The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

/ SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1948 THE. DAILY TIM ES-GAZETTE PAGE THIRTEEN OUR PUB Oshawa's beautiful War Memorial, located in Memorial Park on Simcoe | the city. This is considered to be one of the most unique Memorials in "treet, "The Garden of the Unforgotien" almost literally in the heart of | the British Empire. Here is shown good use being made of the e awhaling pool in Rotary Park ( next week the Rotary Club is again appealing for public ort to carry | on the work among the crippled children. This pool, located in Rotary on Centre Street. This picture was taken last summer. Considerable im- provement has been made since that time. On Monday and Tuesday of | Park, is one of Osh --Times-Gazette Staff Photo in the time, Oshawa Parks Are Well Located... Valuable Assets | > Commercial Wealt Wealth and ic Pride The first impression the new- comer to a city receives is probably ane of great material wealth as he sees commercial activity and blocks of industrial buildings. Strikingly utilitarian structures cover wide areas. They may be of brick, con- crete, stone or steel. Whirring machines and resounding clatter announce their activity, Life lines of rails and pavement guide their product through the community to ceach more distant places by main highways and 'railroads. Elsewhere on downtown streets, scaffoldings help workmen raise new store fronts. Extensions to old Jouses and building of many new ones may be seen. Road gangs at work on walks or pavement, trucks | «1d vehicles of every description | all help by their activity to convey | a very real impression of the ma-| cerial wealth of a community. In ¢his' respect the City of Oshawa, *Our Town" as so many of us still dike to think it, has much to show. Its industrial status is national, even international in scope, while downtown activity causes all days to resemble the occasional Marke! | Jay of other centres, | But the civic wealth and civic] ride of citizens in a community | ecome more evident when the ob- | server regards provision made and | valuable space devoted to parks and olaygrounds. With justifiable pride, | our citizens can provide an inter-; esting experience for friends visit- | ing Oshawa for the first time. Let | them take their visitors for a trip | around some of the parks listed | elsewhere in this article. To see| the activity, the steady development | year after year and to learn at fst] hand of the more recent growth of Neighborhood Associations, cannot | fail to impress anyone with the | awa must always be But it would be a very narrow | view, completely lacking in perspec- | tive and appreciation if all this is} taken for granted with no thought as to the means by which it came about. Many civic minded people have played a part in this. They have worked voluntarily, without ostentation and often with but little public notice. . Their objective, through the years was to make the town a better place in which to live. It is thus that this and future generations wilil continue to enjoy the fruits of their labor. A Newer Phase Parks, playgrounds and open] spaces as we mow find them are comparatively recent forms of civic enterprise, Their development rep- | resents consistent effort during the last 30 years towards a worthy, ideal. Often playing a lone hand and with a limited budget, most of this work has been conceived and carried out by a succession of Parks Boards, a group of private citizens appointed annually by the City Council. Osh- | indebted to| the foresight, wisdom and willing- | ness of these #olunteer workers, to seek out and co-operate with citi-| zens in the provision of suitable] areas to meet the need of the community. Before 1914 and indeed for some years after, Alexandra Park was the only sports field and community playground - in the entire munci- pality. As far back as 1910-11, this writer recalls the late Dr. F. L. Henry, then chairman of the Parks| Board, and the late Dr. T. E. Kaiser, ! soliciting subscriptions from inter- ested citizens in order to plant some 30 or 40 fairly full-grown trees in that part of the park adjacent to Alexandra Street. During that win- | ter this difficult job was done with considerable success and accounts great social value of these splendid | for many of the oider trees now | civic assets. | shading that pleasant spot, Funds! | designed. outdoor were limited when the population was small, (about 6,200) but even so, the Parks Board was thoroughly | ionen with the desirability of de- | veloping beauty spots and providing more. accessible playground space. Even in those far off days, the practicability of developing Oshawa Creek from the golf course to the Base Line and probably to the lake, as the backbone of a Central Parks System was a frequent topic of dis- cussion at the old Thirty Club, over Burns. Shoe Store. Unfortunately, a rather disastrous flood occurred about September, 1914, which prac- tically wrecked the bridges on Ross land Road and the Base Line. With much damage in the intervening two and a half miles, this project was put out of mind, at least until means could be devised ensuring control of the creek and its head- waters. Much knowledge "has since been gained concerning creek 'behavior. Experience of the Golf Club through the years, indicates thdt adequate | control, means not only expendi- ture of money, but patience and persistence in the face of disap- pointment. Meanwhile, a portion of this once flooded area has been ef- fectively occupied by .Oshawa's splendid ice palace, the Hockey | | Arena. The pleasant surroundings | of the Oshawa Tennis Club near by, | frequently show signs of the strug-| gle of this valiant group against | the vagaries of t*. c¢-22k. Latest| development in this vicinity is the | admirable plan by which the Kins- | men's Club will erect a well- | stadium for day | or night use with team and track sports. This excellent demonstra-, tion of community - spirit is cur- rently receiving the public notice and support it so well deserves. A Welcome Gift However, while development of | this north end has been somewhat | slow, it is still quite reasonable to | think of the balance of the creek in terms of a Central Park. Hav- ing so many features of natural beauty almost every foot of the way from the Base Line to the lake, this project may yet become a problem | of practical politics for considera- | tion ahd solution by Parks Boards of the future. Three and a half miles south- ward from Alexandra Park and in similar proximity to the same creek, lies our next great asset, Lakeview Park. Until 1920, this area was a farm of orchard and grazing lands. The quaint old farm house of cut limestone blocks, still stands at the eastern extremity. It is some sat- isfaction to know that the present Parks Board is actively concerned in ensuring preservation of this old building, Its future may well be that of a pioneer museum, housing relics of local historic interest. The entire farm was purchased and given to t he municipality through the instrumentality of Colonel R. 8. McLaughlin and his brother, the late Mr. George, for use as a park end playgrounds Since 1920, much work has been done by the Parks Board. Hundreds of trees, set out as saplings, now give restful shade. A sea-wall extend- ing along the half-mile or more frontage, has hindered erosion of a grassy lawn that slopes towards the | lake. Screened baseball diamonds, a full size cricket pitch, dance pavilion, band-stand and scores of lunch tables with seats and benches, are suitably located, with wide areas for car parking. During the months of summer and fall, many thous- | ands of Oshawa citizens, young, old and in between, find room here for | almost every kind of outdoor social and recreational activity, Memorial Park and Band Shell | Between these two great parks, | the one at the north and the other at the south end of the city, no | less than ten smaller parks or play- grounds have been located through the municipal area during the last quarter of a century. Not all of these are playgrounds. Some are pleasingly planted resting places. Of these latter, the best known is Memorial Park, which has as its focal point, Oshawa's magnficent War Memorial. The monument, unusual in many respects, stands in what is appropriately called 'The Garden of the Unforgotten." Shad- ed by great maples, with flowers in bloom and grass of -velvet green, | Ritson School, LIC PARKS and PLAYGROUNDS By Col. Frank Chappell, V.D. In this article, Colonel Chappell presents a picture of Oshawa's civic wealth in relation to valuable space devoted to parks and playgrounds . . . Oshawa's civic minded people have played a vital part throughout the years in making this city a better place in which to live. : A view in Memorial Park, Simcoe Street South, showing Oshawa"s mag- | Thursday night. the first baad concert of the season was held =~ prey nificent band shell, A sectional view of Alexandra Park, one ol a contribution of Colonel R. S, McLaughlin. he ci y's 's most popular the annual Oshawa Fai , n the backgr: On | location by the Regimental Band and Gen. Motors Pipe Bands d is a partial view of the opeme athletic parks and where the South Ontario Agricultural Society holds | air grandstand which will accommodate several thousand people. --Times-Gazette Staff. Phatd this restful spot races Simcoe Street, almost .in the very heart of town. Behind the Memorial and facing diagonally across, is the splendidly | | equipped McLaughlin Bandshell, to] which reference has been made in a previous chapter. Here, seats are | provided for the many thousands | who gather each week during the season of concerts given by | the Regimental Band and their | associates. Built by experts and | given its present location after much careful and critical study, the | band shell has accoustical proper- | ties so adaptable that a single deli- cate instrument or vocal number, is as readily heard in any part of the grounds as the full volume of band or orchestra. The Scattered Playgrounds Leaving these three main parks, one may drive east or west to see what might be called '"neighbor- hood" parks or playgrounds. This name suggests itself as one recalls the Neighborhood Associations that | have sprung up around most of them. Such active interest is ad- ditional evidence of civic pride. Checking the location of these] smaller places on a map, they ap-| pear to be well planned, having ref- | erence to population. Some were | the personal gifts of generous citi- zens, Rotary Park, complete in ev- | ery detail, was a conceived and plan- | ned objective of the Oshawa Rotary Club. Others were tracts of land | acquired by the town through the | years and set aside for the very development that has since taken | place. Each year sees additional im- | provement. Trees and shrubs are | gradually planted with a view to pleasantly framing the many acti- vities. Simple buildings are suit-| ably planned to' house equipment | when not in use. Almost every | playground is now completely sup- | plied with swings, slides,, rings and | sand-boxes for little tots. This] equipment is due to the hearty generosity and goodwill of the Kinsmen's Club in 1946-47. Thus] areas have been set aside, clear of | the more robust activities of base- ball, soccer and volleyball, Meanwhile, the clink and thud of | "leaners" and "ringers" is heard as | older folk stretch themselves over | properly laid out horseshoe pitch- | ing courts. At Rotary Park and] the swimming and | pleasingly screened shrubs, literally | "young Oshawa," evening wading pools, with trees and swarms with through afternoon and hours. i Development and maintenance of | all grounds, continues to be a res- ponsibility of 'the Parks Board and | is financed 'out of taxes. Thus changes and improvement are very carefully carried out and greatest need given first consideration. Personal contact by Board members with each area, brings first hand information and a resultant policy of close co-operation with the citi- zens themselves. Now that the Community Chest has become a well established fea- | older | gather heen possible during the last two [ We have known of neighbors, | | surely here are groups making. s vears to allot supervision of play-| voluntarily providing secure space | splendid contribution to social het- | ground activities as a function of | the newly formed Community Rec- reation Association. .The volunteer members who direct this association are able to request funds, ing to a previously prepared bud- get), from the Chest Trustees. Thus they can employ persons, trained and skilled ation activities. Good work along these. lines already done, augurs well for the future. The Neighborhood Association But getting down to the "grass roots" of each individual playground and the experience of co-operative enthusiasm, a most welcome auxili- ary is to be seen in the work of Neighborhood Associations. Here, citizens, men more prosperous activity of their own park or playground. The growth of these associations has been almost spontaneous. Nearly every playground has such a group as its sponsor, (accord- | in the supervision of | various forms of athletic' and recre- | and women, | voluntarily to promote the] | in their own garages, tool-sheds or | cellars, for playing equipment when not in use. We know of neighbors | coaching groups of older youngsters in the care of grounds, property and | safety measures, on or off the field. | Kindly neighbors have provided | electric, power from their h louse | lines, even water from their own taps, when other sources were not available, but in order that acti- vities might continue without in- terruption. Then too, each Neighborhood As- sociation arranges a field day at intervals, . when members provide | prizes for events, or a corn roast, | or an evening concert, or moving | pictures in the open air. They bear the cost themselves, out: of many | small contributions in money or in| kind, and a dollar is made to give| 100 cents of value. These are grand examples of} community spirit inspired by genu- ine civic pride. When ong hears careless talk about responsibility ov. so - called juvenile delinquency, | not always galculable. | moral uplift. terment and broadened standards of friendship. Long may. their good work continue, Yield of the Acres In a very practical way, our parks and playgrounds provide a founda- tion for activities beyond the scope of average schools and homes, |'Constantly reaching out . as new districts open up and land becomes | available, the Parks Board hope to keep abreast of the need. Yield of acreage, while often important, is These vari- ous pieces of ground were parts of farm lands, wood lots and grazing grounds in the long ago of pioneer days. Annual yield was them' a material consideration. Now, in this entirely different use, the yield of our park and play= ground acreage is one of social and In value, this is still something far beyond calculation. But of this we can rest assured: the lands devoted to this purpose are one of Oshawa's most valuable civic Attend The ROTARY ~~ FAIR MONDAY - TUESDAY - JUNE 21-22 The Rotary Club of Oshawa, in presenting the Rotary Fair of 1948, is attempting to replenish its treasury which promotes the welfare of crippled children'. . support to this worthy ¢ause will be ap- Products Co. Phone 667 preciated. Oshawa Woo 84 Simcoe St. S. » 1 your 1 ture of our community life, it has