LOCAL HEROES

BY ALISON M C GILL , JEFF ROLLINGS AND NICOLA ROSS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETE PATERSON

Every day across these hills, countless leaders step up to help build the kind of community, and world, we all want to live in. They are as diverse as the passions that drive them – from Olympic stars to friendly voices on the phone, from a family that remembers, to angels both urban and natural. Not only do they bring their time and talents to the table, they also bring their devotion and resilience.

Each year In The Hills is proud to feature a few of these extraordinary citizens, the foundation upon which our community is built.

janice m c clelland

Nature booster

When Janice McClelland and her husband, Don Blok, moved to Erin in 1992, they were already seasoned hikers and members of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the umbrella organization that guides the nine clubs responsible for stewarding sections of the trail. In fact, the pair had met on a Bruce Trail hike in 1986. So it’s no surprise that after a day of renovating their centuryold farmhouse, they enjoyed heading out for a hike on the trail.

“The healing powers of nature are incredible,” says Janice. “This was how we refocused. We were already committed to caring for the environment so future generations could enjoy it as we did, but those hikes gave us a new appreciation for the work of the Bruce Trail volunteers and the restorative power of nature.”

Janice’s passion for preservation motivated her to become a volunteer board member of the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club, which is responsible for the trail in the Credit River watershed. Since then she has played an integral role in the club, holding various positions including president, vice-president and director of fundraising. Fittingly, this past June, Janice’s dedication to the Caledon club and the conservancy was recognized when she received Credit Valley Conservation’s award for outstanding volunteer of the year.

“Receiving this award is an extreme honour. I had no idea I was being nominated,” she says. “It’s my understanding that one of the things that had an impact on the judges was the length of my tenure and the scope of it.”

Janice’s volunteer experiences have enhanced her life in unimaginable ways. “I have made lifelong friendships, learned so much about history and nature, and been a part of so many rewarding tasks,” she says.

One special memory: When the Caledon club was creating a side trail south of Forks of the Credit Road, Janice researched the history of a local lime kiln, which was used to create lime for early industrial and agricultural uses. The Ring Kiln Side Trail now leads to the massive stone ruins of a circular lime kiln near Belfountain. “When you encounter this kiln, built in the 1890s, it’s like discovering a Mayan ruin in a jungle of rock and cedar,” she says. “It was wonderful to learn so much about this historic landmark.”

Janice’s enthusiasm for the Bruce Trail is contagious. “The mission of the Bruce Trail Club is ‘preserving a ribbon of wilderness, for everyone, forever,’” she says. “For years, my husband and I consistently donated to the organization. The most recent contribution helped purchase over 500 acres at Cape Chin on the Bruce Peninsula.”

Janice remains a stalwart of the organization as a director at large, volunteer fundraiser and hike leader. She shares another extraordinary adventure that happened this fall when she guided a forest bathing hike. “I was inspired by the writings of Dr. Qing Li, a global expert on forest medicine. The hike was a slow and thoughtful one on a loop in the Mulmur hills. We took time to experience all the natural delights: the trees, the moss, the trails of mushrooms. It was a special experience for me and the hikers, and another example of how my volunteer work has enriched my life.”

— ALISON M C GILL

ken hunt

Ice angel

Lots of things can turn a village into a community. In Palgrave, one of them is Ken Hunt, the village’s “ice angel.” For more than 20 years, Ken’s labour of love has been the Palgrave Mill Pond, a pretty body of water on the outskirts of the village.

It all began in 2000. “I went out onto the pond at about 2 o’clock in the morning on a wintery night,” Ken says. “I wanted to make a surprise for the kids.” And surprise them he did. Not only did his own three children wake up to a natural skating rink, but their friends and neighbours did too. It didn’t take long for skating to become a way of life for villagers. The pond is a place where kids meet kids for some shinny, adults greet adults to catch up on the news, and everyone gets some fresh air and exercise.

Every year, Ken seems to add something else to make the skating better. And for several years, he did it all pretty much on his own. “I built benches, put up an outhouse and made a hockey net from scratch,” he says. “My kids stayed up all night helping me build that outhouse.”

Today, there are several rinks where kids continue to play hockey. There is also a cleared path that gives skaters the opportunity to glide freely along arena-worthy ice. Ken says, “Ice is like eggshells. You have to lay it down one layer at a time.” You also have to keep it cleared of snow and fill the cracks. This means that Ken, who learned to build ice rinks “down east” in his Gaspé hometown, spends a lot of time on the pond. Starting at about six in the evening, he is often at it until two in the morning and later. “It’s not like an indoor rink where they have a Zamboni,” he says.

The quality of Ken’s ice has not gone unnoticed. A professional hockey icemaker once dropped by to learn how he does it. Another time, a figure skater from Detroit took her wedding vows on the pond. Ken explains that on a cold, calm night, he augers holes in the ice so he can pump up cold water that is then spread in a thin layer on the existing surface. He used to do all this by hand, but these days it’s a bit easier. Ken kitted out his fourwheeler as a portable “Zamboni,” and his three kids and neighbours help, as do Palgrave’s volunteer firefighters. The Girl Guides and members of other local organizations have also been instrumental in easing his load.

For 21 years Palgrave’s ice angel has also been checking the thickness of the ice, then posting signs to let skaters know whether the rinks are open for business. “You need about five or six inches to be safe,” he says. Despite his tried-and-true system, Ken’s role was questioned last winter when Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which owns the pond, banned skating on it because of liability concerns. The ensuing outcry, including a 4,000-signature petition, persuaded the TRCA to find a way around their worries, and the rinks remained open.

When similar concerns were raised this season, Ken’s daughter, Nicole Wilkins, continued her efforts to keep people on the ice. She formed a nonprofit organization that, with help from the town of Caledon, is hoping to keep Palgrave’s skating tradition alive – and ensure the village ice angel keeps his wings.

— NICOLA ROSS

Ashley Lawrence (left) and Kadeisha Buchanan in Japan

ashley lawrence and kadeisha buchanan

Yes, she can

It was a historic victory this past summer when the Canadian women’s soccer team prevailed over Sweden in the nail-biting final at the Tokyo Olympic Games. And Headwaters teammates Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan played pivotal roles in the triumph – the team’s first Olympic gold since women’s soccer became part of the Games in 1996.

Ashley, who attended Mayfield Secondary School and calls Caledon East her hometown, says that from the time she was five, kicking a soccer ball felt good – and made her happy. But it wasn’t until she watched Team Canada win its first Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics that she began to believe she, too, could represent her country.

And that she has done. Joining the women’s national team in 2013, she won Olympic bronze in Rio in 2016, and this year she surpassed 100 caps in a maple leaf jersey. (“Caps” refers to the number of international football matches a player has participated in.)

For Ashley, now 26, soccer has become a career. A fullback and midfielder for the elite Paris Saint-Germain team, she is considered one of the world’s best and fastest players. In the running for the BBC’s 2021 Woman Footballer of the Year, as well as the Ballon d’Or for woman player of the year, Ashley’s appetite for hard work and her refusal to give up is paying off. “It’s easy to look at the things you do well,” she says. “It’s harder to focus on what you need to improve. Your ego gets in the way. But that’s how you get better.”

A similar attitude has also vaulted Shelburne resident Kadeisha Buchanan onto the world soccer stage. Like Ashley, Kadeisha counts both a bronze from Rio and the gold from Tokyo among her many awards. Also 26, she believes her success is as much about her mental game as about her blistering speed. “I’m a good listener; I take advice from all coaches,” Kadeisha says. Her readiness to learn helps her stay calm under pressure. “I make good decisions on the field,” she says. Attributes like these have contributed to her amazing record of playing every minute of every game in Tokyo and to her being named Canada’s woman soccer player of the year three times.

A willingness to acknowledge and work on their weaknesses, and a pair of Olympic medals, aren’t all the teammates share. Both are defensive players who, as youngsters, played on the same Brampton team and cut their soccer teeth while attending West Virginia University. Both play in France’s Division 1, though Kadeisha plays for Olympique Lyonnaise, Paris Saint-Germain’s archrival. And both get goosebumps when they recall the Olympic moment when Team Canada scored its second – and winning – penalty kick in the gold medal match against Sweden.

Both women also talk about the confidence they felt in Tokyo that the national team would “change the colour of the medal” from bronze to shiny gold. “Because of strict Covid rules, we had to find new ways to connect as teammates,” says Ashley. Their efforts resulted in every player being “in the zone” while on the field. It was an intense tournament in which the team played six matches in two weeks. “Yet I watched my teammates run as hard in the sixth game as they had in the first one,” Ashley continues. She believes the team’s spirit set them apart. “It was our X factor.” (A heartfelt shout-out to teammate Deanne Rose from just outside Headwaters in Alliston. Deanne kicked one of the three winning Olympic penalty shots.)

Along the way, says Kadeisha, Team Canada finally broke a barrier that

COURTESY SOCCER CANADA : RICHARD CALLIS / DANIELA PORCELLI / MARTIN BAZYL, PAGE 31

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had been haunting it since the London games – in the semifinal they outscored Team USA. “What a perfect time to beat them,” she says.

Few soccer players will still be playing competitively at 38, as does Team Canada captain, soccer superstar and team mentor Christine Sinclair, so both Ashley and Kadeisha are thinking about the future. Kadeisha wants to coach at the university level. Much to the delight of Shelburne’s council, who presented her with the keys to the town in August, she has also offered to help mentor young players in the community when she is home from France.

Ashley has already started working with younger players. She formed Yes She Canada, an organization whose goal is “to inspire and empower girls, while providing mentorship and helping build positive self-esteem through sports.” For the fourth consecutive year, Yes She Canada is hosting an event in which role models such as Ashley coach girls between the ages of six and 16.

Both women want to hang on to the joy they see in these youngsters as they kick a soccer ball, perhaps for the first time. They acknowledge the pressure that has come with being world-class athletes. To help cope with that pressure, they strive for the attributes that have made Sinclair such an inspiring role model. Says Kadeisha, “Christine is very humble. She never brags.” This refreshing attitude no doubt contributes to their being heroes both on and off the soccer pitch. Lavender Blue 1/8 Horizontal In the Hills Nov 2021 www.gerberspianoworks.com

sweet dreams

— NICOLA ROSS

Valerie (left) and Shannon McGrady

valerie and shannon m c grady

Inspired by Matthew

Mother-daughter duo Valerie and Shannon McGrady are nothing if not persistent.

This magazine’s readers have met Valerie before, when she and her son Corporal Matthew McCully were featured as Local Heroes in 2008. Matthew, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, had been killed in Afghanistan in 2007 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

More than a dozen years later, on a sunny morning early this past September, a socially distanced crowd gathered on the grounds of the Alder Street Recreation Centre in Orangeville to dedicate Bravery Park. The event culminated more than a decade of community work, led by Valerie, Shannon and a dedicated committee, to establish a site honouring military personnel both at home and around the world.

It was an impressive affair. There was an 85-member military parade, and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds did a flyover in “Missing Man” formation. Among a long list of VIPs, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell spoke, as did Master Corporal (Retired) Jody Mitic, who lost both legs below the knee in Afghanistan and was Matthew’s tent mate in Kabul.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Peter Prakke, who originated the concept of Bravery Parks and worked closely with the Orangeville committee, both as a major donor and adviser. Though Orangeville’s park is not the first in Canada to be named Bravery Park, it is the first to feature custom installations honouring the military.

The park features a bronze sculpture of a soldier receiving a butterfly from two children. Designed by local artists Donna Pascoe and Peter Turrell, the sculpture is the centrepiece of a walkway that depicts the Victoria Cross, Canada’s highest military honour. There are also a memorial stone, an art installation, memorial benches and the Canadian flag. The Amaranth Lions Club funded a children’s playground, and the Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle contributed a medicine wheel garden.

Valerie and Shannon make an important distinction between Orangeville’s cenotaph and Bravery Park. “Matt’s name is on the cenotaph, which honours all fallen soldiers, and the cenotaph is where my family spends every Remembrance Day remembering my brother,” says Shannon. “But what about all the people who didn’t die on a mission? The Canadian Forces have lost more people to suicide than they did in Afghanistan. The park is intended to create awareness of currently serving soldiers and veterans, and to bring attention to – and support for – their struggles and sacrifices.”

Valerie adds, “We wanted all soldiers to be acknowledged, not just those who died.”

Both women stress their gratitude for the support they received, both at the time of Matthew’s death and over the long course of developing Bravery Park. The Royal Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs Canada were pivotal, but the town, local businesses, community groups and individuals also came forward, contributing to the $200,000 fundraising goal, donating materials or simply offering goodwill.

Asked what Matt would think of all this, Valerie says, “I think Matt would be very proud. And shocked at our persistence! I also think it’s only fitting that his legacy will go on.”

Attesting to her mother’s resilience in the face of tragedy, Shannon says, “Mom didn’t just go on, she did something huge. I think she’s the epitome of bravery.”

— JEFF ROLLINGS

jim waddington

Stand tall

Don’t be surprised if Jim Waddington can’t fit you into his Day-Timer.

A tireless community advocate and one of the driving forces behind Orangeville’s annual Celebrate Your Awesome event, a salute to pride and diversity in Dufferin County, Jim is also a working photographer. For years, his mission has been to turn up at all sorts of community events to take photos, which he shares on social media. From festivals to fashion shows and hundreds of other things inbetween, Jim is on it.

Born in Montreal in 1960, Jim’s early life was challenging. His mother died when he was eight and his father when he was 18. Still, he earned a diploma in social sciences from Dawson College and later graduated with honours from the recreation leadership program at Humber College. For the next decade or so, he worked with at-risk youth at Charlestown school in Caledon.

In 1994, life threw Jim another curveball when he suffered a brain hemorrhage. “I had to learn to do everything over again,” he says. “That experience changed my direction and made me re-evaluate things.” No longer able to carry out his duties at Charlestown, he eventually started a photography business, work he enjoys immensely.

Outside of work and his involvement in Celebrate Your Awesome, Jim is a member of MENtors, a group of local men who help with the work of Family Transition Place. He has also served on various boards and committees, including the Dufferin County Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. And before Covid, he and Teena Avery cohosted a Rogers Cable show called Dufferin Life.

About five years ago, the seed of Celebrate Your Awesome took root in Jim’s mind, and he approached a few people about creating an event to celebrate 2SLGBTQ+, an initialism that refers to people who identify as two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. The plus sign is intended to include those who prefer other identity terms, such as intersex. Regular meetings at various Orangeville restaurants ensued.

Jim credits that group, which currently includes Wayne Townsend, Lisa Post, Ricky Schaede, Shannon Leighton, Greg Glasman and Julie Elsdon-Height, with turning the vision into a popular reality. “The team members are brilliant,” he says. “They all bring something to the table.”

Of the event they created, Jim says, “We looked at demographics and asked, ‘How do we introduce pride and diversity to our changing population?’” The result is an all-day, family-friendly celebration of everything that makes everyone unique, regardless of what that is. Though the pandemic forced the festivities to take place virtually for the past two years, plans are afoot for another live gathering on Mill Street in Orangeville next June.

Jim’s contributions to the community were recognized when he was awarded the 125th Anniversary of Confederation Medal. And this year, he won the Orangeville Arts and Culture Award for Community Arts Volunteer. In addition, Celebrate Your Awesome won the Creative Cultural Event Award.

Whether it’s a misunderstood minority or the community as a whole, Jim says, “David or Goliath, everyone needs to be recognized, because everyone plays an important part in our society. And we all have a need to be treated equally – and to stand tall.”

— JEFF ROLLINGS

TeleCheck manager Jennifer McCallum (left) and longtime volunteer Heather

TeleCheck volunteers

Phone friends

This is the first time our heroes will be identified only by their first names. Meet June, Shirley and Heather.

All three are longtime volunteers with TeleCheck, a free telephone check-in service for people older than 55 who are living in their own homes. Every month, June, Shirley, Heather, and more than 45 other volunteers make about 6,500 phone calls to touch base with program members in Dufferin and Caledon. The volunteers may deliver reminders about taking medication, eating meals and keeping appointments, check to ensure that no health crisis is taking place and, most important in some cases, provide a social connection.

The calls are made from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 3:30 to 7 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year. Some members receive daily calls for years; others may get calls for only a week while their caregiver is on vacation.

The reason for anonymity is simple: confidentiality. All volunteers adhere to strict rules with respect to privacy, and part of that policy involves going by only their first names.

Jennifer McCallum, manager of the Headwaters Health Care Centreaffiliated program, says that in addition to their training, volunteers spend about 10 hours with an experienced mentor before working on their own. A digital profile is developed for each member. If volunteers identify issues during a call or if the call isn’t answered, they notify Jennifer, who may take steps to intervene. The steps may include providing referrals for community services, calling emergency contacts or requesting a police wellness check.

Pre-pandemic, all volunteers worked from the organization’s Orangeville office. Now, most calls are made from the volunteers’ homes, and Jennifer says they hope to continue with a hybrid model once the Covid crisis settles down.

June, who once worked in the service industry, has been doing shifts at TeleCheck for 14 years. She says her motivation for volunteering came after her husband unexpectedly died. What am I going to do? she asked herself. Shortly after becoming involved in TeleCheck, she found that “the people I was calling were supporting me to an extent.”

Former teacher Shirley says, “I love doing it. I get to talk to the most funny, intelligent people. I’ve learned a lot about aging with grace.”

Retired nurse Heather echoes Shirley’s sentiment, but adds, “I also like to consider it work. Here I am in my 80s and I can still be working.”

The program involves a diverse group of volunteers, from retirees to individuals interested in social work and young people filling volunteer time requirements. The gift of the gab comes in handy, and as June says, the work is not for everyone. “I remember one volunteer was a bad talker. She was only here a few hours and disappeared. We thought she went to the washroom, but she just left and never came back.”

The value of the program is reflected in the sorts of comments volunteers receive from members. It’s not uncommon for a member to say, “You’re the only people I talk to” or “I know I have to take my pills so I can stay at home.”

All agree the calls can also be a lot of fun – and sometimes hilarious. And members frequently express appreciation. “There are a lot of ‘I love you’s,’” says Jennifer.

— JEFF ROLLINGS

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