More Than 50 Years of Cross-Broder Friendship And Community
By Ralph Tweedie, Manotick Kiwanis Club
For over 50 years, the Kiwanis Club of Manotick has enjoyed a strong relationship with a sister Kiwanis Club in Norwood, New York. This summer, after a three-year hiatus due to covid, we restarted this cherished tradition. On Monday, August 21st, a group of Manotick Kiwanis members drove to Norwood, NY for an interclub meeting and BBQ. The Norwood club has been hosting this annual international interclub since at least the 1970s.
The original organizer was Monty Montabone a past President of the Manotick Club. Monty competed in the high hurdles in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. He traveled the world as an Olympic “ambassador” and visited many Kiwanis Clubs along the way.
A bus was rented and other Ottawa area clubs were invited and joined in. When our bus arrived for dinner the Norwood members and Canadian guests would mingle in the restaurant, meeting old friends and making new ones. In the early years, the trips sometimes included a golf tournament. I’m told the Manotick members often returned with the top prizes.
Over the years it became a very cherished event with the Norwood Club reciprocating, often attending our charter night in the fall.
The event has become less formal and is now often a BBQ held in a park or at someone’s home. This year’s group of participants was small but had a great time. A cruise around Norwood Lake was part of the fun. Hopefully we can carry on with this great tradition for years to come.
