The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Continued from page 3 County Cooperative Medical Services, which was the forerun- His most cherished ner to our present day OHIP system. He still has his original honour was bein; ig membership card, which had a cost of $2.50 associated with it. . . It was only natural that Walter was involved in politics. appo inted chairman During the fifties he was a member of the East Whitby Town- of the new Region of ship Council. As the City of Oshawa annexed townships elec- y tions were held every year. Walter, who took a special interest Durham in 1973 in land planning made it a point to thoroughly represent the rural communities and see that they were given the same op- portunities as urban areas. In 1959 Walter was elected County Warden, the top job in the county. I aske he was appointed Chairman of the newly formed Durham Region. It was a three year term and Walter ed him if he still had time to work his own _tan twice successfully for re- farm. “The job of County Warden did not pay very much. I election. He retired in 1980. had a wife and two sons to support,” he said with a grin on his face. Walter’s highest honour came on July 31st, 1973 when In this position Walter was instrumental in restructuring local government. His region was 1,000 square miles (2,600 square kilometres) with a population of 220,000. At least twenty municipalities were involved, including two counties and the sepa- rated City of Oshawa. The new region consisted of eight area and one regional council. “I initiated the first practical energy savings plan in Ontario” Walter began, “which used our own staff, mak- ing it quite inexpensive.” As Chairman, Walter was involved in staffing, roads, February 14, 2009 Dear Mr. Beath: The Regional Congratulations as you mark this major milestone. Upon reach- | water and sewage, social assistance and J ing tae of ine, ele fen comment onthe get changes Peale an Walter enjoys the Port Perry Com- Office ofthe Regional Chair they have observed in their lifetime. However Mr. Beath, you joy: ty ‘ fi icipant in the munity. Each day he goes for long 05 oscess weren't just a spectator — you were am active partcibant walks for several kilometres. “I have iy, Ontario, evolution of this Region. to slow down a bit,” he said. “I fell pepessrn is ; the ous last week, but I’m mending well.” He tee teoo 088-1587 As Durham's first Regional Chair, you faced tremend loves the cold weather and dresses for amnene challenge of bringing a group of diverse and independent it. “Nothing like being outdoors on a vewuseslnauhance communities into a new parmership. This task required great crisp winter morning.” —_ vision, energy, diplomacy and resilience. As a result of your Since his retirement Walter has roger M Anerson capable adership during those formative years, Regional kept active. He served four years i into i ibilities. Council gradually grew into its new role and responsibilities Your legacy was a firm foundation for those who followed in ‘your footsteps. as a Regional Police Commissioner, worked diligently in the Oshawa Hos- pital $26,000,000 campaign and was part of a three person panel formed to determine the effects that a GTA would have on the residents of the region. Walter has won many awards, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal and the Bi-Centennial Certifi- cate of Merit, but his most cherished. honour is the Centennial Award for Agriculture. Chosen from among 400 nominees Walter was recognized for his contribution not only to Agricul- ture but to our region as a whole. ‘Walter has just completed a 200 page history of his family, which will be treasured by generations to come. It was a pleasure to spend a few hours with a man who was so instrumental in the formation of our present Regional Government. By Jonathan van Bilsen Focus on Scugog i ic i i builder of the On this special occasion, we recognize you as a vibrant community we have today. We hope you are pleased with the continuing progress of the Region and very proud of the part you played in achieving it. On behalf of Regional Council, please accept our sincere thanks for your lifelong contributions to Durham Region and our best wishes for a very happy 90th birthday. Yours truly, Jae” Roger Anderson Regional Chair 6 FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2009