BFA Reunion Niagara
Our visit to Lewiston, in the US State of New York began with several flights and layovers from home in Perth, Western Australia. We spent a couple of days in Toronto, Canada before the gathering to get into the local time zone, 12 hours out from our own. The chilly conditions (for us) were balanced by the warm and friendly welcome we received from cousins who attended from several states across the US and a contingent from down under.
The venue was well suited to the reunion and allowed us to have our characteristic morning breakfasts with everyone eager to chat about backgrounds and connectivity to the greater clan group. On the first evening our hosts Ed and Kathy Blinco organised an informal gathering to allow everyone to get to meet each other. Both mornings were started with a general meeting where Ed and Kathy outlined the days activities they had organised for us.
Most of us were able to make it to the Maid of the Mist tour at Niagara Falls from the historic town of Lewiston, NY. We were successfully drenched during the boats journey below the falls that was an expected outcome, of course. A change of shoes, and in some cases some clothes, put us back in action for the rest of the day at the Niagara Falls Park. Many also ventured to the Cave of the Winds where, with another drenching, we were able to experience the power of the falls from below. Specially-built wooden walkways allowed access from Goat Island. Ed and Kathy had arranged day passes for us at the state park and access to its facilities via a trolley bus.
Day two started with a visit to the Lewiston Museum where we were able to connect to the rich history of the local area. A buffet lunch at the iconic Mug and Musket pub at Youngstown allowed us to continue to share stories and histories.
The afternoon was spent by the group at the Old Fort Niagara (https://www.oldfortniagara.org/) located on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its confluence with Lake Ontario. We had a good view of Toronto to the northwest and Niagara-on-the-Lake immediately to the west hiding the old Fort George, with its flag staff visible amongst the trees. Our tour guides provided a detailed account of the site and its links to the aboriginal Indian tribes, early French occupation, British takeover and ultimate US occupancy and relevance to the US political and military history up to the current day. The silence was broken by the occasional blast from the musket firing demonstration. Although it was built 300 years ago, its restoration in the 1920s and 1930s was complete and authentic.
The evening of day two was a sumptuous buffet affair at the Water Street Landing on the banks of the Niagara River, with a short stroll from our main venue. Thankfully, they accommodated us at the far end of the site as we were rather loud. They even allowed us to re-arrange the place to have our group photo.
We had to leave early morning to catch a plane to Vancouver, so we missed the final breakfast gathering. We came away grateful that Ed and Kathy were able to organise such a great event and that we met so many of our American cousins. We give thanks to our hosts for the hard work they put into making it a reality and look forward to the next opportunity to gather.
Rob Wallis and Andrea Ballantyne,
Western Australia
The B.F.A. Families from USA, Canada, and Australia.