Page 20 - PCYC 75th Anniversary Book
P. 20

PCYC Women                                                       All sorts of water problems



                                                                                                          Did you know that in 1940 the Club did not accept                The spring of 1941 brought very high water to the Credit   Commodore ensconced on a barrel. It was at this time   Vice-Commodore George McCloy (father of current Club
                                                                                                          female members? However, in 1943, we took a brave                River. Although the Clubhouse was under three feet of   that serious consideration was given to moving the   Historian – Marilea McAllister) chaired the Committee
                                                                                                          step forward by allowing female relatives on PCYC                water for most of the spring, this did provide the   Clubhouse to the west side of the river – literally! The   that lead the planning and construction activity. The
                                                                                                          boats during races, provided that the Sailing                    opportunity to develop a new sport – boating inside the   plan was to slide the existing Clubhouse across the   fi rst half of the new building was completed in 1944,
                                                                                                          Committee was informed ahead of time and that                    Clubhouse! Two young boys, Bob Dillon and Jackie Hare,   ice during the following winter. Fortunately, a better   the remainder in 1945. The total cost for this fi ne new
                                                                                                          the other racers agreed, of course.                              paddled their canoe through the lounge to survey the   plan emerged in late 1943 when a fi rm consensus was   structure was $1,953.72.
                                                                                                            The women of PCYC seem to have adopted Mrs.                    extensive damage. As soon as the fl ood waters subsided,   reached by the members to build a new Clubhouse on   By the fall of 1945, members who had served
                                                                                                          Morch as one of their early leaders after she hosted             the members got busy to make some improvements to   the east side of the Credit River. A strategy was   overseas returned to the Club. After 4 1/2 years of war
                                                                                                          a tea party for members’ spouses in 1938. However,               the Clubhouse, including running water and a   devised to build the new structure in two identical halves   with its sacrifi ces and uncertainties, diminishing
                                                                                                          by 1940 the “Ladies Organization” was being formally             rudimentary sewage system consisting of a series of   (meeting space and lounge/dining area), honouring the   membership and resulting cash problems, years of
                                                                                                          recognized and thanked for invaluable assistance in              55 gallon oil drums.                          concept of one day having to slide the Clubhouse across   fl ooding and nowhere to meet, PCYC had turned the
                                                                                                          connection with the various social activities carried              Flooding recurred in 1943 such that the Club Executive   the river’s ice, in two manageable pieces. Fortunately,   corner and was poised for a new age of recovery
                                                                                                          on by the Club. In the following years, the ladies kept          took to holding their meetings on the dock, with the   it never became necessary to implement this plan.   and prosperity.
                                                                                                          busy arranging for the purchase of dishes for the Club
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PCYC Club Boathouse (1949)
                                                                                                          and collecting donations to prepare Christmas boxes                                                                                                           Looking at the front of the 1949 Clubhouse from Stavebank Road.
                                                                                                          for PCYC members on active duty overseas. Happily, in
                                                                                                          the decades since then, we seem to have modernized
                                                                                                          the role of the women of PCYC while still preserving
                                                                                                          the fi ne values, traditions and initiatives that have
                                                                                                          been our hallmarks.







                                                                                                          Confucious
                                                                                                          PCYC’s Committee boat heads out to the Lake to start a race – 1940s
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