A search for historical images of Midland prompted Terry Bates to create the Facebook group Midland Ontario Canada - Our Hometown - Then and Now.
Nine years later, he received the 2020 Heritage Appreciation Award thanks to the success of the group.
"Thank you, Rene Hackstetter, for the recognition and nominating (me) for the Town of Midland 2020 Heritage Appreciation Award," Bates said addressing council and those attending the session Wednesday night. "I truly appreciate it."
He said the Facebook group was borne out of his search for historical photos of the town.
"I came across a bunch of stuff," Bates said. "I thought maybe I’ll just collaborate it all together and drag it all in one spot and people can just join the group."
The award has quite a pedigree.
"I looked back on the names of all those who had received it before me and it’s nice to get the recognition," he said. "I was doing it for fun because I’m retired now after being in the army for 33 ½ years."
After he created the group, other similar groups in the area started popping up.
"It was an inspiration for them," said his wife, Margaret Bates. "It’s kind of nice to bring some attention to the hometown - the small communities. The big ones are getting bigger and bigger and crazier and crazier and it’s kind of nice to have a small town to come back to."
Bates was born and raised in Midland, as were his parents, and his family’s history in the town began with his relatives immigrating to Midland from England in the late 1800s and early 1920s.
Bates joined the Canadian Army in November of 1978, later retiring in 2013 as a Radio Communications and Electronics Supervisor in Meaford, where he currently lives,.
Despite that, he has maintained a keen interest in the town's history. The Facebook group is a compilation of history, information, and photographs that illustrate the transformation of Midland from then until now and provides answers to questions of the town’s yesteryears.
Through his page, Bates continues to contribute to the awareness and recognition of the town’s heritage, noted a report to the awards committee..
Bates said 60% of the content on the page is historical and 40% is about present-day Midland.
Bates said people are very interested in the information shared in the group, "Especially when people are moving into the area, they’re interested in the history of the town."
A second Heritage Appreciation Award was given to Jack Wilford.
"It’s a great honour," he told MidlandToday. "I’ve been on the heritage committee for nine years and it’s very important for us with the tremendous history that Midland has enjoyed. It’s been a very exciting history and it’s been an honour to represent that and recognize some of the properties and activities that have taken place in the past."
History, Wilford said, means a great deal to him.
"I’ve grown up here and a lot of things you take for granted when you’re growing up and later on in life you look back in life and realize how some of the history has impacted your life," he said.
Wilford, 83, a Midland resident, moved to the area when he was one. He has "continuously demonstrated a strong commitment to preserving and promoting the town’s collective heritage," read the report to council.
Also a previous recipient of the award in 2010, Wilford has since made numerous contributions to the promotion and preservation of heritage in Midland, by taking part in projects such as planning and organizng the 2013 Ontario Heritage Conference, the proposal for the Heritage Restoration and Promotion of the William Wilson Cemetery on Highway 12 in 2015, and the Penetanguishene Road Historical Signage Project that is currently ongoing.
Having retired from the Midland Heritage Committee last year, he is hoping the group will keep working towards having King Street designated as a heritage district.
"You have to learn from history and appreciate your history," Wilford said. "I think development is great and there’s a place for it, but the history can’t be ignored or forgotten and that’s implicit in the buildings and the memories people have."
Mayor Stewart Strathearn congratulated both recipients.
"It’s really one of the more fulfilling parts of this job to recognize people who have contributed to the community. It’s my pleasure to present awards tonight," he said.
Watch for a story on the recipient of the 2020 Heritage Merit Award.