Friends of Murphys Point Park

Hello Friends (and Park Neighbours)!

Spring has sprung, which means it’s time for the Spring edition of the Lanark County Adopt-a-Road program with the Friends of Murphys Point Park! This is a great way to help keep Murphys Point and the neighbourhood beautiful, and we are seeking volunteers to help pick up litter and recyclables along the stretch of County Road 21 (Lally Road) that passes through the Park – from just before the main entrance through to the Group Camping area.

The event is slated to take place on Sunday, April 27 starting at 10 a.m. from the Lally Homestead Parking Lot. We do each side of the road, which is about 7 kilometres of walking in total, and it usually takes about two hours.

Park staff will be on hand to assist, and safety equipment will be available. Volunteers must sign a waiver for the County in order to participate. Please note, if you participated with us last year, you don’t need to sign the waiver again – it remains valid for the duration of the program. Here is a link to the waiver: https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/roads-trails-and-transit/resources/Documents/Indemnity-Requirements.pdf

For your reference prior to signing the waiver, please have a look at:

• County agreement information (https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/roads-trails-and-transit/resources/Documents/Adopt-A-Road-Agreement-Form-Fillable.pdf)
• Terms and Conditions (https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/roads-trails-and-transit/resources/Documents/Adopt-A-Road-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf)

If you would like to help, please complete and return the waiver to us at friendsofmurphyspointpark@yahoo.ca by 4 p.m. on April 24 so that we can forward it to the County. Volunteers will receive safety instructions prior to the pick up, including information about ticks. Sturdy shoes/boots and long socks that you can tuck your pants into are recommended. Equipment will be provided.

A light lunch will be served at the Lally Homestead for volunteers following the pick-up. We are also hosting our Annual General Meeting that day at the Homestead at 12:30 p.m. It is a brief meeting (usually about half an hour) and we hope you will join us to hear about Friends’ activities! (If you can’t participate in Adopt-a-Road but would like to attend the AGM, please join us at 12:30 p.m. More info will be posted about the AGM soon!)

We hope to see you on April 27!

Are you good with numbers? Have a bit of time to support a good cause?

The Friends of Murphys Point Park are looking for a volunteer to take on the role of Treasurer. If you have – or someone you know has – the interest and the skills to help fulfill this role, we would love to hear from you or them.

The Friends of Murphys Point Park is a small, registered incorporated not-for-profit charity that has been in operation since 1995. Our mandate is to encourage and support interpretive, educational, recreational, scientific, and historical initiatives related to the natural, cultural and historic resources of Murphys Point Provincial Park, which is located in Tay Valley Township about 20 minutes south of Perth. In order to carry out our work the members derive income from fundraisers, membership fees, donations, merchandise sales and grants.

The Treasurer holds an Executive position on the Board of Directors of the Friends. Duties of the position include:

• Recording revenues and expenditures using QuickBooks (supplied by the Friends) and reporting to the Board (meetings are held approximately every two months)
• Managing accounts payable and receivable by cheque or e-transfer, including bank deposits (the Treasurer is one of three signing authorities with the Board)
• Compiling relevant documents to facilitate a review engagement by the Friends’ accountant (currently underway for the 2024 fiscal year)
• Completing the annual Charitable Return for CRA, which is due in June each year
• Assisting with developing the annual budget (already underway for 2025)
• Assisting with paperwork (WSIB) and payroll (with the help of another volunteer with payroll experience) for two or three summer students hired by the Friends
• Issuing receipts for charitable donations

Our budget is not huge and the tasks are not onerous to someone familiar with bookkeeping procedures, and Board members and other volunteers can provide guidance. Our previous Treasurer, who passed away suddenly, left our records in very good order.

If you know of anyone with an interest in the Park or the Friends and who may have the skills to fill this position, please e-mail friendsofmurphyspointpark@yahoo.ca for more information or to discuss in greater detail.

Please spread the word, and thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have.

The Friends are sad to share the news that our long-time Director and Treasurer, Don Goodfellow, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 11 following a short illness. We are all so saddened by this loss.

Don was a pillar of support for all things related to the Friends of Murphys Point Park. In addition to volunteering at most of our events, Don was our Barbecue King. Many of you may have encountered him or volunteered alongside him at our fundraising barbecues over the years, which raised thousands of dollars for Friends’ activities. He worked closely with Park staff to ensure these events went smoothly for everyone involved and was happy to welcome and coach not only Friends and Park students to help with our activities, but also local high school students seeking volunteer hours.

Behind the scenes, Don was a steady, quiet, patient and solid presence for the Board. The Treasurer’s job is a busy one, and he handled it with great competence, keeping Friends’ records organized and up-to-date, meeting all reporting requirements and managing our assets with skill and knowledge. If ever there was a challenge to overcome, Don was quick to step up and help solve it. He could be counted on to lend his support wherever and whenever it was needed.

In addition to being an outstanding “Friend,” Don was also our dear friend – and we will miss him tremendously. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Don’s family, friends and so many other community groups that benefited from his dedication, generosity and kindness. 

In the coming weeks, the Board will be discussing ways we can honour Don’s contribution to the Friends of Murphys Point, and we will keep you posted.