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Introduction of Guest Speakers: Carolynn McKay, President and Anne Collins, Vice-President of the Madill Church Preservation Society were introduced by President Mary, to inform the club of the work being done to preserve this landmark building. Speakers Carolynn McKay and Anne Collins thanked Rotary for being interested in hearing about their project. When the Madill Church was about to be torn down in 2016, and since the town was unable to assist, they created the Madill Church Preservation Society, and the Ontario Historical Society incorporated them. In 2017, they bought the church from The United Church of Canada for $ 2.00, but then The United Church of Canada gave them $ 10,000, which would have been their budget for tearing down the building. In 2019, they obtained charitable status. Future Plans: They have a goal to raise $ 200,000 for restoration work, of which $ 55,000 has already been raised and they have applied to Heritage Canada’s Cultural Legacy Campaign for a donation of $ 100,000 to match the amount raised locally. They are optimistic they can reach their goal by 2023. The land was donated by John Madill and the church was built in 1872 and the first service was held in 1873. The families in the community donated the logs, and the total cost to build was $ 600.00. Captain George Hunt, who Huntsville is named after, is interred at the adjoining cemetery. It is hoped that in the future, the church can be used for educational programs, family gatherings, as a focal point for artists and musicians, small concerts, self-guided tours of the cemetery and other events. The story of the church and its founding families will be told through artifacts and interpretive displays, along with a plaque to honor its past. There will be a Legacy 150 Campaign in 2023 to celebrate the church’s 150th anniversary. They offered to show the church to any members and asked us to watch for an open house event in the future. Questions/Comments: Jim: He has a plot in the Madill Church Cemetery Peter: Will Hydro be installed? No, they want to keep it as true as possible to its origins but will set it up to allow for a generator. Henri: How many people does the church hold? 40-50 Mary: Does the organ still work? Not sure, but the owner of the original organ says that one works, and they will donate it back to the church. Bill: What type of restoration is required to be done? Foundation needs correction, logs are losing their integrity, roof needs to be re-shingled, and the vestibule needs to be straightened. Mary: Can this project be connected to Muskoka Pioneer Village? They have not been approached. Ken: What is the interior? Cedar strip tongue-in-groove Tony: Two hanging lamps inside the church. They are kerosene lamps. Tony offered to convert them to electric if they ever want that. Gord: Maybe country music people could use the space to video tape their music. Yes, and Netflix for locally produced films which always end with a wedding. George: Who oversees the cemetery and are there sites still available? It is owned and managed by the Town of Huntsville, and Colleen McDonald from the town handles it. Will thanked Carolynn and Anne for preserving this part of our town and noted that we are all grateful to them for taking it on. Presentation by Jennifer Simpson on the Rotary District Conference in Timmins: Jennifer gave a detailed power point description of the weekend that she and President Mary attended. One of the most interesting speakers was the Rotary International representative, Louisa Horne, whose key message on her first of three presentations was “How to Grow Rotary”: “Don’t just think outside the box, think like there is no box” “If you change nothing, nothing will change” “Have the courage to go against the crowd” “Have courage, your first effort might not work, that is OK, try again….then try again” “It does no good to open our doors if our minds remain closed” Patrick Dzikacky from the Timmins mine spoke on “Managing the Environment & Achieving Balance” regarding closing mines and reclaiming land to make it healthy, as a collaborative effort. Another presentation by Tammy Edger from Laurent University and Julie Moskalyk from Science North was on “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” as part of a program on Women in STEM. Steve Rutledge spoke on “Leveraging Rotary”. Carolyn Jones, the first female trustee for Rotary Foundation, spoke on “Social Justice, Racism and Rotary”. Jennifer recommended that we all listen to her presentation and Louisa Horne’s when they are posted on the district conference website. Mary and Jennifer joined an indigenous craft session and made tiny, beaded orange t-shirts. Andrew Smellie from Bracebridge is our new Assistant Governor. It is expected that youth exchanges will resume in summer, 2022. 2022 District Conference will be held in Sudbury September 23-25 2022 International Rotary Conference will be held in Houston from June 4-8 President Mary thanked Jennifer for a great presentation and stated that they both came away from the conference feeling very inspired. |
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