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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 26, 2007 - 5 History mapping the future for Knoll Continued from page 3 Michelle was born in Oakville and her grandparents lived here for many years, but she grew up in Toronto. Her formative years were a bit rocky as her parents divorced when she was six and her father took custody of Michelle and her two younger sisters. "I grew up with my Dad," she recalled. "He got custody of us in the early 1960s, pretty unusual for that time. It meant nothing to me then, I was six, but as I grew older I became aware of the sacrifices he made for us, arranging nannies, taking us camping. To agree to take responsibility for three girls who were six, five and two was amazing in retrospect," she said, adding, "In a life that was often up and down, he was someone I could always count on." Her mother, who has married several times, is a life-long community worker in Toronto. "I guess I get my passion for community work from her," Michelle said, "plus an appreciation for the spice multiculturalism brings to communities." The words community and neigh- bourhood and family are some of Michelle's favourites. History is another one. She is a founding member and currently Secretary of the newly formed Trafalgar Township Historical Society. (www.trafalgartownshiphistory.ca) "When Jeff and I first moved here in 1999, right away I wanted to know who had been here before us so I did some research," she said. "Then when Jeff ran for office in Ward 5, in the course of knocking on doors, we found out a lot more about local history." It seems the constituents had been promised a war memorial to commemorate the men and women who had served in the two World Wars and in Korea. "These were farmers' sons and daughters. It became personal for me. Getting the war memorial done became a passion for both Jeff and myself," said the councillor's wife. The War Memorial, at the southeast corner of Dundas and Trafalgar, was dedicated in November 2005, thanks to the efforts of many, but in no small part due to Michelle's research work. Trafalgar Memorial pays tribute to the original Trafalgar Memorial Hall, which stood at the southeast corner of Dundas and Trafalgar Road from 1949-1999. It includes an Honour Roll list dedicated to Trafalgar Township veterans from World War I and II, and the Korean War. Numerous stone panels, clay bricks, and steel lettering from the original Hall are included as part of the Memorial. Town of Oakville staff led the design of the Memorial, while a committee of volunteers, led by Knoll, did an extensive review of public records and consulted with members of the community to compile the list of names for the Honour Roll. One thing often leads to another: the work for the war memorial led to a wealth of history buried in the attics of north Oakville, known as Trafalgar Township until amalgamation in 1962. Indeed 2006 was the 200th anniversary of the Township with a proud, but rather unsung history. The fledgling historical society has already begun to rectify that situation. Knoll herself brings a wealth of per- sonal history to the table. If experience is the best teacher she's had an education quite apart from college. Her first marriage lasted five years and produced three children. "Jeff was single when I met him and a bit crazy because he decided to marry a woman with three young children," Michelle said. So, a family that began with Bryn, now 23, Sarah and Evan, expanded with Dylan and David, the youngest who is seven. The Knolls have been married 17 years. A woman of Christian faith, involved at Chartwell Baptist Church, Michelle said, "This is a big part of who I am, why I do what I do." Apparently, one of her favourite things to do is "pick up a shovel and plant a tree." Another is to start each day with a relaxing, 20-minute bath. Maybe that's the best way to kick off the day for a woman whose finger is in many pies. Learn to Dance For Your Wedding Samba Rumba Cha Cha Salsa Waltz Teams sought to ride Oakville's Big Bike It's not just a big bike, it's huge. It's eight feet wide and 30 feet long -- the size of a school bus. It weighs nearly 2,000 pounds, sports more than 150 feet of bicycle chain and each year participants rack up enough kilometres to almost travel the Trans-Canada Highway -- twice. And it's coming to Oakville on Tuesday, June 26 and again on Saturday, July 7. It is the Heart and Stroke Big Bike and the event of the same name where 30 people pedal the same bike to raise funds so Ontario researchers working in their labs can continue searching for better prevention and treatment for heart disease and stroke. The Big Bike event sees teams of riders collect pledges to ride and receive incentives in return. 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