Kinsmen mark 50 years in Orangeville

Photo/PAUL HUTCHINGS KINSMEN WEEK: A proclamation was issued at Orangeville Town Hall commemorating Kinsmen Week for Orangeville. The service organization celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. In attendance were (from left) club president Wesley Fellows, Councilor Gail Campbell and Kinsmen member Gary Lynch. The Kinsmen Club of Orangeville will celebrate a milestone this year with its 50th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, the club is planning something big, but Alan Howe, chairman of the 50th Anniversary Committee, won't say what it is. He promises, however, that it will be one of the biggest projects the local chapter's members have ever undertaken.

"We're not ready to say what it is yet but it will be big," he said with a laugh. Mr. Howe, a member for 11 years, says this year is an important one, with both regular and special events planned, such as various golf outings, dinners and dances. And as always the club's most important event, the Orangeville Santa Claus Parade, will see St. Nick make an early visit.

Nationally, the Kinsmen started in Hamilton in 1920 when its founder, war veteran Harold Allin Rogers, tried to join the Rotary Club.

According to the Kinsmen history on its website, Mr. Rogers went into the plumbing industry, but at the time the Rotary Club had a rule that only one person from each occupation or industry could join a local club and the Hamilton Rotarians already had someone from plumbing - ironically, Mr. Rogers' father.

So the junior Rogers decided to start his own club for younger persons. He reportedly stopped a church acquaintance on the street and introduced himself, stating his purpose.

The other gentleman, Harold Philips, liked the idea because, like Mr. Rogers, he had very few friends his own age. The pair agreed that they would try to interest other young men in the project and a week later four of them met. A week after that, 12 men showed up for the meeting and the Kinsmen Club was born.

Finding members is a little more difficult these days. People's priorities have changed with the economy. Two-income households are a must, and with Orangeville being somewhat of a commuter town, people don't have time to put in to meetings of not just the Kinsmen, but most other service clubs. Strict rules such having to explain absences have had to be relaxed over the years. Age limits have also been lifted.

"It used to be years ago that once you hit age 40 you couldn't be on the executive, but that doesn't apply any more," said Mr. Howe. "The age range in our club right now is wide - we have one guy who's 20 and another who is 55, but we're looking at most guys being in their mid- 30s to their mid-40s. And we have some guys in our club that may make three or four meetings out of 20 in a year. But they'll come out to work projects. So we've had to adapt as the world changes."

Currently the club has 21 members and is always looking for more. They'll be holding a major dinner in September to celebrate this year's milestone. And for that one big presentation? You'll just have to wait and see.