Innisfil Videos
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Adolph And Anita Von Graffen On Growing Up In Germany
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Adolph von Graffen with his wife Anita discuss their childhood experiences growing up in pre-World War II Germany and their childhood during war. Mr. von Graffen mentions being drafted to the Hitler Youth, and the experiences of being bombed in their small town south of Berlin. He and his mother and sister were often rushed into their basement bomb shelter which had been stocked with provisions. Mr. von Graffen discusses his father's service during the war, and that he was a prisoner of war and was separated from his family for 10 years.
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Adolph and Anita von Graffen - Building Furniture and Totem Poles
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Adolph von Graffen talks about his passion and skill with woodworking, which he has used to create numerous beautiful pieces of furniture and totem poles for display. Interviewed by Kathryn Schoutsen and Kate Zubczyk at their home on 15 November 2013. The following is a complete transcription of the video: "Kathryn: Can you talk about perhaps your totem poles or furniture building?
Adolph: Yeah, well I was always interested in primitive buildings. I was interested in history, how they … Egypt, in 2000 before Christ built these big buildings and they are still there, so I thought if I come again to this world, I would like to be an architect. And so, I was impressed by the totem poles, which I saw only very little here. I saw them once in British Columbia, and I said “oh, well I can do that!” So I started to work, and my first was a cedar, which stands in front in the garden there, and then people admired that and we had a large sale, we had invited…
Anita: unveiling!
Adolph: Sixty or seventy people, and all were dressed in Indian and aboriginal clothes and then we had …
Anita: We served…
Adolph: We served only buffalo and…
Anita: Venison, corn, blueberries…
Adolph: And the music, Indian music we had, so it was a big success, and that encouraged me to make another one, and that was this big tree in front of our garden. He was cut down for the 20th sideroad when they built that and I thought “oh that would be a nice tree!” So I carried it over here with tractors, and it was quite a job because on the bottom it is quite heavy. So then I started to work on it, and it took six hundred hours work, and then we erected it, and it has lasted ever since!
Anita: 1991!
Adolph: 1991, no, ’89, no ’91.
Anita: It was the year that our daughter got married. Our oldest.
Adolph: Yes. And then I was asked if I could make one for the … now what is it?
Anita: The Arboretum, down in Gilford.
Adolph: And I carved one for them. It’s not quite as high, only 72 feet high.
Anita: How tall is this one?
Adolph: 42. And then another fan of ours wanted one that’s in Honeywood, and so for my daughter I made one.
Anita: It’s the best, it’s inside.
Adolph: That’s only 10 feet up, but it’s…
Anita: It’s pretty, still!
Adolph: And that’s besides furniture, I built almost everything in our house. I did a lot of iron work and painting, everything! And I had my fun, and I look now at my age and I look what I did here, and what I did there, and there’s hardly anything that I didn’t touch in the house. We enjoy it! I enjoy it especially.
Anita: No, I do too! Even though it needs to be dusted all the time…
Adolph: That’s what I said earlier.
Anita: No but I enjoy it too. I enjoy it as well.
Adolph: Lots of people visited us from Germany as well as from Colombia and other countries, and so we always had a lot of company and it was nice to show them what we achieved."
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Alan Ely - Cedarhurst Golf Club
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Alan Ely reminisces about his summers as a youth in Beaverton at the Cedarhurst Golf Club, which was co-founded in 1922 by his grandfather. He begins by describing how a monogrammed golf putter that belonged to his grandfather reminds him most of his childhood memories made at the Cedarhurst Golf Club. He also discusses how a group of mothers ensured that children who spent summers in Beaverton always had a place at the golf club by planning classes and parties, and how the friendships he made at that time have lasted into the present.
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Alan Ely - Festivals, The Cne, And Taking The Train
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Alan Ely recounts memories of the Beaverton Fair, which he describes as "a must." The Fair took place in September and was an important time of gathering. He also discusses the importance of travelling to the Canadian National Exhibition ("the Ex") in Toronto, and taking the Northland train in the morning to get there. Alan also discusses how there were several spots along a train route that the train would stop upon request by waving a handkerchief.
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Alan Ely - First Nations On Georgina And Thorah Island
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Alan Ely recalls his grandmother, Minnie Ethel Ely's, unique relationship with the First Nations community on Georgina and Thorah Island and her support of First Nations art and culture. F.H. Varley of the Group of Seven painted a portrait of her in native dress entitled "Portrait of Mrs. E," which is displayed at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Alan recalls how members of the First Nations who came from the islands to markets in Beaverton would often stop and visit at his grandparents' cottage.
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Alan Ely - Fishing And Boating On Lake Simcoe
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Alan Ely begins by describing a photo of his father and mother fishing on Lake Simcoe. His mother smiles at his father while his father holds up a large fish, and the photo was taken sometime in the fall on a 10 horsepower wooden boat. He also his first time boating alone on Lake Simcoe. His father's most important lesson for him was to learn to respect the lake, and that he was not to worry about the boat as long as he was safe should bad weather arise. He also talks of fishing with his father for perch and bass, taking any extra to his uncle Gordon, and enjoying eating the fresh fish.
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Alan Ely - Music, Singing, And Sports
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Alan Ely describes some fond memories from his youth in Beaverton sitting at the edge of Lake Simcoe, small groups of youths on Sunday afternoons and evenings playing music and singing before returning to Toronto for the week. Children and teens would also gather at the drive-in, or in Orillia or the Kee to Bala, and playing sports like pick-up hockey and curling as popular pastimes.
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Alan Ely - Recreation
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Alan Ely recalls how he spent his free time as a youth including bringing in docks during working bees, going "fishing" to instead spend time with friends listening to the radio, visiting the Strand Movie theatre, playing touch football with ten or fifteen other young people, and going for milk at the local store on a Sunday afternoon.
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Alan Ely - Sir Henry Pellatt
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Alan Ely elaborates on his familial connection to Sir Henry Pellatt, owner of Casa Loma, and his son Reginald. He explains that Reginald married Marjorie Carlyle Perry, Alan's maternal grandmother's sister, and has memories of touring the castle with his sister on their own during visits. He also tells of Sir Henry owning property on Lake Couchiching but is unsure if it was a country escape for him or if it was more so something that he was expected to have.
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Alan Ely - Transportation To The Cottage
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Alan Ely describes the different ways in which cottagers from Toronto have travelled north to Lake Simcoe over the years. He recalls stories his mother and father told of coming by car and having to change tires once or twice along the way, or stopping at a hotel in Mt. Albert to break the trip into two. Alternatively, you could also take the train to Jackson's Point and navigate your own way to Beaverton from there. Alan also describes his observation that people in Toronto tend to live either North-South, or East-West oriented lives and since the Ely family lived North-South to cottage on Lake Simcoe instead of east towards the Beaches.
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Alan Ely - White Gate Cottage
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Alan Ely recalls his grandfather's role in the Beaverton community, though he never knew him, from stories told by his grandmother and parents. Saturday night parties at his family cottage, known as White Gate and built by his grandfather and grandmother, were well known and filled with music courtesy of his grandmother on piano and his father and uncles singing along. Alan also mentions that visitors to the parties were a mixture of local Beaverton residents as well as seasonal residents from Toronto and elsewhere. The White Gate cottage still exists but was sold out of the family in the mid-1950s. Alan's father eventually purchased a vacant lot and built a new cottage named Swallowbank.
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Aurel Dorion Presents at Knock School
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Video of a presentation delivered by former police Constable Aurel Dorion to the Innisfil Historical Society on 18 February 2017 at Knock School. Aurel was a Constable for the former Innisfil Township Police Department from 1959 to 1989 and was the first ever recipient of Innisfil Township's Citizen of the Year Award in 1974. The Police Chiefs during Aurel's time were: Stewart Fisher (1959), William H. Brown (1960-83), and Maurice Pearson (1984-89). At that time the police station had been located on the corner of Victoria and Yonge Street in Stroud. This video was filmed by Bill Warnica and is reproduced here with the permission of Aurel Dorion, 2017.
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Barb and Ron Groshaw - Celebrity Encounters
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Innisfil summer residents Barbara and Ron Groshaw discuss a few of the well-known individuals that Ron encountered during his career in ophthalmology while serving overseas. Interviewed by John Trotter at their cottage on 12 September 2016.
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Barb and Ron Groshaw - Crescent Harbour Road and Property Taxes
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Innisfil summer residents Barbara and Ron Groshaw discuss the road on which their cottage is located, as well as the changes in property taxes over the years since their original purchase in the 1960s. Interviewed by John Trotter at their cottage on 12 September 2016.
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Barb and Ron Groshaw - Introduction
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Innisfil summer residents Barbara and Ron Groshaw introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their family ties and connection to Innisfil. Interviewed by John Trotter at their cottage on 12 September 2016.
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