In preparation for our Kemptville College Alumni Reunion on June 13th, 2026, the Crimson Maple tree has been planted at Lombardy Fair Grounds. This is in recognition of our ten-year partnership with the Lombardy Agricultural Society.
The work crew dug the hole and anchored the tree.
From L to R: Gordon French, Gerry Covell, David Stickland and Ron Burgess.
Gordon and Ron are with Kemptville College Alumni and Gerry and David are with Lombardy Agricultural Society. You will notice the Kubota did most of the work to dig the hole but the men planted and then filled the hole.
Admiring the tree , which will be presented on the 13th, are Chris Craig , President of Lombardy Agricultural Society and Allan Cooley, Vice President of Lombardy Agricultural Society.
Chris Craig , President of Lombardy Agricultural Society and Allan Cooley, Vice President of Lombardy Agricultural Society
L to R: Riley, Addison, Brant, Michael, Tessa and Reanne. They are all wearing their Hill View jackets. Photo credit Charles Summers photo
Leeds-Grenville recently held farm tours as part of the Holstein Ontario Convention. Dwyre Farm from Elgin was part of the tour. In 2019 a web article was written about Addison Dwyre with her Jersey calf ( older post ) and now we are including the whole family and their Kemptville College connection. Micheal graduated from Kemptville in 2000 and returned home after graduation to farm. Tessa ( Kehoe ) graduated from Kemptville in 2003 and worked for a seed company. Michael and Tessa had both been in the same 4-H club so people were not surprised when they married in 2004. On the Dwyre Farm, Holsteins are the main breed but there are still some Jerseys and Ayrshires. Presently they are milking 96 cows and farm over 600 acres.
Tessa is involved with the Frontenac 4-H, Lansdowne Agricultural Society and the Rideau District High School Council. Michael has found time to coach soccer for North Leeds Soccer and really enjoys it. Their four children are all part of the farm operation and are involved in many activities. Addison has played soccer, including in Sweden and has a soccer scholarship in her first year at Lakeland College in Vermillion, Alberta. In 4-H she has received her 42 Project Seal – dairy being her favourite club.
Riley has played soccer and run track. He placed 6th in Canada for 200m Hurdles in 2024. In 4-H he enjoys dairy and swine clubs.
Reanne, in Grade 9, plays every sport possible at her school and competitive soccer. She has her 18 4-H club seal , with dairy as her top club. This year both Reanne and Addison were on the Frontenac Royal Team.
Brant will be playing on a competitive soccer team for the first time this summer. He only does the 4-H dairy club because his older siblings make him. He enjoys the farm but not all the fuss of showing cattle. His favourite is raising and showing his 4-H pigs!
Dwyre Farm has a Master Breeder Herd and their animals, including heifers and calves are in demand.
Micheal and Tessa are proud to tell people that if you look after your animals, they will look after you. Congratulations to the Dwyre family for their contribution to the agricultural community!
Other Kemptville College connections on the farm tours were Creekside Holsteins, Lombardy ON. Melanie (MacMillan) 2003 grad and Lucas Chisholm 2001 grad were proud to show their farm and animals.
Maple – Ain Farms from Smiths Falls, has Arlene Hunter’s dad John Fraser who graduated from Kemptville in 1969.
Mike Vissar, Ontario Holstein Director for East Central, is a 2002 grad from Thunder Bay. He attended the tours and annual meeting in Kingston.
Many people touring the farms were also proud of their Kemptville College connection. Tessa Dwyre was delighted to have a visit with John Joynt ’63 grad. She has known him since she was 12 years old. John was certainly involved in forming Tessa’s love of Jerseys. What special memories!
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, the Kemptville College Alumni welcomed twenty Year Representatives and guests to an information session that was held at the Historical Building at Lombardy fairgrounds and the Hawk’s Nest at the Lombard Glen golf course.
Show & Tell Committee L to R Back Row: Mike Smith ’83, Joe Krol ’80, Cindy Dawson ’83, David Bobier ’87, Ruth Anne Hawley ’75, Kim Link ’69, Don Good ’66 Front Row: Gordon French ’69, Ronald Burgess ’68, Sharon Blanchard ‘69
Year Representatives and guests were treated to information presented on the history, why Lombardy fairgrounds was chosen to house the Historical building, fundraising and information on the upcoming reunion which is being held Saturday, June 13, 2026 at the Lombardy fairgrounds.
Presentations were given by Gordon French, year ’69 grad, who was also our host and MC, Kim Link (Keene), year ’69, Don Good, year ’66, Cindy Dawson (Bradley), year ’83, Ron Burgess, year ’68 and Joe Krol, year ’80.
At the Historical Building Ron and Joe were supported by Joyce Burgess and Sharon Blanchard (Lane) year ’69 who were able to relate their experiences while getting the building established.
The greeters at the building, in the morning, were Mike Smith year ’83 and RuthAnn Hawley year ’75, who gave out name tags and information packages.
At the Hawk’s Nest, Jennifer Chaplin year ’76 and David Bobier year ’87 made the guests feel welcome and assisted where needed.
Year Rep Attendees from L to R John Faulkner, Peggy Faulkner (Gordon) ’62, John Ferguson ’76, Mary Gifford, Catherine McKeough (Lapointe)72, Allan Stanley ’71, Laura Fanasch (Pratt)’61, Ian Payne ’91, Sandy Bullock (Duncan) 71, Trudy (Hughes) MacIntosh ’91, Ken Hunter ’82, Graham Link ’69, Jim Ireton ’76, Don Forbes ’69, Deb Ireton (Cameron) ’76, Ellen Mooney (Webb) ’67 Sharon Bjergsoe (Robinson) ’77, Bruce Mooney ’69
Our goal for this get together was to provide information, a tour of the Historical building with time permitted to view our displays in the Historical building and to hear from the year reps their concerns and ideas to assist in organizing our reunions.
The Alumni would like to thank everyone for participating in our event and look forward to seeing you at Reunion.
Beatrice Zueger graduated from the Ag Program in 1988. Her “Trip Down Memory Lane” shows us how versatile Kemptville College grads can be.
I was born and raised in Switzerland on my parents small Dairy Farm, in 1979 my family immigrated to Canada where we continued Dairy Farming. When we arrived in Canada, Like a Lot of immigrants, we didn’t speak any English or French, so that brought its own set of challenges. I remember my Dad sitting by the phone with the Dictionary, writing down words on a paper to put together a sentence, so he could call the vet. We quickly adapted and made Canada our home.
I went to Kemptville College because I had planned to take over my parents Dairy Farm. After College, I worked as relief milker on different farms and I did 2 international Ag exchange programs through IAEA. I was working on a dairy farm in Australia for 8 months and spent another 8 months on a sheep farm in New Zealand.
I married a Farmer who had his own Dairy farm and I moved to his farm in Berwick, we had 4 children. But eventually we got divorced and I found myself raising 4 children on my own. I was trying to figure out how to navigate being a single Mom and finding a career that allowed me to spend as much time at home with my kids, which was not easy. One of the wonderful things of being on a farm is that it’s a family affair, farming and raising a family go hand in hand.
I made the choice to go back to college and become a Registered Massage Therapist with the goal of eventually having my own clinic. Raising 4 kids alone and going through college at the same time was not easy and there were times I felt like giving up, but it was my children who pushed and encouraged me to keep going. I graduated and became an RMT in 2013, I worked at a couple of different clinics, while also trying to build a clientele at home. When COVID started, we were forced to shut down for about 3 months. Once we were allowed to reopen, it came with a lot of new rules and regulations we had to follow, I knew I no longer wanted to work in another clinic, and I took a leap of faith and quit my job at the clinic and started working from home full time. Having that control again felt a little bit Like being on the farm. I was my own boss again.
l love my work and being able to control my hours, allows me to spend time my grown children. I Love traveling and I spend a lot of time birding.
Farming is something that is still part of me, even though it’s been 16 years since l left the farm. I still check what the corn and beans look like when I go somewhere and every spring when the neighbour starts making hay, that wonderful fragrance of the hay brings back wonderful memories of being on the farm.
Kemptville College has been a great part of my Lite and was a starting point to one of the best friendships I have still to this day. Even though I am no Longer part of that farming community I will always be a farmer at heart.
Jersey Canada recently held their Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. This event included open house farm tours promoting the Jersey breed.
Therihof farm was one of the farms toured. Kevin Elshof a 2008 Kemptville grad ( far right) is pictured with his dad Theo ( L )– holding Olivia, Marleen ( Kevin’s wife ) holding Luke, Lydia, Stanley and Ella. After graduation Kevin worked in New Zealand and Australia, returning home to farm in 2010. In 2016 , Kevin married Marleen who is from Grand Valley ON. When Marleen arrived so did Rideau Arcott ewes, now numbering 120. The sheep are for meat since as Kevin stated, “Wool isn’t worth a dime “! A Holstein calf was also a wedding gift but Jerseys won out as the favourite.
Today the Therihof farm milks 80 Jerseys and 15 Holsteins. Thirty-five are milked in the parlor and the rest in a GEA 9500 robotic system installed in 2025. Theo, Kevin’s dad comes to the farm daily since he still enjoys spending time with the animals. The family crop 600 acres. With five young children, Kevin still finds time to be President of the St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club. He is interested in the history of farming, enjoys collecting antiques which includes hay forks and also a Cockshutt 40 tractor. Marleen and Kevin both enjoy history so naturally donated to the Kemptville College Alumni Historical Building and were instrumental in having the St. Lawrence Valley Jersey Club donate as well.
Pictured below are some of the ewes and lambs and also a young Jersey calf who enjoyed the visitors.
Walnutlane, another Jersey farm owned by Ed and Victoria Cooper and their two sons, was also on the farm tour. Ed graduated in 2013 and farms in Cardinal ON. He is a third generation Kemptville grad milking both Jerseys and Holsteins.
Thank you, Kevin and Ed, for showing Canada what Ontario offers to the excellent Jersey breed.
Kemptville College Alumni grads volunteered at the “Quilters of Eastern Ontario” display at the Ottawa Valley Farm Show at the EY Center.
The three ladies in the photo are part of a larger team, that put together the colourful quilt in the background. From left to right, they are Elaine Bradley ’65 grad, Nancy Gundry ’65 grad and Kathy Hardy ‘71 grad. This beautiful quilt will be auctioned at the 2027 Ottawa Valley Farm Show to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Farm Show. All proceeds will go to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
