North Frontenac honours act of heroism, 59 years later

Craig Bakay | Sep 12, 2019

“I’m lost for words,” said North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins at last Friday’s regular Council meeting in Plevna. “When I read the report on this, I got goosebumps.”

That report concerned something that happened 59 years ago, on Buckshot Creek in Plevna.

Tim Burtch was four years old and, as four-year-olds are wont to do, he couldn’t resist going out on the ice.

“I fell through the ice and was going down for the third time,” he said.

Enter 12-year-old Ron Lemke.

“Ron crawled out on the ice and saved my life,” Burtch said.

Although he’d thought about the incident over the years, that’s about as far as it went.

But last summer, Burtch thought he’d like to go back and see where he grew up, where his father, Rev. Ted Burtch had been a minister for many years.

“I really don’t know why I came back, I guess I just wanted to see where I grew up,” he said.

But then, fate stepped in again.

As he was looking at the creek where he almost died many years ago, he came across a woman and he told her the story. That woman turned out to be Marjorie, Ron’s sister.

“I didn’t recognize her,” Burtch said. “But she remembered the whole thing.”

So, they decided to go see Ron.

“I’ve thought about Tim over the years — whatever happened to him, and there he was, standing at my door,” Lemke said.

So, Burtch and Marjorie checked with the Township if there was any way to acknowledge such and act of heroism, and it turned out there was indeed.

And last Friday, a number of people got together in the Council chambers to present Lemke with a cake and a certificate that reads: “This certificate is proudly presented to Ronald Lemke for a successful effort in saving a human life which involved exceptional courage and performance. Your heroic actions will always be remembered.”

Visibly moved, Lemke said: “I really appreciate this. I’ll put it in my music room (he plays bluegrass guitar, mandolin and bass) on the wall and people can ask me about it.”

Because of Lemke’s efforts, Burtch went on to retirement after a long career as a heavy equipment operator in Ramara Township and Barrie.

For his part, Lemke went on to own Tim Horton’s franchises in Perth, which he sold three years ago

Grant for Dark Skies Preserve

Further to Council’s request, Community Development Manager Corey Klatt reported that he investigated the possibility of applying for a Rural Economic Development grant in conjunction with the construction of a new building to house a donated telescope at the Dark Skies Preserve.

“No new construction of buildings or structures are eligible for this funding,” he said. “I did submit an application for the Canadian Experiences Fund.

“Successful applications have not yet been announced.”

Recreational Vehicle bylaw

Clerk/Planning Manager Tara Mieske told Council that a proposed new recreational vehicle bylaw is in the works including fees.

“The old bylaw (2003) doesn’t match the new Zoning Bylaw,” she said.

She said they’re planning a public meeting in the spring of 2020 to inform the public of what’s in the bylaw and receive feedback.

“If you have a home you can store an RV on it but you can’t use it there for more than 14 days in a row,” she said.

Treasurer Kelly Watkins said the new rules are necessary to preclude someone from purchasing a lot and putting a trailer on it to avoid taxation such as would be assessed if a cottage were built on the lot.

“MPAC won’t assess a trailer,” she said