Category: Featured
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Tilbury woman awarded Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers
By Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
A Tilbury woman with decades of volunteer service has been nationally recognized for her contributions to the community.
Katharine Smyth was among 64 recipients of the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, which honours individuals who have made exceptional and sustained volunteer contributions in Canada and abroad.
Smyth, who runs Katharine’s Bed and Breakfast in Tilbury with her husband Doug, has long been a fixture in the community. The couple, married for decades, raised four children and are now grandparents to nine.
Smyth’s roots in volunteerism trace back to her youth, when she joined the Kent County Junior Farmers and reported for CFCO Radio’s Harold Smith show. Her service continued through her adult life, including involvement in Scouts, Girl Guides, and at the local ball diamond.
Even while raising a young family, Smyth found time to give back. After a period at home with her children, she returned to the workforce as a medical laboratory technologist, beginning as a volunteer phlebotomist at St. Joseph’s Hospital before earning a full-time role.
In retirement, her commitment to service only grew. She served as treasurer of the Tilbury Chamber of Commerce and BIA for six years, joined the Chatham-Kent First Impressions Exchange program through OMAFRA, and worked on the Tilbury Revitalization Committee.
A passionate gardener, Smyth joined the local Horticultural Society—serving as a past president—and became a certified floral judge through the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA). She eventually served as District 11 Director, vice-president, and president of the OHA, and still sits on several of its committees. She was instrumental in producing the Garden Ontario Journal on Vegetables.
Smyth has also trained as a culinary judge, volunteering at numerous agricultural fairs.
Her work with Communities in Bloom began in 2008. As a judge for more than 10 years, she has helped evaluate communities across Canada and internationally based on criteria including tidiness, heritage conservation, urban forestry and floral displays. Chatham-Kent was named a national winner in 2010.
Smyth’s dedication doesn’t stop there. She has served on boards for United Way of Chatham-Kent, St. Paul’s Congregational Church, and Chatham-Kent Tourism. She’s also a long-standing member of the Chatham-Kent Heritage Committee and has been part of Beta Sigma Phi, a cultural and service organization, since 1965.
In 2018, she co-chaired the beautification committee for the International Plowing Match in Chatham-Kent and helped lead the Tilbury Nine-Hole Ladies Golf Group.
Her wide-ranging interests include gardening, canning, photography, birding, sewing, quilting and baking specialty cakes. She also enjoys welcoming guests at her bed and breakfast.
Smyth said she was overwhelmed with emotion upon learning she had received the honour. She encouraged others to recognize volunteers in their own communities.
“There are so many deserving people who help run our local organizations,” she said. “They deserve to be nominated too.”
Nominations for the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers can be submitted at https://caring.gg.ca.
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To the Ends of the Earth: Local Radio Host Mitch Snaden Returns from a Global Adventure
By Devan Mighton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
Stoney Point resident Mitch Snaden has been on a journey. A former radio host in Essex and Kent counties with CHUM Group and Blackburn Media, he was last heard on the airwaves with Kara Ro on Windsor’s Country.
Thirty-five years ago, he started to get serious about sail boating, and when a friend of his purchased at 24-ft. C&C, they shared sailing times together for years.
This January, Snaden made the journey of a lifetime, sailing from Thailand to Sri Lanka for two months as a part of a crew.
“There were major changes happening in my life when I came across a post on Facebook from the people, Shawn Dear and Ally Cochrane, I ended up sailing with,” explains Snaden. “Their story intrigued me as they are circumnavigating and were, and still are, looking for crew to experience this trip with them. Every month is a leg and up to six people can join them each month to be part of the adventure. I chose to meet them in Phuket, Thailand and stay for two months, January and February. I departed from the ship in Galle, Sri Lanka.”
As he recalls his odyssey across Indochina, Snaden described his trip as one of soul-searching, of self-discovery. He says that the ship was biggest highlight of the trip to him, riding upon a 42-ft. Catamaran in the open ocean.
“We had a crew of six on the first leg from Phuket to the Andaman Islands,” he describes. “Shawn and Ally, of course, owners of the boat, myself, a young lady from New Zealand and a married couple who were from Holland and Russia – but call Bulgaria home.”
He says that each leg lasted 25 days, and at the end of each leg, the crew departs while the owners prep for the next go. After five layover days, a new crew boards for the first of the month.
It was a magical adventure. Snaden saw pilot whales and their ship was often frequented by dolphins. They island hopped while in Thailand and the Andaman Islands, dropping anchor to snorkel and see the copious coral life. He says that there were numerous secluded white sand beaches and the beautiful blue waters reached as far as the eyes could see.
“Sunsets and sunrises, as well moon rises and sets, were spectacular and when there was no moon, the stars filled the skies,” he recalls. “Being on the helm at 2 a.m. on a two-hour night watch is a humbling experience, as you realize just how insignificant you are in this universe.”
He met many fascinating people on his voyage.
“On the second leg of my trip, from the Andaman Islands to Sri Lanka, our crew saw the arrival of a couple from South Africa and Italy who met in their 20’s when they were in France on ski holidays, dated for awhile, and then separated for 30 years. Then, because life is filled with circumstances, they reunited and now are together again.”
Before leaving, they spent a day familiarizing themselves with the boat and learning the ground rules for surviving 25 days together in close quarters.
“Our open-water trips lasted for three days and four nights from Thailand to the Andaman Islands,” he recalls. “We landed in their major town called Port Blair, which had both Allied and Japanese occupation during World War 2. There are remnants of those occupations through the archipelago of islands around Port Blair. The port is a major naval base for the Indian Navy, so there is a lot of official boat traffic. We were boarded numerous times by various authorities in the short time we were anchored in Port Blair. Certainly not a highlight of the trip.”
He says that the trip from Port Blair to Sri Lanka took almost eight nights.
“We dropped anchor just as the sun was setting on the eighth evening,” says Snaden. “[There were] full days where all you could see was water. No other boats on the seas until the last day, as we approached Sri Lanka. It’s an amazing feeling to look out and see no other humans.”
As every country has different rules and customs, the crew were not allowed to roam around the Sri Lankan coast looking for secluded spots, so they had to tie up to the jetty at the main harbour in Galle.
He says that the journey brought him peace and a greater appreciation for all the people in his life, as well as a realization of how lucky he has been.
Snaden hopes to rejoin Shawn and Ally on their boat, SY Imagination, when they arrive back in the Caribbean in 2026. However, he doesn’t plan to rest on his laurels, as he is on the lookout on social media for other people looking for crew members that he can help out and join in their adventures as well.
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Easter tradition thrives at Memorial Park thanks to Tilbury Kinsmen
By Isabelle Bujold, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Tilbury Times Reporter
Each spring, Memorial Park in Tilbury hosts hundreds of children as they hunt for colourful eggs. For more than 40 years, the Tilbury Kinsmen have brought Easter magic to the community—first in partnership with Phylis and the late Don McKenzie for 35 years, and independently for the past five.
On average, the Easter egg hunt draws hundreds of children, with peak years reaching up to 800 participants. In the week leading up to the big day, students from Tilbury Area Public School head to Memorial Park to help prepare the space by picking up sticks and garbage. Their efforts are rewarded with pizza, which was kindly donated this year by Domino’s.
Though the Tilbury Kinsmen sponsor the event in full, the support of the community plays a vital role. Donations from generous businesses, service clubs and individuals help fund the event, which costs roughly $5,000 annually and includes raffle prizes like bikes and other gifts.
“We wish to acknowledge our residents from Hudson Manor and their volunteers for packing our candy bags for the past 35 years,” said Tim Natyshak, co-chair of the Kinsmen.
“We enjoy our time with them and they love that they can be a part of our Easter egg hunt.”
This year alone, volunteers packed 4,500 candy bags.
With just 13 Kinsmen members, planning begins six weeks in advance. That’s when donation letters are sent, posters go up, the park is booked through the municipality and the call for volunteers goes out. By the time the event arrives, the volunteer team—which includes school kids, seniors and community members—totals around 50 to 60 people.
For Natyshak, his favourite moments include the thank-yous, the giant smiles and the sheer joy radiating from the children.
“The most memorable moment was the year we had 800 participants,” he said. “The park was buzzing and the kids were having a ball.”
Beyond Easter, the Tilbury Kinsmen stay active year-round. On May 31, they’ll host their second annual Cystic Fibrosis Golf Tournament at the Tilbury Golf Course, after raising more than $8,000 last year. In September, their End of Summer Bash brings free live music from local bands to the park behind the arena.
They also support community initiatives year-round—from running the adult beverage bar at Bluebirds hockey games to sponsoring soccer, bursaries and Canada Day fireworks in partnership with the BIA.
True to their motto, Serving the community’s greatest needs, the Kinsmen are a constant source of generosity in Tilbury.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our fellow service clubs in Tilbury who always support us in our projects, as we do with them,” said Natyshak.
Speaking on behalf of himself and co-chair Keith Edwards, Natyshak offered a heartfelt message to the community.
“Your support over the years means the world to us and to the families of our community,” he said.