We are not alone

While this blog is specifically related to the Darling White Lake Centre, it is not the only group that operates within our small community.

The earliest established local organization is the White Lake Property Owners Association. Dating back to the original Snye Road Owners in the late 1950’s the WLPOA has evolved and continues to advocate for the residents of the area. They were also instrumental in getting DWLC off the ground, assisting with early days fundraising and working with the Township to advance the project. No longer directly involved with the Centre the WLPOA continues to be one of our strongest supporters.

After the closure of the Snye Road fire hall, a local group saw the potential value in using the now-vacant building as a sports venue, specifically for a pickleball court.  After a lot of work by volunteers the White Lake Sports Centre came into being in 2023 and pickleball became the local sport of choice for residents who wished to maintain an active lifestyle without having to travel to Arnprior or Ottawa. Badminton is also available if desired.

Most recently, a 3rd group was established, the Highlands North Network. This organization acts as a resource hub supporting the Lanark Highlands community centres located north of Lanark Village. This support includes coordinated access to funding sources, including provincial and county grants, information sharing between centres, and the creation and promotion of events and activities that benefit the community as a whole.

We are certainly well-served by the volunteers who run these groups and who, collectively, make the Darling White Lake area a true community. Please give them your support.

I have been somewhat remiss in maintaining this blog since the last post in August. Rest assured, the doors have not been closed; in fact there’s been lots of activity at the Centre since then.

The Labor Day weekend saw a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Centre opening its doors for the first time in 2014. Hosted in conjunction with the White Lake Property Owners, approximately 40 people came out for a delicious feed of fresh corn and BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs.

September also saw the annual fall clean-up at the Centre. Outdoors, the property was cleared of dead trees, and inside, a dedicated crew brought the building back to its normal spic-and-span condition.

In October, the Centre hosted the Ottawa Heart Institute for a Valvular Heart Screening clinic. 37 individuals from the community took advantage of this free, potentially life-saving, clinic, part of the Ottawa Heart Institutes outreach program. (For a recent Ottawa Citizen story, click here. (https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawas-heart-institute-is-going-mobile-to-catch-heart-disease)

Yoga, Knitter-knatter, and Darts have all started up again for the winter. These are among the most popular activities (along with year-round Coffee Hub) that local residents host at the Centre for their friends and neighbours in the community.

You might also have noted that the banner for this blog (just below the photo) now includes a link to an aerial video shot of the Centre and surrounding environment. This video is part of a series undertaken by Highlands North Network to document all the centres within its purview.

So, in closing, a heartfelt thank you goes out to all those volunteers who keep the Centre operating as a valued social hub for the community; it’s a great place to spend a few winter-weary hours with your neighbours, participating in various recreational activities.

And if you have any suggestions for other activities that would be of interest, please reach out to us at darlingwhitelakecentre@gmail.com and we will be pleased to help you get up and running.

Good samaritans

With the closing of the Snye Road fire station, a local group, headed up by Dan White and Matt Moffitt, have been busy trying to become established as a resource available to assist in medical emergencies while awaiting paramedic/ambulance services from outside the immediate area.

An obvious requirement for anyone participating is they be well trained in basic first aid.

To that end, the Darling White Lake Centre has been made available as a training venue for the group, the first sessions of which were recently successfully held.

The following is a note received from the organizers, as well as some photos from the sessions. 

Thanks to all the participants for their commitment to the health and safety of area residents.

Good Afternoon,

I hope this message finds you well.

I wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Darling White Lake Community Center’s volunteers and committee members for allowing us to use your facility for our CPR and AED training sessions. Your support was instrumental in making these sessions a great success.

We were thrilled to be able to certify 25 individuals during the two training sessions. The positive feedback we received was overwhelmingly favorable. Several participants who had never visited the community center before were particularly impressed by how clean, well-kept, and organized the facility is.

Thank you once again for your generosity and support. We truly appreciate it and look forward to future opportunities to work together.

Sincerely ,

Matt , Dan

 

Strawberry Social - message from the organizer

Thank you to everyone who came out to the DWLC to enjoy a delicious strawberry social Saturday! 

Although the weather didn’t cooperate, 65 of you braved the rain to come and have dessert and spend time with friends and neighbours.

A HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers on Friday/Saturday!

It takes a dedicated team to successfully run an event, and each of you excelled in your roles!  Thank you for your outstanding efforts and collaboration.

Jacqueline Cairns

Live 'n Learn - The Castleton Massacre

On May 30, The Castleton Massacre - Survivors’ Stories of the Killins Femicide was presented by authors Sharon Cook and Margaret Carson, the only female survivor of the massacre. 

What started as a trip to Newfoundland began a 2 year process of writing this book. The authors were encouraged by Sharon’s son and daughter-in-law (Tim and Sarah Cook) to write the book so that they could still capture the oral histories before people had passed away. The book was a top 100 non-fiction choice by the Globe and Mail 2022, Finalist for Crime Writers in Canada 2023, and the winner of the Alison Prentice Ontario Historical Society for the best book on women’s history 2023. 

More than 30 attendees were captivated for over 2 hours during the presentation and the question and answer session. We are also pleased to announce that the event generated proceeds of $450 which is being donated to the Lanark County Interval House. A number of smaller items were collected as well.

At DWLC we enjoy good community support for our events, which sometimes allows us to make donations to important, and necessary, local charities. For example, over the past few years (except during COVID) we have been able to contribute more than $2500 to charities that serve our community, including Interval House, local hospices, and other worthy endeavours. So, in a very direct way, your support of Centre activities and events can have far-reaching impacts in addition to being just plain fun to participate in and enjoy.

So, on behalf of all those charities, past, present, and future, thank you for your continuing support.

But back to this event, a huge Thank You to Karen Cairns and her team for organizing and hosting, and especially to Margaret and Sharon for taking the time to share their story with us.

 Sharon Cook (l) and  Margaret Carson (r)

The Castleton Massacre - May 30 Live 'n Learn

 “Robert Killins, 56 and a former and arguably failed United Church minister, went on a bloody, hours-long femicide rampage in the small village of Castleton, just west of Belleville, that night, systematically stalking, hunting and murdering his estranged pregnant wife, Florence; his 19-year-old daughter, Pearl Campbell, who herself was nine months pregnant; his older sister, artist Gladys Killins, 60, and her dog, Taffy; and six-year-old Patsy, Florence’s daughter with a different partner.”

The above quote is from a 2022 article in the Ottawa Citizen (here) reviewing a recently published book on the 1963 murders, The Castleton Massacre:  Survivors Stories of the Killins Femicide. The authors, one of whom, Margaret Carson, is a survivor of the tragedy, will be presenting at a Live 'n Learn session at the Darling White Lake Centre on May 30 at 12 PM.

The event will consist of a light lunch at 12:00 followed by the presentation/discussion. As we expect a larger than normal turnout, please RSVP to darlingwhitelakecentre@gmail.com no later than May 27 to reserve a seat.

The cost will be $10 and all proceeds from this event will be going to Lanark County Interval House. If you wish to make an additional donation you will be able to do so at the event or via this link. (Use the link if you want a tax receipt, available for any donation over $15.) In lieu of cash, there is also an urgent need for small items for use by shelter residents. A list of those is available here and a donation box for any such items will be available at the event.

We hope to see you at the Centre on May 30 for this very important and informative presentation.

Live 'n Learn - 911 presentation

Today, a group of 20 or so White Lakers convened at the DWLC for our latest Live 'n Learn session.

After a delicious lunch (shout out to all who prepared and served up the meal) Jacqueline Cairns took centre stage to tell us about her life as a 911 call taker/dispatcher with the Ottawa Police Service.

Her passion for the job, even after a 33-year career, was obvious to those who attended. She shared many personal stories, along with a very detailed description of the processes that come into play once a 911 call is initiated. She ably described the job, its stresses, and the characteristics of a good call taker/dispatcher (being a type "A" personality is a good start).

It's fair to say that the audience left the session with a much better understanding of what happens behind the scenes, as well as the important functions the 911 call takers and dispatchers provide in helping to keep the public, and the attending officers, safe and secure in what are usually very stressful situations. 

Thank you Jacqueline for a most informative and interesting session.