Community groups honoured by Ontario Heritage Trust

The Ontario Heritage Trust honoured three community groups for their work in the Halton Hills. Mayor Rick Bonnette presented the special pins and certificates to representatives of the group at the August council meeting. The groups were 2005 recipients of the Heritage Community Recognition Program. They are the Lucy Maud Montgomery Heritage Garden under the Heritage Garden Conservation category, the Limehouse Kiln Society under the Built category and Artworks, under the Cultural category. The heritage garden in Norval Park recognizes the hamlet's former famous resident, world-renowned Anne of Gables author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The L.M. Montgomery Heritage Garden Committee, a sub-committee of the Norval Community Association, researched heritage plants at the Royal Botanical Gardens and through Montgomery's own personal journals. The late Ruth Thompson, a longtime volunteer on the committee, discovered an unusual rose bush in her own garden and this heritage rose, dated from the early 1800s, is now named the Norval Rose. Receiving pins were: Diana Pooke (chair), David Soward, Pam Soward, Jean Hadlow, John Hadlow, George Gastle, Kathy Gastle and Tom Pettingill. The Kiln Society is a group of Limehouse residents and business representatives, as well town and provincial staff, who are committed to promoting and preserving the historical significance of the kilns in and around the village. Utilizing a Trillium grant the group has already restored one building in the kiln complex. Receiving pins were: Mary Shier, Susan Cox, Marsha Batchelor, Ian Duff, Heather Paleczny, Chris Walker, Ken Zimmerman, Bob Baker, Eric Baldin and Warren Harris. Artworks was formed as a sub-committee of the Georgetown BIA to beautify the downtown area with heritage murals. Two have been competed to date; the first in 2000 on a Mill St. wall and the second in 2004 on a Wesleyan St. building wall. The BIA raised the funds, with the surplus going to installation of decorative historical metal signs over numerous downtown alleyways. Receiving pins were: Marcia Dye, Sandy McKenzie, Elizabeth Grin and Lydia Zavitz. In turn, McKenzie presented Bonnette with the framed original drawing of the larger Mill St. mural by artist Michelle Loughery.