On July 3, a special dedication was held for a new bench near the mouth of Mill Creek just east of the stone bridge at Lakeside Park. There is a unique story behind this memorial. The plaque reads:

Stan and Dorothy Gregg
Their 73 year love story began on a Kingsville farm on July 3, 1946

In 1946, London-born Dorothy Chantler was working as a Farmerette in Kingsville. The 17-year-old was billeted at the old Mettawas Casino building along with a group of young women who had been recruited to help with agricultural jobs during WWII. Stan Gregg of Toronto was working at a farm camp in Harrow.

These two young people happened to meet on July 3, 1946, while working on a potato farm, and a life-long love affair began.

They attended local dances on Saturday nights, and some of their most memorable dates were picnics on the beach in Kingsville.

Stan worked on the Gregory Farm in Harrow in 1947 and in the St. Catherine’s area for three years while in the Commando service. Dorothy was a Farmerette during the summers of 1944, 1945 and 1946. They wrote letters and stayed in touch until the war was over.

They chose July 3, 1948, as their wedding day. Over the years they spoke often of their many happy memories from Lakeside Park in Kingsville.

Stan passed away on June 2, 2019, at the age of 94, and just six weeks later, Dorothy passed on July 14.

Their children Brenda Murray, from Barrie, and Steven Gregg, from Niagara-on-the-Lake, came to Kingsville last summer to see for themselves the places that were so beloved by their parents.

With assistance from volunteers at the Kingsville Archives and H.E.I.R.S. in Harrow, they learned more information.

Author Bonnie Sitter who penned “Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes” was a valuable resource about the women who worked to help feed the country during the war.

The family wanted to share their parent’s story with the people of Kingsville. They approached the Town and got approval to place a bench on the lake shore. The dedication would be on July 3, of course.

As part of the ceremony Brenda read, “We would not be standing here today if it was not for the Farmerette’s programs that brought our mother to Kingsville and our father to Harrow in 1946. Like many war veterans, our parents spoke very little of their experiences during this wartime food program.”

When you stop and sit on this bench, in the shade of a catalpa tree, enjoying the cool breezes and peaceful view, remember the love story of Stan and Dorothy Gregg and the part they played in the Canadian war effort.