Naval Dinner raises money for summer students

The Friends of Fort George is still tallying what was raised at Friday’s inaugural Naval Dinner, but executive director Amanda Gamble says it will have a positive impact on its cause — to collect financial support to help cover the cost of hiring summer students.  

The event also sought to potentially increase the number of youth summer staff positions at Fort George, one of Niagara’s best-known sites tied to the War of 1812. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 15 to 20 students were part of operations during the summer months at Fort George, as well as at Brock’s Monument. But in recent years, that number dwindled to less than a dozen, and what was raised at Friday’s event, along with available government grants, the Friends are hoping to get back to pre-pandemic numbers.  

The Naval Dinner was held at Navy Hall featuring Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa as the evening’s “captain,” and welcomed 60 guests.  

“Overall, I think the event was very successful,” said Gamble, adding that a lot of awareness was raised about the youth jobs program, as well as what Friends of Fort George does.  

A theme of the evening was naval activity that took place on Lake Ontario during the War of 1812, with Parks Canada displaying artifacts and sharing information about the significance of waterways during the conflict. 

Being hired as a summer student could also mean the start of a decades-long career.  Dan Laroche wasn’t certain what he wanted as a career when he was 19 years old — but figured it out quickly after he started as a summer student at Fort George.It was 1988 and he was finishing high school when he landed a gig at the Parks Canada historic site in Niagara-on-the-Lake — working the first couple of years with a few roles – as an interpreter giving history lessons to guests, as well as a gift shop employee. He also worked in the blacksmith shop.   

Many summer students at the site, whose positions are paid for entirely through fundraising efforts such as the Naval Dinner, will spend a few seasons and then move on to another field.   

But Laroche, site supervisor for more than 12 years, is one of a few staff members who have been at Fort George for more than 30 years, starting his employment while in high school or pursuing a post-secondary education. “Once I started here, really by my second summer, I think it really influenced me to say this is what I want to do,” said Laroche, who held a number of positions at Fort George before becoming the site’s head administrator.   

He also considers himself a people person, which made him effective at his job back then today and still does today. “That’s what did it for me, talking with the public,” he says, adding that guests getting a “spark in their eyes” from interesting historic factoids explained to them is one of the most rewarding parts of working at Fort George.   

Laroche said even though it helps if students applying for jobs have a knack for local history, it’s not a requirement. “What we’re looking for are people who really enjoy speaking with other people,” said Laroche. “The rest of it we can teach.”

The students hired will work at Fort George as well as Brock’s Monument. Fort George will also serve a full schedule of events this year, many of them for the first time since the pandemic arrived in 2020.  

The next fundraiser to support student jobs will be a whisky tasting in partnership with Forty Creek, and Fireside Lectures will be held every Friday in February, and there will be a War of 1812 Officers Day in May. Recent renovations to Fort Mississauga will be available for the public to see, also in late May.  

There will also be a First World War re-enactment in June, Canada Day celebrations on July 1, a Jane Austen Tea Party in August, and a fife
and drum event that same month.  

For more information, contact the Friends of Fort George at 905-468-6621 or email [email protected].