Brooklin has always been a farming community with many prominent farming families who were heavily involved in their community. One of these families is the Vipond family, whose Brooklin legacy began with John Vipond. John was born at Raglan, East Whitby Township (present-day Oshawa), in 1849 and moved to Brooklin around 1874. A prominent breeder of Clydesdale horses, he owned many champions. He was a member of the Oshawa Fair Board and was involved in local politics. Vipond was also Whitby Township Councillor from 1889-1890, Reeve from 1903-1906, and Warden of Ontario County in 1904.
John Dryden was born and raised on Maple Shade Farm, Lot 20, Concession 7, in Brooklin, a farm known for the breeding of pure-bred stock. He served as Deputy Reeve of Whitby Township from 1865 to 1868 and as Reeve in 1869-1870. In 1879 he was elected Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ontario South and served as Ontario's Minister of Agriculture from 1890 to 1905. Dryden was also president of the Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway, and a director of the Ontario Bank. Despite his business prowess, Dryden still loved farming and eventually took over the management of Maple Shade Farm.
John Dryden’s son, William Arthur (Bill) Dryden, was born and raised at Maple Shade Farm. Bill was a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College and used his education to expand livestock breeding at the farm. Bill held many positions such as Chairman of the Canadian National Livestock Records and President of the Dominion Shorthorn Breeders’ Association and a frequent and respected livestock judge. Bill also was a driving force behind establishing the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair which was founded in Toronto in 1922. This feat earned Dryden a nomination by the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Association to be inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1963. Bill Dryden served as President of the Brooklin Spring Fair in 1945 and 1946.
William Franklin (Frank) Batty was born in East Whitby on January 3, 1878. He married Charlotte Ester Coakwell and moved to the Coakwell farm on Lot 25, Concession 5, Whitby Township. A breeder of Clydesdale horses and Jersey cattle, Batty exhibited at the Canadian National Exhibition for 70 years, beginning in 1897. He won many championships with his horses, including a first and reserve champion for Maryfield Queen at the International Livestock Show at Chicago in 1922. His farm was known as Crescent Stock Farm, and it was later taken over by his son, John Batty in 1931. John Franklin Batty was born near Brooklin on October 14, 1915. In 1954-55, John was president of the Clydesdale Horse Association of Canada and acted as the Association’s representative to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from 1949-1985.
Mark Duff, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Duff, was born on Fairview Farm, 8th Concession, Whitby Township, on July 8, 1894. He was one of the best-known stockbreeders, importers, and exhibitors in Ontario, and was particularly known for his prize-winning Clydesdale horses. Duff also bred sheep and shorthorn cattle. He was a director of the Brooklin Spring Fair and South Ontario Agricultural Society and was president of the Clydesdale Horse Breeders Association of Canada. He won many prizes and awards at the Canadian National Exhibition, the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, and the Guelph Winter Fair.
