The 1960 International Plowing Match in Elgin County

On February 12, 1957 the Elgin County Plowmen's Association (ECPA) organized a meeting of representatives of various Elgin County municipal, civic and agricultural organizations at the offices of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Elgin County Branch, in St. Thomas, to discuss petitioning the Ontario Plowmen's Association (OPA) for the right to hold the 1960 International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Demonstration in Elgin County. A delegation was appointed to present the petition at the Ontario Plowmen's Association's annual meeting in Toronto on February 26, 1957, at which time the OPA awarded the event to Elgin County.

The Creation of the Local Committee

The Local committee for the 1960 International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Demonstration was established on a provisional basis on April 17, 1957, and the following officers were elected: Leslie Armstrong, Chairman; Albert Auckland, Vice-Chairman; A.V. Langton, Secretary-Treasurer and Lands Committee Vice-Chairman; Don Grieve, Associate Secretary-Treasurer; and Ken Bawden, Lands Committee Chairman. The Committee's permanent executive officers, constituent committees and committee chairmen were appointed on September 28, 1959: Frank Pineo was appointed Chairman, Leslie Armstrong Vice-Chairman, A.V. Langton Secretary-Treasurer, and James Galbraith, Assistant Treasurer.

The committee was responsible for planning, organizing and administering the International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Demonstration held October 11-14, 1960 on the Thomas J. Hume and Sons farm and various neighbouring farms in the vicinity of Springfield, Ontario. The event was sanctioned and sponsored by the Ontario Plowmen's Association, with additional funding support provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Elgin County Branch, the County of Elgin and the City of St. Thomas.

Please click here to view our image gallery for the 1960 IPM.

Don't forget to check out the Elgin County Archives home page for more information.

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