By Ashley Wong, Summer reporter
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The local Ducks Unlimited committee commemorated its 25th year by raising funds at its annual banquet at La Place Rendez-Vous on Friday night.
The event raised more than $20,000 through raffles, silent and live auctions, and ticket sales.

“They [Ducks Unlimited] go and they use the money to restore wetlands and also to maintain them,” noted past committee chairman Barney Maher.
Maher was honoured Friday night with a 25-year award for excellence in service to Ducks Unlimited.
“I have to say he’s the heart and soul of this organization,” said Larry Cousineau, another recipient of an outstanding achievement award.
Cousineau presented the past chairman with the award, to which Maher received a standing ovation.
“I’d like to say thanks very much, it’s been a pleasure and it’s not over yet, you see, because we still need money. We gotta get it out of you,” Maher joked.
Maher founded the Fort Frances committee a quarter-century ago and the annual banquet here has become one of the leading DU fundraisers in Ontario.
“It was just a bunch of fellas that got together in 1983, and we had a meeting and we just formed a committee from there,” noted Maher. “Most of the boys, ironically, were also duck hunters.”
Maher stressed Canada’s wetlands are in danger. According to the Ducks Unlimited Canada website, “Wetland loss continues throughout Canada, and as much as 70 percent of Canada’s original wetlands have been lost in some areas of the country.”
“They certainly are [in danger],” Maher warned. “This is one of the reasons why Ducks Unlimited has expanded. Their budget for this year is about $83 million.”
He noted the majority of the money raised comes from the United States. But of the $83 million, most of the funds will go towards maintaining and restoring wetlands.
Many items were up for grabs in the silent and live auctions, as well as numerous items in the “double decker” raffle.
Rollie Roy, 20, was one of the big winners Friday night after purchasing $60 worth of raffle tickets. “I felt lucky, but I was happy that all the money I spent was going back to the ducks,” he said.
Roy, who has attended the local DU banquet six times, won a grandfather clock, a painting, a chair, and three gift certificates this time around.
“I went to the DU banquet because all of the funds go back to the ducks, and I really actually like putting all the money back to [DU] so they can build new homes for them,” Roy said.
Maher was happy with the event’s success and explained how the committee first started.
“We all loved duck hunting and we thought we’d better go and do something about it, I guess,” he remarked. “It just grew from there. It was quite small for quite a few years [but] it seemed to catch on pretty quick.
“Now it’s an annual event that everyone looks forward to participating in.”