Welcome to The Club v3.3 Summer 2023

THE Club
New Owners Continue the Tradition
Free seniors day on the Duc d’Orleans II
Welcome to ...
By Cathy Dobson
Anchors away! The annual free seniors to music and transportation to the boat.
cruise aboard the Duc d’Orleans II is After Henderson’s death in 2010,
back this year thanks to the hard work local resident Marni Thomas stepped
of local volunteers and the generosity of up to voluntarily organize the cruise.
the ship’s new owner.
In 2018, when Thomas ran into health
“It’s a lot of work but it’s an event problems, Yurchuk became involved. At
that is completely unique and, I think, the time, he was executive director at
very important,” says Bill Yurchuk who Lambton Elderly Outreach (LEO)
voluntarily chairs the new Sarnia Seniors and didn’t want to see a fabulous
Community Organization.
tradition for seniors end.
A free ride on Sarnia’s local cruise “I believe the senior demographic
boat, complete with lunch and live is one of the most overlooked
entertainment, has enriched the lives of groups when it comes to social
many thousands of seniors and people activity,” he said. “A trip on the
with disabilities for 45 years.
river is something many seniors
“It’s a nice way to give back to our may not have the opportunity to
seniors for bringing their wisdom to our enjoy otherwise.”
community,” said Yurchuk.
Yurchuk is now the general
“You should see all the faces that light manager of Wellings of Corunna,
up as they arrive at the dock.”
which offers independent living
The long-held Sarnia tradition began for people 55 and older.
in 1978 when the late broadcaster Peter The Sarnia Seniors Community
Henderson decided local seniors would Organization was founded as a
enjoy a day of food and fun on the St. non-profit in 2018 specifically to
Clair River.
hold the annual seniors cruise with
He assembled a large group of support from Wellings, Steeves &
volunteers and donors who chipped in Rozema Group, LEO, and The Eye
everything from sandwiches and drinks Guy.
Yurchuk hopes that the organization
will ultimately hold other events for
seniors, but for now the focus is on
cruise day.
While the cruise had to be cancelled
for three years during the pandemic,
Scott Turner, the new owner of the Duc
d’Orleans, has graciously agreed to
provide his boat and crew for the day
this year. Sponsors have stepped up and
Ron Tedball & Friends is returning to
provide live music.
Do you remember being 19? Neither do we!
Photo credit: Facebook Sarnia Senior Cruise
This year’s cruise is scheduled for
Monday June 26, rain or shine.
Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., the
Duc will head out onto the river
approximately every hour with a new
load of passengers. As many as 1,500
people or more get onboard every
seniors’ cruise day, Yurchuk said.
This year, passengers are responsible
for getting themselves to the dock at
Centennial Park. Registration begins
at 8 a.m. on the day of the cruise and
needs to be in-person.
“Just come at 8 a.m. and choose
the cruise time you want and get
your ticket,” said Yurchuk. First
come, first served.
Escorting all those people on
and off the boat, as well as feeding
them, requires about 25 volunteers
but the committee never has trouble
finding people to help, he added.
“Everyone wants to be a part of it.”
And, of course, just as founder
Peter Henderson used to say, the
price of admission is just a smile.
For more information,
visit the Sarnia Senior Cruise
page on Facebook, email
SarniaSeniorsCruise@gmail.com or
call Caryn at 519-344-1763 ext. 306
and leave a message with your phone
number.
Welcome to ... Summer 2023
Register in person at the
Duc D’Orleans II dock,
on the day of the event.
Cost is just a smile!
45 minute cruises run
from 8am to 4pm
Rain or Shine
Lunch available on land
11:30am to 1:00pm only
Tickets are limited and departure times fill quickly;
Please attend early to get your desired departure time.
Monday, June 26, 2023
FOR INFORMATION,
CALL CARYN 519-344-1763 x306 & LEAVE A MESSAGE
OR EMAIL SarniaSeniorsCruise@gmail.com
Photo by George Rosema
Thank you to The Eye Guy and Welcome to The Club for donating this ad!
P A G E 14
“Houston, we have a problem.” -Apollo 13, 1995