Lucas Punkari
It may seem strange to some that the annual Ducks Unlimited banquet here is an event so many people circle on their calendar each year.
But for the last 30 years, it definitely is something many look forward to, with last Friday’s banquet at La Place Rendez-Vous being another rousing success.
“It’s been very interesting to see how it has developed over the years,” said Denis Busch, who has attended every dinner since its inception in 1984.
“Over the years, you would see the same old crowd coming in,” he noted. “But now you see a whole bunch of younger people coming out.
“It’s good to see that because there a lot of people who have been there and done that, and now you are starting to see a lot of new faces coming here, which is nice to see,” Busch reiterated.
Since 1984, the Fort Frances branch of Ducks Unlimited has raised $703,517 for Ducks Unlimited Canada, with the highest single-night total coming in 2003 when $31,250 was raised.
“We may not have to worry about wetlands preservation in our local area due to the abundance of wetlands that we have,” conceded event chairperson Kevin Begin.
“But other areas of the province have to deal with urban sprawl and things like that,” he noted.
“With everything else that is going on in those regions, it’s nice to be able to do something to help them out.”
Having started out at the former Knights of Columbus Hall on Scott Street, the DU banquet then moved to the Adventure Inn before settling at the Rendez-Vous, which has played host for the last two decades.
“They really have it fine-tuned here now, which is different from what it was back in the beginning when we really didn’t know what to do and we were sort of floundering around a little bit,” admitted Larry Cousineau, who served on the organizing committee for 27 years.
“The banquet was excellent from day one, however, and it really has developed now into something that is almost high-tech,” he said.
“The young people that are running things here now are doing an excellent job, and I’ve also noticed lately that the average age at the event has dropped for the last five years.
“That is really good for the future,” Cousineau added.
The younger crowds is something Begin has noticed, too, in his four-year stint as chairman, which is especially noteworthy given the history of the event.
“When you talk to many of the people who have been here since the beginning, this used to be more of a men’s night out,” Begin recalled.
“Now it’s morphed into more of a family event, and we are lucky to have people come back year after year to enjoy what we have to offer.
“It’s because of the history of the event that we are never in a situation where . . . we have to sell a lot of tickets in the days leading up to the banquet, as they always sell quick,” he added.
Friday’s banquet also was a special occasion for Ducks Unlimited in general, as the national organization is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
“I would say that makes it a very special evening for everybody involved here,” Begin noted.
“On some of the items that we had in the silent auction, they had a special 75th anniversary logo on it to signify that it was sold in 2013,” he explained.
“And we also had a special limited edition 75th anniversary Browning Maxus 12-gauge shotgun that was raffled off.”
While the exact totals are still being finalized, the total sales from the silent auction were $7,500, the live auction items came in at a total of $8,075 dollars, and $14,000 came through the various raffles that were held throught the night.
“We also had a $2,000 dollar donation from Investors Group, who are now sponsoring DU dinners across the country,” event treasurer Chris Wielinga noted.
The top-selling items once again came during the live auction portion of the night.
A Savage Axis 30-06 rifle scope combo was the highest-selling item of the evening at $625, which topped a .17 HMR Savage rifle that went for $475.
A coffee table and stools combo from Ducks Unlimited, along with a Terry Redlin print entitled “Welcome to Paradise,” both fetched $450.
A mission-style rocker from DU topped out at $400.
