Merritton Matters Summer 2009 - Merritton Community Group

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LAST ISSuE On Page of our Spring newsletter, you might have noticed that the one picture with Mayor Skipper had an ‘unknown person’ listed in the caption. Well, thanks to Linda Pyle, we now know that it was her grandmother May Newell. Lioness generosity The Merritton Lioness is a service club that has been a terrific benefactor of a variety of charitable organizations and causes. People in our community, and beyond, have profitted from this dedicated group of women who work together to raise money for other organizations. Their service mission is truly evident when you examine their 2008-2009 budget and see their wide span of involvement. Students at area schools have been advantaged from their largess. The Lioness allocate funds for the breakfast programs at Burleigh Hill and Ferndale Schools and bursaries for graduating students from Denis Morris and Sir Winston Churchill. Camps Trillium, Huronda, Dorset and Lake Joseph CNIB receive money so that more children can attend. The program Women for Women on Queenston Street, as well as the women and children at Gillian’s Place, have been subsidized by their donations. TRIvIA Did you notice that we didn’t include a new trivia question in the last issue? But, we’re back with a new question for you. What was the name of the basketball coach at Merritton who led the senior boys basketball team to the 1947 Ontario title? Here’s a hint: he was inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. 1 I MERRITTON MATTERS Letter to the Editor Dear Merritton Matters, Thank you for the most recent issue of Merritton Matters. It brings back so many memories. My father Percival Dagesse purchased a new story and a half house at 15 Balsom (not a typo, this is how it was spelled when I was growing up!) Street right at the end of Fir. We backed onto Hartzel Road and saw many changes over the years. I attended Smythe Street School - soon to be renamed Valley Wood for Kindergarten to Grade 6 then moved on to Glen Merritt for Grades 7 and 8 and then finally to Merritton High! After walking 20-30 minutes to get to school for many years it seemed like heaven to be able to get to school in 5 minutes! Walking to Valley Wood would take us daily past the Hayes Dana plant with the large machines pounding very loudly. It still seems strange to go by the silent plant. I spent many hours at the Merritton Library and was very sorry when the library was moved to the Pen Centre. The Merritton Pool & Park were favourite destinations in the summer. At 1:30 my brother and I would take our towels and head off to the pool - staying until closing at 4:20. The slides and swings in the park were always great entertainment. Today they would be considered much too dangerous for children to play on. I was sorry to read of the passing of David Hayes. He was principal the year that Pierre Elliot Trudeau came to visit the school. Students piled onto the bleachers in the auditorium to listen to Mr. Trudeau speak. I look forward to reading many more issues of Merritton Matters. Sincerely Sheila (Dagesse) Kroetsch Nepean, ON
Steam power By Tom Barwell Many years ago Merritton was a very important railway terminal. It was here that a host of freight trains were assembled for destinations over much of southern Ontario. Passenger types as well played an important role as all of them stopped to pick up passengers for transportation throughout the length of the country. Needless to say, it was a very busy station. Most of the time a small yard engine puffed to and fro busily shuffling various types of rail into position for pickup and delivery. This is where I found myself one clear cool morning, atop the Merritt street bridge watching the hustle and bustle in the yard below. That particular day I spotted something rather unusual. A freight train appeared to be backing down the track leading up to the main line in the direction of Thorold. It slowly and gingerly made its way, reversing onto the spur directly below the bridge. What could be the problem? Curiosity got the better of me so I casually strolled down to the station area. By this time the two train engineers had made their way over and were in deep conversation with the stationmaster. Staying well back I managed to hear them say that the load was just too heavy and that they would either have to break up the train or get more power. This is where the yard engine came into play. It was summoned and very importantly it hustled over where it was coupled up behind the two lead engines to help with the climb back up the hill. With much smoke and steam they went to work. At first they gained speed but, as they traveled up the steep grade, their momentum gradually lessened and then came to a shuddering halt. After a few moments they slowly reversed until they came to rest in their original spot. What could be in those boxcars making them so heavy? Again the engineers huddled with the stationmaster. Very shortly after that there was a whistle and another engine clanked into the station from the direction of St. Catharines. It was slowly maneuvered into position to assist in pulling the load. Surely there now would be enough power to do the job. But my jaw dropped when not one but two more engines appeared from the east. They must have backed all the way down from the Niagara Falls yard. These two as well were hooked up for the pull. There seemed to be a hush. The only sound to be heard was the panting noise that signaled the engines where building up pressure in their boilers. Suddenly there was an ear piercing shriek as the lead locomotive sounded its whistle. One long and one short. This was answered in turn by the rest of the pack. Only theirs were two short blasts. Columns of smoke suddenly shot out of all the stacks, cannonading high up into the clear blue sky. Huge drive wheels spun in the sand that came out of small outlets that dusted the track ahead of each one. The echoing sound of couplings could be heard as the slack was taken up between each car, shaking the very ground we stood on. Gathered spectators covered their ears and gaped in awe at the raw show of power. Traction was gained and with a huge roar the train moved ahead gaining speed with each turn of a wheel. Towards the hill it went, blasting a warning to the people stopped at the Glendale crossing. It howled its way up the steep grade, finally disappearing around the bend leaving only a wisp of trailing smoke and echoing noise off the hills, the only reminder of its former presence. Some people even applauded in their excitement. They had been witness to an extraordinary event. Something that would never happen again. Something that might not have happened on any other railway, but it happened in the tiny little town of Merritton. I will never forget that day. If only I had a camera at the time. Of course if it took place now, there would have been one or perhaps two diesel engines that could have easily performed the same task. But it would have been incredibly boring. guatemala Stove project By The Rev. Pamela Guyatt On May 11, 2009 the Anglican Church Women of St. James Church welcomed Wyn Kalagian, a local artist, as their guest speaker for the evening. She shared some of her history, her passion for painting and the people of Guatemala. Ms. Kalagian was a public health nurse in the Niagara Region and in 1999, she participated in a Planned Parenthood Conference in Guatemala. It was on that trip that she became fascinated with the country, the vibrant colours, the women and their families, promising herself that she would return someday. Photo taken by: The Rev. Pamela Guyatt People in the photo (on the Left) Ms. Wyn Kalagian, (on the Right) Mrs. Barbara Vorstenbosch Secretary of the ACW. After she retired, Wyn pursued her love of painting. Lessons with a well known artist became available in 2007 in Guatemala, a country that still enchanted her. The evening before she left, she made a promise to herself - if she sold any paintings that depicted Guatemala, she would find a way to help the people of that country. When she returned to Ontario, she started to investigate opportunities for giving back to the people of Guatemala in a meaningful way. She came across “The Guatemala Stove Project” based in Perth, Ontario which is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the Mayan hill people by helping one family at a time build and ventilate a proper stove in their home. With one of these stoves installed and properly ventilated to the outside, the life expectancy of each family member increases by 10 to 12 years. The cost for one stove is $200.00 Canadian. Wyn had found what she was looking for and she began to paint. When people showed an interest in her art work, she talked about the project and the people of Guatemala. The price for each painting is $250.00 – $200.00 for a stove and $50.00 for her supplies. Since 1999, The Guatemala Stove Project has installed over 4000 stoves in rural Guatemala, Wyn has funded 42 of them by selling her paintings. For further information about Wyn Kalagian and The Guatemala Stove Project see their web sites: http://www.computan.on.ca/~wynworks and www.guatemalastoveproject.org. MERRITTON MATTERS I 1
Page 1 and 2: MERRITTON MATTERS IN ThIS ISSuE •
Page 3 and 4: happenings Around the community No
Page 5 and 6: Is the Municipality Ignoring Mounta
Page 7 and 8: Spartan Junior “B” Lacrosse Did
Page 9 and 10: A celebration of A community garden
Page 11 and 12: A chat with habitat for humanity Ni
Page 13: Merritton high School, class of ‘

Merritton Matters Summer 2009 - Merritton Community Group

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