TBA Fall Newsletter 2014

November 29, 2014

Presidents Message

It's hard to believe the holiday season is almost upon us and the summer of 2014 is long gone! But your Thunder Beach Executive is already thinking and planning for the summer of 2015 as you'll read about in this newsletter.

As I begin my first stint in the “presidential “chair, I'm most struck by the incredible commitment, talent and volunteerism of your Executive members as well as all of the volunteers out in the larger Thunder Beach community.

We're so lucky to have this great community and all of the people who work so hard to make it what it is  – on behalf of the whole community I extend a big thank you!

But we're always looking for more help and continued renewal both on the Executive and for the broader community events - so don’t be shy, step forward and see how much you will enjoy getting involved.

I would like to do a special 'shout out’ to Susan Inrig who after so many years on the TB Executive has formally stepped down - but fortunately for us she's never very far away.

And also to Louise Leone, our Past President who has provided us strong leadership over the last several years and remains on the Executive assuming new responsibilities for fundraising and sponsorship duties which is becoming an increasingly important function.

Operating the Thunder Beach programs and maintaining the property, clubhouse, and tennis courts does not come without a price tag and we have major repairs on the horizon.  We put a lot of pressure on our social events and golf tournament to raise funds to help us stay operational.  But it's getting harder and harder to make money at these events because of rising costs.

We need to be thinking of new and creative ways to raise money – and we would like your help and ideas. We have some of our own including selling more advertising for the roster and using the Thunder Beach website as a revenue generator through advertisements and other means.  

We're very fortunate to have our website, email and payment capabilities which is really helping to transform the management of our Association.

Please take a moment to read the newsletter which highlights some of the successes we've had from the past year including a wonderfully run Children’s Program and successful social and athletic events. It also addresses some of the important municipal and community issues about which we should be aware.

We are all looking forward to a great 2015! Please send us your ideas and don’t hesitate to get involved.

Andrew Macdonald

 

Save The Dates

After a memorable and well-attended 2014, we look forward to seeing you all again to celebrate the commencement of Summer 2015. Tickets will be available to be purchased online. You are encouraged to buy your tickets when signing up for your membership to ensure that you do not miss out.

Please save the date for the following three events:

Lobsterfest  - Saturday July 4, 2015

August Event Night - Saturday August 1, 2015

Golf Dinner/Dance – Saturday August 15, 2015

NEW TEAM MEMBER:

This year, we welcome Caroline Dunnet to the executive, in the role of Social Director, in conjunction with myself. Caroline and I look forward to collaborating as we move forward with the planning of the 2015 events.

Message from Caroline:

I’m excited to be joining forces with Laura to bring you the best summer yet! This will be my fifth summer at Thunder Beach and I’m honoured to be joining the Thunder Beach executive committee. When I’m not at the beach, you can find me at Edelman, a global public relations agency in Toronto, or on my yoga mat at Power Yoga Canada. From event planning to crisis communications, your summer is safe with me! So, put on your dancing shoes and get ready for an unforgettable season!

Feedback from the community is welcomed.

Please address any emails to the following two email addresses:

cdunnet@gmail.com

lauralogaridis@gmail.com.

Laura Logaridis and Caroline Dunnet

Social Directors

 

Children’s Program Update

2014 was another great year for the Thunder Beach Children’s Program!  The success of our program would not have been possible without the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment from our counsellors, CITs and of course our campers.  Special recognition goes out to Emily Heron our head counsellor who guided our team with innovative ideas, organized programming and constant leadership. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Brendan McCarthy who took on the role of Senior Counsellor and Tennis Coordinator collaborating with Emily and providing guidance to the counsellors and CITs.

Throughout the course of the summer we received valuable feedback from campers, counsellors, and parents regarding programming ideas and structural formatting that can be implemented to maintain and enhance the camp experience.  Incorporating these suggestions into our already successful program ensure for a great 2015 season.  We can look forward to our ever popular traditional events such as Halloween, Movie Night, and the Carnival along with our newly revamped tennis program and focus on healthy nutritional options for our kids.  In our ever expanding world of technology the Thunder Beach Children’s Program continues to work towards increased access to wireless payment options and a paperless registration process which will expedite the season opening sign-in process.   

We continue to welcome input and feedback leading up to the 2015 season.

 

CALLING ALL APPLICANTS

With approximately 220 days until the first day of camp it is time to start looking for our future leaders. Once again application time has arrived. Applications for counsellor and CIT positions for the Summer of 2015 are available for download below: 

Counsellor Application CIT Application

The official deadline for submission is Friday February 6th.  We are seeking potential candidates for the positions of; Head Counsellor, Senior Counsellor, Tennis Coordinator, Counsellor and CIT.  Please note that late applications (those received after Midnight on Friday, February 6th) will not be accepted or considered for a position.  If you have any questions regarding the application process, please refer to the Thunder Beach website or contact Susan or Dave Butler at doingood7@yahoo.com or Michelle Morneau at michelle.morneau@hotmail.com

 

Treasurer’s Report

I hope everyone had a great summer!

Once again we have been lucky through the support of the Thunder Beach members to enjoy a profit in most of our social events - weather permitting of course!  Unfortunately the Golf tournament was rained out this year .

To highlight the summer:

The Kids camp is now more than ever self-sufficient and I think the kids are having “lots of good times.” Many thanks to the prepaid programme we put in place last year.

Thank you to Louise Leone and Susan Inrig for their “door to door” knocking which enhanced our profits for the Roster through their advertising blitz.

The membership numbers were up 30% from last year and we hope to encourage people to pay their membership fees through the website or to me by cheque payable to the Thunder Beach Association. The membership fees help in our funding of the kids programme and allow us to be the great community that we are.

The roster was painstakingly updated this year.  Any changes please email me at hardcastleanne@hotmail.com throughout the year. The roster deadline is May 16th 2015.  All membership payments must be made by this date in order to be included in this upcoming year’s roster This deadline allows us time for the roster to be mailed out by mid June 2015.

The Tennis membership is up from last year – Could it be that Matt was haunting the courts? We decided last year all of the monies paid by the tennis members (less expenses) will be kept separate. This will help build up the equity to refurbish the courts as need be.

The Thunder Beach clothing continues to be profitable.  I have decided to retire from the designing and the selling the beach wear after this summer.

We have a GIC in the amount of  $23,000.00 held at the Bank of Nova Scotia.

The Thunder Beach Association’s fiscal year end is December 31st, 2014.  This statement will be included in the spring newsletter.  Any questions feel free to contact me . Thank you .

Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck

 

Thunder Beach 2015 Tennis Season


Pictured above: finals of Mixed Doubles Tournament.

Just after Thanksgiving 2014 the tennis nets were taken down and stored away for the winter. We look forward to Spring and Summer of 2015 and opening the courts for play. Remember you must be a TBA member and also be a tennis member to play on the courts – tennis memberships can be purchased from TBA website.

We will once again use the shoe tag system as a part of your membership we will encourage the use of these for all members (we will be monitoring the courts).   We are just finalizing the dates for our annual tournaments.  Once finalized, we will post all confirmed dates on the website and on the TBA calendar.

The maintenance of the courts continues to be a high priority.  TBA executive has a plan in place to resurface the courts – more to follow on this exciting news.  I am sure everyone noticed the new picnic tables donated by JVL Home Improvements /Construction. New benches will be installed for the opening of 2015 season – benches donated and installed by STBC Inc.  - Cameron Smellie.  We want to make sure the once the season begins that the courts are ready.

We would also appreciate your ideas, thoughts and feedback for this upcoming season matt.ducharme@sympatico.ca . It is important that we hear from you.

See you on the courts.

Matt DuCharme

 

Thunder Beach Youth Baseball  2015 – our 24th season!

Since 1992 over 80 children, age 6 to 15 years, have participated in Thunder Beach Youth Baseball during  the first three weeks of July. Games are played on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:15 p.m. beginning July 7, 2013. The final tournament is on Friday  July  24th.

TBA Youth Baseball continues to be guided by our core values: safety, fun, community building, fair play and leadership.

Thank you  to our loyal fans -  the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends  and  community members who have supported TBA Youth Baseball. And also, thank you to our volunteer coaches. Please contact Doug Jones if you are interested in volunteering as a coach next summer. Next year the Coaches Appreciation Dinner will return!

Thanks also to Dave, Don and Brad Butler for volunteering to umpire next season.

Thunder Beach Youth Baseball Commissioner: Doug Jones

Cottage: 705.533.2385,    38 Green Point Rd.

Email: djones000@sympatico.ca

 

Thunder Run

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the annual Thunder Run. It didn’t disappoint – with near perfect weather and a finish on the beach, Leslie Black and Brendan Macdonald crossed the finish line together in a tie for first in a blazing 29 min. 7 sec. The 7.5 K race, starting at the clubhouse, enjoyed a great turnout this year with almost 50 runners. Special thanks to the spectators who cheered the runners on and provided much-needed water along the way. And a big thank you to Katy Nettesheim for helping to oversee the event this year.

Top place results as follows:

 

Male over 18

1. Brendan Macdonald (29:07)

2. Jim MacLean (36:32)

 

Female over 18

1. Leslie Black (29:07)

2. Ariel Burkett (31:08)

 

Junior 

1. Somerset Jarvis (33:00)

2. Carter MacLean (35:09)

3. Jacob Meier (35:20)

 

Congratulations to all participants. See you at the start line next summer!

Chris Burkett

 

Geese Update

Thunder Beach is currently home to a large population of Canada geese. The amount of feces going into the bay is staggering and should be a huge concern to all of us.  Over the past two years we were able to eliminate quite a few geese in accordance with the permit issued by Environment Canada to the Thunder Beach Association.   However this has a short term and limited geographic impact.  We will continue this practice until better long-term solutions can be found.

On November 12 a presentation was made to Tiny Township council to apprise them of our concerns and to request assistance.  Not only is this a very disconcerting environmental issue with implications for water quality and public health, it is also starting to have an economic impact.  Local real estate agents confirm that people seeking to purchase a home or cottage have turned away from locations with lots of geese, especially if they have small children.

The point was made to Council that we need a Canada Geese management program for all of Tiny Township if we want to maintain the area as a prime attraction for tourism and economic development.  Both Town of Midland and Penetanguishene currently have programs in place at a cost of $15,000 and $5,000 p/a respectively.

As a result, Council passed a resolution to direct staff to prepare a report in consultation with undersigned regarding options to deal with the Canada geese.  It is expected that the report will be finalized by the spring of 2015.  

Inez Mitchell

 

Buoy Installation and Removal

A special thank you to Don Mitchell for organizing the installation and removal of the buoys with the help of Matt Ducharme , Cam Robertson , Paul Lenneard, Jenny Lenneard, Jim Lee , various counsellors and Frank Morneau for use of his dock and boat. . Apologies if we have missed anyone.

 

FOTTSA Municipal Update

While everyone was glued to the dramatic global phenomenon that has now become municipal politics in Toronto, the Township of Tiny had its own election.  As one candidate commented, “It will be a ‘tiny’ election.”  

It was a change year in Tiny with only one incumbent surviving the process.  The current Mayor, Ray Millar, did not run for re-election. George Cornell, with 3,439 votes, beat out current Deputy Mayor George Lawrence for the top job.  Steffen Walma, with 3,734 votes, was elected to the position of Deputy Mayor. Councillor Gibb Wishart held his seat (3,364 votes) and will be joined by Cindy Hastings (4,708 votes) and Richard Hinton (3,428 votes).  Richard Hinton, a former FOTTSA Board member, was the only candidate supported by FOTTSA to secure a seat.  Cindy Hastings received more votes than any other council candidate. There were not any women on the previous council.  All of the election results, including the School Board Trustees, can be found at http://www.tiny.ca/Pages/ELECTION-RESULTS.aspx.

George Cornell has stated that finding a solution to the issue of septage will be his top priority and has signalled a desire to partner with neighbouring municipalities as opposed to a “made in Tiny” solution. The outgoing council has stated that neighbouring municipalities were not interested in partnering with Tiny. Time will tell.

Steffen Walma has stated that he intends to clear up confusion over the Township’s beach access.  He supports putting explanatory maps on the Town’s website.  The Town’s website currently lists Woodland Beach, Bluewater Beach, Jackson Park, Balm Beach and Lafontaine Beach Park as ‘recognized large water township parks’.  

Water Levels

As a result of the extraordinary weather of last winter, the water levels are up.  However, the underlying causes of long term decline in water levels remain.  FOTTSA, working through Restore Our Waters International (“ROWI”), continues its lobbying efforts in Washington seeking to secure funding for compensation structures in the St. Clair River.  Partly thanks to such efforts, the Obama Administration included a small grant of $50,000 in its 2014 budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the problem.  According to ROWI, these funds will be used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request “$3 Million over three years beginning in 2015 to refine existing engineering options to restore Michigan-Huron, define costs and benefits, and assess local and regional environmental effects.”  ROWI will continue its efforts for Canadian agencies and politicians to act on the recommendations of the 2012 IJC Commissioners, the U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission that is mandated by both countries to address issues of water resources.  If you are interested in helping, please visit www.restoreourwater.com to send a letter to your elected representatives or donate to the cause.  Information on the issue can also be found at www.georgianbayforever.org, whose recent newsletter includes a message from Premier Kathleen Wynne on the issue.  You can also visit www.stopthedrop.ca to be reminded through their videos of just how low the water levels dropped prior to last year’s record setting winter.  

Cell Phone Towers on the Rise

Last summer, seasonal residents arrived to find a new Bell Mobility cell phone tower on Silverbirch Drive.  In August of 2014, Bell Mobility initiated a consultation process for another 14.9 meter tower.  The move for more towers comes from a CRTC directive from 2010 to expand broadband services to 112 communities.  To fill connectivity gaps, Bell Mobility selected the general location of Thunder Beach Road and Concession Road 18 to connect to the existing tower at Silvebirch Drive.  

The Thunder Beach Association has sent a letter to the Township requesting that, on a go-forward basis, it be notified of any new structures in or around Thunder Beach and that the Township takes steps to minimize the aesthetic and environmental impact of any new towers.  

John Philpott

 

Annual General Meeting  August 24 , 2014

A very packed clubhouse witnessed  the Ballard family accept, on behalf of Bill Ballard, the Wishart Spence award for outstanding community service. Moving tributes  and testimonials were provided by Joan Philpott, John McIsaac and Robbie Evans. Attached is the Agenda from the AGM together with the new Thunder Beach Executive Slate and the Dock Company Directors for 2014/2015.

Agenda Items

1.Welcome and Introduction of Executive
2.Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of August 24,2013 AGM Meeting minutes 
4.President's Report
5.Treasurer''s and Membership Report
6..Property Report
7.Children's Program Report
8.Tennis Report
9.Social Director's Report
10.Golf Tournament Report
11.Communications/Website Report
12.FOTTSA Report
13.Water Testing Update
14.Dock CompanyUpdate
15.Wishart Spence Award to be awarded to Bill Ballard
16.Thunder Beach Association Executive Slate
17.Dock Company Directors Slate 2014/2015
18.Adjournment  
 
THUNDER BEACH ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE SLATE 2014/2015

 President 
Andrew Macdonald
Vice President & Property Director
Matt Ducharme
Vice President
Gord Chapple
Vice President
John Philpott
Vice President
David Northcott
Treasurer & Membership Director
Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck
Social Directors
Laura Logardis and Caroline Dunnet
Children's Program Directors
Michelle Morneau, Susan Butler, David Butler
Website
Mark Macdonald
Secretary
Tristin Carter
Past President & Sponsorship Director
Louise Leone

 

DOCK COMPANY DIRECTORS 2014/2015
Bill McNamara       John Burns    Mike Mihaichuk

Sympathies & Birth Announcements

Kiera Joyce Gross

The great thing about the Thunder Beach community is that it shares both the joys and the sorrows that come with having close family and friends. We are all so very sad ‎for Kyle and Erin Gross and the Borczon and Gross families who lost, after only 20 days of a precious little life, their beautiful daughter Kiera Joyce, who was born on November 1st. ‎We know they are heartbroken but thankful for the time they had with Kiera. The love and support of the Thunder Beach community is there for them and will continue to be.


 

Henry Andrew Luke Macdonald

On September 30th, Mark and Mina Macdonald ‎had baby boy, Henry Andrew Luke, first grandchild for Andrew and Ellen, nephew to Katie and Matthew. The entire Macdonald clan is looking forward to welcoming Henry to the beach this summer.

Claire Celia Anne Asselin

On October 25, Amy Saundercook and Nick Asselin had their third child, a baby girl, Claire Celia Anne, ‎sister to Gabriel and Pierre. Over the moon but experienced grandparents are Bill and Anne Saundercook.

Leeda Kathryn McLean Jones

Andrew Jones and Linley McLean are happy to announce the safe arrival of their daughter “Leeda Kathryn McLean Jones” on November 11, 2014 in Golden, BC.  Doug and Diane Jones are proud grandparents for a fourth time and Aunts Lindsay, Ashley and Courtney along with Uncles Dave and Cam send their love and good wishes too! Cousins McKenzie, Emily and Roy look forward to playing with baby Leeda at the beach! Barb and Wally Reidl are thrilled to welcome their great niece and Great Poppy Bob Jones is honoured by Leeda's arrival on Remembrance Day!

Matilda Posey Thompson

Katy Nettesheim and Brett Thompson proudly announce the healthy birth of Matilda Posey, born at the Calgary Foothills Hospital on November 24th. Carly is a proud new aunt and Deb and Henjo are looking forward to being obnoxious grandparents... Especially at the beach next summer.