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Following dinner they _returned to the home of their daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Longworth, RR 1, Burgessville. Over 60 friends, neighbors arid relatives .called and ex-. tended birthday greetings, and a' time of reminiscence was enjoyed. A lunch was served with all. having a ,piece of birthday cake and a social time spent. All wished, Fred many Happy Returns of the day and many more. BORGE)itWILLE (C) - A surprise Birthday Party was held on January I, for F'red Newton who celebrated his 80th birthday on New Year's Day. A dinner was held at .the Buccaneer Restaurant, Burgessville, for the im- mediate familrand grand- children, Mr. ahd Mrs. "George In an effort to increase membership during the Depression the Co-operative issued five dollar associate memberships. In 1940 the name was changed to Norwich District Co-operative Limited. New memberships were reduced to a dollar with dividends to be left in the Clo-operative to; itleast 10 years, Without doubt, the manager who contribu- ted the most to the Co-operative was Ken Marshall, the last president of United Farmers Co-operative Company (UFCC) and the first president of UGO. The 19-year member of the UCC) Board of Directors had a humble beginning driving a team of horses for the Norwich CO-OP when he was just 19, a year after the Co-operative was formed. In 1920 a group of Norwich area farmers, dutifully delegated, approached the owner of the only feed mill in town seeking better quality grinding for their grain. The owner bluntly told them they could build their own mill if they didn't like the way his mill was operating. He had reason to be smug - the other mill in town burnt to the ground the year be ore. His pomposity irked the delegation led by fiery Scotsman James Rettie, B.G. Palmer, and Miles Hartley. Mr. Rettie later became a president of the Canadian Holstein-Friesian Association of Canada. So, as advised, a rival mill was built along the rail line, kitty-corner to the existing mill. It was a bold move. The quarter-acre pie-shaped parcel of land with a meager 80-foot frontage cost the newly- formed Norwich Co-operative Association an outrageous $2,000. Still, the gamble paid off as eventually the privately-owned mill ceased business. The Co-operative, formed in 1920, was an extension of a farmers' buying club organized five years earlier. The club and its Quaker friends was the nucleus of the Co-operative which originally had 52 members, each pledging $50. Half of that was in cash and the other half was on call. MEMBERSHIP DRIVE After a rapid' succession dt%ur managers in seven years, he found himself sitting in the When the Norwich CO-OP merged with UCO in 1969, total membership was esti- mated at 2,100. At least 200 of these were members of both the Norwich and neighbor- ing Woodstock CO-OP' which merged three yers..?arlier. .. . ' . Unlike many po-operatives, which were in financial difficulty hat the time of merger, Norwich was enioying mild prosperity attri- butable to sound financial management. . FROM THE ADCHWE§ The lfskcry Of ihe Norwich branch McNeil were guests on Christmas Sunday at the home of Mi. and Mrs. Malcolm Mann and family, Port Dover. Mrs. Merton Penny spent Christmas Day at the home of, her daughter w. and Mrs. Rene DeCooman, Norwich. Gore. _ Mrs. Dora Fleming, Spiirigfprd, Mrs. Gladys Tuttle, Woodstock,. Mr. and Mrs. John Thompson and family, "Nor'wich, Mr. and Mrs, .Wilber Morley spent Boxing Day.at the home of her grandson Mr. 'and Mrs. Stephen Pocrnic, and family, f London. , . _ _ _ Mr. and Mrs. Ed, Mc- Milled, Toronto,' spent Christmas and Boxing .Day at the homeof Mt.and Mrs. George McNeal.‘ ip?.?:;':'.",".':'.'??::'))?), i?ii':rp'jff.i??"is": Archive historical information by Wray Hartley and Ken Marshall, Mrs. Ed McMillén, Tdronto, were Christmas Day guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George McNeal. Mr. and _Mrs.. Henry Puzak, Algoma Mills, spent four days arthe home of their grandparents Mr. and Guests on New Year's Day at thehome of Mr. and Mrs. D.M. Hoover were Mr. and Mrs. John Hoover and children,, Mt. Elgin, Miss Carlene Hoover, Edmonton, Alberta, Mr. and Mrs, Bill Clark and Anne. _ Mr. and Mrs. Murray Cole and family, Woodstock were New Year's guests of Mr. ind Mrs. Georgie McNeal. New Year's guests of Miss Marguerite Hill and Walter Hill. were Mr. and Mrs. Philip 'Buckrell, Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Buckrell, Geoffery, Janice and Scott. Yet Ken hated to be tied down to adesk. To combat this he spent the early morning and afternoon hours working around the mill and the rest of _the time in the Co-operative’s downtown offices in what was once the town's hotel. office his father occupied and stayed there for the next 41 years. His father suffered a stroke after just 10 months as manager. KNEW EVERYONE "l felt l should know each member by name. You can't do that sitting behind a desk." Today, at 73 years of age, he sometimes spends an hour meeting people along the main street during his short three-block walk to the post office. Bev Leake moved over from Burford three months ago to become manager at Norwich. He has seen a growing demand for crop products in the area but says farmers could swing from cropping to livestock as the cost of feed decreases. Under Mr. Marshall's management the Norwich CO-OP established branch mills in Burgessville in 1944 and two years later in Burford. A machinery shop was built across from the Norwich mill in 1947. The Burgess- ville mill was recently sold and converted into a machinery shop while the Burford mill is now a UCO branch. Ken Marshall (shown here in 1930) believed a "ytrytger/sioto was serving customers and not sitting behind a desk all the time. The _Norwich CO-OP has had just eight managers In 57 years. tefssli"::ii;yji A'.rrskr: C-h' Mr.-Morrison HooVer and family spent Friday at the home of his parents, Mr. And Mrs. D.M. Hoover. Mrs. Wray Broad. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Puzak, Algoma Mills, spent Friday at the home of their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Salmon. TREASURY OF THOUGHTS Happiness is something thgt is never far away, It's as close as theihings wt do and we say... So start out toiiay with a Smile on your tact, - - Gii 'aiiaiGGid world a happier place. u A - HS. R IVAH B. MANSON Mrs. Ivah B. Manson of RR 4,, Woodstock, passed away at Woodstock General Hospital on Wednesday, March 4, 1981, in her 79th year.. Born in' Windham Centre, she was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hill. She had been a resident of Oxford Centre, Oriel and Curries for the past 70 years. Mrs. Manson was a member of the Curries United Church and an honorary director of Surviving are her husband, Franklin B. Manson; a daughter, Mrs. Arthur E. (Margaret Joyce) Dale of Curries; five grandchildren, Mrs. Ken (Linda) Amichand of Guelph, Mrs. David (Marilyn) Cook of Beach- ville, Mrs. David (Karen) Karn of Woodstock, Terrence and Alan Dale, both of Curries; and a great grandson, Shane Amichand. _ She was predeceased by a brother, Wardle Hill. The Poet's Corner: God made a nurse He made her heart Brave, true and kind; And like the mountain streams V _ Her mind, crystal clear, Yet swift and deep As where its waters Rush and sweep. _ He made her hands Strong, tender, skilled, Their touch with His own, Rested at the M.D. (Mac) Smith Funeral Home, Woodstock, where service was held Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. conducted by Rev. Robert J. Williams. Temporary entombment in Woodstock Mausoleum. Memorial contributions to the society of the donors choice would be appreciated by the family. TREASURY . OF' THOUGHTS God never sends the Winter without the Joy of Spring... And though today your heart may "cry" - Tomorrow it will "Sing"l Never borrow sorrow, never step into tomorrow, Just take care of today and let God lead the way! the Woodstock Horticultural Society. She was a member of the Woodstock Fair Board and an accredited flower judge and had worked at numerous district fairs for several years. Mrs. Manson was a president of the East Oxford Women's Institute, president of the reading club and a charter member of the Oxford Centre senior citizens. _ Pity-filled; and gave . To make the nur§e complete A sense of humour Wholesome, sweet God made a nurse... Thank God. (Contributed bY_ Donajean Wand) H.S.R. of