Fishing derby fundraiser returns to Grand Calumet

Connor Lalande
Grand Calumet Island August 12, 2023
Groupe l’île du Grand Calumet held its fifth annual fishing derby fundraiser this past Saturday.
Drawing in participants from as far away as Ottawa, Kemptville and Cornwall anglers braved the forecasted rain showers for an opportunity to reel in a few of the Ottawa River’s world class pike, sturgeon, bass and pickerel.
Seventy-two fishing enthusiasts took part in the derby, with all participants competing within three age categories - children 12 and under, teens between 13 and 17 and adults over 18. The winner of each age category was awarded a $200 prize, with the biggest fish by weight winning the day. Catfish were not admissible within the derby.
With a two-pound, two-ounce pike, Elias Moussaid won the children’s division. Xavier Lagarde took home the prize money in the teen division with a five pound, 14-ounce pike. And Hélène Newberry’s five-pound, four-ounce pike won her the adult division.
According to Groupe l’île du Grand Calumet member and event co-organizer Irène Pieschke, the event was put on to raise money for the group’s Ste-Ann cemetery restoration project. Groupe l’île du Grand Calumet, in coordination with MRC Pontiac, is funding the refurbishment of the cemetery, including the installation of a plaque listing those buried on its grounds.
“A lot of people there don’t have any tombstones, and there are close to 2,000 people buried there. We want to display the names of all the people that were buried there so that people can go and honour their roots,” Pieschke said.