Eleanor Hammond, a longtime summer resident of Dunany, celebrates her 100th birthday this month.
When her daughter Judy contacted me about this wonderful event, I asked her to write a short bio of her illustrious mother and to describe how she became Dunany’s historian in chief and produced the book which was a five year effort on her part. Most of what you will read here is hers.
Eleanor Hammond early years
Born in Montreal on June 30, 1924, Eleanor was the eldest child in her family. She attended Edgehill School for Girls in Windsor, Nova Scotia, where she won the Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the highest marks. Many years later, after her children were born, Eleanor went back to school and graduated from McGill University with her Masters in Education.
In the early 1960s, Eleanor, husband Dayton, and family began spending their summers in Dunany. Eleanor first heard of the little cottage community from her dad. Originally from Edinburgh, he played at the Dunany Country Club in 1934 with the Scottish Schoolboys Club of Montreal.
The Hammonds first rented George Stein’s cottage on Clear Lake. Back in the early sixties, it was owned by Mrs. MacVicar who lived in the old MacVicar farmhouse on Macdougall Road. Later, the Hammonds purchased the little Cantley cottage at the end of Curran Lake but it was too difficult for daughter, Sally, to access because of her cerebral palsy, so when the Stacey cottage on Clear Lake came up for sale, Eleanor grabbed it.
How a History of Dunany was born
Not one to sit around, when Eleanor retired from teaching in the early 1980s, she looked for a retirement project to keep her busy. That’s when she became the family genealogist. Long before the internet and Ancestry, Eleanor spent hours pouring over records in libraries and churches in Canada, the US, and the UK. It was this genealogy work along with Dayton’s role as St. Paul’s cemetery warden that first got Eleanor interested in the history of the Dunany community.
In 1986 she began working on a book. Five years later, A History of Dunany, was published.
So many people in Dunany helped make Eleanor’s book possible but two in particular were Dunany’s former “mayor”, golf superintendent, and cottage builder, Clarence Neill, and longtime resident, Dorothy Gauley. Clarence, because of his many roles in Dunany, shared all kinds of wonderful anecdotes with my mom and Dorothy generously shared notes she and husband Tolbert had kept with a view of compiling a history.
Many cottage families of the time are also in her book, and to capture early memories, she also took trips around each of the four lakes with lake residents; Don Sutherland Sr of Boyd Lake, Hugh McCracken of Clear Lake, Madeleine Leslie of Black Lake and Phyllis Moore of Curran Lake. Most of these family names are still familiar in Dunany 34 years later.
Daughters Judy and Sally, are planning a 100th birthday party for Eleanor in Brockville. If you would like to send Eleanor a 100th birthday greeting , she would be tickled pink to hear from you. Here is her address:
Eleanor Hammond
St Lawrence Lodge
1803 County Road 2 East
c/o Cedar Lodge, Rm 3335
Brockville, ON K6V 5T1
Dear Eleanor: on behalf of all the residents of Dunany, let me say how grateful we are for your exceptional contribution to our community.
We wish you all many more years of love and happiness.
Unfortunately, the book is out of print. If you are a recent arrival, contact a long time resident and ask to borrow the book as I suspect most of them have a copy.
Finally, a little pearl from the book: did you know the Clear lake was initially called lake Bouchette?
In 1829, Joseph Bouchette, Surveyor General of Lower Canada, gave his name to what is now Clear Lake saying “Its waters are as clear as a diamond and afford abundance of of fine salmon trout”.
Amen.
What an awesome milestone to reach! Wishing you a very Happy 100 Birthday celebration. Best wishes.
Barb and Rick Havill
Happy Birthday Eleanor!
I have never had the chance to meet you, but you brought to life Dunany and captured stories about life and the early settlers that would have been lost. Descending from John Neill and Maria Cruise through their son John, I would have never learnt about their journey to Quebec from Ireland and their involvement in the Dunany area nor ever imagined seeing a picture of Maria Cruise! Many thanks for your work preserving these stories.
Tracey Beaton (Ottawa)
Dear Eleanor,
Very Happy Birthday greetings. Happy memories of our times together at bridge party’s golf etc.
Hugs Margaret
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY ELEANOR.. besides knowing Eleanor for many years in Dunany and always enjoying her company and friendship. we as a family remember Eleanor while living in Baie d urfe Eleanor was a guidance councellor at Dorset school. Our son Kurtis went to Dorset at about the age of 10 ..he always told us what a nice person Eleanor was and was loved by all the students.. Of course Kurtis always referred to her as Mrs, Hammond even in Dunany and always enjoyed meeting her on the golf course and having a little conversation about how things were going..I am sure that Eleanor remembered all of the kids that she had at Dorset …so once again HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY from Dave and Colleen Friesen and HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY MRS HAMMOND FROM kURTIS
Wonderful story and very grateful to have read Eleanor’s book! What an inspirational life and legacy to be shared!!
Wishing you a very happy 100th birthday Eleanor!
Susan Barry (Lac Curran)
My parents Henry and Phyllis Roy acquired a property on Curran Lake in 1955 and built a cottage in 1962. I spent my summers here my children spent their summers here and now my grandchildren enjoy Dunany. My son Michel who was a decent golfer in his early 20 s once said to me Dad I love golf but what I love more is Dunany..its geography its people(one big Family) and its wonderful COMMUNITY SPIRIT..! Reading your family history I see the exact same reasons you came to this place with your family all those years ago.We all have a different story as to how we came to be here…just how fortunate we all are…
Eleanor I know I speak for everyone in this community when I say THANK YOU so much for being involved in the history of Dunany with such love and dedication and in turn send to You all our love and wish You a very Happy 100th Birthday
Best Rgds Steven and Stan Roy and families…..
We bought our cottage on Black Lake from Cam Leslie (realtor) in 1993. It was he who told me about A HIstory of Dunany, which was out of print – I wanted to know about the history of the area. The day we took possession of the cottage was rainy and miserable. I was off to an auction in Lachute, soon after we arrived. “Bye!”, I chirped to John as I drove off. He was left in a cottage he hadn’t been that keen to buy…and I was off to an AUCTION – wondering if I might find a copy of the book for sale. There was a ton of books for sale in the garage area – for $1 apiece. I looked and looked and looked and then – ta dah!!! – there was Eleanor Hammond’s book, inscribed to the people whose auction I was attending. I tried to be casual as I took the book to purchase — gave them $1 and the deal was done! By the time I got back, thrilled with my book, John had bonded with the cottage and has remained so ever since. I treasure Eleanor’s book! It goes to our city home every fall and returns to our beloved summer cottage each spring. It’s one of the most valued items in our cottage. Happy birthday, Eleanor and thank you for writing “A History of Dunany”! – Sue Nish and John Nolan
Eleanor is well loved and remembered here around the lakes. We have known her since the seventies when I was parish priest at Dunany and several other churches. A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you! From Rev. Peter and Mrs Frieda Prosser, Lake Louisa.
Dear Eleanor
You have provided us with so many memories about what was precious to you…your family and to your love of Dunany. Thanks to you, we can not only read about but enjoy knowing what this area of Dunany has been and what it is all about. You are a model for so many of us.
Here is wishing you a memorable and Happy 100th Birthday. God bless you.
Claudette and Bob
What a wonderful idea to celebrate your mum’s numerous contributions to our Dunany community!! Well done Judy and Sally!! Happy 100th Eleanor! 💕
Eleanor is a gem! We send our very best wishes to her, celebrating your 100th in style! I am very grateful to have had many games of golf with you and loved all your stories on the road to our Interclub events. God bless you and keep you in his care! Angie and Bruce🙏💕