“That is one plaque that really touched my heart,” explained Eva Lanctot, of the message which was inscribed by the 1998-99 Minor Atoms. Visitors to the office always take a few moments to look at the dozens of plaques that adorn the entrance to Eva Lanctot Realty on Hwy 69N in Val Therese.  

For Eva, giving back to the community has become a way of life. After all, for the past 37 years she and her husband of seven years, Ome Landry, have watched the City of Valley East go through numerous changes as they raised their own children and now enjoy the company of 17 grandchildren.   

“I can even remember driving along Gravel Drive with grass growing in the middle of the road,” Eva recalled. “The road was named after Albert Gravel who was the Reeve.” 

Eva Lanctot Realty was inducted this year into the Valley East Sports Hall of Fame in the Sponsors Category in honour of their years of support for sports and recreation activities. When asked how she felt about the recognition, Eva quickly responded, “It’s me that should thank the community instead of the other way around. Valley East has been excellent to me. It’s been a place to raise my children and I have had a lot of success in the real estate business here.”  

With the amalgamation of Valley East into the City of Greater Sudbury, Eva is concerned about maintaining our distinct identity. “When I talk to people who are looking for a house they tell me that our City of Valley East is recognized as the best and safest place to raise a family. They point out that there are lots of activities for kids and many dedicated volunteers to help them get on the right road.” 

“Kids are our future,” Eva continued. “I think it is up to the businesses to give a bit back to the community by sponsoring sports teams and other recreation events. By doing this we can help build character into the City and keep our identity even after amalgamation.” 

Residents of Valley East are well aware of the tremendous support Eva Lanctot Realty has provided over the years. It is because of people like Eva that our children have so many options when it comes to recreation and sports. 

“What you give is what you get,” is Eva’s motto. And with it comes to supporting kids activities, Eva’s “giving” means all the difference in the world. 

Congratulations to Eva Lanctot Realty on being inducted into the Valley East Sports Hall of Fame. It is an honour which is truly deserved.

Valley East Sports Hall Of Fame Honours Five More Special Residents For Their Contributions To Sport

The 3^rd Annual Valley East Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies took place on October 7 at the Valley East Recreation Centre. Over 100 people attended the celebration in honouring five additional persons for their contributions to sport over the years.

The inductees or their representatives are shown in the photo above. From the left we have, Ron Dupuis, who organized the ceremony; Betty Hope, accepting the award for her son, Shannon; George Corneau, accepting the award for his son, Mike; Rolly Barriault; Eva Lanctot for Eva Lanctot Realty; and Lou Burns.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Professional Category was European hockey star, Shannon Hope. Shannon played his career in England where he  participated on the National Team as well as a club team. He is a member of the England Hockey Hall of Fame and also appears in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. His parents, Gord and Betty Hope accepted the award on Shannon’s behalf. Bev McIver, who has known Shannon since he played bantam hockey in Valley East called him, “a good guy as well as a good hockey player”.

In the Veteran’s category, the award this year went to Rolly Barriault, who has been in the wrestling ring for 38 of his 54 years, going under the name “Frenchy Lamont”. Rolly has been in the ring with the likes of Little Beaver, sky Low Low, Little Brutus, Fuzzy Cupid, Andre The Giant, Edouard Carpentier and the Canadian Half-Pints. He has travelled all over the world and has been recognized as the Strongest Midget in his class. He is in the Guiness Book of Records for lifting 500 pounds even though he only weighs in at 110 pounds. He still wrestles part-time and is looking forward to bringing wrestling back to Sudbury very soon.

The Sponsor’s Category was awarded to Eva Lanctot Realty for Eva’s many years of dedication to minor sport in the City. Her real estate office wall is filled with plaques and photos depicting many of the sporting teams she has sponsored and provided support to. Master of Ceremonies, Ron Dupuis, commented that, “We are lucky to have her in Valley East.” Eva gratefully accepted her place in the Valley East Sports Hall of Fame and thanked the audience for the honour.

The Volunteer Category inductee was the ever popular, Leo Burns, who was recognized for over 40 years of volunteer service in a wide variety of sports activities. Leo thanked his wife, Lou, for her support over the years and stated that he was grateful for “the privilege of serving this fine community. I hope we can continue on this fine tradition.” His award was presented by Jack Paquette, last year’s volunteer inductee.

The Amateur Category award went to Mike Corneau, the star of the Rayside Balfour Sabrecats last season. Corneau won the league scoring championship with 40 goals and 55 assists for 95 points in 40 games. He also pitched in with 26 points in 13 playoff games en route to willing the silver medal in the Canadian Championships, winning the MVP award at the Central Canadian Championships and being selected to the  1^st Team All Star Squad. Corneau is currently playing for the University of Ottawa.

There are now twenty members of the Valley East Sports Hall of Fame. They include:

Veterans Category: Frank St. St. Marseille, Ron Duguay, Lucien Chevrier and Rolly Barriault;

Volunteer Category: Hilda Kingsley, Wilfred White, Jack Paquette and Leo Burns;

Amateur Category: Melissa Junkala, Nathalie Menard, Kelly Ann Thompson and Mike Corneau;

Professional Category: Andrew Brunette, Amanda Maurice, Darryl Lafrance and Shannon Hope.

Sponsor Category: Marcel Moncion, Richard Tasse, Valley East Lions Club and Eva Lanctot;

Angele and J.P. have three boys who attend Ecole Notre Dame School in Hanmer. Mathieu is in Grade 5; Martin is in Grade 3; and Miguel is in S.K. Ironically, both Angele and J.P. also attended that very same Ecole Notre Dame School when they were in elementary school. Many people will remember her from her maiden name, Angele Lapointe.

Angele obtained her diploma in Sign Language Communication from Collage Boreal and appeared headed for a very promising career in this field. It was then that Angele and J.P. made a very important decision. Instead of pursuing a career in sign language, Angele decided to pursue a much more challenging, and far more important career - that of being a full-time homemaker and mother. She and J.P. meant that it would mean sacrificing some of the "material" things that a second job could provide, but they felt fortunate enough to be in a position where they could "make it" on one salary and decided that it was more important for their children to have a mom at home. 

Angele then took it one step further and decided to become totally involved with her childrens' school. While they were at St. Michel School, Angele chaired the annual "Family Day" celebrations which were always the big event of the year. When St. Michel closed to make room for the St. Anne School students who are there now, she organized the "Closing Day Celebrations". Now that her children attend Ecole Notre Dame, she is in her 2nd year as President of the Parent Teacher Association and is at the school "just about every day" taking part in some form of function or activity. 

She organized the Annual Christmas Food Drive which was held at Neil's Your Independent Grocers on December 17, 2005, and is taking care of the Winter Carnival which is scheduled for February 10, 2006.

When asked why she is so involved, she didn't hesitate with the answer, "I love doing this! It is so great to be able to go to the school every day and be active. J.P. and I knew that we were giving up a lot when I chose this kind of life over employment outside the home, but we've also gained so much more from the decision. It means so much to my children for me to be available when they go to school; when they come home; when they are sick; and when they are doing special things at school. Some days I wonder what it would be like to be able to afford more material things, but there is nothing I could buy that would give me the same satisfaction I have doing what I am doing with my life right now."

Angele encourages more parents and grandparents to get involved with their schools. Volunteers can add so much to the atmosphere of the community school and can really provide an excellent example for all of the children at the school.

This happy group of boys, albeit somewhat tired from the stress of competition, proudly display their banners, emblematic of their accomplishment - Provincial Bantam Boys Team Champs. From the left we have: Roch Pelissier, Cole Brabant, Justin Foucault, Phillipe Butler, Kye Michaud and coach Rheal Labranche in the background

SINGLE BOYS

In the Singles competition, Georges Theriault was a bronze medal winner in the Bantam Boys Division, while Kara Treling took home the silver in the Junior Girls' Division.

JUNIOR BOYS

The Junior Boys Division provided tough competition and was just too much for the Chico's Juniors who did their best but finished out of the medals. Members of the Junior Boys team included  Eric Filion, Prosper Audette, Mathew Wiebes, Ryan Brabant, Matthieu Butler, coach Denis Cayen. 

Now that they have a Northern Ontario Provincial Championship under their belt, there is no time to rest.

Coach Rheal Labranche shown in the background, will be spending about three nights a week during March and April trying to bring the boys to the peak of their performance abilities in order to give them their shot at a National title. 

The team which will be carrying the colours of Chico's Bowl are, from the left: Kye Michaud, Roch Pelissier, Phillipe Butler, Justin Foucault, and Cole Brabant. 

Rheal Labranche is a Master Bowler with 18 years experience who posts an average of about 225 while playing in three different leagues during the week at Chico's Bowl in Hanmer. He then spends Saturday mornings coaching the Y.B.C. bowlers. It was from this Saturday morning group that he assembled the Championship Team.

"It's always been my dream to take a group of young bowlers to a National Championship," explained Rheal. "Now my dream can become a reality, so I am going to work hard with the boys for the next two months. All we need to do is get another 10% improvement from them and we have a real shot at the title.

The Nationals will be held in Sudbury from May 6 to 8, 2006. Play will be at all seven bowling alleys in the district. The Bantam Boys will be playing at the Valley Bowl in Chelmsford, so Rheal intends on holding many practices on those lanes in order to help his team get accustomed to the alley.

For the past four years, Ray Bonin, Liberal MP for the Nickel Belt Riding, has been involved in a moral-boosting initiative for Canadian troops who are in action abroad. Here he is shown with one of his staff members, Monique Audette, during an afternoon they spent at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre collecting signatures on a large 20 foot banner. The banner, which is entitled, “Thinking of You” also includes a caption that reads, “Thank you and best wishes from the People of Northern Ontario.”

   The banner, along with another 5000 cards that have been made by school children throughout the riding, will be sent to the Department of National Defense, which will then forward it to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are stationed abroad. The Nickel Belt riding stretches from Foleyet to Sturgeon Falls .

   Visitors to the mall were happy to sign the banner, and to show you what a small world it is, one of the persons who stopped by the table just so happened to be a member of the armed forces who had just completed his assignment in Afghanistan . He was proud to sign the banner and expressed his appreciation to Ray Bonin for this act of patriotism.  

Roger Chevrier is shown in front of the Centre Court Lounge at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. This is where local residents can expect to find him on the first Saturday of every month, beginning on March 4, 2006 . Roger will be performing a wide variety of songs on his guitar from 1:00 p.m. until about 3 p.m. He will be in the mall on the first Saturday of every month at the same time and is inviting other guitar enthusiasts to join him for an afternoon of “picking”.

Chevrier is a life-long resident of Valley East who has a passion for music. He has two radio shows every week on the Laurentian University station, CKLU which can be found by tuning in to 96.7 FM. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. until 12 noon he hosts a show called “Sitting Back Picking”. Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. he hosts a show called “Finger Style Guitar”. Both shows offer listeners some excellent guitar music to relax to.

He was also the Musical Director for the Valley Community Theatre, and coordinated the music for the ‘Leader of the Pack’; ‘Grease’; and ‘Suds’.

The retired INCO worker is hoping that these monthly sessions at the mall will generate more interest in this kind of music. Roger knows that there are a lot of people who enjoy guitar music, and he is looking forward to some exciting afternoons at the mall. Don’t forget to show up on Saturday, March 4, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. for the first afternoon of “Guitar Picking”.

Roger Chevrier is shown in the Centre Court Lounge at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre where he launched his monthly Finger Style Guitar Demonstration on March 4, 2006.  

  Roger performed a wide variety of songs on his guitar from 1:00 p.m. until about 3 p.m. He will be in the mall on the first Saturday of every month at the same time and is inviting other guitar enthusiasts to join him for an afternoon of “picking”.

Christine Brosseau Sets Personal Goal For Swim  

 The Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis is the first event of its kind in Canada involving approximately 150 pools, from one coast, to another. This national swimming event is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of water-based activity for those with arthritis, and to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. The event takes place in pools across the country from April 20 – 23, 2006 . It will be held in Valley East on April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.
  
   Christine Brosseau, on the right in the photo, will be one of the swimmers participating in the event at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre in Valley East . She is shown with Anne Gervais, Facility Pool Operator.

   Anne, who was instrumental in making the arrangements to have her pool involved in the event, invites people of all ages and physical abilities to participate in the Foresters BIG Swim and help raise funds for the Arthritis Society. The event includes distance swims, aquafit and aqua “fun” for children, all designed to inspire Canadians to engage in water-based exercise.

   For people who have arthritis, swimming and water-based activity is one of the best ways of exercising and maintaining a good physical fitness level.

The Foresters BIG Swim for Arthritis is the first event of its kind in Canada involving approximately 150 pools, from one coast, to another. This national swimming event is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of water-based activity for those with arthritis, and to raise funds for The Arthritis Society. The event takes place in pools across the country from April 20 – 23, 2006 . Christine will be taking to the water with up to a dozen local swimmers in Valley East on April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.
  
Christine, who herself is a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, began swimming two years ago. She can often be found in the pool several hours a day, taking advantage of adult swims and public swimming sessions. Her goal is to complete the 5000 meters necessary to receive a “Gold  Medal” at the Foresters BIG Swim event. That will require her to swim 200 laps of the pool in about three hours. 

At this point in her training, with less than a week to go, she is covering 110 lengths of the pool in 90 minutes. Moreover, she claims that she actually feels stronger once she gets past the first 80 or 90 laps. The only thing keeping her from swimming any more than that is the fact that the swim times are not long enough. She is confident that her “training” program is right on schedule for the big day on April 21. 

Christine has already achieved one of her two goals. She passed the $500 in total pledges. Now all that is left is for her to swim the 5000 meters and she is confident that she will accomplish that personal goal as well.  
  
All residents are encouraged to provide Christine with a couple of dollars in an effort to make life a bit better for the many people in our society who are affected by this disease. We all wish Christine the best of luck in achieving her “Gold Medal”.

Christine, who is a victim of rheumatoid arthritis, began swimming two years ago. She can often be found in the pool several hours a day, taking advantage of adult swims and public swimming sessions. 

Standing in the photo, from the left, are Bob McOrmond, Anne Gervais, Facility Pool Operator, Pete Wilford, a participant who swam 2500 metres, and Pat McOrmond.

According to Mary-Lou, Arthritis doesn't seem to get as high a profile as some of the other diseases like Heart & Stroke and Cancer, but it is definitely a life-debilitating disease that afflicts a large segment of the population. In fact, statistics show that with a rate of 22.8% of the population of the Greater Sudbury Area being diagnosed with some form of arthritis, this is the 2nd highest region in Ontario with the disease. The provincial average is only 17%.

The Foresters have been in existence for over 126 years and have been established in Sudbury since 1972. They have a local membership of approximately 600, with a couple of dozen active members involved in numerous fund-raising events such as the BIG SWIM.

Above in the photo, Lillianne Lapping, Karina Lapping, and Karen Ladouceur are shown during a special day at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. They spent the day on April 29, 2006 selling items and raffle tickets to generate money for the CIBC Run for the Cure which will be held on October 3.

Karina is a volunteer who often gives of her time to help her mother, Lillianne and the other members of the committee.

The group organizes bake sales, penny sales, garage sales, chocolate bar sales and raffles all during the year to raise money and awareness.

One of their special raffle prizes is a beautiful art piece made by Lorraine Cousineau, herself a breast cancer survivor. The frame for the painting was made by Lorraine's husband, Bob, who passed away on July 4, 2005 of lung cancer.

I was in an online chat room, one I had been chatting in with the regulars for awhile now, and one of the ladies had started talking about her grandsons’ funeral, scheduled for a few days later.  I read her words in shock and sorrow.  Her newborn grandson had died shortly after birth.  Her grief was almost audible, even though I could not hear her voice.

As I read on, a conversation she was having with one of the other regulars, she asked several different times,” How could this happen to him?”, “ How could this happen to my daughter?”, “Why would this happen to a baby?”.  With serious contemplation, I felt the need to reply because I had had to face this kind of question before….

I was 18 and having a baby alone.  I felt devastated and ashamed about being a single mom.  How could I be both mom and dad, and how could I have been abandoned this way?

And like an angel from above, my sister introduced me to her friends’ older sister, same age as myself and was going to be a single mom too.  We became instant friends.  We felt our babies kick, complained about our stretch marks and encouraged each other in many ways but she always seemed more confident than I was.  She knew she would be able to handle being a single mom and she could not have cared less if the father was around or not.  I pulled the strength from her I did not have within.

At six months into our pregnancies, she found out her baby would not survive.  The baby had a fatal condition that could have killed my friend as well.

After months of little contact with my friend during her grieving and the remainder of my healthy pregnancy, we sat down and talked.  We talked and cried and we finally grieved together the baby she had lost so shortly after it had come into her life.

She said one thing to me that I will never forget for as long as I live.  She told me it had been too hard to be around me while I was still pregnant because she could not understand why I was allowed to keep my baby when she was not allowed to keep hers.  She spoke these words from somewhere deep in honesty and grief that I barely recognized her voice.

I did not have an answer at that time but I had spent a lot of my time over the next few years thinking about what she had said and I finally came to form a belief….

As I sit at my computer, feeling a tremendous burden to invade this sorrow filled conversation between these two women I had never met, needing to share what I felt was an honest answer to all her “WHY” questions.

This is what I shared with her;

“ I truly believe that when little ones, the ones that have only been on this earth such a short amount of time, are taken from us it is because they had been loved so immensely.  God says to them, ‘Little one, you were sent to this earth to learn the most important lesson in life, LOVE. And now you have.  It is time to come home’”.

I sent the message off and for what seemed an eternity all was quiet on the computer screen.  When the grieving grandmother finally responded, it was not to me and there was no mention of my heart felt message.  She continued her conversation with the woman she had been chatting with prior to my interruption.

I felt sick to my stomach, for days I felt horrible.  I meant no harm, only comfort, but I was sure that I had made her feel worse.

I avoided that chat room for a couple of days for fear that she would confront me in anger.  The next time I went into that chat room, the day after her grandsons’ funeral, she was there and she did single me out.

This is what she shared with me;

   At first glance, Tyler Higgs, 13, and his sister, Jennifer, appear just like any normal brother and sister. However, on January 12, 2006 , at the Ottawa General Hospital , Tyler and Jennifer took the relationship to a much higher level when one of Jennifer’s kidneys was transplanted into Tyler ’s body.

   Tyler was born with kidney failure, but the problem wasn’t discovered until he was six years of age. At that time his kidneys were functioning at only 32% capacity. It was then that doctors concluded a transplant would be needed within several years. He was placed on medication in an attempt to control the deterioration and it appeared to maintain his condition at a constant level.

   When Tyler was eight years old, Jennifer was tested to determine if she could qualify as a donor for her brother. Not only did Jennifer qualify, but she was told that the only times the medical staff had ever seen such a perfect match before was in the case of identical twins. What is even more remarkable is that Tyler was born 17 years after Jennifer; on the same day; 18 minutes apart in time; at the exact same weight and exactly the same length at birth. Perhaps coincidence? Perhaps destiny?

   Since being diagnosed with renal failure, Tyler has been traveling to Ottawa for testing and monitoring every one to three months. When his kidney functioning dropped to below 20% in December 2005, it was decided to go ahead and set a date for the transplant. That date was January 12. According to Tyler , “I was happy when they decided to do the operation. It was a relief to know that we were finally going to do it.”

   Jennifer shared the feeling, “It was like we were both going to get our life back. For five years I was on pins and needles waiting for the day the operation would take place. I knew that it could happen at any time, so I really had to put my life on hold.”

   There was never any hesitation on the part of Jennifer, herself a mother with two children aged 12 and 4. When she found out that she was a match, she simply decided that this was something she wanted to do. 

   As a result of the operation, Tyler ’s kidneys are now functioning at 67% of normal and that number is steadily increasing. He feels much healthier and finds it easier to concentrate at school. The operation has allowed him to focus on graduating from Pinecrest Public School in June and entering Confederation Secondary School in the Fall.  

To the casual observer, there wasn't much out of the ordinary at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on Friday, March 31, 2006. Visitors to the mall early in the day saw the familiar site of John Lancia with his broom, shovel and wheelbarrow, cleaning up the parking lot. But this certainly wasn't any normal day. It was John's last day on the job. After almost 27 years in the role of chief custodian of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, John was calling it a day and joining the ranks of the retired.

Now, retiring after 27 years wouldn't usually be anything remarkable, but in the case of John Lancia, remarkable just doesn't seem to justify the achievement. 

"There is no one in this room who will miss Johnny more than I will," Val said to begin his speech. "I can remember the day when John & Chummy came in to my I.G.A. store in Capreol , 27 years ago in July, and I asked John if he would like to work for Mario, Bob and myself at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre as security and janitorial, etc., etc. Once I saw how fast he could run, I took away the security part of the job."

Val stated that he would have to buy a new alarm clock because, "for the past 27 years this man “Johnny” called me on the phone at 3, 4 and 5 a.m. during every snow storm and always said the same thing - We have to go now.”  

He told a few stories of how Johnny Lancia took everything that happened in the mall  in stride, and how he never got excited about anything. Once there was a fire in the washroom, and all Johnny said was, "I'll get the fire extinguisher." and put the fire out before the trucks arrived. Another time there was a big flood in the mall and all Johnny said was, "I'll get my rubber boots." If the roof was leaking, he would simply say, "I'll get a pail and ladder."

"One thing I can say about Johnny was that he was always faithful, honest and dependable," continued Mazzuca. "Starting time was 7 a.m. and he was always here a half hour before starting time."

He lived by the motto, "Whatever you get out of life today, you have to earn."

His three sons, Anthony, Brian and Robert were also at the retirement party. Anthony said that this retirement was as much about his "Mom" as it was his Dad. Chummy has stood beside John for over 56 years and is looking forward to a much deserved rest.

Kimberly Roach on the left, and Elizabeth Tailleffer, spent one final day at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on April 22, 2006, in their quest to raise funds for their scheduled Team Diabetes Canada marathon in Dublin Ireland.

Their very informative display board attracted a lot of attention from the Saturday shoppers, so besides raising money, the girls were also raising awareness about this dreaded disease.

Below, the girls are shown in front of their display the week before.

Each young lady is required to raise a minimum of $6,100 for the Canadian Diabetes Association in order to participate in Team Diabetes Canada. In addition to the fundraising and awareness efforts, they are also working towards a personal goal of completing the marathon which will be held on October 30, 2006.

The costs of Team Diabetes are offset as individuals raise and exceed their fundraising goals. 

The Lemonade Stand
“If Everyone Does A Little We Can All Help A Lot ”
by Robert Kirwan

As I drove towards the Centennial Arena during Valley East Days, I couldn’t help notice the bright colourful umbrella and tables on the lawn at the corner of Laurier and Centennial Drive . Being curious, and always on the lookout for a good story, so I stopped and investigated. After speaking to Chris Hein, the father of two of the girls operating the stand, I found out that one day recently, Chris was having a normal everyday discussion with his daughters, Jamie, 4, on the far right in the photo, and Brooklyne, 6, in the middle, when the girls told him that they wanted to help people who had cancer.  

           Rita Chaput has been living with the pain of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis since she was a young lady. The past few years her condition has worsened steadily and since September 2005, she has been, “going downhill fast, but I am trying not to let it get me down,” she explained.

“I find it very difficult to walk around and have to use a cane. It is important not to fall when you have my condition, because broken bones will not heal,” Rita continued. “So when Val Mazzuca put in automatic doors in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre I gave him a big hug. Store owners like Val should get recognition for the little things they do to help make shopping more pleasant for people with disabilities and also for seniors.”

Rita was absolutely thrilled when that same Val Mazzuca offered to give her the power cart she is shown riding. He realized that it was getting more and more difficult for her to walk, especially in the winter snow, so he offered her this mode of transportation so that she could get around the mall area.

Rita Chaput moved to Valley East about 14 years ago from the Flour Mill. She lives right across from the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and spends a lot of her free time walking indoors and visiting with the merchants and visitors. All of her seven children and eleven grandchildren go with her to the mall whenever they visit.

Val Mazzuca has done a lot during the past couple of years to make the mall a much more “senior friendly” establishment, and people like Rita appreciate everything he has done. For example, there are several comfortable sitting areas located throughout the mall with cloth wing-backed chairs. All of the entrances now have automatic doors which make it easier for people to enter and exit without much difficulty. There is a full range of health services in the mall with doctors, dentists, denturists, chiropractors, opticians, naturopaths, massage therapists, a pharmacy, a walk-in-clinic and monthly blood pressure and cholesterol clinics. Almost every weekend there are community groups and organizations in the mall to provide interesting activities and information to visitors. The mall has been very open to inviting all residents to drop in and walk around the hallways on a regular basis. And, perhaps best of all, you know that the parking lot will always be cleared and clean, even during the most severe winter storms.

   Ronald Ross may be almost 70 years old, but he has no plans on retiring from his 50-year career as a barber.  When Ron and his wife Gertrude married in June of 1960 and moved into their current home in Hanmer, little did they expect that 45 years later they would still be serving their loyal customers out of the very same room in their original home. Even more amazing is the fact that Ron is severely hearing impaired. Ron lost his hearing when he was around 5 years of age and has a mere 16% of a normal hearing level. Yet, despite this impairment, it hasn’t deterred him from a career he loves – a career which includes a great deal of conversation with customers.

   At the age of 14, Ron went to College of the Deaf in Montreal for 5 years, graduated and went off to the Moreau Barber School in Montreal . When he finished the Barber school, at the age of nineteen, he started his business out of his dad's home on December 20, 1955 and remained there for five years. After marrying Gertrude, they moved into their home on Hwy 69 N. in Hanmer and Ronald’s Barber Shop has continued to this day.

   Three children were raised in the Ross household. Dan, Francine and Suzanne were all able to walk up the street to Ecole Notre Dame and then eventually to Ecole Secondaire Hanmer. Their father, Ronald, was always able to be at home for them while he operated his business. According to Dan, “It was great! My dad would do a lot of the cooking and household duties during the day while my mother worked and whenever customers came into the shop they would press a button that caused the lights to go off briefly. When that happened, dad would go to the shop and give a haircut. It was a great way to grow up.”

   Claude Chenier, owner of Valley Plaza Barber Shop in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, recalls his early days as a barber working for his Uncle Ron. “I came out of college and spent the first year and a half working for him at Ron’s Barber Shop. Then I came over here and have been here ever since. I’m now beginning my 24^th year in this career and I expect to have a story for you to print 26 years from now too.”

   Many residents will recall that Joe Ross, Ron’s father, was Mayor of Hanmer for a couple of years prior to Ray Plourde.

Stan and Verna Martin, of Capreol, the couple on the left in the photo, celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary this summer by sharing their happiness with a community celebration. Hundreds of well-wishers joined in a variety of events during the weekend, culminating with the renewal of their wedding vows followed by an afternoon social at Our Lady of Peace Church in Capreol. At one point on Saturday evening, someone told Verna that they had counted 104 people in the Martin’s back yard. Joining other friends and family members were Verna’s aunt and uncle, Tom and Audrey Kirwan, of Lively, shown on the right. The Kirwan’s celebrated their 56^th wedding anniversary in September.

Stan and Verna grew up in Capreol. Verna was one of the 11 children raised by Phil and Margaret Sawyer, so the Sawyer influence on the community was rather extensive. Stan, for example, served for 13 years on Town Council, for a time as Deputy Mayor, and was involved in numerous community organizations.

Martin’s Variety was started by Stan and Verna, and when Stan was transferred to work in Minnesota in 1979, it was taken over by the oldest daughter, Karen and her husband Tom Lennox. While they have only been back “home” for two years, Stan and Verna feel as welcome as if they never left. The Anniversary Weekend was proof positive that they are still as loved as ever by their family and friends.

 “There have been many ups and downs and challenges over the years,” claimed Verna. “We had five children in six years, so it wasn’t easy. But no matter how hard things got we always ended up with a rainbow.”

Verna went on to offer some advice to young couples today, “I always tell people, don’t complain or get upset about anything. It’s going to change and things will always get better. Whatever you do, don’t quit. And when your husband asks you to go out for breakfast or to go for a walk, drop everything you are doing and go. The other stuff can wait. The dishes will always be there when you get back, but you can never recover the time you have to spend with each other.”

The Martin’s have thirteen grandchildren ranging in age from 6 to 26 and according to Verna, “Each one is special. And when they come over I treasure every minute I am with them.”

Stan and Verna Martin may have been the focus of the weekend, but this turned out to be a celebration of the commitment that two people can have for each other and what their example means to an entire community.

He will be entering Grade 8 at Ecole Notre Dame de l'Esperance in the fall of 2006 and, like many boys his age, he is still not sure which high school he will be attending. His grade average is in the mid to upper 80's and his attitude towards school is very positive. His teachers refer to Ryan as one of their classroom leaders, always willing to lend a helping hand and always willing to take on new challenges. Ryan also loves public speaking and is getting along quite will on the computer. He enjoys fishing with his family in the summer and loves swimming. Ryan is also a "hockey nut" and knows just about everything there is to know about the sport. He is also eager to talk to anyone about the players and the game in general.

To look at Ryan in the photo above, he looks like any normal teen age boy. 

It is precisely because of Ryan's natural abilities and giftedness that he has become a perfect choice as Provincial Ambassador for the Easter Seal Society. He is very sociable and enjoys meeting people. Ryan never lets his physical impairments prevent him from doing just about anything that other children do, he just has to "work harder" at some things than others. And he realizes this, so it never gets him down. Ryan, however, also realizes that there are some things, such as public speaking, talking to people, going out in public and making speeches in front of stars and celebrities and simply being able to take on the challenges of being a leader, that he does with ease. These are things that many others, especially his age, have a great deal of difficulty with.

Ryan Benoit is in many ways like any normal 13 year old boy. He lives in Val Caron with his parents, Mike and Joyce and he has two older brothers, Stephen, 15 and Jason, 18. 

He attends Grade 8 at Ecole Notre Dame de l'Esperance. His grade average is in the mid to upper 80's and his attitude towards school is very positive. His teachers refer to Ryan as one of their classroom leaders, always willing to lend a helping hand and always willing to take on new challenges. Ryan also loves public speaking and is getting along quite will on the computer. He enjoys fishing with his family in the summer and loves swimming. Ryan is also a "hockey nut" and knows just about everything there is to know about the sport. He is also eager to talk to anyone about the players and the game in general.

To look at Ryan in the photo above, he looks like any normal teen age boy. 

That is until you see him in a photo with the Right Honourable Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada. Or, until you notice that he gets around in a wheelchair.

Ryan has cerebral palsy, a crippling disease which causes damage to the spinal cord during prenatal developmental stages. It has left him physically disabled - unable to walk and do many of the normal things we take for granted. 

Ryan was chosen to be one of the two Provincial Ambassadors for the Easter Seal Society. He and his partner, Kaitlyn Lenchak of Aurora, were introduced at the prestigious Con Smythe Fundraising Dinner & Auction on February 9, 2006 in Toronto. 

As official Ambassadors of the Easter Seal Society for the 2006 calendar year, both Ryan and Kaitlyn feel very honoured, but at the same time, they also realize the tremendous responsibility they have in representing the organization at various public functions during the year. Most of the functions are fund-raising in nature, designed to raise a lot of money which will be used to improve the quality of life for many others who are physically challenged.

In the photo to the left, he and Kaitlyn are shown with the Hon. Brian Tobin, former premier of the Province of Newfoundland and Belinda Stronack, M.P, Aurora, Newmarket District. They were all attending the recent Toronto Tribute.

Here, Ryan is shown with The Honourable Bob Rae, a former Premier of the Province of Ontario and one of the front-runners at the Federal Liberal leadership convention held recently.

Ryan and Kaitlyn are shown here with the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller.

Here Ryan is shown with singer Jack Soul. 

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