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Greetings!
Greetings of the Season & Happy New Year!
The Ojibway Historical Board wishes you all a very Merry Christmas and exciting New Year. Wherever you may be wintering, we hope you are doing well as the year draws to a close. This year has been another good one for the Historical Preservation Society, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share several matters of note as we continue to focus on plans for the year to come.
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Prioritizing Projects for Restoration
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Two summer seasons ago, the OHPS Board began a systematic approach to evaluate the potential restoration needs on Ojibway Island and obtain the input of the Club Board as it assessed possible preservation requirements related to serving the Ojibway community. After review to develop preliminary lists of what needs to be done and when, members of the Historical Society met with representatives of the Club this past July to consider priority issues among the projects on those lists.
The goal was to create a Five Year Plan for the preservation and restoration of the Ojibway facilities most in need of being targeted. In connection with meetings and efforts through the remainder of the summer and into the fall, half a dozen items surfaced and are being further vetted for priority restorations:
- The Gift Shop
- The Main Dock
- The Rental Cabins
- Two More Sections of the Walking Trails
- Infrastructure (Sprinklers) for Preservation of Restorations
Portions of the Main Dock were restored in 2013 when the Grocery Store was redone; and it was apparent then that the remainder of the fixed dock would need to be restored in the relatively near future. Likewise, since Basswood was restored last year, the other Cabins have been undergoing evaluation for their own restorations. The needs for the Camp Trail and exact location of a Southern Loop Trail, both discussed at the AGM this past July, are also being further assessed; and we are obtaining engineering recommendations on additional sprinklers for the preservation and safety of hotel areas already restored.
For reasons related to structural deterioration, safety concerns, and difficulty in making it anywhere near critter-proof, however, the Gift Shop has become the top priority. So we are moving forward this winter in an effort to refine details while retaining historical accuracy in order to prepare a rendering for the community of how it is envisioned that a restored Gift Shop would appear. A look back into the early 1950’s, when the current structure was the hotel gift shop and store, reveals a glimpse of the archive materials being reviewed in this process.
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Between now and next summer, we should be able to share with you a rendering on how the proposed Gift Shop project is shaping up and ask for your thoughts and comments on what has been developed by then. Further information will also be compiled in the coming months on the other five prioritized projects so that we can highlight for you the overall Five Year Plan, including costs and timelines, and present a consolidated picture of what will be necessary in order for the Historical Society to undertake these projects, with the Gift Shop being anticipated as the top priority.
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Succession Plan and Election of Directors & Officers
During the course of the year the OHPS Board considered proposals and adopted By-Law resolutions setting term limits for Directors and providing a well-charted plan of succession from year to year for its Officers. In practice, this will maintain institutional knowledge and insure that (from among experienced Directors) a President will be elected for a two-year term and a Vice President will be elected to serve in anticipation of succeeding him or her, thus creating both clarity and certainty for good governance.
At the October 2017 Annual Meeting of Members of the Ojibway Historical Preservation Society, the following were elected (or reconfirmed in their terms) as Directors and (where indicated) Officers:
Terry Clark – President
Bill Watts – Vice President/Building & Grounds
Doug Bryce – Treasurer/Finance
Helen Bryce – Secretary
Sean Clarke – Fundraising and Nominating
Martha Hall Findlay – Legal & Governance
Nancy Lang – Website & Archives
Jenni McIsaac – Special Projects
Leslie Prior Taylor – Donor Recognition & Outreach
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Special thanks go to the now-retired Board member Sted Garber, who had been heading Fundraising for the past five years. As expressed at our Annual Community Meeting on July 15th this year, Sted has contributed immeasurably to the successful efforts of OHPS. We hope and expect that he will be around to call upon for his input and expertise.
And special welcome to our newest Board Member, Jenni (Gunn) McIsaac! Jenni, who is a Marketing Specialist at Visa Canada, has been around the Ojibway for much of her life, at the Camp and as a Counsellor, working at the stores, and spending time with friends and family. When approached, Jenni felt that getting involved with the work of OHPS would be a perfect way for her to stay connected and become more involved in the life of the Ojibway community. We are very excited to have her on Board! Jenni will be working on Special Projects and as a member of the Fundraising Committee.
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"Friends of the Society"
Each year we will be underscoring our partnership with the donor community as we spell out the continuation of the Five Year Plan described above. Whether you’re interested in the Gift Shop, Main Dock, Rental Cabins, Walking Trails, or Infrastructure needs, now at year-end is a very helpful time for contributions, particularly in contemplation of the tax receipts that will be provided to all donors.
You may also choose to become a “Friend of the Society” by giving $100 toward the annual “administrative, operating and overhead expenses” that we along with all non-profits regularly experience, with OHPS’s being to the tune of at least $20,000 every year.
Instructions on how to donate are described below. Whether you’re interested in a specific project, being a “Friend” of the Historical Society, and/or generally contributing to the very real ongoing needs of the Ojibway facilities, we hope you will participate with us this year by gifting a considered contribution that reflects how important it is to sustain these treasured facilities for our present and future generations.
Wishing you all the very best until summer brings us together again,
Terry Clark, President OHPS
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For Canadian/American/Other Donors:
- Go to http://ohps.ca/donate/
- As applicable, click on your preference:
- Online Donating,
- Credit Card,
- Cheque,
- Donor Card
... and follow the prompts.
3. Note for Americans:
- Fill in amount & all donor details,
- Select "Ojibway Historical Preservation Society" from the drop down list under "Select Your Charity Below".
Tax receipts are provided to all donors.
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For further information, help with donating or to ask for Donor Cards
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Please contact Sue Sheardown at:
rexlea @istar.ca,
905-939-8293 or
The Ojibway Historical Society, c/o Sue Sheardown, PO Box 288, 15410 8th Concession, Schomberg, Ontario L0G 1T0 Canada.
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