D'Arcy Jenish is a playwright and writer of magazine features, newspaper commentary, speeches, corporate histories and corporate reports. He has authored three plays & ten books on topics ranging from the opening the Canadian West to The Making of the October Crisis to The NHL: 100 Years of On-ice Action and Boardroom Battles to Money to Burn: Trudeau, Mulroney and the Bankruptcy of Canada. Born in a Montréal hotel room on November 26, 1917, the NHL has endured two world wars, the Great Depression, the failure of numerous franchises and the predations of the short-lived World Hockey Association. Today it is one of North America’s[...]

Father Frances Patrick Duffy, born in Cobourg on May 2, 1871, was a Canadian/American soldier, Catholic Priest and military Chaplain. Duffy served as Chaplain for the US 69th Infantry Regiment in WWI. His exploits were of such renown that a very large statue of him was erected in Father Duffy Square in New York City. Father Duffy’s story will be told by Randy Barber and will include a video produced by local reporter Pete Fisher. Randy resided in Markham with his wife Solveig for over 40 years. Between 1994 and 2000 he served as Ward Councillor for the Town of[...]

Cobourg was first called Amherst and then Hard Scrabble. By the 1820s the name was changed to Cobourg. Some streets were named after prominent early citizens, some for ancestral heritage and some by business people. Commencing in the latter 20th century new streets were often named after former Cobourg Mayors Peter Delanty will present the history of Cobourg as told by our street names. Peter , Mayor of Cobourg 2000 – 2010, is a former school principal and recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. His past and continuing commitment to many organizations and causes, include his position as[...]

Janet Kellough has written and appeared in numerous stage productions that feature a fusion of storytelling and music. As well, she is the author of seven books in the Ontario history based Thaddeus Lewis Mystery Series, the fifth book of which, Wishful Seeing was short-listed for the 2017 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award and subsequently developed into a play of the same name by Ontario’s 4th Line Theatre. She has also written two contemporary novels and the speculative fiction thriller The Bathwater Conspiracy, which was nominated for a 2019 Alberta Book Publishing Award. As a[...]

Our distinguished speaker, Roger Litwiller, is a Canadian author, historian and lecturer. He has written two books, White Ensign Flying and Warships of the Bay of Quinte as well as numerous articles for magazines and newspapers. HMCS Cobourg was a modified Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort and was named for Cobourg, Ontario. Roger served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve, working with cadets and his civilian career was as a Paramedic for 37 years. Following his retirement from Paramedicine, the Canadian[...]

Our presenter on March 28, Karin Wells, is best known as a CBC radio documentary maker and author. Her work has been heard on radio networks around the world and has been recognized by the United Nations and is a three-time recipient of the Canadian Association of Journalist documentary award. Wells worked - briefly - as a line worker in a pea factory, a school teacher and as an actress. She has a graduate degree in law and in 2011 was inducted into the University of Ottawa's Common Law Honour Society. Wells will highlight women from the Cobourg area[...]

A study of Churchill’s ninety years of life show him to be a true Renaissance Man. He had a huge breadth of existence not only as a WWII leader but as an author, painter, bricklayer, pilot, horseman and all with a notable wit! Learn the myths and truisms from the Chairman of the International Churchill Society-Canada, Randy Barber. Randy resided in Markham with his wife Solveig for over 40 years. Between 1994 and 2000 he served as Ward Councillor for the Town of Markham and is a newly elected Cobourg Councillor. He has held federal government appointments as an Administration[...]

Our speaker, Peter Delanty, is a former Cobourg Mayor, Principal, and recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. His past and continuing commitment to many organizations and causes, include his position as Treasurer in 1980 at the then newly minted Cobourg and District Historical Society. The ferries and their passenger significantly influenced Cobourg’s residents and the local economy for almost 50 years. The company and the actual ferries were unique in Great Lake sailing. Peter’s presentation will include vintage photographs of the ferries, details of the Captains of these unique ships and the ultimate fate of the ferries.[...]

It started out as a straightforward architectural inventory of Hamilton Township’s older buildings. The township had never catalogued its heritage and in 2016, Tom Cruickshank proposed that he was the guy to do it. Retired from a career in journalism, he has an abiding interest in local history and heritage architecture which is a subject that he has pursued in no less than five books. His works include Old Ontario Houses, Old Toronto Houses and The Settler’s Dream. He also worked as editor of Century Home and later, Harrowsmith Country Life. Currently he freelances for Watershed Magazine. Tom started to document all the farmhouses, bridges, churches and[...]

In the 20th century's greatest war, the North Atlantic battlefield held the key to victory or defeat. It took 2,074 days and nights to determine its outcome, but the Battle of the Atlantic proved the turning point of the Second World War. For five and a half years, the German navy attempted to destroy Allied transatlantic convoys, mostly escorted by Royal Canadian Navy destroyers and corvettes, as well as aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1939, Canada's navy went to war with 13 warships and about 3,500 sailors. During the desperate Atlantic crossings, the RCN grew to[...]