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W1I1TBY FREE PRESS, WEDNliSDAY, JANUARY 2 1,108 1, PAGEi 1-3 Our Hi*storical Heritage WBy EUGENE IHENRY ~P hitby's Ioreimost Ihistoriail ~)ju frwin brought air age to Whitby this piece, is not Clark Gable on a Hollywood movie set, i but Norm Irwin of Red Wing Orchards back in 1927, when lie took the Town of Whitby into the Air Age. Norm t i li th/west Toronto, that is built over now with metor subur- bia. His fliglit instructor was Lee Capreol, a well known test pilot of those days. Norm says that his first flights over Whitby and Stonehaven Farm (where he lives now) were in the month of June in 1927. So! Whitby entered the Air Age then. There was no airstrip at the far m then, for take offs and landings. An incoming pilot merely put his aircraft down on any piece of ground. Free of apple trees that was reasonably level for a few hundred feet. Those were busy days for both Norm and Kay Irwin. They were just married and in the throses of building their fine stonge home. Norm was planting apple trees and planning the future for Red Wing Orchar- ds. He flew as many hours as all this work would allow and Kay was a watchful par- tner in aIl of these develop- ments. Looking back on it all r'ow, Norm exudes a quiet satisfaction with the role lie played, in the early air age of Whitby. In retrospect they seem to be the happiest days0of lis eventfull life and perhaps Kay would agree. Norm flew some rented aircraft before lie bought a wooden, Gypsy Moth with a 90-horse power engine and fold back wings. He kept it in a stonehaven shed when it was on wheels and in a small metal hanger down at Whit- by Harbour when it was on floats. The ittle hangar had a historic site because it was built on the crib vvork that once supported the Watson Ii warhouses back in the j Norrn much preferred another site on the west side f o f the harbour north of the Whitby yacht club but federal authorities would not * approve the proposed location. In the thirities Norm pur- chased a bigger, fixed-wing Dehaulilland machine and it kept him scrambling to generate sufficient cash flow tg pay for it. He sold Red Wing Air Services ail over this part of Central Canada and as a result, he became familiar with ail the air strips and emergency Ian- ding fields in this part of the country. It was this flying that equipped him to be most helpful to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) when they started looking for just such facilities in connection with the Com- monwealth Air Training Program. Norm Irwin signed on with the Royal Canadian Air For- ce "From the Word Go".- Norm Irwin is understan- dably proud of his con- tribution to the air training program as an advisor to the late Air Marshall Curtis. Back in 1927 there were r umours that an airport rnight be built in Whitby. Norm Irwin says that was pure specualtion by local politicians and that air plan- ners neyer at any time con- sidered Whitby.for that pur- pose. Oshawa always got the nod for airport develop- ment and after it provided ail that was needed of it during World War II days. It became the number one air facility Iocally and so it is today. THJOPOAINEFH TOWN OF WHUTBY -,»lUN TH E MATTER 0F THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT 1974, R.S.O. CHAPTER 122 AND IN THE MATTER 0F THE PREMISES AT THE FOLLOWING MUNICIPAL ADDRESS IN THE PROVINCE 0F ONTARIO. NOTICE 0F INTENTION TO DESIGNATE TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Town of Whitby intends 10 designate the structurel at the following municipal address as a structure of architecturai and historical value and interest under Part IV of The Ontario Herilage At, 1974, R.S.O. Chapter 122: lnverlynn 1300 Giffard Street Whitby, Ontario. Architectural reasons for the proposed designation include the exterior brick worlr. the three bay front wilh centre doorway. the multiple pane windows and the tact Ihat il is a f ine exampte of the lter Regency Ontario vernacular house. Historical reasons for the proposed designat ion of the structure buïlit in 1860 include the promnent persans ln the Towns history and de4elopment cannec- tied wth lnverlynn such as the archilecl John Shier. the firsi owner William Lang, a member of the lirsI Whilby Town Council in 1855 and Mayor of the Town in 1863-64 and thie second owner George McGilliîvray and his descendan- ts, Any person may, before February 20. 1981, send by registered mail or delîver 10 the Clark of the Town af Whitby. notice of his or her obection to the proposedi designalion logether wilh a stalement of reasons for objection. If such objec- tion is received, Council shall refer the malter ta the Conservation Review Board for a hearing OATED aithIte Town of Whitby Municipal Building Ihis twenty-firsl day oI January. 1981, Donald G. McKay Town Clerk Thxe Corporation of the Town of Whitby 575 Rossland Ftoad East Whitbry. Ontario LIN 2MB a - - -dm