Chapleau Recreation Committee establishes programs for all age groups in the Summer of 1973

The Chapleau Recreation Committee was active in 1973 announcing a summer program designed to assist in the provision of recreation and leisure time activities for all age groups in the community.

Major  highlights of the program were the first Summerfest, which was an expanded Beach Day and the founding of the Chapleau Senior Citizens' Club.

Summerfest headed by Ed Swanson as chair,  with Margaret Rose (Payette) Fortin as secretary was expanded to an entire weekend on the August Civic Holiday weekend rather than just one day.

The Chapleau Sentinel reported that events included a 10-speed bicycle race, five-mile road race for the Thomson-Morris Memorial Trophy, mutt show, parade, ball games, children's races, baby contest, water events,dances  and Summerfest Queen contest

The committee included Annie Bowland, Peter Elliott, Earle Freeborn, Manlio Spessot, Greg Lucas, Raoul Lemieux Jr, Jim Mulligan, George Travis, Graham Bertrand, Wally Clarke, Janet Tokarchuk, Ken LeClaire, Bill Ritchie, Mark Mizuguchi, Denis Ladouceur and Richard Ladouceur.

Lise Lafreniere was named the first Summerfest Queen with Catherine Welch and Maureen Lavoie as runners-up.

Looking at the program for the weekend, there were 54 businesses and individuals who contributed prizes to Summerfest activities with a sincere vote of appreciation to J..E. Martel and Sons Lumber Ltd., A and L Lafreniere Lumber Company, Chapleau Lumber Company, the Redwood Dining Room and the Bridgeview Motel for their "special contributions" toward the success of Summerfest.

Chapleau also had an Opportunities for Youth program in 1973.  Assisting  the recreation committee with many programs were the OFY, "Summer Chapleau' participants Jamie Doyle, Maurice Blais, Richard Desbiens, Catherine Welch, Michael Paquette, Peter Freistatter, and Robert Petrunka.

 The recreation committee summer staff of Eileen McCrea, Joan Warren, Denis Foran, Patricia Fortin, William Brady, Keith McAdam and Mary Lou Futhey also assisted.

Through Canada World Youth the group from Malaysia also became part of the Summer activities, and hosted a special evening featuring dances and food from their country.

Meanwhile, the first meeting of the Chapleau Senior Citizens Club was actually held on the lawn of the of the old Chapleau High School on Pine Street.

At that first meeting, Mrs Agnes Freeborn assumed the position  of acting president, and was soon thereafter succeeded by Mrs. Min Blackburn. Mrs Freeborn became a vice president. Councillor Ernie Gilbert represented the township on the executive.

In 1978, when Cedar Grove Lodge was opened, the drop-in centre was named after Mrs. Freeborn recognizing her work in the community. 

The first major outing by the the newly formed senior citizens club was a bus trip to Dubreuilville with Marcel Bourgeault as the bus driver.

Although the recreation committee planned to improve conditions at the Chapleau beach, that was made more difficult because the addition to Chapleau Public School eliminated much of the waterfront, the Sentinel reported. However, the committee hoped to make it a pleasant location for citizens.

And now that Chapleau Public School itself was "eliminated' in 2014, the community faces new challenges at the waterfront over 40 years later.

A new innovation was the introduction of a Summer Playground for youngsters undertaken in cooperation with the Sports and Recreation branch of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Reaching Out to Form a Larger Community

By Rev. Yme Woensdregt

Last Saturday, on one of those remarkably beautiful days we get, I was delighted to sit with representatives from a couple of other churches in town at a table in Rotary Park. We were there as part of the Cranbrook PRIDE celebration and for three hours we talked with people, listening to them, sharing with them our sense of a God whose essence is love and who welcomes all people, regardless of race, age, gender, wealth, size, or sexual orientation.
The most remarkable thing about the day for me was those people who came to our table and told us how important it was that we were there. They were glad to see a spiritual presence which doesn’t judge or condemn but welcomes all people as valued and valuable children of God. My heart swelled with gratitude at those words.
Half a world away on the same day, a momentous referendum was being held in Ireland, where some 62% of the people of Ireland voted to change the Irish constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
That is cause for celebration. There is already far too much vengeance and violence in our world against those who are different. The outcome of this referendum points to a new possibility of living together with compassion. It was heartening to see a fairly conservative society accept that gay rights are human rights, and that all people should have these rights as a matter of course.
The vote means that a marriage between two people of the same sex will have the same status under the Irish constitution as a marriage between a man and a woman. Gay and lesbian couples will be recognized as a family and be entitled to constitutional protection for families.
Civil partnerships for same–sex couples have been legal in Ireland since 2010. It gave couples legal protection, but that protection could be taken away by the government. That has all changed now, since the Irish constitution can only be changed by a public referendum. These rights can only be removed by another popular vote.
I was heartened to hear Diarmuid Martin, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Dublin and one of Ireland’s most senior Roman Catholic clerics, say that the “Church in Ireland needs to reconnect with young people. We [the Church] have to stop and take a reality check, not move into a denial of the realities.”
It signals a new openness on the part of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. It’s the same kind of openness which we have seen in the way Pope Francis has conducted himself ever since his election.
I recognize that there are people who disagree with me. Particularly, I recognize that there are faithful Christians for whom this is the wrong step to take. Many of them live by the slogan, “The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it!”
Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy. The reality is that there is not a single person on earth who lives entirely by what the Bible says. Not a single one of us!
We don’t stone our children when they curse us (Leviticus 20:9). Some of us eat our meat medium rare, or rare, which clearly violates the command not to eat the blood of any creature (Leviticus 17:14). Most of us don’t worry if we shop on the Sabbath (which, of course, is Saturday in the Old Testament). We no longer keep slaves, even though the Bible condones it. We don’t prevent handicapped people from coming to church or approaching God, even though the Bible forbids it (Leviticus 21:17–21). The list goes on and on.
The reality is that none of us follows the Bible literally. Not a single one of us.
There are some, however, who take a very few verses from the Bible out of context and use them as battering rams against gay and lesbian people. They believe homosexuality is wrong; they believe it is unnatural, and so they will use anything they can find to condemn the LGBTQ community.
Let me suggest that the heart of Biblical teaching is found in these simple words: Love God with all that you are. Love your neighbour as yourself. I think that God is always doing something new in the world, creating and recreating, making life more whole, more joyful, more just.
To love our neighbour doesn’t mean we always have to agree with each other. But it does mean that we have to treat each other with respect, compassion and grace. It is time, as Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said, for the church to stop and take a reality check. It is time for us to reach out in love to all people.

Rev Dr Yme Woensdregt is Incumbent at Christ Church Anglican in Cranbrook British Columbia

'Chapleau Boys Go To War' story of significant contributions at home and abroad in World War 1 and World War 2

The Chapleau Boys Go To War is  the story of the contributions and sacrifices made during World War 1 and World War 2, at home and abroad by the people of Chapleau.

My cousin, Michael McMullen and I have been working on this project for several years, and the book has just been published. 

In the introduction we note that 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of WW 1 and the 75th anniversary of the start of WW 2.

" Canadians volunteered to serve from all across their country for both conflicts, and small towns and villages, like Chapleau, made significant contributions to both war efforts. They went to war because they believed it was the right thing to do. They were representing their families, friends, neighbours, colleagues and all of Canada, and were willing to pay the Supreme Sacrifice."

Our research revealed that there were 283 enlistments in World War 1 with a Chapleau connection, and 416 in World War 2 -- an incredible number given the population of the community during both wars.

Some returned home but others did not not. There were 32 "Chapleau boys" who died while on active service in the first world war and 29 in the second. We pay special tribute to the fallen with a biographical sketch and photos of them where available.

We have included a list of the names of all those with a Chapleau connection who served in both wars.

We also provide a look into the founding of Chapleau in 1885 with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, as well as life on the home front In both wars with a fascinating look at the work of the Chapleau branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society and other projects.

We were able to obtain some letters  from Chapleau boys in both wars who were overseas providing a glimpse into their lives on the front lines, a number of them written home near Christmas.

After World War I, Chapleau's first reeve G.B. Nicholson and his wife, Charlotte, had St. John's Parish House built in memory of their son Lorne who was killed on active service, and his friends. It became the Legion Hall. The book also notes the contribution of Branch No. 5 (Ontario) of the Royal Canadian Legion, from its founding in 1926 on.

Michael K (left) and I have serious chat about Chapleau Boys Go To War

On June 25, 1978, the cenotaph was moved from its original location beside St. John's Anglican Church to the Legion property. In 2000, the Chapleau Cree First Nation established the Fox Lake War Veterans Memorial. In 2014, Donald White, Chapleau's oldest living World War II veteran attended the Remembrance Day service at the cenotaph.

Henry (Harry) Byce and his son, Charles Byce, were Chapleau boys. They enlisted and fought in WW 1 and WW 2, respectively. Both received exceptionally high honours for valour and bravery for their individual war exploits. They were among the highest decorated Aboriginal veterans. We tell their stories.

Four Chapleau boys, Willard Bolduc, Baisel Collings, Donald Freeborn and Lloyd McDonald were among the recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross. We share their stories of bravery.

With thanks, particularly to former cadets, we were able to share highlights of 1181 Chapleau High School Cadet Corps.

Both Michael and I share some personal thoughts, and in my case, for the first time in my life, I share an anecdote involving Dr. Karl Hackstetter, John McClellan and me when I was in Grade 9 at Chapleau High School.

There is a chapter on cemeteries and monuments globally, compiled by Michael, some of which he has visited.It is a most valuable resource and also shows the high esteem in which our "Chapleau Boys" are held.

Michael McMullen explained that "fallen 'Chapleau Boys' are commemorated by name on the Chapleau cenotaph, and for WW I on a plaque at St. John’s Anglican Church. "

Michael added:

"We wanted to know more about them and for most of them, have been able to put together short resumes with pictures that include family information, occupation at enlistment, place of enlistment, some of their armed forces experience, date of death and cemetery or memorial information. This is our way of preserving their memories.

"We hope the information we have provided for foreign cemeteries and memorials will help to provide a context to where the Chapleau Boys were when they were killed or died due to war inflicted causes.

"We also hope our work will be used as a reference for family descendants to do research on their relatives that served in wars. It is important that photos of those who served and letters that they sent home are preserved with details of their service. If not, this material will be lost, if not already lost, with the passage of time.

"Ideally, our book will serve as a catalyst for families to search old shoeboxes for pictures and letters from those who served. Also, medals and awards should be documented for future family generations. It is important that this information not be lost. We owe this to all Chapleau Boys who have served in wars and conflicts."

I extend my most sincere personal thanks to Mario Lafreniere, publisher of the Chapleau Express, for inviting me to write Chapleau Moments almost six years ago. Had he not done so, I likely would not have begun my research into "Chapleau Boys Go to War". Our book is available now or please email me at mj.morris@live.ca for other purchasing options.