- Editor’s
Note:
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- This
column is a regular feature in the Wayback Times in which my
husband takes interesting people out to lunch … and sends
me the bill.
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- (It's
a tough job, but someone has to do it!)
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- Send
us an e-mail if you have someone in mind for one of Peter Neilly's
interviews over lunch.
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- Peter Neilly is Out
to Lunch
- Breaking bread with
interesting people
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- Out to Lunch!
- with Peter Neilly
- Today's Out To Lunch guest is Jean Pollock. Sandy
and I met Jean several years ago while we were selling at the
Port Perry Antique Show. Jean is an active member of a very industrious
group of women known as the Super Eight Ladies.
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- The group - Jean, Anne Shortt, Bev Matthews,
Patricia Daniels-Burry, Kerry Cook, Fran Picken,
Joan McCormick and Virginia Ellison - originally
met because of a common interest in antiques, but it has evolved
into much more. We are having lunch at the Swiss Chalet in Peterborough.
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- Peter: Thanks for meeting with me Jean. Can you explain
to the readers how this group of ladies first got started and
what it does?
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- Jean: We got together over 10 years ago when one of
our founders decided she needed an outlet for her love of antiques.
Her family didn't show much interest in antiques so she got several
of us together to share the information and knowledge we each
had from collecting and dealing with antiques over the years.
We started meeting once a month at each other's homes in the
evening over coffee and cookies. We agreed each member would
bring an item every month and tell of its history and provenance.
This has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us and
we really look forward to the third Monday of each month.
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- Peter: It sounds like a great way to learn more about
antiques and get together over coffee and cookies.
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- Jean: It started out as coffee and cookies, evolved
into wine and cheese and now we do gourmet pot luck dinners.
One member is extremely well informed about dolls, glass and
china. She has been a dealer for many years, so if any of us
bring in an old doll, she gives us the information on where and
when it was made and the company that produced it. Another member
has great insight into furniture styles like Mission, Gustav
Stickly and Morris. Someone else has studied vintage costume
jewellery and has lots of reference books for us to peruse. Two
other girls are very knowledgeable of the finest designers of
ladies accessories and we love it when they bring in handbags,
gloves and vintage clothing. Two of our members are interior
designers and do "home staging" and their business
is enhanced by antiques and collectibles. All of the women in
our group have a great decorating flair and their homes are captivating
and display very interesting antique and retro collections. Many
of our friends are antique dealers and we sometimes will go to
the shows to see what things have surfaced among them. These
times are particularly fun because we all head in different directions,
but meet later to go over our great finds. We always look forward
to an annual trip to a beautiful B&B near us, where the owner
puts up an amazing Christmas décor that stays up until
the end of January. She offers an English tea luncheon, so we
go there after the festivities are over and all have a wonderful
time touring her place and enjoying all her homemade goodies.
The place is called Shambala.
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- Peter: I know your group does much more than discuss
and learn about antiques. As a group, you have raised money and
given much time to helping others. Can you talk about some of
your efforts?
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- Jean: We sponsored a car boot sale at a local parking
lot and the money collected for the spaces went to our local
food bank. A few years ago, one of our antique dealer friends
had two sons serving in the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
We collected monetary donations from other antique dealers at
a show and added our own money, and then each of us went shopping
for things the soldiers had requested. We had a wonderful time
putting it all together. We filled a dozen boxes that were sent
off to the two soldiers and they distributed the contents to
other soldiers in Afghanistan. It was greatly appreciated by
them as well as their parents. Last year, we did it again. Thank
you notes were sent to all those who contributed. This year,
at the request of a Corporal Medic in Afghanistan, for some small
furry critter toys that he can give to children who are hospitalized
or hurt in the field, we have collected about 700 of these things.
We will be sending them off through the Buckhorn Ladies, Kathy
Bulger and Darlene Loucks of the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. They
are the two women who can expedite sending parcels to the troops.
Kathy lost her son a few years ago in Afghanistan in a roadside
bomb explosion. She and her friend, Darlene, 'turned her scars
into stars' by sending things to the troops that they need, and
her late son would have been so proud of her. These two girls
do this on a regular basis, never dropping the ball.
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- Peter: With all the things your group of Super Eight
Ladies does, why is it limited to only eight women?
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- Jean: Some members come and go, but we are always
able to fill a gap with someone new. We keep our membership at
eight because we only have eight chairs in each of our homes.
I'm just kidding. We do meet at each other's homes but have found
that eight girls together in one place is just plenty because
sometimes we are all talking at the same time and the noise could
keep the neighbours awake. If we ever brought in a guest speaker
to one of our meetings, they wouldn't be able to get a word in
edgewise. With the amount of food being consumed at some of our
meetings, one of the members suggested we change our name to
The Super Ate Ladies.
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- Peter: I am amazed at what your group has going here.
You are not only learning about antiques and sharing experiences
and knowledge with each other, but you are also helping out and
contributing to the happiness and welfare of many other people
with your efforts.
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- Jean: We are fortunate to be able to enjoy good fellowship,
laughter, tears and support within our group. Laughter is the
most common element within our group and it is hoped, to that
end, we will continue to gather for many years to come. I have
been an antique dealer for 20 years and have done as many as
14 shows a year, but I have learned more about antiques and the
appreciation of antiques from this group of ladies in the last
10 years than I have from any number of reference books I have
read. We laugh together and we learn together as a group and
we have a lot of fun. It's an amazing experience to be with people
who like what you like and learn from them.
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- Peter: Thanks again Jean and keep up the good work
with the Super Eight Ladies.
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