This past spring, we had the chance to look through the attic of our centre at 58 Murray St. F.F., and while we were up there, we discovered that the 2009 building committee and board of directors had left a little “time capsule” of sorts. On a board were the names of the building committee, the directors, and various club members. It was a happy surprise.
This was left as a reminder that a hardworking, determined group of volunteers fought hard for this building, which we now call home.
The property that was our first home in town was originally owned by the Canadian National Railway; built before 1900, it served as a gristmill. The County of Victoria purchased the land the building sat on in 1990 from the CNR, and then, in turn, the Fenelon Area Independent Living Association (FAILA). On part of that property, the apartment building at 70 Murray St. was erected, leaving the gristmill building empty on the side facing Lindsay St. In 1971, the gristmill had been purchased from Maple Leaf Milling in Toronto by the Fenelon Falls Rotary Club for $1. On October 2nd, 1975, the Seniors Club accepted ownership of the building from the Rotary Club for $1.
That $1 dollar bill is held by Rotary to this day, framed with the following signatures representing the sale: FFSC board members Howard Burns, Fletcher Goodhand, Tommy Graham, and Irwin White, along with Rotarians Russ Baptiste, Al Brokenshire, Harry Moore, Ben Jowitt, Don Folk, Dr. Fred Baldassi, and Syd Finch.
In 1976, the Senior Citizens’ Club of Fenelon Falls was incorporated; the first directors were Charles Linton, Irwin White, Fletcher Goodhand, Marguerite Linton, Frances Drywood, and Norman Carrey.
February 16, 2007, the building at 121 Lindsay St. was lost to fire. For 30-plus years, the club called that building home; it hosted regular activities such as shuffleboard, cards, and exercise classes, along with regular renters like the Snowmobile Club, the local stamp club, and, of course, our friends, the Rotary Club. Christmas/New Year dinners, monthly dances, birthday parties, weddings, etc., all were able to find a well-suited place for their celebrations. On February 23, 2007, club president Jim Deyell sent a letter to the mayor and our local councillor detailing the state the organization now found itself in, discussing options and fundraising efforts. For nearly 3 years after the fire, the organization was without a home while it considered options and explored vigorous campaigning for donations and financing to rebuild. In 2009, the building committee, Carl Thompson (president), Mel Simmons, Art Bayley, Syd Goldsmith, and Patricia Folk, purchased the current property at 58 Murray St., and on June 6, 2010, the building's grand opening was held.
Over the years the board of directors has changed, activities and events have been added and fund raising to keep the building properly maintained has been on going. Our building is owned and maintained by the FFSC through membership fees, activities and events, rentals, and generous donations. We are a registered non-profit charity; therefore, we can provide tax receipts for donations.
This year we were invited as an expression of interest to apply for a SALC designation. The Seniors Active Living Centre designation provides the organization with (limited)perpetual funding from the Province of Ontario. This funding ensures that programs, activities, events, and social interactions will be available for our senior members and the community we serve.
We decided this designation was the perfect time to add the next “time Capsule” to the attic. The display contains the names of the 2026 board of directors, along with signatures of our club members and dignitaries who attended our SALC celebration; some names are now recorded on both the “time capsules”. On October 20th 2026, we affixed this display, along with our past president’s (Jean Smith) briefcase and the photo of the Queen, to the rafters in the attic for the next generation of board members to discover and, of course, add to when the time is right.
