Peter Barclay, Ernie Christie & Vern Johansson at our Open House (Welland, 2010)

Photo by Eric McConachie

Ernie is the father of Bob and John Christie who marched with the Toronto Optimists. The photo montage that Ernie is holding includes 2 photos taken during 1967 showing the Optimists performing in Ernie's back yard in Welland. Ernie religiously drove his sons and a bunch of other guys all the way to Toronto for rehearsals and his dedication allowed these guys to march with the Optimists. Peter Barclay, Bob & John Christie, Dave & Brian Byrne and Dennis Roberts are just some of the guys who were helped by this great chauffeur!