Reflections: Local group part of Canadian plowmen trip to Europe in 1947
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Published Jul 10, 2026•4 minute readThis photograph was taken to commemorate the visit of a group of Canadian plowmen to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, on Feb. 10, 1947. (Stratford-Perth Archives)This photograph was taken to commemorate the visit of a group of Canadian plowmen to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, on Feb. 10, 1947. Team manager George Waldie of Downie Township (now part of Perth South) is signing the visitors’ book at city hall. Looking on are the Lord Mayor (with the chain of office), local officials and members of the Canadian Plowing Team, including Austin Nairn from Fullarton Township (now part of West Perth). The description of the photograph in the St. Pauls Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir history scrapbook at Stratford-Perth Archives records that: “The City Hall in Belfast is one of the finest in Britain but was damaged during a severe German air-raid. ”Recommended VideosMembers of the plowing team were Fred Timbers of Stouffville, tractor medalist; Alex Black of Guelph, tractor medalist; Floyd Stockley also from Stouffville, horse-drawn medalist; Austin Nairn of Fullarton Township, horse-drawn medalist; Clark Young, team treasurer; and Waldie of the Ontario Plow Association. They travelled to Britain from New York City on the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner. During their weeks-long stay they were scheduled to participate in the International Plowing Championships. It was the first time that any of the travellers had been to “the Old Land” according to Young, who wrote several reports that were published in area newspapers like the Huron Expositor under the title Canadian Plowmen Abroad. Young reported that the trip would take the team into “England, Scotland and Ireland, giving us a chance to see farms that have been under cultivation for hundreds of years. We want to know how Canadian products are being received over there; how the British farmers managed during the war; and what the farming conditions are like now that peace is back again. “The four championship plowmen are two teams, and they will take part in plowing matches in Lancashire, England and County Down in Northern Ireland. Floyd Steckley and Austin Nairn won the Salada gold and silver medals in the Trans-Atlantic Class for horse-drawn jointer plowing at the International Plowing Match held in Ontario at the Port Albert airport last October. “George Waldie is managing the teams. He’s a director of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association. Plowing matches have been held by Ontario farmers for over a century, and the International Matches have been sponsored by the Association since 1913. A trip like this across the Atlantic was planned for winners of horse plowing in 1939 but was cancelled because of the outbreak of war and the men visited the United States instead. “Let me tell you a little more about the men who are making this trip. Austin Nairn, who was second in the Salada event, lives at R. R. 1 Munro in Fullarton Township, Perth County (Nairn was also described as a bachelor who farmed on the property where he was born). Our trip manager, George Waldie, lives at R. R. 2 Downie Township, Perth County, two miles from Stratford on Althelstane Farm, where he was born 48 years ago. His father, a hardware merchant, started a Shorthorn herd in 1894 and later became president of both the Dominion Shorthorn Breeders’ Association and of the Cattle Breeders’ Association. George still is carrying on the herd and is a director of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, belongs to the Board of Managers and Session of Knox Presbyterian Church, Stratford and to Tecumseh Masonic Lodge. His wife is the former Ethel Stacey, and they have a son and a daughter. “On our first day in Belfast, we were shown through the buildings and park of the Agricultural Association. These grounds were used as a military camp during the war and now require some extensive repairs. We were taken to Belfast City Hall, where we were presented to the Lord Mayor, Mr. Neill. After touring the building with its beautiful stairway of Italian marble, we were returned to our hotel where we were guests of the Hon. Mr. Moore, Minister of Agriculture of Northern Ireland at luncheon. After a few short speeches, each member of the party was presented with a shillelagh stick as a souvenir of Ireland. ”While the team did see many farms and other sites of interest in England, Ireland and Scotland, they did not get to do any plowing while there. Young wrote that “now we’re in Ireland and the weather continues to be bad — so bad that it begins to seem we’ll have to return to Canada without taking part in any plowing matches over here. It’s a great disappointment to all of us, but the conditions have been extreme and the matches are postponed. ”He later mentioned that heavy snowstorms and cold weather had delayed plowing in general and noted that British farmers were concerned about getting their seeding done, never mind competing in plowing matches. Nonetheless, Clark was quick to point out that everyone on the team was grateful for the generous hospitality shown to them everywhere they went and that all returned home with many souvenirs and happy memories of the trip. 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