Local Heroes
Billy Bishop
Canada's Greatest War Hero
William Avery "Billy" Bishop was born on February 8, 1894 in Owen Sound. He was a son of William Avery Bishop, the County Registrar of Grey, and Margaret Louisa Greene. His grandfather, Eleazar Bishop, had settled in Owen Sound in 1855. His Victorian home on the town's west side was Billy's childhood home.
Lieutenant Colonel William "Billy" Bishop was the top scoring Canadian and Imperial fighter pilot of the First World War. Credited with a phenomenal 72 victories in the air, he was the first Canadian airman to win a Victoria Cross, for a single-handed dawn attack on a German airfield. During the Second World War, Bishop was an honorary Air Marshal in the RCAF.
Additional Information:
Billy Bishop Museum
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Harry Lumley
One of NHL's Top Goalies
Harry Lumley was born in Owen Sound in 1926. Harry became a goaltender for Strathcona Public School, then for the Owen Sound Orphans. From there, he went to the Barrie Colts and was then invited to the Detroit Red Wings camp in the fall of 1943. 16 year old Harry Lumley left Owen Sound to begin his career in the National Hockey League.
Harry played his first National Hockey League game in 1943 at the age of 17. He became the youngest regular goaltender in NHL history and first teenager to play goal in a Stanley Cup final!
Additional Information:
Harry Lumley Bayshore Centre
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Agnes Macphail
Canada's First Woman Member of Parliament
Agnes Macphail was born on a farm west of Hopeville in the former Proton Township. When she was 12, her family moved to a farm west of the village of Ceylon where she lived during her political career. Agnes attended Old Durham Road Public School and Owen Sound Collegiate Institute. Later she taught at schools in Grey and Bruce Counties.
Agnes took her seat as a member of the Progressive Party for Grey County in 1921 and represented the residents of Grey until 1940. Macphail fought for prison reform, pensions for the aged, blind and disabled, and better health services.
Additional Information:
Grey Highlands Public Library - Agnes Macphail Website with a digital collection
Library and Archives Canada - Agnes Macphail
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Catharine Sutton
Nahneebahweequa: Crusader for Native Rights
Nahneebahweequa whose Ojibwa name means 'upright woman', attended the mission school in Credit Indian Reserve Mission School. She married William Sutton, an English lay minister, at the age of 15. Together they raised seven children. In 1846, Catharine Sutton and her husband William, moved to the Newash Ojibwa settlement near Owen Sound.
Working on behalf of her people, Nahneebahweequa criticized the government for attempting to purchase Manitoulin Island, which had been promised forever to the Native people. Nahneebahweequa travelled to Great Britain in 1860 to meet with Queen Victoria regarding the rights of the Ojibwa people.
Additional Information:
Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Nahneebahweequa
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Tom Thomson
Inspiration to the Group of Seven
Thomas John Thomson was born in 1877, and shortly after his birth, moved to Rose Hill, a farm near Leith on Georgian Bay. One of Canada's most distinguished artists, Tom began his career as a commercial artist in Toronto. There he befriended several of the artists that formed the infamous Group of Seven in the 1920s.
An avid outdoorsman, Thomson often visited Algonquin Park where he used his bold sense of colour to create his powerful paintings. Thomson's northern landscapes broke with European traditions in art, and reflected his love for the Canadian wilderness.
Tom's career was brilliant, but brief. His untimely death was a great loss to the world of art.
Additional Information:
Tom Thomson Art Gallery
