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Club History

Club History

Our Accomplishments

In 1963 a small group of friends who were enthusiastic amateur photographers residing in Don Mills decided that they should organize and form a club that would further their interest in photography and allow them to invite like-minded people to join and share their hobbies.

This group of founding members included Harry Ballinger, who became the club's first president. The club was organized on a non-profit basis, and after several meetings, as the membership grew, it was decided that larger premises were needed for the meetings, and the Don Mills Library was selected as the club's headquarters.

In 1971, future presidents Dave Broadhurst and Tom Yates, together with June Haylock (now Yates), joined the club and would leave their mark in later years.

Like all clubs, the Don Mills Camera Club is run by an executive voted in by the membership. One of the many beneficial rules is that the position of the president can only be held by an individual for two years. This has helped keep the club vibrant and ensured that no one person can dominate the club in the long term.

The club has always emphasized a good mix of age groups, from students to senior citizens, and has worked energetically to recruit new members through showings of members' work at the Don Mills Centre, the Canadian National Exhibition, Henry's Exposure shows, our website, and MeetUp.

Membership is currently limited to 105 to ensure our meetings and workshops are a comfortable size.

As the years go by, the club activities have changed, but we believe that most members join to improve their photography in a congenial atmosphere. This is our goal, and the club's reputation for quality attests to its success in meeting that goal.

The Past Presidents are listed below. We salute their efforts and those of their executive for donating their time and skills to the club.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Past Presidents David Barr, Dave Broadhurst, and Tom Yates for
providing historical information.

Past Presidents

1964 - 1967   Harry Ballinger
1967 - 1969   Oliver Dell
1969 - 1971   Donald Beaumont
1971 - 1973   Larry Thomas
1973 - 1975   David Broadhurst
1975 - 1977   Thomas Yates
1977 - 1979    Jack Murray
1979 - 1981    David Barr
1981 - 1983    Vince Sheridan
1983 - 1985    Raf Ollivierre

1985 - 1987    Robert Ward
1987 - 1989    Leslie Fernandes
1989 - 1991    Claudio Bacinello
1991 - 1993    Sandor Mathé
1993 - 1995    Walter Dorlandt
1995 - 1997    Gordon Broadhead
1997 - 1999    Peter Neely
1999 - 2001    Astrid Fernandes
2001 - 2003    Bel Remedios
2003 - 2005   Wendy Sprung

2005 - 2007   Sheila Bayne
2007 - 2008   Andy Lamm
2008 - 2010   Ellen Simmons
2010 - 2012   Martha Rosenberg
2012 - 2013   Cynthia Smith
2013 - 2015   Eric Thompson
2015 - 2017   Andrea Gimblett
2017 - 2019   Catherine AuYeung
2019 - 2021   Alberto Bustos
2021 - 2022   Gary Phillips
2022 - 2024   Cheryl Powers

The Bronze Box

In 1973, a group of Hamilton Camera Club (HCC) members headed by Bill Moody proposed that the two clubs should have a friendly annual competition.

In the fall following a DMCC meeting, 3 HCC members and 3 DMCC members (Dave Broadhurst - President, Tom Yates - Vice President, and June Haylock - Competitions Chairperson) met to set up the competition format.

The same number of members of each club would each submit a slide or monochrome print representing the club's performance as a whole. A panel of judges who were not members of either club would judge the entries.

The venue for the competition would alternate between club headquarters. The competition included a potluck buffet provided by the host club and a presentation by the judges while the scores were tallied.

The first competition was held in Hamilton in the spring of 1974, and Hamilton won. Over the years, the number of victories by each club was almost equal, as each club strived to make the evening one to be proud of and to win the trophy, a bronzed vintage box camera provided by Mr Moody.

The Reeser Trophy

In this annual competition, awards are given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The creator of the winning photo essay is awarded the Reeser Trophy.

The Reeser family donated the trophy to the club in 2002 in recognition of Karl and Phyllis Reeser's contribution to photography while they were members of the Don Mills Camera Club.

It was in honour of their 55th wedding anniversary.

Karl and Phyllis especially liked photo essays and mentored some of our members on the art of storytelling through photography.

Title of the image box
Title of the image box

Piano Garden

Background Photo Taken by Club Member George Novotny

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Website Images

The photographs used throughout this site are the work of members of the Don Mills Camera Club.

All rights are reserved.