The purpose of a will is to allow your assets to be handled the way you wish, lawyer Michelle Foxton told the Seniors And Law Enforcement Together (SALT) gathering last week at Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith.

“If you die intestate (ie no will), it’s not the end of the road, but . . .” she said.

Foxton was the featured speaker at the last SALT presentation for this year. The popular series will resume in January with sessions on frauds and scams.

“The reason I’m here today is to tell you the benefits of having a will and the downsides of not having a will,” she said. “Lawyers, because they’ve seen so many scenarios can properly advise you but they need your input so that they know where your assets are.”

While you can write your own will from a kit or website, it probably won’t do everything you might want it to.

“Sometimes, you want to keep assets out of a will to avoid probate,” she said. “Probate is contesting a will in court.

“Financial institutions want to know that the executor is the executor and that there isn’t another will floating around somewhere.”

And, she said, if one aspect of a will triggers probate, probate tax will be applied to the entire will.

She said the executor(s) of your will is entitled to compensation but some will opt to only take expenses because said compensation is subject to income tax.

In the case of joint ownership of property or bank accounts, the right of survivorship takes effect, she said.

“(But) I really caution people from adding people (such as children) as joint owners because as survivors, it goes to them, shutting out other kids for example.

“And if you want to do anything with the property, you need permission of the joint owner.”

And, there are special provisions for passing on farm properties so you have to talk to a tax preparer before you go to a lawyer for a will, she said.

And, just because you have a small estate, doesn’t mean you don’t need a will.

“Small estates are often the hardest to deal with because there usually isn’t enough money to hire professionals to deal with certain aspects,” she said.

Wills deal with your assets after you die. Powers of Attorney govern your affairs while you’re still alive.

“Powers of Attorney can allow you to deal with bank accounts without adding joint ownership,” she said.

There are actually two types of Power of Attorney — for assets and for care.

Foxton encourages clients to discuss these with your lawyer and your doctor.

“These are tough decisions but you’d be surprised at how many matters can be resolved,” she said.

In 1819, Thomas Wildey founded an Oddfellows Lodge in Baltimore, MD, the first in North America.

In 2019, the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs of Harrowsmith gathered in their Golden Links Hall to commemorate that event.

It was a time to remember and honour those who have served the longest with the presentation of jewels and recognitions, such as June Carruthers, who joined the Rebekahs on Dec. 7, 1943, in Belleville, making her a Rebekah for 75 years. She was the longest-serving member in attendance.

“I’ve enjoyed all of my years,” she told the crowd. “I love you.”

Howard Warner and Howard Fellows are the last remaining Odd Fellows who served in the old hall in Harrowsmith that burned down in 1972. They each have 51 years of service.

“There was a post office, a garage and a hall there,” said Fellows. “It’s been a lot better working in this (Golden Links) hall than the first one.

“The old hall had two floors.

“The lower floor was a bingo hall and we had our meetings upstairs. We had to put posts under the beams so the floor wouldn’t bounce.”

The Athena Lodge #306 (instituted Mar. 4, 1894) and Princess Elizabeth Rebekah Lodge #358 (instituted Mar. 14, 1952) have been involved in many charitable and community functions over the years including eye research and the eye bank, arthritis society, and Odd Fellow and Rebehaka Sniors Home.

They are particularly involved with Camp Trillium, having taken out and paid off a $1 million loan to secure property for the camp.

They give financial and moral support to local families in need, loan out a variety of hospital equipment and participate in local events such as Canada Day in the Park and the Santa Claus Parade.

Each they give a $500 bursary to a Sydenham High School student to assist in furthering their education.

Ever wonder what the Oddfellows and Rebekahs are all about?

The roots of the International Order of Oddfellows go back to the medieval ages. In the days before the advent of social services guilds organised to take care of their members who fell ill or ran into difficulties. This commitment to community support was taken up by fraternal societies, and the Oddfellows became established in the United Kingdom.

In North America, the Oddfellows consider the founding of an Oddfellow Lodge in Baltimore in 1819 by Thomas Wildey as the start of the International Order on this continent/

In 1842, the North American order split from the order based in Manchester, England, and took on the name International Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) Women were welcomed into the order in 1851 with the formation of the daughters of Rebekah. To this day the command of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs is to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan.” 

The Oddfellows and Rebekahs of Harrowsmith provide service in both Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. They also operate a hall that is available for community events, the Golden Links Hall.

This weekend they will be marking the 200th anniversary of the IOOF with a special celebration on Sunday afternoon (June 23) from 2-6pm. There will be presentations and memorabilia on display about the history of the IOOF locally and internationally. All are welcome to attend. For information, call Brenda at 613-372-2410

Heavy snow, ice and the recent January thaw have wreaked havoc to a number of buildings and homes in the region. The Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith was one building that has suffered, and as result two functions that were scheduled to take place there had to be canceled.

Debbie Green, who is the Vice Grand of the Rebekah Lodge Branch 358 and also secretary of the Golden Links Hall Committee, said that she became aware of a problem on January 10 after a couple of hall members arrived to take out the recycling.

“They arrived to find the small meeting rooms, the cloak room and the storage room all flooded. There was about 3-4 inches of water on the floor in those areas and my understanding is that the flooding occurred as result of the ice storm that took place earlier this month," she said.

The storm caused an ice dam on the roof above those sections of the building, which caused water to leak through the roof vents as the ice and snow began to thaw. Luckily the main hall of the building and the lodge room off of it were not damaged.

Green said that on the following Monday, Service Master, a water damage company from Kingston, was called out to assess the situation. They estimated the damage at $20,000. While the company reported no structural damage to the roof or building, all of the carpeting, drywall and ceiling tiles had to removed in the affected areas and will be replaced in the next few weeks. The company has installed numerous industrial-strength dryers to dry out the flooded areas, which Green said would take close a week. This must be done prior to the installation of the new materials.

Green said the repairs come at a terrible time since the hydro and heating bills at the hall will still need to be paid, but she did say they are thankful that the damage was not worse and that insurance coverage will pay for all of damages.

That being said, however, the revenue that would have been generated from the two canceled fundraising functions - the beef supper that was scheduled for Jan. 19, and the bingo that was scheduled for Jan. 21 - will be sorely missed.

Debbie Green hopes to be able to schedule some additional fundraisers to make up for the loss. She is hoping that the reconstruction will be complete by March 1, in time for the Oddfellows' Branch 306 120th anniversary celebration, which is scheduled for that day.

Green has been a member of the Rebekahs for 30 years and on the hall committee for the past 10 years. She said that she does not recall ever having to cancel a function in the hall's 40-year history, nor does she recall the building ever being damaged in any way before.

She thanks the community for their patience and understanding in this matter and said she hopes to see everyone at their next beef supper, which will take place on February16 from 4-6:30pm. The regular youth dances and ballroom dancing lessons will continue as scheduled at the hall.

Though Harrowsmith's Oddfellows and Rebekahs obviously have not been around for such a length of time, on March 23, some of their members were recognized for a total of 700 plus years of dedicated service to the organization.

The lodges’ award ceremonies take place every five years and at this year’s event a total of 23 men and women, accompanied by a large contingent of friends and family, attended the special jewel presentation at the Golden Links hall. The hall is the home of the 101-year-old Harrowsmith Oddfellows (Athena 306) and 68-year-old Harrowsmith Rebekahs (Princess Elizabeth #358) lodges.

The celebration was attended by over 100 guests, including representatives from Lyn, Cobourg, Brooklyn, Kingston and Gananoque, and was headed by MCs Wayne Gard and Sandra Clow. Following a sumptuous ham dinner with all the fixings that was prepared by two new Kingston members, Bob Dorey and Kevin Nickerson, the ceremony began.

Charles Benson, the Sovereign Grand Guardian of The Sovereign Grand Lodge, was one of the speakers and he spoke about this year’s theme: Make a Difference. “Looking at the number of the years that people here in Harrowsmith have served shows that these people are making a difference and following the principles of friendship, love and truth and are taking that out into their community. This is a great organization where people can learn about these three basic principles, and how they can be spread around the community, and put into practice in order to help make a better world with members working together for the betterment of everything and everyone,” Benson said.

The Oddfellows and Rebekahs serve the community wherever and however they are needed. The organization has raised funds for Camp Trillium and for eye and leukemia research and they also regularly raise funds for the purchase of hospital beds, wheelchairs and walkers for those in need while also tending to the immediate needs of individuals and organizations in the community. Benson also touched on how the general membership in the club has been on the decline for a number of years. “We are presently losing more members than we are gaining because for years we were not worrying about broadcasting to the community what exactly it is that we do. In the past we just did it for the sake of doing it. Now we see that we need to let people in the community know what is that we do and to shine that light out there so people know about us and understand the kind of work that we do,” he said.

That message seems to be getting out and early in the ceremony two younger members of the community, Samantha Rattray and Ryan Baker, received their new membership pins. Samantha said that she was encouraged by her mother, a Rebekah, to join and felt that joining the organization would be “a new fun thing to do”. The couple have children aged 6 to 16 who regularly attend the club’s youth dances they said that they are looking forward to helping out at the dances, dinners and bingos. “Our children love the youth dances, so helping out is our way of giving back to the community. Volunteer work is great thing to be involved in and it really helps out a lot of people in the community. We are hoping to encourage some of our friends to join too,” Ryan said.

It was by far the older members of the organization, many of whom have served over half of their lifetimes, who owned the spotlight at the ceremony. Sister Hilda Hodgson of Harrowsmith, who is 89 years of age, received her 55-year jewel. She was accompanied to the podium to receive the award by son David and daughter Darlene. She said she was happy to see many of her old friends and admitted that she has not been around as much in recent years because she no longer drives. “I have so many wonderful memories over the years and I am still in touch with many of the friends that I have made here,” she said.

Sister Barb Garrison received her 45-year pin and also a special certificate of service. Brothers Harold Benjamin, Howard Fellows, Lyle Crawford, Acton Hayes and Howard Warner also received their 45-year jewels as did many others their 5 - 40 year pins. Accompanying many of them were younger members of their families, perhaps demonstrating that these newly jeweled members of the organization are indeed doing their part in encouraging younger folks to step up and join the ranks.

Those interested in finding out more can contact Brenda Taylor at 613-372-2410 or Wayne van Alstine at 613-358-2533.