ‘Plant Life in Canada.’

With the publication of her last book, ‘Pearls and Pebbles’ in 1894, she was held in esteem as the oldest living author in the British Empire.

There’s a story familiar to Canadians, that of a young leaving Newfoundland to seek a better life in Ontario and beyond. Some abandon their roots. Special ones fight to keep the essence of their small, tight-knit birth places in their souls. Reg Benoit came to Ontario to build a future in music, but he never forgot the intrinsic value of individual human beings he learned about in Stephenville.

Typical of many musicians, Reg created a steady, if unspectacular career. He did well enough to garner acclaim, although not enough to quit his day job.

Then, in 1998, Reg’s world came to an abrupt halt. A serious spinal cord injury sustained at his day job forced him to pursue music fulltime and fine-tune his passion for life, and people. The unexpected tragedy became a new direction in service to others through music, and a deeper understanding of how life will work out. He’s performed tirelessly entertaining seniors, the sick, and in aid of notable lists of fundraising projects, large and small, public and personal. His music benefited St. John’s Children’s Hospital and Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. He devoted time and energy to native groups and, when Canada’s last surviving Father of Confederation, Joey Smallwood, ran into financial difficulties writing his History of Newfoundland, Reg was there to help.

Along the way, Reg became a pastor in order to touch people in the darker corners where even music cannot reach. Reg Benoit is a symbol of those for whom music is not a road to riches, but a challenging path to the hearts of people.

If one were to list the awards and nominations that have been bestowed upon author Drew Hayden Taylor, one would best be advised to set aside a fair amount of time.

Each honour speaks to the acclaim Drew has wholly earned, starting in 1992 with the prestigious Chalmer’s Award for his play Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock to his receiving the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award in 2012. Drew has well earned the acclaim that has come his way, having traveled the globe to speak to issues that reflect, celebrate and, yes, interfere in the lives of Canada’s First Nations people.

Truth be known, labeling the proud Ojibwa from Curve Lake first an author fails to speak to the creative tour de force Drew has been, and continues to be. Add theatre artistic director, playwright, journalist, lecturer, television scriptwriter, radio broadcaster and documentary director to the mix and you get a truer picture of the breadth of his boundless talent and passion.

Equally adept at writing fiction and non-fiction books as well as short stories and plays, Drew has penned 30-plus works. His first novel, The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel, was published in 2007; in 2010, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass saw him short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. Most recently, Take Us To Your Chief And Other Stories – a collection of Native-themed science fiction stories – was published and, just this year, his new play Crees In The Caribbean came to fruition.

Despite the many roads down which his life journey has taken him, Drew has never forgotten his roots.

In 2011, his play Berlin Blues was staged at Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre. In March, 2018 Cottagers and Indians, Drew’s play about people at odds over the harvesting of wild rice on Pigeon Lake, received rave reviews when it was produced at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. And in May of that year Drew hosted, and performed at the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund Benefit Concert staged at Peterborough’s Market Hall.

In the television realm, Drew has made equally significant contributions, including co-creating and writing for the comedy series Mixed Blessings. In 2007, ‘In A World Created By A Drunken God’ – a made-for-TV movie he penned based on his play of the same name, was nominated for three Gemini Awards. In 2011 and again the following year, Drew wrote the script for the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards.

Having served as writer-in-residence at the University of Michigan, the University of Western Ontario, Ryerson, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Luneburg in Germany, Drew has made giving back a priority, sharing his insights and talent to the great benefit of young people.

• Photo courtesy of Clifford Skarstedt, The Peterborough Examiner

Terry Finn, a native Peterboronian, was a music prodigy, studying piano and organ. By age 15, he played the organ at the Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains, and began teaching music with Tommy Barnes’ Continental Academy of Music. Later, he opened his own Finn’s House of Music, where he taught a wide range of musical skills; his students included upcoming stars such as Serena Ryder.

Terry, along with fellow Pathway of Fame inductees Barry Haggarty and Ken Deschamp, formed a band called ‘Parnell,’ which played across Ontario and the Maritimes. During this time the group also released three singles which garnered airtime on Canadian radio. He has played in at least a dozen other bands, recorded with several notable musicians, and performed at nearly every venue in the Peterborough area. His nominator believes his feeling is captured best in the song “Immortality:” “So this is who I am, and this is all I know.”

• Photo courtesy of Lance Anderson, Peterborough This Week / Metroland / MYKawartha

Arnold (Arn) ALLEN has served the Scouting Movement for over a half century.  His dedication is unparalleled and has been a large part of the backbone of Kawartha Waterways Area (formerly Peterborough District).  Arn’s wife, Lenore ALLEN, has also given over a half century to Scouting, and continues to render further dedications.  This Scouter has taken every challenge presented to her, with an attitude and fortitude of “let’s get moving, there’s work to be done.”  Arnold and Lenore ALLEN truly deserve the title “Mr.&.Mrs. Scouting” because they personify the scout law spirit.

There’s an old Celtic saying; the greatest sin is the unlived life. This individual’s life is a true mosaic of experiences, events, relationships and dedications to his belief. It could never be said Father Bernard Heffernan is guilty of an unlived life.

An ordained priest since the early ‘60’s, this son-of-Douro worked as labourer, plumber, truck driver and RCAF flight lieutenant. His parishes existed in quintessential small-town Ontario, but often his congregation was the world.

Father Heffernan was an innovator in the use of mass media to spread his message of faith. He penned, and produced the widely-distributed TV series ‘The Church’ as well as numerous radio programs and series. He’s written an influential and well-received book called ‘The Future Vision of the Christian Mass Media Mission.’

Whether interviewing celebrities such as Garth Brooks, spending time listening to prisoners in local jails, or seniors in nursing homes, he always held fast to the belief that each person is valued in God’s eyes. Regardless of his many accomplishments in mass media, for Father Bernard Heffernan, faith is passed on one soul at a time.

Father Heffernan went to be with the Lord in 2016, at age 81.

Not unlike most Pathway of Fame inductees, both past and those being honoured today, giving back to the community has been, and remains an integral part of Dawn Straka’s DNA.

A longtime Rotarian, much of Dawn’s good work has been accomplished via the service club that she served as District Governor in 2010-11. That said, Dawn’s insatiable desire to make her home a better place for others has seen her commit to a number of projects and organizations outside of the Rotary realm, including her serving as chair of the annual Peterborough United Way campaign in 2005 as well as chairing the hospital Board.

Beyond that, the list is long and impressive.

Dawn helped lay out the glass for the stained glass window at Westdale United Church. She folds boxes for Salvation Army Christmas hampers and serves meals at the One Roof Community Centre, as well as shipping hand- knitted baby cloths, hats and mitts to communities in the Far North, as well as Afghanistan. And Dawn was a member of a support team bringing a Syrian family to Canada. Now settled and doing well, the family has been able to sponsor a set of parents to join them here in Peterborough.

Dawn’s immense giving spirit has extended well beyond Peterborough’s borders as well. Having traveled internationally with both Rotary and Jamaican Self Help, she has put her nursing skills to use in Jamaica, distributed wheel chairs in Central America, immunized children against polio in India and helped rebuild schools in Haiti. As her nominator notes Dawn never stops and Peterborough, as well as several other communities around the globe, are better for her generosity, compassion and work ethis.

To that end, Dawn Straka simply asks what needs to be done, then rolls up her sleeves…

Usually, when a caring citizen does volunteer work, it’s for one or two causes and for a reasonable period of time.

Joe Whetung never put much stock in that approach.

For nearly 60 years, Joe volunteered his time, talent and energy to more than 30 causes and organizations. For Joe Whetung, volunteering is a lifelong commitment.

Joe was born with cerebral palsy. However, rather than allow it to become a deterrent, Mr. Whetung used it as a basis for observation. He couldn’t play sports, but he watched the coaches – and learned to be an exceptional coach himself. He also became a student of organizational structure and procedure. Along with his day jobs working with numbers, Joe became an invaluable addition to many organizations.

It’s an abiding truth that the success of any group lay in its structure, and management – ensuring that ‘the numbers’ are right. The organizations and projects that have benefited from Joe’s talents and dedication are many, and varied. Benefactors of Joe’s expertise were the Fair Boards of Peterborough and Lakefield, parks and recreation committees, Scouts Canada, O.R.C.A., men’s softball and the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Program, among many others.

An enthusiastic student of First Nations’ history, Joe’s ability to trace the Whetung family back several centuries, is stuff of legend.

“Use what you have, to do what you can” serves as a sum of Joe Whetung’s volunteer philosophy. For Joe, volunteering is a way to do good, improve lives and make friends.

Not a bad life philosophy, is it?

Barbara Monahan: teacher, singer and musician, notably spearheading the Peterborough Pop Ensemble.

In today’s fast-paced world, no one can afford underestimating the importance of learning and getting a good education. Sometimes the impediment to a student’s success can be something as simple as the absence of a good breakfast. Jack Byers had an idea to remedy the problem and, several thousand breakfasts later, many Peterborough school children are healthier and more productive because of that idea.

In 1995, Jack approached his fellow members of St. James United Church Men’s Club about starting a breakfast program in city schools. Under Jack’s leadership, the Men’s Club provided a nutritious breakfast for close to 75 students each school day. It’s also the first breakfast program in the city to serve pupils from both Public, and Separate Boards. Thanks to Jack Byers efforts, and those of the St. James Men’s Club, these young people are fed at no cost to Boards, or students. It’s been, and continues to be Jack Byers who spearheads the organization of volunteers, food purchase, and fundraising events to keep the program cost-neutral.

With diplomacy, energy, creativity and dedication, Jack Byers represents the best of a community: You identify a need, and you do something about it. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

If it holds true that those who have our ear have a responsibility to lend their voice to community causes and campaigns, then John Mariasine has been very responsible indeed.

Upon arriving in the city in 1970, ‘Little John’ started his lengthy tenure with 1420 CKPT as a sports reporter before a promotion to the morning drive slot in 1973. Over the next 20 years, John was the warm and inclusive voice of CKPT, greeting morning listeners with a variety of popular ongoing segments.

John’s broadcasting career brought him benefits beyond the studio in the form of long-lasting relationships with a number of community organizations. His relentless promotional work on behalf of ParticipAction, the Ontario Summer Games and the Canadian Cancer Society proved invaluable to the success of each. With the annual McHappy Day fundraiser coinciding with his birthday, John turned it into a double celebration, selflessly sharing a slice of his cake before asking for a donation.

A number of annual events also benefitted from John’s skills as an engaging emcee and DJ, including GE Christmas parties at the Memorial Centre, toy drive kick-offs at Peterborough Square and a number of YMCA fundraising events. John brought his familiar voice to the theatrical stage as well, performing in a number of musicals staged by the Peterborough Theatre Guild and the St. James’ Players, starting in 1982 with Annie Get Your Gun and continuing his thespian pursuits after retirement with roles in seasonal productions.

Through the 1980s, John donated his time and talents to Up With People, an organization that supports the participation of children and young people in educational programs that promote cultural diversity and leadership through the arts. John and his wife Penny went above and beyond for the organization, often opening their home to participants. In 2017, John’s commitment to bettering life for others manifested itself through his volunteer work for TandemEyes that saw him serve as a guide rider for the visually impaired enjoying cycling paths.

A fixture on Peterborough’s Country Music scene, George McIlmoyle delighted audiences for more than 40 years. With his ‘Good and Country’ band, he performed on radio, television, in clubs and at gatherings throughout the Peterborough area.

Always willing to lend a hand to those in need, George was an avid and appreciated performer who contributed to countless local causes. George McIlmoyle personified the best in the tradition of giving to others through music.

Modern communications can often be a mysterious blend of words, ideas and technical hardware. John Gilbert Jones began his life as a television technician and HAM radio enthusiast. That was the ‘medium’ side of the ‘message.’ The ‘message’ side would come later.

Composing stories and a passion for narrative started as a youthful and personal pastime. Then in the 1960’s, John decided to pursue his dream of becoming a storyteller. Honing his craft as he went, John produced his acclaimed ‘Swamp Cedar Stories.’ He also undertook a daunting, but fulfilling project: updating and revising Hillier Williamson’s acclaimed history of Omemee. The book was originally published in 1968. John’s update was a popular success, rekindling enthusiasm for local history. The book became a turning point in helping to revitalize Omemee and District Historical Society.

John’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed. For his work, he was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the Ontario Heritage Foundation.

An integral aspect of communication and writing, is to assist other aspiring and established communicators. To that end, John was an energetic influence on the Kawartha Lakes Writers Association as well as writing groups in Keene and Peterborough. He was also an ardent supporter of the Historical Society’s annual Book Fair.

For a natural storyteller, the life of each human being, and of each community, represent stories that ache to be told, and shared. The Kawartha region was lucky to possess such a passionate storyteller, as John Gilbert Jones.

Mr. Jones died in 2015, at the age of 81.

If there were no Cultural Community Betterment category in this Pathway of Fame, one would have to be created especially for Su Ditta.

Born and raised in Toronto, she studied at Trent University where she earned a degree in Political Studies and Canadian Studies. Su Ditta is best known nationally, for her work as Associate Curator, Media Arts at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa; as head of the Media Arts Section of the Canada Council of the Arts; and as Adjunct Curator, Media Arts at the Oakville Galleries. Completing a six year term with the Canada Council of Arts, in 2013 she was the lead consultant working with the Canada Council on developing new approaches to supporting organizational management and development for arts organizations across the country.

But since taking up residence here, Su Ditta has become known for her work on the Board of Artspace and Art Gallery of Peterborough, Chair of the City’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Board, Vice-Chair of the Community Grants Committee, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Artsweek, and Coordinator of Benchmarks. She is a founding director and has also served as Vice-Chair of the Community Leadership Committee, and the municipal Public Arts Committee.

Su participates as a volunteer in the Trent Student Mentoring Program, serves on the Art Committee for the Mount project as well as provides volunteer management advice and support to a number of local arts organizations including Artspace, EC3, Public Energy and Reframe.

To state that Su Ditta is totally, and completely involved and dedicated to this community would be a gross understatement.

The Order of Canada was established to pay tribute to Canadians who exemplify the highest qualities of citizenship and whose contributions enrich the lives of their contemporaries. It’s also a perfect description of the life of Dennis Sweeting.

A highly decorated war hero, Dennis pursued careers as actor, writer and theatre administrator before coming to Lindsay. It’s here he became the driving force and catalyst in the successful enterprises of Kawartha Summer Theatre, and revitalization of Academy Theatre.

Displaying those high qualities of citizenship, Dennis also served in several political and community capacities, most notably Reeve of Lindsay and Warden of Victoria County.

A man of considerable warmth and commitment, his contributions to cultural life in his community and that of Canada led to his being named to the Order of Canada. Few better personify the criteria of that Order than does Dennis Sweeting.

Both John and Rosemary give selflessly to local, national and international volunteer activities. While high school teachers, they and their three sons joined CIDA projects in Jamaica and Tanzania and shared their experiences in local newspapers.

With strong local support, they founded Jamaica Self Help, an NGO, in 1981. Over 1,000 local adults and teens have enjoyed meaningful experiences as volunteers sharing an overseas vision and working for a better world. They’ve assisted in practical ways toward delivering relief to needy Jamaican communities. Similarly, they’ve educated Canadians about Jamaica and its needs.

Their efforts have been duly honoured. John received WUSC’s Lewis Perinbaum Prize in 1992, and the YMCA Peace Price in 2004. Rosemary receieved the YWCA’s Woman of the Year in 1985, and attended the UN Conference on Women in 1995.

The Ganley’s have been invigorated by grassroots support of young people and others. We are all beneficiaries of their work.

John Ganley passed away in 2013. Rosemary continues their work.

• Photo courtesy of Red Pashmina Inc.

Without question, the greatest waste is a waste of human life and when that life belongs to a child, the waste is all the more poignant. In 19th Century England when the Industrial Revolution was taking its greatest toll, Dr. Thomas Barnardo was one of those rare human beings who didn’t simply lament the waste of human life, but did something about it.

Appalled by the number of homeless children scavenging an existence on city streets, Thomas began feeding them, then came up with an idea of starting up homes for destitute and unwanted children. In these homes, the children could receive proper food, warm clothing and training in useful trades, thereby allowing them a chance to build a life for themselves as adults. Dr. Barnardo’s good works came to the attention of Peterborough’s George Cox. Cox offered Barnardo the choice of two city properties. Barnardo saw this as an opportunity to help children escape the degradation they suffered in England and find gainful employment in a young country; itself hungry for those who were willing to work. Thus the home called Hazelbrae was born.

From 1884 to 1922, Dr. Barnardo was instrumental in bringing 10,000 young people to Peterborough to find better, more meaningful lives. Another 20,000 Barnardo children found equally suitable homes elsewhere in Canada.

Today the legacy of Barnardo Children and their descendants can be seen in the city, the country and families they’ve built. The legacy of Thomas Barnardo remains as meaningful today as it did then; what one person can accomplish when they have the courage to get involved.

When we consider the far-reaching success and resulting prominence of business people that have called Peterborough home, George Albertus Cox remains in a league of his own.

Born in Colborne, Upper Canada in May 1840, George came to Peterborough as a young man to serve as an agent for the Montreal Telegraph Company. According to historian Michael Bliss, after attaining the same position for the Canada Life Assurance Company in 1861, George vowed he would one day be its president. He did just that in 1900.

Prior to that, George became president of the Midland Railway in 1883, founded the Central Ontario Loan and Savings Company in 1884 and, in 1890, was named president of the Bank of Commerce. That was two years after he moved to Toronto as a member of a group purchasing the Toronto Globe and the Toronto Evening Star.

George died in January 1914 but not before he and fellow former city resident Edward Food founded Brazilian Light and Power, the largest utility company in South America to that point.

As impressive as his business acumen was, George’s political star was equally bright. Between 1872 and 1886, he served seven one-year terms as Peterborough’s mayor. In 1874, he served briefly as a Liberal member of the Ontario Legislature, completing the term of Thomas Fairbairn who died while in office. He was narrowly defeated when he ran for his seat the following year, meeting the same fate when he ran federally in 1987. Still, his political value was well noted as evidenced by his 1903 appointment to the Senate by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier.

In addition to his business pursuits, George served as president of the Ontario Ladies College in Whitby, was bursar of Victoria College at the University of Toronto, and was a major supporter of the Toronto General Hospital.

Not surprisingly, George possessed a fine eye for real estate. Today, his legacy can be seen in a very tangible way on Rubidge Street in Peterborough, where the 2nd Empire Cox Terrace still stands, a designated National Historic Site.

As Peterborough’s contribution in Nashville’s music machine, Cyril Rawson established himself as one of Country Music’s most in-demand writers.

Beginning as musician and record producer in Ontario, Cyril soon devoted himself to songwriting full time.  After penning hits for Canadian stars such as Colleen Peterson and Alannah Myles, he turned his attention to the Nashville market, serving up material for such superstars as Lorrie Morgan and Tanya Tucker.

Now working as an independent writer and producer, and dividing his time between Peterborough and Nashville, Cyril Rawson has penned an amazing portfolio of 250 songs recorded by artists around the world.