WFHTBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1985, PAGE 7 Chamber will honor Whitby's outstanding citizen of .1984 at variety show Jan. 25 Who will be Peter Perry 1984? By MARION IRWIN Imagine Whtby in the days of the Frenchi ex- plorer plying the water of Lake Ontario and one lias to conjure up pic- tures of vast foresta, rippllng brooks, and an abudance of wildlife. To it ln a canoe a few meters from the shoreline at the foot of Brock St., the explorer would experience con- stant stlllness. There would be no Lasco smoke stack, no Heydenshore Pavillon or park area, no où tanks or sailboats. Al would be the green, blue, and brown of Mother Nature. The firat settler anywhere in the area pioneered just east of Oshawa in 1790. Shortlyp however, Windsor Bay (or what we know now as Port Whtby) had sprung into a good ship- ping port because of its natural assets in that direction. In 1793, the, Great Lakes coast-line Indian trail waa tran- sformed into a military road from Kinston to Toronto. The Lynde House, now Whitby's Museum, was bult in 1804 as a military post and stage coach stop. Traffic along the new bumpy dirt road soon in- fluenced development along it drawing away from the importance of Windsor Bay, and up- town Whitby firat took root, not at our present four corners, but one mile east of Hamer's Corners or what we now know as the junction of Anderson and Dundas Sts. Here in 1828 were built a store and post of- fice. Then, in 1836, there arrived in the area a man by the name of Peter Perry, a farmer from the Lennox and Addington counties. He, two sons, and other men established, a grain business with six outlets from Whitby to Lindsay. A store at our present four corners, where the Bank of Commerce is now ituated, boated a sign "Peter Perry at LET'S SEE YOU DO IT... OUJIDOORS! Home".- It waa flot long before (bis spot was referred to as Perry's Corners or Radical Corners, for Perry was an ardent reformer of the day. Perry's Corners soon became the heartýof the future townidwarfing in industry and importan-, ce the earlier establlshed Windsor Bay and Hamer's Cor- ners. That Peter Perry in- fluenced greatly, the direction of our town lsaa long known fact. He was a prominent and public- spirited man who also left bis mark on both the federal and local gover- nment of the day. He was a zealous advocate of "responsible gover- nment" but not to the radical degree displayed by William Lyon Mackenzie. A quote from The Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-made Men published in 1880 by the people of Perry'a era aptly pictures our foun- der: "In private as well as in public, Mr. Perry lived an eminently useful life, being kind to the poor and a friend to everybody. His generosity was sometimes imposed upon, but he preferred to 'err on virtue's ide raLlier than stop to inquire into the actual merits and demerits of DISTINCTIVE WEDDING INVITATIONS Select your wedding inviaionfl fim ur compkk ctaloIgue. For Vu. a Ka eepsake copy of your Invitation n luxuriou% 3god 00 SYRA 8f ORO every applicant's dlaimns for aid'. He held connection, we believe, with no church, but was a liberal supporter of the Gospel and of benevolent societies. In short his life was spent for the benefit of bis neighbours, his con- stituents, and is coun- try, and he knew not what it was to tire in such noble work. " At the tixne of his death in 1851 obtuary notices were included in many publications of the day. One such voluain said, "He was a serious loas to Whitby and its neighbourhood, the prosperity of which he had done more than any other man of his time to advance". In -1955 at a banquet to celebrate the town's centennial, the then Judge John Pritchard, the speaker of the evening, outlined the life of Peter Perry, the town's founder. At the conclusion he posed the question of whether there were Peter Perry's still in town. He answered his own question in the affir- mative and a year later under thie sponsorship of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, a Peter Perry Niglit was held to honor just such a per- son. The recipient of the first Peter Perry award was Donald Wilson who received his recognition in April of 1956. On Jan. 25, 1985, 29 years later, the Whitby Chamber of Commerce wiIl again present the award to someone who will be, then, the 26th Peter Perry. As last year, the evening will feature a variety show under the direction of Bert Heaver, himself a fiq 9J14Cl4of Olass GIFTS-DIAMONDS-JEWELLERY DOWNTOWN 668-3722 JANUARY SALE 20%-%50% OFF JAN. 17TH TO 19TH ONLY 1OKT & 14KT GOLD JEWELLERY & RINGS CARDINAL AND CITIZEN WATCHES ART BRASS-CANDLES-OIL LAMPS ALSO *CRYSTAL * FITZ & FLOYD *PINE ACCESSORIES * STERLING SILVER * COLLECTOR PLATES Wb 'OII,I> l.KE T1<)TH,4NKA4h OUf R CIISTOMERS M~YR A <;RFAT 1484. TESS & DAVID MATTHEWS Peter Perry, followed by a reception to toast the new Peter Perry. Both of these events will take place in the Cen- tennial Building on Cen- tre St. S. beginning at 7:30 p. m. ickets for the evening are available at Middetons on Dundas St. W., just west of the four corners. Due to the size of the theatre in the Centennial Building, however, only 150 JAN UARY SPECIAL ECONOMY NO CORNER REINFORCEMENT tickets can be pur- chased. This promises to be a fund evening with something for everyone. Longtime residents of the town can meet and chat with old friends. Those new to our town will find the opportunity (o learn about the place where they live, meet active Whitby people, and flavour the at- mosphere of the town. 30%- OFF 1984 PRICES STANDARD 1 CORNER REINFORCEMENT, The Peter Perry Award Night la a town social occasion not to be missed. Whitby "roots" are what will unify and bind the townspeople in- to a community with a heart; a place where everyone wants to live. EDITORS NOTE: Marlon Irwin la the publîclty co-ordînator for the planning com- mlttee of the Peter Perry Award. STORM WINDOWS (Deluxe Type) DELUXE FULL CORNER REINFORCEMENT ~IMIU~From ,'Il $34.95 ,~ In Colour .0DOUBLE HUNG Reduce [ IOR Heat Lose PORCH ENCLOSURES - 30% OFF FROM 5385.00 81150Dscounit If you wîsh to use exîstlng door for porch enclosure. Doora wlth 4 seals more than 2" thick from $139.00 In colour. 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