CLUB HISTORY

In the mid 1990s, the Rotary Club of Barrie and the Rotary Club of Barrie - Huronia determined that a third club was required for the Barrie and surrounding area. The new club would be a breakfast meeting format.
 
The application submitted by the two clubs to Rotary International was approved on July 28, 1999. Shortly thereafter, George Dangerfield, who had been actively promoting the new club for several months, became the first President. The name Barrie-Kempenfelt was chosen, and forty new members were officially welcomed as members on August 4, 1999.

Past Presidents

 

1999-2000 George Dangerfield

2002-2003 Mary Vallee

2005-2006 John McNiven 

2008-2009 Jackie Tunbridge-Glacer

2011-2012 Joe Givens   

2014-2015 Scott Brumwell

2017-2018 Monique Vaillancourt

2020-2021 Junior Blake

2023-2024 Joan Bell

 

 

2000-2001 Cheryl Simpson

2003-2004 Steve Thompson

2006-2007 Ken Pickering    

2009-2010 Barry Ward

2012-2013 Greg Ferguson

2015-2016 Steven Gage

2018-2019 Terry Steine

2021-2022 Tonya Pearce

 

 

2001-2002 Steve Periard

2004-2005 Mac Anderson

2007-2008 Gerry Pilon

2010-2011 Mike Kinsey

2013-2014 Stella Gan

2016-2017 Ross Watt

2019-2020 Kirk Evans

2022-2023 Michael Smiley

 

In Memoriam
 
Coos Uylenbroek
Coos Uylenbroek joined Rotary in 1999 as a Charter member of the Kempenfelt Rotary Club.  Born in Holland in 1951, Coos immigrated to Canada in 1973 and became a Canadian citizen in 1989.  He and his wife Lawna moved to Barrie in 1988 and purchased the Crazy Fox Bistro.  The restaurant moved to its current location on Bayfield Street in 2003, and Coos continued to operate the restaurant until his retirement in 2018. 
 
Coos was an active member of the Kempenfelt Rotary Club.   With his passion for fishing, Coos, along with his friend Barry Peacock, established the inaugural Kempenfelt Rotary Club Kid’s Fishing Day in 2005.   This event continues to this day and we are very thankful for Coos’ involvement in getting this started.  In 2015 he was actively involved in establishing the Youth Reach charity in Barrie. 
 
Coos was an avid scuba diver and in February of 2019 he passed away while scuba diving in Mexico.
Don Eagles
Don was an active member of the Kempenfelt Rotary Club from 2007 to 2013.   Born in 1950 he was a long time Barrie resident and actively involved in the community through minor hockey, baseball and the Barrie Construction Association.  He was a long time employee of Bertram Construction before setting up his own company, Eagles Construction, several years ago. 
 
In 2011 while with the Rotary Club, Don led a team of local business leaders to South Africa where they built a foster home for children.  This was done in conjunction with the Emmanuel’s Wish Foundation of which Don was a great supporter.  After leaving the club, Don continued to support the Kempenfelt Club’s efforts by attending various events including the annual golf tournament. 
 
Don passed away on January 19, 2019. 
Jack Delcourt
Jack Delcourt was a charter member of the Kempenfelt Rotary Club and our Executive Director.  Jack was a proud and hard working Rotarian for many years, having been part of the Barrie Rotary Club before the Kempenfelt Club was formed.  He carried the large responsibility of producing our weekly bulletin, the "Eye Opener" and maintaining this website.  He also attended all of our events with camera in hand to record the history of our club in pictures.  Most importantly, Jack was a great asset in helping to guide the day-to-day operation of the Kempfenfelt Rotary Club since its inception. 
 
Jack was also very active in many other community organizations, such as the Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance and the Barrie Curling Club.  He'll be greatly missed by all of us.
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