Grand Bay-Westfield joined Saint John and the KV communities on Sunday, February 21 in celebrating Winterfest. Activities were held throughout the community. Snow shoes and x-c ski equipment was available to try at Westfield school provided by Daytripping. A free and well attended community skate was held in the Community Centre. Families enjoyed a snowball game on the ball field and there was even a demonstration of belly-dancing at the Lions Centre. The Zany Lane Children’s Show proved to be very popular at Brundage Point. Below are a few photos from Winterfest.

Maureen Boone, Joanne Barry & Rose Taylor promoting In Motion

Belly dancer Nawal Doucette and daughter Ace

Children dancing and singing along with kids entertainers Zany Lane at the Brundage Point River Centre.

L to R- Pastor Edward Powell (GB Baptist Church), Pastor Dave McElhinney (GB Wesleyan Church), Archdeacon Vicars Hodge (Anglican Church of the Resurrection) and project co-ordinator, Barb Rogers.

River Valley Wesleyan Church, Grand Bay Baptist Church and the Anglican Church of the Resurrection joined forces in an act of Christian love to raise funds for the Haitian people. The concert took place on Sunday, February 7th at Grand Bay Baptist Church. The evening featured a contemporary mix of Christian music with performances by the Grand Bay Baptist Choir and Friends, the Wesleyan band ‘Found’, solo performances and duets like Anna Caines on keyboard and Samantha Clark on vocals,  Rev’d Michael Caines of the Church of the Resurrection with a solo performance on keyboard of a piece he had written ‘Looking for You’ and a beautiful rendition of Josh Groben’s ‘The Prayer’ sang in both English and Italian.

The goodwill fundraiser brought is $3,164.25 which the Canadian Government will match dollar for dollar – not a bad undertaking for a snowy Sunday evening. Sincere appreciation to everyone involved and everyone who attended for such a Godly cause in reaching out to our brothers and sisters in distress.

Rev. Mike Caines

After a number of years without a club, ATVers in Grand Bay-Westfield have a new organization to represent their interests. The Grand Bay-Westfield ATV Riders with 40 members has just been accepted into the New Brunswick ATV Federation.

Donald St-Pierre of the Musquash Club and a Region 6 Director of the ATV Federation

At a meeting at the Centrum on January 28th, Donald St-Pierre of the Musquash Club and a Region 6 Director of the ATV Federation, told about 35 people in attendance if they don’t organize a club of their own they’re going to be left behind in terms of trail access. He says every region is working on trails right now and they need a trail link between Musquash and Grand Bay-Westfield. Last year the Musquash Club built a bridge over Henderson Lake Brook. St-Pierre says everybody is using that bridge and because of it, they’ve created interest in a local club here.

The town used to have the largest ATV Club in the region but some of the key members lost interest and the club went defunct. St-Pierre says it’s great to see this renewed interest and he expects by the summer the club should grow to about 60 members.

St-Pierre says the key is to have a managed trail system that you control and he says they can work with all groups and want everybody to have access to it including walkers and bicycles. “We have to be responsible now. There’s no room in our oganization for these clowns anymore,” says St-Pierre. “We have to be responsible and maintain these trails. I think we can share with snowmobile clubs and others.”

Right now there are no managed ATV trails in the immediate area but the club has plans to develop a connector route around region six from Grand Bay-Westfield to Musquash and St. George.

To the community of Grand Bay-Westfield:

My name is Jacqueline Marcoux. I am originally from Sarnia Ontario and I am both a dog owner and lover. During the last three years, my life has been blessed with the beautiful friendship and companionship of my German Shepherd, Sheldon. When I first adopted Sheldon I had a lot to learn about him and during my extensive research I learned about the importance of socializing your dog at an early age, as well as the ongoing benefits of socialization as a dog matures. Quite simply, the rewards for both you and your dog are irreplaceable. The adaptation you and you pet can have when frequently visiting a dog park is like no other.

In 2008 I moved here to Grand Bay-Westfield where I have a large piece of property and getting Sheldon out to exercise is not a challenge, however, I do believe my dog is missing out on the benefits of a dog park. I know of the parks that are located in Saint John and Fredericton but the distance of travel to get to either of those parks seem a little out of the way especially when Sheldon gets ample exercise right here in my own back yard.

It did not take a long time for me to figure out that even in this small community we have a very large population of dog lovers and owners alike. I can’t help but believe that if there was a dog park here in town, it would not only be very beneficial to the dog owner’s in our community (to have a place, leash free where their dog can get ample amounts of exercise and also reap the benefits of socializing their pet) but also for the health of our community in general. It gives everyone a chance to get to know the dogs that live in the area and their owners as well! There have been many studies conducted proving the benefits of socializing your dog. Dogs that are properly socialized are more friendly, happy, healthy, and less aggressive. This drastically decreases the risk of bites, fighting (with other dogs and people) and will ease general mistrust of the ‘unknown’ dog in your neighbourhood.

Because of these and many other benefits of a Leash Free Dog Park I would like to propose the property at the corner of Brittain Road and Campbell Road to be a place to transform into a Dog Park. The rules of the dog park are very easy to follow and when all the rules are complied with the park functions on its own, with very little cost and maintenance.

I am looking for support, feedback and any ideas from the local community that will help make this dog park a possibility. My goal with this article is to gauge community interest and to be able to move forward knowing roughly how many people would like to see our very own dog park right here in Grand Bay-Westfield!

Questions and comments are welcomed and appreciated at zitamars6@hotmail.com

Jacqueline Marcoux

The Patterson Settlement Historical Society held its 2nd quarterly meeting on February 9, 2010 at the home of Art and Maxine Jones in Hoyt. Eleven directors were present. Plans for the coming spring and summer got under way.

The Historical Society will apply for a student under each of the Federal and Provincial programs. Students have been very helpful to our little organization. They make it possible to have the settlement open for two months each summer for visitors. They help with activities as well as keep the grounds well looked after.

Spring and Summer activities at the Settlement will start with the 12th Annual Hoyt Car Show on Saturday, June 5th. The Annual Field Day/Picnic will be on Saturday, July 10th. Plans are also underway to have Route 101 Music Weekend on July 16, 17 and 18th at the Historic Settlement.

Tentative plans are underway to finish putting new steel roofing on the north side of Duncan’s House and on the veranda this summer.

The best part of the February meeting at Art and Maxine’s is always at the very last — Strawberry Short Cake!

January 25, 2010

The mayor was away and the meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor Tammy Archer. The River Valley Senior Citizens Club presented the town with a donation of $500 for use of the Community Centrum for meetings. This donation is made every year.

Councilor Brenda Murphy explained how expropriation procedures have started to allow the town to move forward with Colonel Nase Boulevard, the new core collector road. This action is being directed toward two landowners who have yet to reach an agreement with the town. Murphy says once the expropriation notice is in the public domain they are allowed to be on that land. She says they need to be able to get on the land and do some clearing before birds begin nesting. Murphy says property owners will be compensated at market value for their land.

Council approved the payment of bills totaling $326,280.33.

February 8, 2010

Mayor Grace Losier and several councillors walked a few laps around the Centrum prior to the start of council to recognize Grand Bay-Westfield as an official In-Motion Community.

Corporal Rob Landry of the RCMP presented council with the crime statistics for January. Landry says the police are keeping a closer eye on traffic in town. 82 traffic warnings were issued and 34 tickets given out. In the rural area there were 26 tickets issued and 26 traffic warnings given. Landry says there were three traffic accidents within the town in January and all were attributed to driver error. In the surrounding rural area there were 15 collisions reported. January was fairly quiet in terms of other policing issues. There was just one report of a break and enter in both town and the rural area as well as a single case in each zone of impaired driving.

Council was advised the new chair of the Planning Advisory Committee is Ralph Stevens and the vice-chair is Linda Estabrooks.

The town received thank you letters from the River Valley Baseball Association for the new batting cages and from Westfield Scouting for attending their 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Council accepted the tender from Matt Harris & Sons Ltd. of just over $24,000 for site clearing for Colonel Nase Boulevard. Council also approved two new building lots on Country Club Drive. Mayor Losier says the 2 acres in question, owned by Joanne Kelly, was home to an incredible garden that was often on the garden tour and a regular stop for the Communities in Bloom judges.

Council approved the payment of bills totaling $279,693.13.

Due to the high volume of drivers failing to stop at intersections controlled by stop signs in the Grand Bay-Westfield area, different initiatives will be put forward by the Grand Bay-Westfield RCMP to encourage drivers to comply with the Motor Vehicle Act. As of now, there will be Zero Tolerance for drivers failing to come to a complete stop at intersections regulated by stop signs and police presence will be increased at those intersections. Our goal is to reduce and prevent Motor Vehicle collisions and to promote safe driving.

If you have information on any crime, contact Grand Bay-Westfield Detachment at (506) 757-1020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest or the recovery of stolen property or the seizure of illicit drugs, you could be eligible for a cash award.

THE ROUND-UP by Murray Gault

My son Jim was about four years old when Raymond Francis sold me the little calf which we named “Henrietta”. He told me it was a pure Hereford and the markings would lead you to believe this was true. I wanted a Hereford so I wouldn’t have to milk it when it got older, but as it grew the genes of what appeared to be a Jersey started to show themselves in its posture and in her hooves which were starting to point outwards instead of straight ahead. However we kept her anyway and she and Jim got along famously. When she first came, I tethered her out in the yard on some grass, but she didn’t eat. It was a hot day in the spring and Bentley King, who lived directly across the road called me on the telephone to tell me that I had better put Henrietta in her stall. I immediately thought of a cougar or a bobcat threatening her but he said she would get sunburned out in the hot sun without her coat being very thick yet. He also said that he thought she wasn’t weaned yet which was why she had not eaten the grass. I bought some feed for calves and took some milk out to her. I then dipped my hand in the milk and then in the feed and let her suck my fingers and hand. I did this for a week or so until she got the idea to eat it herself. It was easier to raise the two kids than to raise Henrietta. One day Jim came running into his mother crying. She asked him what was wrong and he said that Henrietta had butted him and knocked him down. Hilda asked him what he had done to her. “I was only trying to nail a board on her,” was his reply. We had a great laugh about that when I got home from the store.

Later that summer, Ron Barry drove in the yard with his truck which had two cows on it. Ron made his living by buying and selling livestock so he was here to sell me the two animals. They were fully grown but not very old and like Raymond Francis, he told me they were pure bred Herefords. Because they were fully grown, you could tell that they were definitely Herefords. Besides I had great respect for Ron Barry and trusted his judgement. I bought the two heifers. Ron said that he thought they were old enough and ready for breeding, so I made arrangements with Charlie Francis who had a farm on Darlings Island with a pure bred Hereford bull. Both Raymond and Charlie were brothers of Marshall Francis who was my partner in the Hardware store. All three heifers spent the winter in the big barn and I dug a hole in the comer or the pasture which filled with water so they could get it whenever they wanted it as I had taken the door off their end of the barn.

When spring arrived, I could see that there was not enough pasture to feed the three animals all summer and still have enough left for their hay next winter. I had been told that some people turned their stock out on the Nerepis marsh (the high ground part) just across the river from my place. I felt that this was the answer so I put a rope around each of their necks and walked them down the driveway, down the road and down the lane by Bentley’s boathouse. He was with me so I wasn’t trespassing. We got them to the river and proceeded to push them in with some help from switches. They would go in the water, swim away from us, then turn around and swim back to the same side they had just left. There seemed to be only one solution, so I took off all my clothes except my shorts, took an end of each rope and swam across to the other side. Then Bentley pushed the cows in the river again, one by one, and I pulled them over when they tried to turn around. They got up on the shore quite easily and took off into the bushes and disappeared. During the summer I only visited about four times, hoping that their calves had been born and that they were O.K. They were getting pretty wild but I saw they were fine and I got a glimpse of one calf which hid when I appeared and I hoped that there were two. While they were over there, we cut the hay with the little International Cub tractor and Ed Vallis came with his baler and we baled the hay and stored it in the barn hayloft. Over on the Nerepis interval, Bob Yeomans was busy building the new Sunset Valley summer cottages not far from where the cows roamed and sometimes got in their way. There were several more than my three over there.

Autumn was fast approaching and it was time to bring the cows and calves home. I didn’t feel it was wise to swim them back due to the new arrivals, so I called Ron Barry again and we decided to truck them home. This was easier said than done as the cows were quite wild by now and the calves had not been around any humans before. We called it a round-up as we had to chase them like the old cowboys out west, only we didn’t have any horses. It took several hours and I honed my lasso skills as we had to get a rope on them to get them on the truck. When we caught Henrietta, I could see that she was pregnant. There must have been a bull pastured over there as well as several other cows. It was in the early spring when her calf was born on a mild and icy day. She was on her way to the water hole, it was very slippery and she lost her footing, one leg going left and the other right. Her calf started to come but was only half out when I arrived with help from the Hogan boys, Jim and Danny. We assisted Henrietta with the birth and I was surprised to see that the calf was in a bag that looked like plastic. Henrietta used her teeth and opened the bag and the calf immediately tried to stand up. I picked it up and started for the barn and Henrietta got up and followed. I took them to a separate part of the barn and made a comfortable bed for them and brought feed and water for the mother. Hilda, Jim and Sandra all came to see the baby which was now standing and feeding off his mother. All three calves were bulls which I found disappointing so I had to make a decision whether to keep them or not. I chose not and sold them to Joe Oliver for a rifle, a rowboat and $800. I wasn’t a very good businessman or farmer, for that matter.

Ball-hockey Intramurals
By Sadie Perry

Ball-hockey Intramurals started in January at Westfield School. Students in grade four and five play hockey in the gym. Sometimes the teachers play too. The teams that played are:  Senators, Canucks, Stars, Bruins, Panthers, Sabres, Red Wings and the Avalanches. Having hockey intramurals is awesome because it helps us stay active and it’s a lot of fun. The kids have a really great time and so do our teachers.

The Talent Show Auditions
By Abby Campbell, Madison Kenny & Larissa King

The talent show comes once a year. Every student had a chance to audition. The teachers were the judges. You can’t be shy! You can dance, sing, and LOTS more! It is fun and you can do anything you want. This year is going to be different because our talent show is also going to be a musical with songs from Broadway. All the students will learn songs from different Broadway musicals in music class, which is great because the whole school gets to be involved.

Skating
By Melinda Dickie & Kaila Holden

Students at Westfield School went skating for four weeks on the River Valley Rink. We skated there on the 19th and 26th of January and the 2nd and 9th of February. Everyone was very excited! Some kids got their parents and families to come out and skate with them. They were also very helpful with the younger kids’ skates and helmets. It was wonderful exercise, and we also had a lot of fun!

Welcome to WES, Ms. Tibbetts!
By Alyssa Harvie & Cydney Logan

Ms. Tibbetts started teaching at Westfield School in January and we wanted to have an interview with her to get to know her better. Ms. Tibbetts teaches grade 2, 5 and kindergarten. Her favourite subject to teach is Math. She has worked as a supply teacher in many different schools, but Westfield School is her favourite. She thinks all the events we have here are great because it keeps the school busy. Ms. Tibbetts loves the rules at the school and she likes that we actually think hard to make the rules fair.  She thinks it’s great that the school is having a musical talent show by Broadway so kids can learn more about music. She likes the love, care and generosity the school gets from the parents and community. She’s also excited that we are helping raise money for Haiti.

In the mid 1930’s, we spent a summer on Mather’s Island at the end of Long Island on the Kennebecasis River. There, one afternoon while the family was walking on the tide beach my dad picked up some nice shells cast off by sea animals, and there on the beach lay a perfectly shaped real Indian arrowhead. Its edges were neatly flaked and it had a balanced shape including the carefully fashioned part for tying the tip to the arrow shaft with raw hide. Probably it was formed from quartz and it stayed in a case in our house for years as a curio, and dad spent many a fruitless day looking for another one. And I was reminded of the Indian arrowhead that was in one of the milled boards in Doreen Reaman’s sun porch in a house they built on a lakeside in Ontario.  Doreen was a pupil of mine in my first class in Langstaff, Ontario in 1947. Her father had found the saw logs in a gully forming a water dam, built hundreds of years ago.  He had the logs milled and gave the lumber to Doreen and her sister for building their own homes.

It was hard for me to visualize at that time when real Indians canoed all over this region and hunted with ‘primitive’ bows and arrows to bring down deer and moose for their food. In later years I saw the expeditions of eager canoeists led by Dr. MacIntosh of the New Brunswick Museum, headed throughout the various waterways of the St. John River system in search of relics left by the early inhabitants. The expeditions would come canoeing along the river as a group headed for White’s Bluff where they would make camp in the sheltered cove on the welcoming beach, as they carried out their explorations. Overnight they would dismantle their tents and leave silently, making one realize that they had come and gone and we had hardly seen them.

Years later I remember Ted McLean travelling those same routes with a Chestnut canoe and sail and see him coming down from the Cedars in a strong blow that was coming up river from the south. Sometimes the canoe would disappear behind a wave crest. Then he would appear again on top of the wave, speeding through the water. Sometimes only the tip of the sail could be seen above the wave as we watched from the Brown’s Flat wharf and wondered, “Would he make it to his destination?” He always seemed to arrived sun-tanned in swim trunks, in great shape and relishing his trip.

I never dreamt that someday, I would meet some of these Indians in the flesh and hang-out with them long enough to become their friends and to be taught the basket making, woodcraft and water lore that they and their forefathers had known for hundreds of years. It made museum exhibits somewhat lifeless and lacking the reality of real people performing these tasks.