May 13 was a day for celebration at Colborne Rotary. Routine business was discarded as members honoured members of the Interact and EarlyAct youth clubs, added a new member and congratulated a long-serving member. 

Five members of the 13-15 member Interact Club from ENSS were at the dinner meeting to accept their charter banner. The club got off to a slow start this year due to the teacher withdrawal of volunteer services. But President Brittany Hesmer announced that the club has new ideas percolating. They have had Interact t-shirt Fridays to increase visibility in the school. Their first fundraiser was Purple Pinkies for Polio. The club raised $250 when people had their fingers dipped in dye as a reminder that polio has not been completely eradicated, despite the efforts of many service organizations including Rotary. Last year there were 18 new cases of polio world-wide. When Rotary joined the campaign in 1985 there were 330,000 a year. Since then there have been 1.2 billion kids immunized.

The ENSS Interact Club is also developing a Taming the Dragon project. They have not announced the project which must be sustainable. Interact and EarlyAct members will be helping man the Rotary both at Apple Blossom Tyme. 

It was a special night for Rick Bailey, too, as he was inducted into the Rotary Club. His mentor will be Jim Williams. 

Four Paul Harris Fellows were named at the Rotary dinner. Betty and Al Brisco and Garry and Lee Clement were awarded their fellowships for making tangible and significant differences in relationships.

And finally, Morris Tait was praised for his 25 years of service in Rotary.

A study conducted by several local groups has projected over 550 new jobs in Northumberland County in the next 18 months. They have produced a book and the details of their research are online. The information was released on May 17 in Cobourg.

(Northumberland County, ON) May 17, 2013 – Today, the “Where the Jobs will be in Northumberland 2013-2015 Guide Book” officially launched at St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School, helping to better identify employment projections in skilled occupations. A collaborative project between Northumberland County Economic Development, the Municipality of Port Hope, the Municipality of Cobourg as well as the Workforce Development Board and Fleming College, the initiative focused on identifying projected employment opportunities in skilled occupations requiring a college, apprenticeship or university education. 

The guide book was a seven month initiative that surveyed over 1,000 Northumberland employers within a four month period from November 2012 to March 2013. Employers were asked to provide their employment projections for the next 18 months on select skilled occupations. According to the survey results, over the next 18 months Northumberland County employers expect a steady hiring climate with a total of 559 employment opportunities. Of those 559 employment opportunities, 59 per cent were full-time positions. 

The information found in the Where the Jobs will be in Northumberland 2013-2015 Guide Book will assist youth and other stakeholders in making informed education and career decisions to ensure they have the skills for existing industry and attraction of new business investment. 

“Creating opportunities to retain youth and to engage those seeking employment in Northumberland County is essential if we are to prosper and renew,” said Hector Macmillan, Warden for Northumberland County. “Bringing education and employers together is imperative to insuring a trained and talented workforce.”The guide book will be used to inform economic development organizations, educators and trainers and employment service providers of areas of potential occupational shortages or challenges in the future. It will also provide support for attracting new Canadians to Northumberland County through the identification of job opportunities.

The Where the Jobs will be in Northumberland 2013-2015 Guide Book can be found online at cobourgecondev.ca, porthope.ca and northumberlandcounty.ca or available in hard copy at Northumberland County, 600 William Street, Cobourg, Ontario.

For years, old documents and photos have sat around in the back rooms of the Cramahe Township libraries, collecting dust and facing damage and possible destruction. Soon, many of those stories of our past will be available online, thanks to a project initiated by Cramahe Library CEO, Mary Norton and being completed by Nick Tinkl and Sherry Brydon.

The two have formed a formidable team, with Sherry applying her post graduate education in library science and seven years as a museum curator, and Nick bringing a wealth of technical expertise.

In their first few weeks they have digitalized all of the known letters from WW II soldiers to Miss Padginton, local postmaster for over 70 years and Sunday School teacher of many of the young men who wrote to her. They are now available online at OurOntario.ca . The letters themselves are homy, sometimes poignant reminders that the young men who fought in the war were sons and brothers who were missing home while they were doing their duty overseas.

The letters are a tiny portion of the material that Nick and Sherry are sifting through. Some is identified; other pieces are of unknown origin. Each one is carefully taken from the files, sorted, given numerical codes, catalogued, and organized thematically and conceptually. When establishing the reference codes, Sherry has to be cognizant of the people who may want the information. She keeps a running list of the items with their numbers. Every item is scanned and placed into computer files. The 237 Padginton letters alone took almost 800 scans. 

The object is to have the entire collection digitalized and online so they are available to the entire community. But it won't be done in the one-year they are contracted to work. There is simply far too much material. There are literally thousands and thousands of items, and they haven't even brought in materials of historical value now in the possession of Cramahe residents. 

Applying technical skills, they have been able to recover images from faded old negatives found in boxes. There are others, the photos printed on glass, which have not yet been copied. Unfortunately they cannot do conservation work. Lying in their work station at the Castleton Library are numerous old registers, including a register of births from 1908-28 and the minutes of the local horticultural society from 1906. There are records which date back to the 1870's and 80's. All will have to go through the sorting and cataloguing process. Sherry pointed to some of the categories she and Nick have already established - clothing, Colborne High School, marriages, WW II, baby carriages and canning factory.

Over 600 items have been processed to date, but not all are online. Each week as they put in their 20 hours, more of our history unfolds.

Mary is thrilled with the work being done. "We have wonderful staff, doing wonderful work documenting Cramahe's heritage," she commented. "Through this project our heritage will come alive for all of us - out of the boxes and cobwebs." She thanked Heritage Cramahe for protecting the materials for so long.

As the project rolls along, Nick and Sherry plan to send us a mystery photo or item each week. They are hoping someone in the community may recognize the people, the place or the event captured in the image. Our first photo is below. If you can offer any ideas send Mary an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  .

Cramahe Township Council passed its 2013 budget on May 7, with taxpayers getting a 2.475% raise in their taxes. But residents may find their tax bills will vary, as the assessments from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) were made in 2012. If your property value rose more than the average in Cramahe, your tax bill will be proportionately higher.

The total tax collected by the township this year is expected to be about $4,650,000. This includes $1.1 million for OPP police services, $1.3 million spent on public works. Fire services cost $424,000. Since 2010, all of the major budget areas have remained relatively constant as percentages of the total budget.

The one area of the budget which has fluctuated is roads construction. This year $850,000 is slated to be spent, but last year only $200,000 came out of the budget for roads. In 2009 the township spent $1.2 million and in 2010 another $1.5 million went to roads. Taxpayers did not see substantial changes in their taxes to cover the construction in the big years as most of the money came out of reserves. Since 2010 council has levied taxes for about $200,000 each year for roads construction.

This year eight roads will have work done on them. Barnes, Cowie, Pipeline, Hunt, Industrial Park and Haynes Rd., as well as Beach Dr., and Durham St. are the roads targetted for work.

Users of the town hall will find getting upstairs a little easier. Once they have managed the ramp or front stairs there will be a new elevator to take them to the second floor. Other major capital expenditures this year include a backhoe and 1/2 ton truck, a new riding mower and paving at the town hall and the South Public Works yard.

With three bands and over 40 floats, the Apple Blossom Tyme Festival parade on May 25 may be the biggest parade ever to pass through the village. Parade organiser Jennifer McGlennon has the Brighton Pipe and Drums and a pair of Cobourg bands including the Army Cadets. There will be tractors and walkers and members of the Big Apple staff handing out apples along the route from the Colborne Legion along King St. E. and down Division St. to the Keeler Centre. She's guessing that the first ones to finish the parade will be rolling into the Keeler Centre just as the last ones depart from the Legion.

Horse-drawn carriages will carry the celebrities and Brighton Speedway is promising something flashy. 

Parade starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Jennifer is quite excited about the parade and the festival. The committee has worked hard to prepare for the two-day event.

This may be the only parade ever at the festival and its one you won't want to miss.

The East Northumberland  track and field team  competed last Friday at the 2013 Michelle Foley- BQ Invitational in Belleville.  The weather was a mixed bag of a lot of things but as usual, the Blue Dragons persevered through it all and had a good day.

Katie Falla and Marlissa Bevaart each captured two gold medals, Falla winning Jr Girls 200 and 400m while Bevaart won the Jr girls 800 and 1500.  Other team members who were crowned champions were:

James Belej in Jr Boys 300m Hurdles, Kirsten Crowe in Jr girls 300m hurdles,  Tyler Korotki in Sr boys javelin, and  Alexandra Rainville-Barzy in Sr girls 3000m.

Second place finishes were turned in by Andy Kim in both the Jr boys triple jump and 100m ,  Ben Brett in Midget boys 100m,  Rebekkah Hall in Sr Girls 100m hurdles, Justin Pardy in sr boys triple jump  as well as Jr girls, jr Boys and Sr Girls 4 x 100m relay teams!

Now on to defend their Bay of Quinte title.

Learning Speech and Language Skills Begins with First Breath

Right from birth, babies begin to communicate.Taking cues from the facial expressions and body language of the people around them, infants learn how best to express their feelings and needs. This learning will continue for years as infants grow, and develop the ability and skills to usewords and sentences to communicate with others. 

This early start to learning means it’s crucial for parents to take the time to nurture and encourage their child’s development of speech and language skills, says Emmy Anastasiou, RN, a Public Health Nurse with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. 

May is Speech and Language Month and it’s a good time to highlight the role parents play in their child’s development, she says.

“It is important for infants and toddlers to have early exposure to language and communication,” Anastasiou says. “What and how we see and say things sets the pathway for further learning with infants. This allows the brain to grow and helps them develop the ability to interpret and navigate their world with words.”

Anastasiou says parents can nurture speech and language development with their children by:

Reading and talking with their infants as soon as possible

Providing the correct words for objects when toddlers point or gesture at items

Listening to children talk and making eye contact with them

Reading, singing and playing social games like peek-a-boo together

Exaggerating the pitch and tone of their voice when speaking with children

“Helping children develop speech and language skills is one of the best gifts parents can provide,” she says. “Strong speech and language skills help ensure children are better prepared for school so they can be successful learners in school, and in life.”

HKPR District Health Unit is a partner in the District Preschool Speech and Language Program, a not-for-profit partnership between health professionals and parents. Parents are encouraged to visit the program’s website at www.kidtalk.on.ca to see if their child’s speech and language skills are on track by reviewing the developmental milestones for children up to five years of age. The site also features information on upcoming events, video demonstrations for helping children develop skills, and links to community organizations and libraries.

The white house which dominates the south side of King St. W. south of Victoria Square, has now been officially designated a heritage property. Cramahe Township Council made the move at its May 7 meeting. The decision completes a process which started on March 19, 2013 when council decided to proceed with designation. No objections were made during a 30-day waiting period.

A historic profile was been created for the home, believed to be one of the oldest in Cramahe. It is reputed to be the oldest surviving dwelling in the village of Colborne. Property records from the time do not provide enough information to pinpoint a construction date, but architectural evaluators have placed it sometime in the 1820's or earlier. Its first possible owner may have been John Ogden who received the land grant for the property in 1809.

During the 1830's and early 40's it was owned by newspaperman John Steele, a friend of Joseph Keeler, the man considered to be Colborne's first settler. Steele held numerous positions of authority, including postmaster, magistrate, Superintendent of Schools, and Chairman of the Newcastle Quarter Sessions. 

John and Mary Steele moved to Grafton to a large red brick house beside the home where Mary's father, Thomas Spalding, lived. Both homes still stand on the south side of County Rd. 2.

The Colborne home is called the Thornton House even though Thorntons lived in it for only nine years. Their relatives, the Scougales owned it for 101 years, operating a ladies wear store next door. From the street, Thornton House appears to be one and a half stories, but it is actually two stories. At the time when it was built, homes were taxed based on the number of stories, building materials and number of fireplaces.