MEMORIES OF THE SOUTH CHANNEL ASSOCIATION – THIRY YEARS AGO

 

Tracy has asked me to give a brief resume of the early history of the S.C.A. It seems that all of the early records have been lost.

 

My friend, Doug Warner, a tireless worker for the San Souci-Copperhead Association, the GBA and an elected councilor for the Township of the Archipelago in its early years, kept pricking my social conscience to organize an Association for the property owners between the swing-bridge and Amanda Island. At that time, Cowper and Conger were “unorganized Townships”, and our property taxes were paid to the Ministry of Lands and Forests. It was the period of 1972-73, and amalgamation storm clouds were gathering. We needed to become a solid front in order to protect ourselves from those who wanted our lucrative tax base.

 

In October 1973, armed with the names and addresses of only four cottage owners on Isabella Island, I began to build the inverse pyramid. Those four supplied additional names who, in turn, supplied others. By January 1974 we had the nucleus of the South Channel Cottagers Association. A luncheon meeting was arranged in Niagara-on-the-Lake with nine attendees – Evelyn and Bill Myers, Wayne Jeffrey, Muriel and Cliff Biggar, Al and Yvonne Zanussi. Gerry and Doug Warner attended as our mentors.

 

An inaugural meeting was held in Toronto in April 1974. If memory serves, it was attended by about fifty people. Al Zanussi chaired the meeting. We had previously drawn up a basic constitution stating our aims and objectives. An executive committee was recruited from those present, and the Association was up and running. In my own archives, I found issues #1 and #2 of our newsletter which helped me to put together the names of some of the original executive for our 74/75 season:

 

President:             Al Zanussi                                               Secretary:            Margaret Jeffrey

Treasurer:             Doug McPhee                                  Membership:            Wayne Jeffrey

Environment:            Keith Laver                                      Land Study: Art Thorne

 

During the summer of 1974, every cottage in our designated area was visited and memberships were easily sold. At the end of the year we had 145 members representing 90 cottages. I believe that we limited membership to only registered owners initially. I have no recollection of the fee. Perhaps the memories of other “long term” members will be triggered by this summary, and other gaps will be filled.

 

Thank you Tracy for the opportunity to go back to our past and remember familiar names and faces. Some people come to mind in special ways. In December of ’93, feeling very frustrated because people weren’t actually lining up, I wrote a rather curt letter asking if I was just wasting my time. Mrs. Broker responded and suggested that perhaps my attitude might “turn people off”. In retrospect, I could see that indeed I was “preaching to the choir” and controlled my waspish pen in the future. The whole Broker family became our most constant supporters. An owner from Buffalo drove to our home in Niagara Falls to give us his required information personally. I don’t believe he ever missed an A.G.M. or an event.

 

Over the years the executives have had many challenges and have faced them admirably. To all of you I say GOOD JOB. My “baby’ has had excellent care.

 

Yvonne Zanussi