MISERY BAY—Friends of Misery Bay (FOMB) have been active since 1995 in assisting with the development of this beautiful nature reserve located on the scenic coastline of Lake Huron. Over the ensuing years, numerous FOMB volunteers have stepped up to create and maintain hiking trails, boardwalks, shelters and assist with the construction of the Interpretive/Visitors Centre itself in 2002.
Five members of the FOMB board attended this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) along with eight members of the public, some of whom are also members of the Friends. The meeting was held at the Visitors Centre on Saturday, June 21. Jim Cahill, FOMB treasurer, highlighted that this season, there will be three people on hand at the park to conduct guided hikes, answer visitors’ questions and generally provide information and an overview of Misery Bay Provincial Park. Ontario Parks (OP), who have overall responsibility for the nature reserve, was unable to hire a suitable parks warden this season but Mr. Cahill noted there is ongoing communication between them and the FOMB.
Of note, are 12 new interpretive signs that will be erected throughout the Misery Bay Park Trails during July. They cover points of interest including some of the rare and beautiful plants, the alvar, the history, glacial markings and erratics, the shelters and pit karrens. These signs will add something to your hikes at Misery Bay.
During his review of the treasurer’s year-end reports, Mr. Cahill noted that 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Friends holding AGMs. Quite an accomplishment for this not-for-profit organization run by volunteers!
Detailed financial statements were reviewed by the treasurer and no questions were posed on any of the content. Dale Scott extended thanks to Mr. Cahill for all his work throughout the year in tracking FOMB’s financing and preparing reports for FOMB and the public.
The board elections were held and four people were nominated and subsequently accepted their nominations to the board. The include Dave Edwards, Jean Bentley, David Hill and Elizabeth McQuarrie. They were thanked for their interest and welcomed to the board by Mr. Cahill. The current FOMB board consists of Peg Balkind as acting president, Dale Scott as vice-president, Jim Cahill as treasurer and general members consisting of Michael Hobson, Kathryn Ritzie and the four newly elected members.
The highlight of the meeting was the tribute to George Herbert Whyte, long-time member of FOMB. Mr. Cahill shared with the group that sadly, Mr. Whyte died on October 26, 2024 at the age of 81 and, as a regular attendee of the Misery Bay annual meetings, his presence was greatly missed.
Mr. Whyte authored the five-part series of books titled ‘Manitoulin Island: Hearsay and Recollections’ which chronicles the first white settlers who arrived on Manitoulin Island in the late 19th century. They detail the history of the conservation efforts to protect the south shore of Burpee Township which now includes Misery Bay Provincial Park and the Mac’s Bay Conservation Reserve. Mr. Cahill shared that in reading a couple of these volumes, he enjoyed hearing about George’s adventures as a youth during his summers spent on Manitoulin and its cast of local characters. He noted that these books are available on Amazon.
George Whyte’s first summer at Murphy Point, at the age of five, was spent with his parents and brother. This is where the family gathered with friends and neighbours from Toronto each summer. This sowed the seeds for George’s life-long quest to preserve the wilderness along the South Shore of Manitoulin Island.
Mr. Whyte was born in Toronto in 1943 and raised in Toronto and Port Credit. He attended McGill University in Montreal from 1966 to 1968 and completed his master’s degree in Canadian and American history. In 1967, George married Helen Phelps Martin and they embarked on a two-year trek, hitchhiking through Europe, Asia, India and Australia, on what he claimed was “a budget of 30 cents a day.”
His career was quite varied. He played pro-hockey in Germany and Austria, worked on a pick and shovel crew, lived in a castle in southern Germany for a time and taught at an Anglican seminary in Perth before returning to Canada. Mr. Whyte also taught adult education for a year on Manitoulin as well as taking a history refresher course for teachers from Cambrian College.
In 1970, the Whytes ran Murphy Point Resort for its owner, Joe Brown, and they ended up purchasing it. They ran the resort each summer for five years while George taught at Hillfield Strathallan School in Hamilton the rest of the year. In 1976, they incorporated Murphy Point and sold nine shares to friends, retaining one share for the Whyte family. Murphy Point Inc. is now into the fourth generation of friends and family coming to enjoy the amazing South Shore of Lake Huron. Murphy Point Inc. is one of two corporate members of FOMB.
Mr. Whyte met Donna Haynes in 1970, and they reconnected in 2004 and began their life together. Living on 10 acres in Flesherton, Ontario for 13 years, they travelled across the world each winter and summered at Murphy Point.
For many years, George and Helen and Cal and Eunice Sifferd had a dream of conserving, for future generations, the south shore of Burpee Township from the western tip of Misery Bay to the eastern tip of Murphy Harbour and this dream turned into an evolving reality. Over many years, they bought up nearby properties and, in 1977, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) purchased the Sifferd’s properties and Misery Bay Nature Reserve was born. Their properties form what is today the west side and central part of Misery Bay Park.
In 1981, the Whyte’s 746 acres accumulated over the years were also purchased by the NCC. Of the 746 acres, the 98-acre lot on the west side of Mac’s Bay and the 25-acre lot on Lot 9, Concession 4, was added to Misery Bay. The remaining 623 acres created the Mac’s Bay Conservation Area. In 1983, the Whyte’s 95-acre Mae Ainslie lot was also acquired by NCC.
In 1984, the Whyte’s purchased the 54-acre Curly Williams logging camp at the east end of Misery Bay. This property was the proverbial “hole in the doughnut,” in the park. It was the original site of the Ned Saunders shanty in the 1880s and was ultimately sold to NCC in 1998.
As explained by Mr. Whyte himself in volume four of his books and in emails to Jim Cahill, “Ned Saunders was the first white settler of Gore Bay, and Robinson Township, and the only settler to live within the boundaries of the Misery Bay Park. He lived in this shanty full-time from about 1884 to 1893. Shanties were usually built for a short duration, just long enough to collect enough good logs to build a proper log cabin.
However, being a bachelor, Ned only needed a small shanty for his permanent residence. There are very few of these shanties still standing on the Manitoulin. Most were turned into hen houses after the permanent log cabins were completed, and the sheds were eventually torn down.
Ned was a scholarly but eccentric individual, about 5 7” tall, very strong, and very erect as if he had military experience. He was a sailor, a shoemaker, a hunter, a timberman, a fisherman, a gardener, and a master on the violin. Most of all, Ned loved being by himself. He spent most of his adult years living as a recluse in various locations along the coast of the Manitoulin, first in Gore Bay, then Elizabeth Bay, and finally on the south shore at Misery Bay.
We are fortunate that the remains of Ned Saunder’s shanty are still to be found in the east end of Misery Bay Park and George’s dream was for this historical building to be preserved for future generations. To that end, he prepared detailed drawings that contain fascinating details of life in the 1880s.
On page 1,113 of volume five, ‘Settler Stock-Conservation’ of Mr. Whyte’s books, he documents that all told, the Whyte’s were responsible for conserving approximately 1,100 beautiful and wild acres of land. It will be interesting to see if his dream will be realized, the inclusion of Mac’s Bay Conservation Area in Misery Bay Provincial Park.
Donna Haynes, George’s devoted partner of 20 years and his son, Andrew Whyte, were present at the meeting to hear this lovely tribute. Jim Cahill shared that he will be bringing forward a motion to the next FOMB board meeting to consider installing a plaque in the memory and honour of George Whyte’s considerable contributions to Misery Bay and to conservation overall. If approved by the board, Ontario Parks will then be approached on this initiative.
by Phyllis Cacciotti