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4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 29, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com For the Health of Our Community How low can you get? Thieves dig up teacher's retirement tree By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Thank you to the BMO Nesbitt Burns OTMH Regatta For the second year in a row, BMO Nesbitt Burns has presented the OTMH Regatta out of the Bronte Harbour Yacht Club. This year 36 boats joined in the race down Lake Ontario on June 23rd and together they raised over $30,000 for OTMH. In just two years the OTMH Regatta has donated over $50,000 to OTMH for urgently needed medical equipment. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you- the organizing committee, the sponsors and the participants. Thank you for the health of our community. Karen Hamacher was shocked when she went to West Oak Public School yesterday to teach the last class of her career. The retirement gift staff and students had bought to honour her 31 years of teaching ­ a tree planted on school property ­ was gone. Uprooted. "I could hardly believe that somebody would take it," Hamacher said yesterday while sitting in her Grade 1 classroom. "I was in disbelief." It was a standard lilac tree that her class of six and seven year olds helped plant for their teacher last week in the school's garden. "She loves gardening, so she asked that a tree be planted so that the school and students could watch it grow." West Oak principal Marlene Warne West Oak principal Marleen Warne said Hamacher didn't want a big going away party to celebrate her retirement, but instead asked that a tree be planted in her remembrance. "She loves gardening, so she asked that a tree be planted so that the school and the students could watch it grow," Warne said. "There was a lot of sentiment attached to this gift. "We're all upset. We just can't believe it's been taken." A few staff members gathered around the area where the tree used to be yesterday, which is neatly covered with mulch. "The tree hasn't just been pulled out," Hamacher said. "Somebody thought about digging it up and re-positioning the soil and the mulch around the tree. "It's in somebody's backyard, I'm sure." Hamacher hadn't told her Grade 1 class about the missing tree as of yesterday morning, but planned to break the news to them after the final assembly. "They were very excited about the tree," she said. "They all promised they'd come back next year, even after I'm gone, See Theft page 5 P: (905) 338-4642 F: (905) 257 -6758 www.oakvillehospitalfoundation.com