TBA Spring 2024 Newsletter
President's Message
Hello Members!
Summer 2024 is nearly here. We’re excited to kickoff our jam packed schedule of events, sports, arts, and culture. It all starts Sunday May 19th with the Art show starting at noon at the Clubhouse. We’re trying out an online calendar this year (in addition to the ones in the roster) so you can keep track of everything happening. Link here (or Apple iCal format). A reminder to renew your membership Here.
Over the winter we’ve been busy with some upgrades and cleanup around the clubhouse. You’ll notice a new barrier free door on the Clubhouse which is part of our ongoing commitment to making the Clubhouse accessible to all. Thank you to the Accessibility Committee for seeing this through. Unfortunately we had a tree come down during a windstorm over Family Day weekend. Our garbage and recycling bins didn’t fare so well but we’re grateful no one was injured and the clubhouse was unscathed. As Matt will touch on in the tennis update we’re excited to have the Tennis courts resurfaced before the tennis season.
Our main capital project for this year will be a redevelopment and new equipment at the playground. We’d like to add a larger variety of structures for a wider target age group and importantly more accessible items. As you may know, commercial playground equipment is very expensive - luckily it can last a generation or more. The TBA will be funding some of this project out of our operating budget to get it started. We’re also excited to launch a playground fundraising drive. Please consider donating as the playground is one of the most frequently used assets of the beach. You can make donations when you purchase your membership or if you’d like to send a cheque or wire please reach out to any TBA executive. If you are particularly excited about this initiative and would like to be involved in the planning, I’d encourage you to join our playground committee. Please reach out to me directly (gamacgregor@gmail.com / 416-371-8560).
We’re also launching our annual survey. You may feel like you’ve seen many of these questions before and you’d be correct. Please continue to share your responses as we’re particularly interested in how opinions change over time.
Lastly, we are still looking for a social director. Lobsterfest and August event night are decades long staples of the summer calendar. They aren’t possible without volunteers. So if you’d like to play a part (big or small), please reach out to me or any TBA executive member.
Looking forward to another amazing summer at the beach!
Best,
Geoff MacGregor
President, Thunder Beach Association
gamacgregor@gmail.com 416-371-8560
Children's Program
Message from the Camp Director
Summer is right around the corner. The counsellors have been hired, the calendar is set, and we can’t wait to live it out!
CAMP STAFF
We are thrilled to introduce our exceptional Leadership Team for summer 2024:
Camp Director – Michael Dion
Michael grew up living in Toronto and spending his summers at Thunder Beach. In 2016, he and his family moved to a hobby farm in Tiny Township and he became a year-round resident of the area. He has attended the Thunder Beach Children’s Camp since he was six. He began to work at the camp in 2021. He has volunteered both as a Thunder Beach baseball and football coach for the last several summers as well so many of the campers will be familiar with him. Outside of camp, he is a dedicated student and is passionate about athletics. During the winter season, he plays Jr. A Hockey in North York. In the spring, he coaches minor lacrosse in Midland. He is extremely excited about the upcoming summer and looking forward to seeing everyone.
Head Counsellors – McKenzie Graham, Scarlett Keogh, Sophie Butler
Congratulations to all the Counsellors who have accepted positions this summer. We appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication to the Thunder Beach Camp. Thank you to our volunteer CITs, welcome to the team!
CAMP SCHEDULE:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Camp days, 9:30-12:30
Tuesday, Thursday: Tennis Camp, 9:30-11:00 (Junior and Intermediate) 11:00-12:30 (Senior)
Camp will run for eight weeks; from July 1st to August 23rd. Please register online. In addition to morning Camp, we also offer evening activities on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Check out the line up for Summer 2024!
|
Week |
Monday Night Activities |
Wednesday Night Activities |
|
1 |
Movie Night (All ages)/ Photo Scavenger Hunt (Sr 10+) |
Country Western Night |
|
2 |
Cardio Tennis (Teen night*) |
Carnival |
|
3 |
BINGO (All ages) |
Halloween |
|
4 |
Prom Night (Teen night*) |
Talent Night |
|
5 |
Games Night (All ages) |
Mini Olympics |
|
6 |
Baseball (Teen night*) |
Art All Around Us |
|
7 |
Movie Night (All ages) |
Amazing Race |
|
8 |
Capture the Flag (Teen night*) |
Peter Pan |
*Teen Night for campers 12+
COMMUNICATION
Open and regular communication will be a focus in 2024 to help campers, parents and caregivers be aware of what is happening at Thunder Beach Camp. Find information on the TBA website calendar, on Instagram (@tbachildrenscamp), at the Clubhouse notice board or ask our Thunder Beach Camp staff. Don’t miss out on being prepared with costumes, knowing start times, or enjoying special events like Zoo-To-You or a visit from the Wye Marsh!
Feedback is key to a successful summer, so please share your comments and concerns with Ashley Jones, Cate Spidle, or members of our Camp Leadership Team.
GOING GREEN
We will continue to focus on the environment and we hope to move away from purchasing single use, non-recyclable craft materials. We invite you to save clean household items such as egg cartons, corks, paper bags, unwanted paper/crayons/chalk/pencils, tissue boxes, aluminum pie plates, etc. so that these supplies can enjoy a “second life” in our stock cupboard. For our energetic tennis players, please keep those used tennis balls for our Tennis Camp. There will be a green donation bin located at the tennis courts, and also at the clubhouse. We will use the tennis ball cans/containers too. Thank you for your support!
The countdown is on… see you at Field Day!
Cate and Ashley
Thunder Beach Art Exhibit
Thunder Beach, Spring Art Show: Sunday, May 19, 2024, 12:00 - 4:00 at the Clubhouse
Featuring Art by: Gord Smellie, Hilary Slater, Kathryn Taylor, George Traini, Amanda Zentil, Lafontaine Iron Werks
Special Exhibit: Shipwrecks near Thunder Beach
Contact: George Traini at georgetraini51@gmail.com
Thunder Beach Sports
Thunder Beach Youth Baseball
This is our 34th year of Thunder Beach Youth Baseball!
Boys and girls ages 6 to 15 are eligible to play. If you are new to Thunder Beach, Youth Baseball is the ‘best’ way to get involved and to get new friends. Absolutely no baseball experience is necessary.
Youth Baseball core values are: Kindness, Inclusivity, Integrity, Safety, Leadership and having FUN!!
Games are played on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 and 5:00 beginning July 2nd. The final tournament will be on Friday July 19th.
Please sign up HERE by June 29th (Field Day)
Please let Doug Jones know if you are interested in being a Coach or a Player Coach
Doug Jones Cell: 519-575-1068 Email: djones000@sympatico.ca
2024 Luke Santi Memorial Flag Football Tournament
The TB Luke Santi Memorial Flag Tournament is set for 2024! This fun event is a summer tradition at TB for many families and we look forward to welcoming NEW families as always. Boys and girls ages 10-15 are eligible. All tournament details will be available on the TBA website.
The Tournament will be played Monday, July 22nd to Friday, July 26th. If you are interested in PLAYING, COACHING or REFEREEING, please register HERE by Friday, July 19th.
Last year we added some crowd-pleasing elements (i.e. play-by-play commentary, live player intros) and we plan to continue with them.
Plans are also in place for the very popular Friday Tailgate BBQ after the Championship game.
The always entertaining Adult Game will follow the trophy presentation. Hoping to see many alumni throughout the week and especially at the games on Friday.
We look forward to seeing you at the field this summer!
Gordon, Marth, Quinn and Matthew Smeaton
Luigi, Shalagh, Andrea (Ryan, James) and Janelle (Scott) Santi
Youth Basketball Tournament
After two years of awesome Kids basketball, we are taking this tourney to it’s third year. We have seen the play develop into stronger skill levels and the teamwork has been super strong throughout. We love to see the passion for more sports continue to get developed at the youth age and build them up for coming out and having fun! Register at the link below and if there are questions please feel free to reach out via the email below.
https://forms.gle/dTWXefRDNyCu5qiV6
Go Raps Go!
Matt Leverty and Tyler Richard
tylertrichard@gmail.com
Adults Basketball Tournament
The Basketball tournament keeps evolving with new talents coming to the fold along with the turnover of many of the players yearly. This year we are back on the Saturday and we are looking forward to a mix of younger and more mature players to blend throughout the teams. Register at the link below and if you have any questions please contact us at the email address below.
https://forms.gle/A1dqKQsyBeqjH79bA
See you this summer!
Matt McGuire and Tyler Richard
tylertrichard@gmail.com
Tawny Richard Beach Volleyball
The biggest and hottest event of the summer is ready to bump, set and spike your excitement! After one of the largest group of 16+ tournament players in many years… Way bigger than that bummer of a 2020 summer. We are set for another major day of awesome play and punny team names! Register yourself at the below link and if there are any questions about the tourney or the teams, please feel free to email us at the address below.
https://forms.gle/EuxFCFXJa7NaepTeA
See you at the Beach!
John Philpott and Tyler Richard
tylertrichard@mail.com
Tennis
What do you call a girl standing in the middle of a tennis court? Annette :)
The tennis committee is hard at work and the great news is the tennis nets are up and ready for play. See you on the courts. We have already indicated to our membership that the tennis courts will be resurfaced this spring. Courts will be resurfaced on or near June 1st and this is expected to take approximately 1 week. We want to thank the TBA executive and our TBA/tennis members for making this possible.
TBA and the tennis committee are making every effort and discussing alignment of tennis membership with TBA membership. Tennis courts will require a new bulletin board as the old one has blown over, once completed the Thunder Beach Tennis Guidelines will be posted and also available on-line. Tennis committee would like to remind our all TBA members and TBA tennis members that courts are only for tennis only … no Pickelball, no dogs allowed in tennis area or on courts (please keep them outside tennis area), no ball hockey allowed, no bicycles, no strollers, no rollerblades/skateboards on tennis courts and PROPER tennis foot wear is required.
TBA Tennis tournament dates have been set for members:
Mixed doubles July 13th
Men's Doubles July 27th
Women's Doubles August 10th
The weekly tennis events (starting First week July) will include Drop In every MWF mornings, Monday evenings Women’s tennis, Wednesday evenings Men’s tennis and Cardio Tennis Wednesday mornings.
Love to have your feedback or questions. Please reach out to me: matthewducharme123@gmail.com
Game, set and match!
Matt DuCharme
TBA Tennis Director
https://forms.gle/6GqxSDYsjzqPdDAX8
Thunder Beach Dock Company
Greetings to all Thunder Beach Boaters!
We plan to open the Gas Dock on weekends in the second half of June (staff and weather permitting) and on weekdays and weekends from July 1 through to Labour Day. Our hours of operation will be as follows:
- Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10 am to 4 pm
- Monday to Friday: 11 am to 2 pm (as of July 1)
The Dock membership fee this year will be $200 per family, the same as last year. Our revenues are used to cover our insurance and staffing costs, and to fund the next instalment of the much-needed skirting repair/replacement on the north side of the Dock.
We are also looking for 2 or 3 staffers – contact Bill McNamara (wmcnamara@torys.com) if interested.
Please do not forget to renew your Dock membership. Your support is an essential component of the Dock’s viability.
We look forward to seeing you on the water!
John Burns, Kevin Burkett, Bill McNamara
https://thunderbeach.org/products/dock-company-membership
Thunder Beach Apparel 2023
We are continuing to provide Thunder Beachers with a variety of apparel items for the 2024 season. We will once again offer custom purchasing through online ordering at this link:
https://exclusiveimprint.com/thunder-beach/
Items such as T-shirts, Long Sleeve shirts, Crew Necks, Quarter Zips and Hoodies will be available with two different logo options as well as shirts featuring the artwork of Diane Labatt. We are pleased to offer additional items including matching Joggers, Vests, Jackets, Hats and more. There is something for everyone!
The site will open on Sunday, May 12th and close on Sunday, June 2nd . Items will be available for pick up at Field Day on Saturday, June 29th , 2024 from the clubhouse. A second order will be placed for August Field Day pick up.
Obituaries
Elio Santi
The TBA community extends sympathy and caring thoughts to Luigi and Shelagh Santi (nee McElroy) and their family, Andrea and Ryan and James and Janelle and Scott on the loss of Luigi’s Father Elio Santi at age 89 on March 31st in Guelph.
A link to his obituary follows:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/guelph-on/elio-santi-11750371
The Luke Santi Memorial Flag Football Tournament at Thunder Beach is held annually in memory of Luigi and Shelagh’s son Luke.
Peter Philpott
In November 2023, we lost Peter Philpott to cancer at the age of 71. Peter was a lifelong Thunder Beacher who was first brought to the beach at one week old. He spent every summer of his life at the beach surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by his wife Joan, children Heather, and John, and grandchildren Jack, Holly, Lennon, Etta, and Shea. Full obituary can be found here: https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/nicholls/obituaries/peter-davie-philpott/115955.html
Robert (Bob) L. H. Handy
The Thunder Beach community were sorry to learn of the passing of Bob Handy on March 7, 2024 at age 97 at Mississauga Hospital. Bob and Lorraine were married for 68 years and lived in Etobicoke. They bought their cottage on East Beach over 60 years ago and Bob enjoyed family time there and waterskiing, sailing and playing tennis. He was a regular participant at drop-in tennis. Bob graduated as a chemical engineer in 1949 and worked for the same company until his retirement. He volunteered with CESO after his retirement and was an active volunteer for over 25 years with the Red Cross Meals on Wheels program. He and Lorraine enjoyed wine tours to Europe and annual trips to Florida. Bob will be remembered for his warm, caring nature and genuine interest in others. With sympathy to his wife Lorraine, daughters Lynda Handy and Carol Kosick and her husband Ray and Bob’s grandson Anthony Kosick on their loss.
A link to Bob Handy’s obituary follows:
https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/robert-handy-obituary?id=54807930
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