Thunder Beach 2015 Fall Newsletter

November 27, 2015

2015 is mostly behind us after experiencing one of the nicest fall weather seasons that I can remember, and now we turn our minds to begin to plan for 2016. If you read through the newsletter and the Annual General Meeting Minutes, I think you'll agree that we've had a very successful, productive and enjoyable year.  Of particular note is our playground fund raising success where we have raised over $12,000 – almost at our goal of raising $16,000. Sincere thanks to our incredibly generous donors.  

We've also had great success in increasing our advertising revenue from our roster and we continue to look for creative and innovative ways to use our website to raise even more revenue. Our social and sporting events have all been very well run and a great success. Our Children’s Camp and programming are second to none (Counsellors and CIT'S get your applications in now for 2016). We continue to keep an eye on Township issues through our involvement in FOTTSA and independently through our work on issues like cell towers (thanks Barb Reidl), traffic and parking issues ( thanks Susan Inwood) and geese management (thanks Inez Mitchell). The Dock Company provided a comprehensive report at the Annual Meeting and have provided a report in this newsletter on recent safety and related review initiatives.  

We continue to have a very strong Executive team notwithstanding having had to bid adieu to four of our stalwart members this year (Michelle Morneau, Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck, Laura Logaridis and Dave Northcott) who we sincerely thank for all their great efforts over many years. We have added some good new Executive team members: Corey Dean (Treasurer), Geoff MacGregor (Social) and Melissa Gage (Children’s Program). We are so fortunate to have so many willing and committed community spirited members amongst us – and we can always use more so don’t be shy and step forward – there is always a position to be filled.

Finally I would note that we must be quite unique in Canada to have two of our Association members also be members of the Federal Cabinet!  Our very best wishes and hearty congratulations to Bill Morneau and Carolyn Bennett - I hope they will still find the time to make it to the Beach.

See you in the spring.

Andrew Macdonald - TBA President

Treasurers Report

Another great summer at Thunder Beach!

Once again through the support of the Thunder Beach members and “surround” we have continued to be profitable for 2015.

The social events were all successful and each event profitable. Lobster Fest showed a profit of $2,700.00. The August event themed “Miami Vice” showed a profit of $3,500.00. The golf tournament and dinner raised $1,500.00 this year.

The Kids Camp is self-sufficient. This is due to payments being made in advance on line and the availability to pay in advance. No more loonies and toonies!

We held steadfast to the budgeted clubhouse maintenance contract with Harbourview Property Management fee of $16,000.00.

We have set aside the tennis memberships fees for the last three years to implement a tennis reserve and we hope to be in a position soon, to advise of our plans and timetable for court resurfacing.

The new Playground fund has donations of approximately $12,000.00. A new play structure has been purchased to be installed in the spring.

The Thunder Beach Association holds a GIC of just over $23,000.00 at the Bank of Nova Scotia.

There are a few payments to be made – the last maintenance fee for the clubhouse and the balance owing for the Playground structure.

The year end for the Association is December 31st, 2015. A formal financial statement will be sent out in the spring newsletter 2016.

Corey Dean will be your new Treasurer going forward for 2016.

Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck

Children’s Playground Fundraising Efforts

The children of Thunder Beach are the main reason our association was created many years ago, and today they remain the very reason why we exist. It is because of this and our continued focus on safety, that we started a fundraising campaign to replace many of the old pieces of playground equipment, many of which were over 20 years old.

The Executive team has researched commercial playground equipment and vendors, and have identified the new pieces we need to buy. We have received quotes from several vendors and have chosen a Canadian based company to meet our needs. By next spring we will have 3 new swing sets (6 places) and a new slide with combination wall climber ready for the summer months. We know the kids and the counselors will be thrilled.

To date we have raised $12,000.00 from many different sources: 50/50 draw at the Miami Vice event, donations from the August field day, special generous donations from members and of course our on-line donations. At this time our shortfall is $4000.00.

We want to take this opportunity to thank each of you who have donated to this important cause and encourage those of you who did not have a chance to donate yet, to send in your donation via our website. Every little bit counts. The children of Thunder Beach thank you in advance for your help.

Louise O’Connor Sponsorship Director

Sponsorship Report

During the last 2 years you have seen our Membership Roster grow to include local advertisers who are supporting our association. The money raised by this advertising was over $8000.00 this year alone, and is being put to good use by your Executive to maintain and upgrade our facilities and services (clubhouse repairs, new ceiling fan, children playground equipment etc.).

We would like to encourage you to support these local merchants every chance you have and thank them for their support of the TBA.  We hope this will ensure that they are back with us again next year.

We include their names here to remind you of who they are:

Arbour’s Flower Shoppe	Huronia Storage	Penetang Quality Home Products	Standlith Design
Barber & Haskill	Jeanne McIsaac Realtor	Perkinsfield Bath and Kitchen	Standlith Inc. Roofing Division
Bayfield House Retirement Home	Joan Philpott Realtor	Phil’s Casual Dining Restaurant	STBC Inc. – Custom Builder
Bourgeois Motors	JVL Home Improvements	Phil’s Catering (Lafontaine)	Taylor & Co – Men’s Wear
Bromack Mechancial	Kelly Moss Photography	Plumb Local	Thunder Beach Grill and Café
Captain Ken’s Restaurant	L.A. Café	Portfolio Management Corporation	The Old Cottage Store – Gifts
Cottage Coppers	Lakeland Irrigation	Power Source (Generator and Electrical Services)	Tiffany McGregor Realtor
Dave Franden Painting and Decorating	Lot 102 Restaurant	Quest Art Gallery	Top Notch Paint
Factory Recreation	Midland Honda	Rawson’s Meat and Deli	Tractor and Property Management Services
Fresh by Leanne	Midland Import Car Repairs	Rival Office Solution Inc. (John DuCharme)	Vincent Salon and Spa
Froth Café	Munel’s Housekeeping and Gardening	Saturday Afternoons Home Store	Wallflower Framing and Fun Art
Georgian Bay Veterinary Hospital	Nana’s Restaurant	Shades of Green Tree Service	Wendy B’s Fine Foods
Girts Gubbins Realtor	Olympia Catering	SKS Construction and Renovation
Harbourview Property Management	Passion for Fashion	St-Amant Plumbing

Louise O’Connor Sponsorship Director

Membership / Roster Report

The membership income has basically remained the same over the last few years. The improvement from years prior is due to making sure people are members before they are able to join the tennis or use the Kid Camp. There are 362 members. Most are made up of monthly memberships. The membership fees help in our funding of the kids programmes and allow us to continue to be the great community that we have established over the years.

We need to work on the “over 25” population and get them to join!

Ellen Macdonald will be looking after the roster and membership for 2016. Please forward to her any changes in order for her to prepare the 2016 roster. Her email is ellen.manorroad@rogers.com.

Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck

Thunder Beach Clothing

The clothing did fantastic this year. I designed a new “rope “logo for the t-shirts and sweats that along with the touques from Allison Harnick and the donation of the Thunder Beach glassware made for an exciting choice of Thunder Beach merchandise. Next year Jody Munro and Luke Ducharme will continue with the Thunder Beach novelties and apparel.

Anne Hardcastle-Roebuck

Social Report

Hi There! I’m Geoff MacGregor, your new social director. You can find my wife Corey and I hanging out down the long drive way across from the clubhouse. A big thanks to Laura Logaridis who will be helping this year as we transition. We will be hosting our main events as usual this year. Tickets will be available online, and be sure to get them early as they sold out last year. Please mark off the following dates in your calendar.

Lobsterfest: July 2nd, 2016
August Long Weekend Event: July 30th, 2016
Third Event TBD

Geoff MacGregor, Social Director

Children’s Program Update

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, worked and attended the Thunder Beach Children’s Camp. Once again 2015 was a very successful season at camp! As always the accomplishments of our program comes directly from the time, commitment, and relentless energy from our CIT’s, counselors, and head counselors. As directors, it was amazing the feedback we received from parents regarding the staff, and how friendly, approachable and attentive they were to all members of the camp community. There was consistently a positive vibe around the camp that was in large part due to the leadership of our dynamic duo of Emily Myers and Betsy Smith. This year our Head Counselors did an outstanding job. They were professional, safety conscious, energetic, and an absolute pleasure to work with.

As directors of the Thunder Beach Camp we would like to extend our appreciation to Michelle Morneau for her years of service as Camp Director. Michelle brought a professional, innovative approach to the camp and made huge strides with the success of the overall programming. Her contribution to the tennis program was invaluable. We will miss having her as part of the team but will still rely on her valuable feedback and expertise as a parent in the camp community.

As Michelle departs our team we are excited to welcome Melissa Gage (Inrig). Melissa has years of experience with the camp as a camper, counselor and parent of two of our campers. We are very excited to welcome Melissa and look forward to her input and thank her for volunteering her time to help keep our kids program running.

As always we welcome ongoing feedback in order to help us reflect and make necessary changes and improvements to the camp. In the coming year we look forward to hosting some of the time traditional favorite activities such as Halloween, Carnival, and the Talent Show but also look forward to introducing new ideas and events. In our ever expanding world of technology the Thunder Beach Children’s Program continues to work towards increased access to wireless payment options, a paperless registration process which will expedite the season opening sign-in process, as well as an online application for all CITs and counselors.

Calling All Applicants

Once again application time has arrived. Applications for counselor and CIT positions for the Summer of 2016 are now available:

2016 Counsellor Application

2016 CIT Application

The official deadline for submission is Friday February 5, 2016. We are seeking potential candidates for the positions of; Head Counselor, Senior Counselor, Tennis Coordinator, Counselor and CIT. Please note that late applications (those received after Midnight on Friday, February 5th) will not be accepted or considered for a position. As stated above all applications will be done online through a google form. 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 Melissa Gage at Melissa.gage@hotmail.com.

Susan and Dave Butler, Melissa Gage – Children’s Program Directors

Thunder 2015 Beach Maintenance Report

This past summer was the first summer that we entered into a contractual agreement with Harbourview Property Management. It was a season in which we tried to look at the many activities that would require their attention and start to develop processes that include timing to ensure that the beauty of the beach was not deterred by un-slightly garbage issues, uncut grass or the general up keep of the beach.  

Under the guidance of Don Mitchell Harbourview is now taking on the responsibility of the placement and removal of all buoys. I would personally like to thank Don for all of his assistance and guidance in this transition. Harbourview developed a plan to assist in cleaning up the garbage more efficiently and the upkeep of the field including the ball field.

Maintenance is an area that we need to continually look at partnering with Harbourview.  They have made it easier because they understand the importance to us.

Matt DuCharme Property Director

Thunder Beach Dock Company Report

Shortly after the fire which occurred in the Naylor Boathouse last September, the Dock Company Directors established, as a precautionary measure, a committee to review the safety of the Dock installation generally (i.e., the tank, pump, lines and related equipment), the adequacy of staff training and insurance coverage. Don Mitchell kindly volunteered to lead this effort.

We have not yet received Don’s final report but he has provided us with some preliminary comments. To summarize:

• Don was unable to identify any incidents of a fire occurring at a fuelling dock arising as a consequence of fuelling operations. Fires are typically associated with improper ventilation of engine compartments on boat start up regardless of fuelling source;
• Our installation is “state-of-the-art”, complies with all standards and regulations and is inspected by the TSSA on a regular basis;
• The main risk any gas dock faces is environmental, i.e., a gas spill occurring during the refuelling of a boat;
• This risk is managed through appropriate staff training regarding the safety precautions during refueling and the steps to be taken in the event of a spill;
• Areas of possible improvement at our installation relate to ensuring the accessibility of safety equipment, improving the signage and enhancing safety training. 

We will report further, if warranted, once we receive Don’s final report.

John Burns Mike Mihaichuk Bill McNamara – Directors

Thunder Beach Tennis Club 2015

Although the tennis season is over and summer of 2015 seems like a distant memory, I hope this note is a great reminder that the sun will be shining and the courts will be dry once again. 

We had an exciting summer and saw a slight increase in members. We as members also saw a decrease in non-members using the courts as we took an active role in ensuring only members were using the courts. We saw an increase in participation in all 3 of our Thunder Beach Tournaments.  The winners of the tournaments were.

Mixed Doubles	Craig Jarvis & Kathy Mihaichuk
Men’s Doubles	Blake & Jack DuCharme
Ladies Doubles	Vivian Horton & Christie Lundy

Where we did see a slight decrease was in Drop-In and would certainly like members opinions on how we can increase participation or perhaps it may be time to make some changes. Opinions and suggestions are welcome.

As we look forward, we are very close to our goal to resurface the courts. We have quotes in hand and we understand the timing required to do this and that will assist us in finalizing the details to ensure we do not interrupt play during the prime months. We will also need to look at the other areas of up keep of the courts from trimming trees, to clean up between court one and two and looking after the maintenance of the fence.

Some of the other ideas that have been brought to my attention are :

1. Tennis Season Kick-Off
1. Included Mixed Double Round Robin
2. Social
2. Providing an hour of Professional Instruction before the each doubles tournament
3. A Professional Doubles exhibition

All great ideas but would like to hear from you and if we have the interest we can certainly start the investigation now of how to organize. I look forward to the 2016 season and hope that you all feel the same. It will be here before you know it.  See you out on the courts!

Matt DuCharme

Gord Chapple Day – July 9, 2016

The Mihaichuk and Saundercook families have put their creative forces together and are declaring Saturday July 9th Gord-O-Day! at our beloved Thunder Beach. This day in 2016 will be a special day honouring and recognizing Gord Chapple our long time cottage friend, for all the many passionate contributions he has made at our beach.

Gord suffered a catastrophic setback around 6 years ago. Gord, Fay and their children Spenser, Jack and Grayson have been dealing with this turmoil in their lives ever since. Gord’s passion for Thunder Beach is evident through his many contributions. His efforts include launching the communal raft at the Centre Beach right of way, a new play centre at the children’s park (which is now old and gone, LOL) and mostly his passion around the tennis courts and his commitment to making it a better place which Gord still supports today as honourary Tennis Director on the TBA Executive.

On Saturday July 9th there will be several events held to honour Gord. There will be a 5-Holer golf event, the TBA Mixed Tennis Doubles, a celebratory boat cruise and a dinner (to be held at the Mihaichuk cottage). Through these events we will be raising funds. Your generous contributions will finance the purchase of a hydraulic lift to be installed on the Chapple dock on Westshore Road.

In addition to Gord’s passion for tennis, golf and any sport involving chasing around an object, Gord loves BOATING! Through the great persistence of Bill Saundercook, Gord has been able to commandeer his boat with Skipper Bill at least once every summer. However, Gord’s condition has now made that not possible. With the addition of the lift, Gord will be back on the waters again, navigating around the shoals of Georgian Bay with his favourite skipper, Bill.

Through our collective effort let’s put Gord and Bill back on the water this summer!

Please commit July 9th to your calendars and join us in bringing some joy to Gord this summer at his most favourite place, Thunder Beach! (Event and fundraising details to follow.)

Thank you for your support, from Mike & Bill and our families!

The Annual Tawny Richard Memorial Volleyball Tournament

The Annual Tawny Richard Memorial Volleyball Tournament was held on Saturday July 18, 2015. We would like to thank the Butler and Bolt family for graciously agreeing to host this event again on East Beach. Special thanks to Erin Gross, Tyler Richard, and everyone else who volunteered. We got one of the nicest and hottest days of the summer. As a testament to the heat and exciting play, a gaggle of spectators watched the final match from the east beach sand bar. Congratulations to the winning team of Squad Four, made up of Jay Columbo, Somerset Jarvis, Judy Jarvis, Andrea Cole, Colin MacDonald, and Max Mihaichuk. Thanks to everyone who helped out, participated, or just came down to watch. It was a great community day.

John Philpott

Thunder Run

This year marked the 31st anniversary of the annual Thunder Run. The 7.5 K race, which starts at the clubhouse and finishes on the beach, enjoyed another great turnout this year with close to 40 runners. In the end, it came down to a tight three-way race.

After a summer spent doing training runs and reading Moby Dick, Avi Denburg (2nd place) was denied the winner's circle by the ultra-fast Kevin Carter (1st). A very respectable 3rd place overall went to Ariel Burkett. Special thanks to the spectators who cheered the runners on and provided much-needed water along the way. See you all next summer.

Chris Burkett

Thunder Beach Baseball 2015

Thank you to all the players, coaches, umpires and especially our loyal fans- all the parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents who cheered faithfully throughout the season.

Our volunteer coaches dedicate over 20 hours to this program. They worked together in a collaborative manner, solving problems, working out their own solutions all in keeping with the core values of the Thunder Beach Baseball Program: Kindness, Safety, Inclusivity, Good Sportsmanship and Having Fun!

Volunteer Coaches:
Emily Meyer, Betsy Smith, Will Meyer, Andrew Godin, Madi Lee, Jess Karrys , Cassidy Miller, Jack Williamson, Teddy Yull , Robbie Butler, Emma Robertson, Jenna Johnson, Katie Comfort.

Well done!

Next season, 2016, we celebrate the 25th year of Thunder Beach Baseball! Look forward to some changes, new uniforms and possibly an alumni game. However, some things won’t be changing – like no strike outs!We welcome your comments, ideas and contributions.

Batter up, Play Ball!

Doug Jones

Luke Santi Memorial Football Tournament

Tournament participation was strong again this year, and included 45 players. Again this year, we had a 4 team league. This year’s team rosters included an increase in younger aged players. We look forward to their growth and leadership in the upcoming years. Although the July weather was unseasonably cooler, it made for excellent and comfortable football playing conditions! (and no rain!) Congratulations to the Buffalo Bills who were the 2015 Champions!

Special THANKS to Connor & Chris Houston, the Smeaton family, the Santi family, and Tyler Richard for their leadership, passion and organization. They continue to share Luke’s memory and spirit. Thanks to all the coaches who led and taught the young football players. We appreciate their time and energy during the week! Thanks to Susan Winter for organizing the annual tailgate. It was another success and everyone enjoyed gathering to cheer the players and share memories! Thanks to all the parents who generously donated food/beverages for ALL! The annual co-ed adult game, played after the Championship game, rounded out a fun-filled football week.

Plans have already begun for next year. Once again, the tournament will be the week following the baseball season and may include one “pre-season” game to help ensure that the teams are well balanced. The age restrictions will be 10 to 15 (your age on the first day of the tournament). If you are older than 15 and interested in coaching or officiating, please email Connor Houston at houstonconnor@ymail.com. Please watch for further information in the Spring 2016 newsletter/ TBA website.

Luigi Santi

FOTTSA/Municipal Update

Thunder Beach continued as a member of FOTTSA in the summer of 2015. FOTTSA is a Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations, a non-profit focused on environmental and municipal issues facing shoreline associations in Tiny.

FOTTSA monitors all meetings of the Tiny of Township council and posts information on Township matters at www.tinycottager.org. The FOTTSA publication, The Tiny Cottager, is also available on the website and is still circulated in paper copy to most residents of Tiny. If you have any concerns regarding municipal issues with the Township of Tiny, you can email John Philpott, Thunder Beach’s FOTTSA representative, at jsphilpott@gmail.com regarding your concerns.

The Township is currently redrafting their Strategic Plan. Thunder Beach and many other FOTTSA members gave input to the Township. Our submissions focussed on maintaining better public safety, better consultations with beach associations, better broadband internet access and respect and better protection for the natural environment.

The Township continues to work towards solutions to how to deal with its septage and how to regulate parking at shoreline communities. Regarding the latter, a public meeting was held on November 15, 2015, which was attended by representatives of the TBA and FOTTSA. The Township is going to develop an advisory committee with representations from shoreline communities and work towards a better definition of what constitutes a “public beach”.

The TBA has been in consultations with the Township regarding the erection of cell phone towers around Thunder Beach. The TBA is in favour of cell phone towers generally, but seeks consultation regarding the location choices and that towers be naturalized to minimize the aesthetic impact. In response, the Township is developing its first policy regarding the installation of wireless communication towers.

John Philpott

Geese Management Report

Over the past three years the Thunder Beach Association has been successful in obtaining a kill-to-scare permit from the federal government to deal with the large numbers of Canada Geese at Thunder Beach. The program is now in its third year and will continue for some years to come. Early in the spring some of the "regulars", who come and nest every year, were removed by our volunteer hunter and as a result there were very few geese during the summer - only to return in full force this fall as they are preparing to migrate further south.

We have been lobbying the Township to work with us in identifying various methods of controlling the geese - unfortunately a meeting could not be arranged this fall but will take place early spring. We are planning to form a committee together with Township staff to further explore our options. In the meantime we will also continue to discuss different approaches with Environment Canada.

If you are interested in participating in this project or have further questions, you may reach me via email: inez.mitchell@sympatico.ca

Inez Mitchell