History

Our history, like all human endeavours, is not a simple  story; -  from buildings  to sports, to people…it has all played a role in getting us up to today.  Each of the following five History Subheadings approaches our history from a different perspective.  Just click on any one and enjoy.

Connections Never Severed

The historic Westmeath Township, (until amalgamation to become part of Whitewater Region in 2001), has seen much change since its beginnings in the early half of the 19th Century, with generations of young men and women spreading out across the globe. Maybe on the web, extended family members will read about their forbearers in our History section. Remember to alert family and friends who live elsewhere that this website will keep them up-do-date and connected with “home”.

Constitutionally Speaking, the Mission Carries on

The official title “Westmeath and District Recreation Association” was given in 1974, with the adoption of the original Constitution. That Constitution was drafted by Izett McBride, Edgar White and the late Bob Bromley, and what they and many others started then, is still thriving today.

Rink Committees had been a part of the community for decades, but in ’74 it was time to think bigger, and build a Banquet Hall as well as a Rink. To read all about the demolition of the old rink and the genesis of the new complex, click on History.

The first Objective of the 1974 Constitution was “To promote and sponsor activities that relate to sports, hobbies, leisure time activities and generally make this a fun place to live.” We still see this objective as very worthy.

Today that First Constitutional Objective is reflected in the current WDRA Mission Statement:

“We are a non-profit community governed organization, whose purpose is to support the people of our community in meeting their recreational, athletic and social needs; to achieve the best possible community spirit and wellbeing.”

At the April2012 Annual General Meeting the general membership accepted, ratified and confirmed a new revised Constitution for the organization; modernizing current names, useages and titles. To read the full Constitution document please click: WDRA Constitution (2012 Revised).

The 1975 WDRA Crest: This crest was introduced by the first WDRA Executive and beautifully rendered on a featured float in the Westmeath Days Parade of that year. It was used on hockey jerseys and other articles including beer mugs throughout the seventies and eighties. It has been augmented in 2011 by the new logo you’ll see in the Home Page banner of this website and on all current WDRA official documents.

Following the Money Trail –
A Dollar a Year Lease

Did you know that the WDRA hall/arena complex is actually owned by the Township of Whitewater Region, www.whitewaterregion.ca, and leased back to the WDRA at $1 per year, to run and manage? The same agreement goes for the Beachburg and Cobden arena facilities. This was the result of the provincial municipal amalgamations that took place back in 2001.

Further to that agreement, the Municipality provides each arena based organization (in our case the WDRA, a not-for-profit corporation), an annual grant of $12,500. (2010 amount.)

Generally a community in Ontario with a similar population and budget is lucky to have 1 ice arena complex, rather than 3. We are fairly unique in this regard. It offers great privileges but also heavy responsibilities. To run a business that costs over $150,000 per year, (2010 amount), requires extensive local participation through many volunteers, fundraisers and fair fee for services. Any significant capital asset costs require dependence on local appeals and/or government assistance programs.

Joey Trimm, Whitewater Region Councillor, addressed the WDRA in October 2010. He stated that the Township Council depends upon our organization to deliver the recreation budget in a manner that most benefits the health and well being of the residents. The WDRA is committed to that. The council is there to help in obtaining grants, provide advice and support in various ways regarding running the business, as well as providing funding in emergency situations. The local councillors have been tremendously helpful in this regard.

If you have History contributions to make to these sections, please Contact Us.

Please click on any picture in the History section to get a pop-up enlargement and take a closer look.