Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the folk festival called Woodstock. A lot of us will remember 50 years ago, being only a teenager then.
Well, for some families in the Meaford and Owen Sound communities, 50 years ago was the start of what has now become an annual event, focusing around the growth of families covering over two generations. Even more significant is the fact that this annual event was built on these families getting together each year to play golf. That’s right. Each and every year for over the last 49 years the House, Markle, Rowe, Bumstead, Cranney, Almond, Cowling, and Kingston descendents have been getting together in communities around Ontario to play golf.
Fifty years ago we started this annual family reunion. It started at Hidden Valley (now Deerhurst) in Huntsville, and over the last 49 years has travelled to different locations throughout Ontario as family members are spread all over. Most of the time it has been in the Meaford and Owen Sound area, as the majority of family now live in Owen Sound.
This year we are once again locating the tournament at Stone Tree golf course in Owen Sound on the weekend of August 9/10. Main competition will be on the 9th and our required dress this year is to pay tribute to the costume of old, and revised by Payne Stewart… being the Golf Knickers.
It is not easy to build an annual family reunion around golf. First you have to get those out who never play the game. One of the rules for them was, you only need to use the one club you were comfortable with and you could use a tee. Amazing how that worked.
Also over the years we have watched new families develop, where today the forefathers of the tournament are seeing our own children and the children of our nephews and nieces coming out for the tournament. Kudos to them to continue on this wonderful tradition.
There have been a lot of memories over those years. The names listed have history in the Meaford, Owen Sound areas dating back to the mid 1800s. Previous generations are now resting comfortably in local community cemeteries such as Duxbury and Lakeview, a place where we will someday share and hope that our following generations will visit and remember the times we had each year. Pinatas for the kids were a great entertainment at resort locations that no longer exist in Collingwood. It was always a focus for us to seek out family resorts that would help us create memories from the amenities offered. It was not always easy to find full service affordable facilities.
Fifty years is a long time for any type of family reunion, let alone focusing on the game of golf. So if you happen to be in the Owen Sound area, drop in and say hello to the traditionally attired group at Stone Tree golf course on Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10 at 11 a.m. to say hi. We welcome all of our distant relations to sign up for an invitation to next year’s event and to continue on for the next fifty years.
Bev House, Orillia
