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S k',, ..~sY" ~k. 4 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, May 13, 1998 Orono Tennis Club, new season, new courts For members of the Orono Tennis Club (OTC), the sum- mer of 1998 promises to be more exciting than ever. After years of patient wait- ing, the municipality has promised to resurface the two floodlit courts at the Orono Park, home of the OTC. "The courts have needed to be done for the last few years, but we knew the municipality was going through fiscal restraint," said OTC executive member Kim Gunn. "We spoke to Mayor Hamre about it again, and we've been promised the courts will be re-surfaced this summer," she said. That's the best news possible for the more than 100 members of the club. It means that club mem- bers can play without having to worry about weird bounces of the ball or tripping over cracks and ridges while playing. "For the last two years ifs gotten much worse," said Gunn. "It was as if an earth- quake had passed through below the ground." The condi- tion of the courts had started to jeopardize some of the club's activities. "We've been worried we wouldn't be able to run all our programs, especially for the kids," said Gunn. "Now we have the go-ahead, and we can tell our members new courts are just around the corner." The Orono Tennis Club is one of the best kept secrets in town, but a secret more and more people have started to share in. From a dozen or so people several years ago, the membership has increased to its current level of over 100. They are mostly from Orono and Newcastle Village, but a few members are from eastern and northern Clarington. Members vary in age from 6 to 56, and in skill level from those who never played the game before to those who are at an advanced level. A one-time fee gives mem- bers first priority on the semi- private courts. Included in the price are six weeks of lessons from an Ontario Tennis Association-certified instructor, and entry to all the club's leagues and ladders. "The club offers something for everyone," said Gunn. "Some people play for the com- petition, some are into it for fun, and many of our members are attracted to the social aspect. We have programs for all of them." Among the most popular are the club's 'friendly doubles' Tuesday night, and the barbecue socials held periodi- cally at the club. "We also have a really good program for children. At our lessons on Wednesdays we give them the basics. By the end of a couple of weeks they're able to play mini-tennis and rally back and forth. It's a lot of fun for them, and it really builds their self-esteem," says Gunn. The OTC offers a special family rate of $55 (adult cost is $30; $20 for juniors and stu- dents) to encourage everyone in the family to join. "You're never too old for tennis," says Gunn, who's been playing for 15 years. The Orono Tennis Club has its first registration session on Wednesday, May 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 at the courts. Lessons will start a week later, and the fun and social leagues soon after that. "Don't worry if you miss the first week of lessons," says Gunn. "We're a pretty flexible club, so we can do some one- on-one to make up for what you miss. For more information call executives Kim Gunn (983- 9871) or Alistair Wentworth (987-3383). Homicide at the Shingle Miii Part 1 of a 2-part story by author Richard Jordan On a cold Thursday morning in January, 1871, a fight took place in a shingle mill up on the great pine ridge of Clarke Township. What began as a dispute over wages between labourer Benjamin Farrow and his employer, Samuel G. Wilcox, ended in tragic death and criminal charges being laid. Benjamin Farrow was born in Hope Township around 1845 and was raised in the rough conditions of the backwoods. As the eldest son of pioneer set- tIers, his only education was working to hack a farm out of the bush. His English-born par- ents, John and Mary Farrow, had settled on the east half of Lot 17, Concession 2, Manvers Township in 1856, only two years after the original Crown grant. Benjamin married a local girl, Phebe Jane Jordan, in the Methodist Church at Orono on December 26, 1867. Their son, Benjamin Herbert Farrow, was born in 1870 and the three of them lived with Phebe's par- ents, David and Eliza Jordan in a small log cabin. The Jordans were Protestants from County Longford, Ireland, who had set- tled on the east half of Lot 19, Concession 9, Clarke Township in 1850. In January 1871, Benjamin Farrow was a strong young man of 25 with a quick temper and a reputation as a brawler. He worked as a labourer in the shingle mill of Samuel G. Wilcox, located next door to the Jordans on the west half of Lot 19, Concession 9. Wilcox was 37, a successful self-made entrepreneur who had built the shingle mill in the late 1860's. He lived on the property with his wife, two young sons and his elderly father. A mark of his prosperity was the fact that an Irish-born servant girl, Margaret McLean, lived with the family. Although the shingle mill was sometimes referred to as the Wilcox Bros. Mill, it was Samuel G. who signed the paperwork and paid the bills. His brother Hugh A Wilcox, a year younger, was the sawyer, running a saw powered by a 25- horsepower steam engine. He also lived on the property with his wife and their infant daugh- ter. The 1871 Census shows that the mill worked year-round and the previous year had tumed 13,333 pine logs into an astounding 2.5 million shingles. In her book 'Out of the Mist', Helen Schmid writes, "Sam Hawthorne is recorded as draw- ing loads of shingles from Wilcox Mill, Lot 19, Con. 9, to a sailing ship at the Newcastle Wharf. One load drawn by his team and sleigh carried 50,000 shingles. The sailors had to pile the shingles up to the sails." The Census also records that 5 men over the age of 16 and 4 boys under that age worked at the Wilcox Mill in the previous year, earning a total of $1100. By the standards of the day and the area, the wages were not high, likely averaging about $140 for the men, and $100 for the boys. The cost of the pine logs was $3000 and the value of the shingles was $5000, leaving the brothers a respectable profit of $900 for 1870. As an employer, Samuel G. Wilcox was tight with money and Benjamin Farrow was nei- ther a wealthy nor a patient man. That January, some sort of dispute arose between the two over wages and Benjamin went away dissatisfied. Repeated demands by Benjamin were soon replaced by threats against his employer. On that fateful Thursday morn- ing, Benjamin left home in a rage, vowing that if he didn't get the money owing to him, he would "take it out of Wilcox's hide." Although some newspa- per reports described him as being "under the influence of liquor", the best sources do not mention alcohol as being a fac- tor that morning. To be continued next week. A bit about the author; Richard Jordan. Richard has traced his family back to four Jordan brothers who came from County Longford, Ireland in the 1840's - Johnston, David and William Jordan who farmed in Clarke Township, and John Jordan who worked in Port Hope. "Most of the time my family tree research produces the bare- bones facts about quiet farming families, but every now and then an exciting story emerges like the homicide in the shingle mill," states Jordan. Girls set to play bal It must be spring because the HOST Girls Softball League is all set to play ball. There will be three Orono entries this year. Two bantam teams which include a few midget aged girls plus a pee- wee team were formed. Coaching the Frontier RV bantams (Orono 1) will be John Witheridge with assistants Bob Witheridge and Ashley West. Mike Netusil will be coaching the Canadian Tire bantams (Orono 2) with Steve Sawyer assisting. Bob O'Neil and Doug Henderson are at the helm of the Orono Peewee entry spon- sored by Steve's Diesel. Homegames are 6:30 p.m. at Orono Fairgrounds: May 12 - Solinavs Orono 1 May 13 - Courtice vs Peewee May 19 - Courtice vs Oronol May 26 - Orono 1 vs Orono 2 May 27 - Solina vs Orono 2 June 2 - Courtice vs Orono 1 June 9 - Courtice vs Orono 2 June 10 - Solina vs Peewees June 16 - Solina vs Orono 2 June 17 - Tyrone vs Peewees June 23 - Courtice vs Orono 1 June 30 - Courtice vs Orono 2 July 7 - Orono 2 vs Orono 1 July 8 - Courtice vs Peewees July 14 - Courtice vs Orono 2 July 21 - Solina vs Orono 1 July 22 - Courtice vs Peewees July 28 - Courtice vs Orono 1 Aug. 4 - Orono 1 vs Orono 2 Aug. - 11 Courtice vs Orono 1 Aug. - 12 Courtice vs Peewees Aug. 19 - Tyrone vs Peewees Trees still available Orono Forestry Station while quantities last... White Pine • Red Pine Norwegian Spruce White Spruce •Cedar * Will bag up small quantities * Trees 10 cents each plus a $10 packing charge * $100/1,000 (no packing fee) Paul Jones 983-5857