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Friday, May 24, 2019 7Brooklin Town Crier Have a Safe and Happy Fair Weekend from your Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor at the Town of Whitby MULCAHY Rhonda 905.706-0482 mulcahyr@whitby.ca Brooklin Heritage Society "Papa Roy" by Linda Tushingham While Roy Ormiston is remembered as an icon in his community, to us, his family, he will always be Papa Roy. Anyone who's been a long time resident of Whitby and Brooklin likely recalls Roybrook Farm at Baldwin and Winchester, which he owned and operated until its disbursement sale in 1990. About 3,000 people from around the world showed up to the sale, dubbed the "Roybrook Retirement Party." It was described as "a testament to the global reach of the herd...the Roybrook influence was continuing to grow." Surrounded by the newly built subdivision, he lived in his simple home until his death at age 100 in December, 2015. A Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee, recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and two-time Master Breeder Shield recipient, Papa Roy and his famous herd of dairy cows shaped the reproduction landscape of the Holstein breed. Three of his bulls, Tempo, Telstar, and Starlite, were some of the most sought after worldwide for their Holstein genetics. Numerous honours Generous in his success, he honoured his community with a $2M donation to Lakeridge Health Foundation as well as a donation of 25 acres of farmland to Whitby/Brooklin in the hopes of building a hospital or palliative care facility. In 2009, he provided the funds to rebuild the steeple at Brooklin United Church. Several Brooklin businesses, associations, and charities were also recipients of his generosity. Grass Park displays a plaque commemorating his philanthropy. Papa Roy's farmland contained three houses. Each raised generations of his extended family. He took everyone under his wing: children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. While he cultivated his land with chickens and foxes, then later grew it into a world-renowned Holstein farm, the kids were busy being kids and didn't necessarily understand nor appreciate the significance of Roybrook. He never complained when they were more interested in heading to town or walking through the fields to go ice skating. It was always Papa Roy who would find the time on those many occasions to pick them up from Luther Vipond Arena. But in our world, Papa Roy was our late night euchre partner at the cottage, our Sunday dinner companion, and the biggest Blue Jays fan in the family. He was also a great source of knowledge, especially when it came to politics and world affairs. Watched Brooklin grow The years rolled by and Papa Roy saw his land come full circle. He watched as what he'd created turn into what it is today. As he sold off his land, he was able to see the growth of Brooklin and what the town most needed. We would often walk around his property and he would point out where the new homes, the 407, and the mall would be. He talked about drainage and environmental issues that arise when farmland is redeveloped into residential and commercial space. At that time, we finally began to appreciate what Papa Roy was made of and who he was. After our beloved Granny,his wife, passed away, Papa Roy was lonely. Yet instead of feeling sorry for himself, he continued to look after what he called "his chores": bookkeeping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and yard work. He always enjoyed his visits to FreschCo, Shoppers or Tims. But his definite special gift was sharing stories and connecting with his family. Visits with Papa Roy were always interesting. Avid Blue Jays fan On his last visit to the cottage, he was 100 years old. It was where we had some of our fondest memories of him. He'd always show up with fresh strawberries and the daily newspaper. There were early morning walks, long leisurely chats and entertaining stories. Happy hour was a must followed by a quick nap and, if the Blue Jays were on, he'd sit and watch from beginning to end. Once he discovered how to pause live TV, the world opened up and Papa Roy would go out to enjoy the sunshine, playing soccer and croquet with his greatgrandkids before returning to the game. Papa Roy's summer cap still hangs on the front door hook of the cottage and the smell of his cologne lingers in the air. I can still hear his familiar "Cheerio" as the door swings shut.