History
The South Shore Wildlife Association (SSWA) started with 21 members, mostly from the Bridgewater area, in 1993. Early meetings held at the Michelin Social Club included guest speakers Tony Nette, Big Game Biologist at the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, and Bob Bancroft, Inland Fisheries Biologist and promoter of Nova Scotia's Adopt-A-Stream Program.
In the fall of 1998 with the club holding at approximately twenty-five members, SSWA reorganized and a renewed spirit of growth followed. Membership started to climb steadily each year. Our activities expanded to include supporting fishing derbies for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Italy Cross & Middlewood Fire Department. A public meeting was held at the Bridgewater High School with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice and the Department of Natural Resources to discuss Bill C-68. We sponsored our first youth to attend the Nova Scotia Guides' Association Camp in Hibernia and followed that with several others over the next few years. We combined our efforts with The Big Game Society of Nova Scotia to hold two big game antler show and scoring contests at the MSAC in Bridgewater.
The notorious Bill C-68, in particular the long gun registry, became a bone of contention for our club and the SSWA was very active in challenging it for a decade through letters, information sessions and guest speakers to name a few. We received a special recognition document from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 2004 for our efforts with the White Elephant Campaign which consisted of a large white elephant banner in circulation throughout the province, along with a petition "to stop the long gun registry." In addition to these, SSWA constructed a large plywood white elephant float and entered it in four local parades that summer. The white elephant represented the federal Liberal government's long gun registry consuming and excreting taxpayers' dollars. The end result was billions of dollars bureaucratically digested and wastefully processed to "crap." The float was extremely popular in all parades.
Since then, SSWA has been active in many areas. We particularly enjoy spending time encouraging young people to be more active in our outdoor pursuits, be it through the Lands and Forestry Youth Hunting Camp program, our annual fishing derbies, our sponsorship to camp programs, speaker presentations or outings. We have worked with Big Brothers and Sisters, Girl Guides, Bridgewater Elementary School, TANS, NSGA and Lands and Forestry fostering outdoor activities for youth. Membership peaked at close to 200 members at the height of the long gun registry battle. Today we still enjoy a solid membership of well over 130 members, and are one of the largest individual associations affiliated with the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
We sponsor or take part in several events each year, including the:
We also captured two first place awards in Western Shore's parade in 2006 and 2007 and a Best Overall Entry in Mahone Bay's last Wooden Boat Festival Parade in 2007. Total cash prizes add up to $750.
Notwithstanding deer hunting season in November when most of our members are busy, the SSWA continues to meet monthly at the Sobey's store Community Room in Bridgewater.
In the fall of 1998 with the club holding at approximately twenty-five members, SSWA reorganized and a renewed spirit of growth followed. Membership started to climb steadily each year. Our activities expanded to include supporting fishing derbies for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Italy Cross & Middlewood Fire Department. A public meeting was held at the Bridgewater High School with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice and the Department of Natural Resources to discuss Bill C-68. We sponsored our first youth to attend the Nova Scotia Guides' Association Camp in Hibernia and followed that with several others over the next few years. We combined our efforts with The Big Game Society of Nova Scotia to hold two big game antler show and scoring contests at the MSAC in Bridgewater.
The notorious Bill C-68, in particular the long gun registry, became a bone of contention for our club and the SSWA was very active in challenging it for a decade through letters, information sessions and guest speakers to name a few. We received a special recognition document from the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 2004 for our efforts with the White Elephant Campaign which consisted of a large white elephant banner in circulation throughout the province, along with a petition "to stop the long gun registry." In addition to these, SSWA constructed a large plywood white elephant float and entered it in four local parades that summer. The white elephant represented the federal Liberal government's long gun registry consuming and excreting taxpayers' dollars. The end result was billions of dollars bureaucratically digested and wastefully processed to "crap." The float was extremely popular in all parades.
Since then, SSWA has been active in many areas. We particularly enjoy spending time encouraging young people to be more active in our outdoor pursuits, be it through the Lands and Forestry Youth Hunting Camp program, our annual fishing derbies, our sponsorship to camp programs, speaker presentations or outings. We have worked with Big Brothers and Sisters, Girl Guides, Bridgewater Elementary School, TANS, NSGA and Lands and Forestry fostering outdoor activities for youth. Membership peaked at close to 200 members at the height of the long gun registry battle. Today we still enjoy a solid membership of well over 130 members, and are one of the largest individual associations affiliated with the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
We sponsor or take part in several events each year, including the:
- Lands and Forestry Youth Hunting Camp
- Earth Day Clean-Up
- Big Brothers'/Big Sisters'/Maitland Cubs Fishing Derby
- Community Services Support Group/ARK Fishing Derby
- Supported Community Living Options/Bonny Lea Fishing Derby
- Michelin Health and Safety Fair
- Giant Flea Market July fund raiser
- South Shore Big Ex Parade - 2nd place in our category in 2000
- Best Theme Entry in 2001
- 1st Place in Community Service Category in 2006
- Best Theme Float in 2007
- 1st Place in Community Service Group in 2010, and
- Best Overall Float in 2010
We also captured two first place awards in Western Shore's parade in 2006 and 2007 and a Best Overall Entry in Mahone Bay's last Wooden Boat Festival Parade in 2007. Total cash prizes add up to $750.
Notwithstanding deer hunting season in November when most of our members are busy, the SSWA continues to meet monthly at the Sobey's store Community Room in Bridgewater.