Salute to those who bring you the Glebe Report
The Glebe Report is brought to you each month courtesy of a phalanx of volunteers.
Our intrepid “area captains”
When the printer delivers each month’s paper in bundles of 20, the eight area captains pick up their bundles, divide them into the right number of copies, and bring them to the carriers, who then deliver your copy to you!
The volunteer area captains are key players in getting the Glebe Report to your doorstep. As we celebrate 50 years of Glebe Report, we salute their commitment to community! (Watch for next month’s Glebe Report celebrating some of the 70 to 80 volunteer carriers.)
Hilda van Walraven
Hilda is the Distribution Manager who coordinates the work of all of the Area Captains and Carriers who deliver the Glebe Report monthly to households in the Glebe and Glebe Annex.
“It’s been 28 years since I moved to the Glebe (from Toronto) — I love it here! A local newspaper makes it that much better, not to mention having it delivered right to my doorstep. I became an area captain for the Glebe Report in September 2020 and started managing the distribution last summer … it’s a great way to discover new things about the Glebe!”
Martha Bowers
“I don’t really know when I became an area captain for the Glebe Report but it’s been a long time! The Glebe Report is a wonderful community newspaper and although so much of our lives is now online, I think it is good that we still have a paper that is delivered to all Glebe residents. It is a way to have physical contact with others as our society seems to be becoming more isolated. I have lived in the Glebe for almost 40 years. We all know what a lovely neighbourhood it is and it is important to get involved in the community in whatever way you like to keep it vibrant and flourishing.”
Bob Brocklebank
“As my time on the Glebe Report board was coming to an end, our Distribution Manager announced that we were missing an area captain. I had a car that could carry hundreds of copies and I thought it would be a good way to keep in touch. I’ve been an area captain since.”
Judy Field
“It’s been decades of fun traversing the neighbourhood streets, meeting new people and saying hi to friendly faces along the way… what’s not to love about being an area captain? I never had a paper route as a child, so I’m thankful to the Glebe Report for this experience.”
Jono Hamer-Wilson
“I’ve lived in the Glebe for 27 years, since moving here from Australia in the ‘90s. My wife Jill, who recently passed away, suggested that we take on the route of our street when the kids were young, as an act of community service and a way to stay in touch with our neighbours. (Fun fact: Jill and I had our first “unofficial” lunch date in a neighbourhood in Sydney called… Glebe!) When the kids outgrew that, there was a need for area captains. I had a couple of hours in the month to spare, and a car; so I offered. I guess that was about 10 years ago. I have seen many volunteer carriers, and a decent handful of distribution co-ordinators, come and go in my time; but the delightful and dedicated community spirit of the Glebe goes from strength to strength, and is the reason this is a fun, important and rewarding role.”
Deb Hogan
“When a good friend asked if we would consider becoming area captains in October, how could we say no? Having lived in the Glebe and enjoyed the Glebe Report for 25 years, it felt like the least we could do. We’re happy to give back to the community that has been such a meaningful part of our lives for a quarter of century…and counting.”
Brenda Perras
“It’s been a privilege to volunteer and give back to our wonderful community since I moved to the Glebe with my husband and children 23 years ago: the Glebe House Tour, GCA canvasser, various GNAG and GCC functions, the GCA Board of Directors, our Third Avenue block party, delivering the Glebe Report, and most recently as an area captain for the Glebe Report – all have afforded me the opportunity for ongoing connectedness with our neighbourhood.”
Della Wilkinson
“The Glebe has been my home since I emigrated from the UK in 1990. One Saturday morning I awoke to traffic and neighbours arranging bric-a-brac on their front lawns – what was going on? It was the Great Glebe Garage Sale! My husband and I needed to know what other wonderful events were being organized in our new community so we became avid readers of the Glebe Report! Eventually, he joined the Glebe Report Board and about three years ago I volunteered as an area captain.”
Ginny Grimshaw
Ginny Grimshaw died suddenly in January. She was a Glebe Report area captain for 15 years since moving to Craig Street. She also volunteered for many years at Mutchmor School. She lived in Ottawa from 1993, and had two grown children and two granddaughters. She said recently, “I love living in the Glebe because it is full of dogs, kids and friendly people!”
Glebe Report in coffee shops etc.
In addition to home delivery, the Glebe Report is made available at selected Glebe and Old Ottawa South businesses and community locations like the Sunnyside library. Introducing Eleanor Crowder and Teddy Cormier, our crack team of Commercial Distributors who make sure it happens every month.
Eleanor Crowder
“Hello! I first lived in the Glebe in 1976, and have spent 30 years of the last 50 on Holmwood, Strathcona and Thornton avenues and O’Connor Street. I raised my kids here, walked my dog, watched trees and neighbours grow. Skating the canal is a prime winter joy through all those years. Since 2000, I have had the immense pleasure of working with all ages at GNAG to make local theatre. As a street carrier ( on Adelaide) for a decade, and now as half of the commercial delivery team, I applaud the paper’s role in binding together our community.”
Teddy Cormier
“I’m Teddy Cormier. I’m 17 years old and a student at Glebe Collegiate High School. I’ve been delivering the commercial papers for the last three years, and before that did a number of residential routes. I’ve lived in the Glebe my entire life, and am glad to help volunteer for the Glebe Report.”
