About North End Breezes
Our Story
What you see today started over 50 years ago with the vision of a North End resident. Eva Googe wanted to start a small paper to keep the community informed about events. This was the beginning of North End Information Services which has since morphed into what we now know as The North End Breezes. It was all printed on a Gestetner which had to be hand cranked. Over the years, she grew the paper to meet the needs of the community.
Eva worked at North end Information Services until 2001. She had started volunteering at 65 years of age and was 82 when she stopped working on the newsletter after a stroke. Her daughter Terri Googe took over NEIS and was joined by Denise Hancock until 2005. Wendy Collins joined at that time and for the next 11 years took on the role of Coordinator, growing services to carry on Eva’s dream. In 2016, Brenda Duke joined as the Coordinator.
Eva Googe had a vision that has spanned decades, celebrating 50 years in publication in 2022. That vision has left a mark on the history of the North End. Today, The North End Breezes is an inspiration and an institution that celebrates and supports community.
Today, we publish twelve pages with 4 pages of colour and deliver monthly to businesses and residents in the North End.
Eva Googe
Meet our Board of Directors
Chair: Elizabeth Poynter
I’m an artist, traveller, avid birdwatcher and gardener. Over the years I’ve had wonderful opportunities to meet and work with people in and from many different countries. Their lives and problems have been my focus. My volunteer work has been the same, International and local. How lucky I have been. I moved to the North End seventeen years ago after twenty-five on the mountain because of the character of the neighbourhood and the proximity to the water and trails. The friendly people were a bonus. When I walk over the bridge on James North I know I’m home. The North End has such a rich history and the Breezes is a part of that. I don’t know of any other truly local community newspaper that has lasted so long. The passion of the volunteers keeps it going strong. The Breezes is part of what makes the North End unique and I’m delighted to be on the board. I deliver your paper too so if you see me out there say Hi!
Community Connector: Christopher Pearson
I was born in Toronto and moved to Guelph at the age of 23, working as an Industrial Mechanic/Millwright. I came to Hamilton in 1997 and moved to The North End in 2006. I retired in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Auto Immune Muscle Disease.
I started volunteering with North End Neighbours around 2011 and was President in 2012. From there, I have volunteered with Welcome in, Horizon Thrift Store, and joined the Board of the Breezes in 2013.
You can see me most mornings at Our Corner Pub for breakfast. I enjoy walking around the North End and I love stopping to chat with anyone who will put up with me.
Mariko Brown-Kai
As a former North Ender, I am excited to join the NEB Board of Directors as a representative from Compass Community Health. Since 2021, I have worked as a Community Development Worker in the Health Promotion Department, specifically related to food security. I run programming such as Breakfast Club, Grub Club, and was the program coordinator for the Ontario Trillium Foundation funded program Cooking with Compass.
I am currently taking over as the volunteer coordinator as well! Outside of work, you can typically find me spending my free time reading, making delicious food, or walking my overly energetic senior dog.
Interim Treasurer: Maureen Scally
Mark Mackesy
Mark is a long time North End resident. He and his partner are members of MBYC where Mark served on the board and still volunteers. Mark is a former tour boat Captain and spent many years in the appliance business in a previous life.
Publication Team
Co-Ordinator: Brenda Duke
Brenda joined the North End Breezes in 2016 as the Editor/Coordinator. Coming from a background of customer service and finance, she has dedicated the last 15 years to community advocacy. In addition to her role with The Breezes, she is also the Editor and founding member of another neighbourhood publication, Chair of the Barton Village Streetscape and Beautification Team, member of the local Community Planning Team and founder of Beautiful Alleys. “ I am so impressed with history and people of The North End and proud to be part of The Breezes”.
Web Site Development: Marie Mushing
My name is Marie Mushing. I have been assisting the Breezes for almost 20 years with their website presence. As a web developer, I have been in business since 1997 and help people with their WordPress website design needs, domain registration, hosting and more. I enjoy walking, crafting, cooking and spending time with family and friends. I am responsible for the monthly online publication of the North End Breezes. The dedication of the entire North End Breezes team to bring this paper to the community each month is amazing. I am pleased to be part of the publication team.
Editorial Assistant: Kit Darling
My name is Kit Darling. In 2009 I retired from the Hamilton Public Library System after close to 40 years of working in various roles from Story time to Information Technology. I planned to potter in my garden, enjoy my North End neighbourhood and catch up on my reading. The latter led me to the Bay Area Book Club. Several years ago, I started contributing the monthly Book Club column. Easy enough I said. Then I met Brenda and now I no longer write a book column but I seem to be doing much more. I remind our regular contributors each month to send their articles in by the deadline and sometimes I nag them when they are late. I edit some submissions for flow and brevity and the occasional typo. I also research and write articles as required, for example around the municipal elections. Then I upload everything to the shared drive for Katie to do her magic. And finally, I try to help Brenda as much as possible with planning themes and helping to ensure content for each month. In terms of the time commitment, it really varies.
Layout + Design: Katie Fitzgerald
My name is Katie Fitzgerald. I am an administrator at McMaster University and love cooking, organizing, travelling and beer sampling in my spare time. I joined the Breezes team in May 2017 to help with the technical side of the paper. I am responsible for the design and layout of the paper and making sure the final product is ready for print. The best part of my contribution is seeing everyone’s submissions come together! Depending on the month, my time spent working on the Breezes is usually between 10-16 hours hands-on time each month.
Social Media Co-ordinator: Cat McKay
My family and I love the North End. My children attend Bennetto School, and we enjoy spending time at Bayfront and Eastwood parks, and Bennetto Community Centre. I look forward to bringing my creative energy to North End Breezes and engaging with all of you!
Circulation & Distribution:
NORTH END BREEZES MISSION:
The North End Breezes is a not-for-profit team of volunteers who produce a monthly newspaper and online publications to promote connectivity, share community news and encourage mutual support by engaging our North End neighbourhood community.
NORTH END BREEZES VISION:
The North End Breezes is a vital resource in the North End that promotes harmony, pride and collective community action in a diverse and ever-changing neighbourhood. For 50 years now we’ve been a resource for the community and rely on our volunteers to keep the information flowing for years to come. Help us grow your Breezes. Please email your thoughts to office@northendbreezes.com or call 289- 933-4810.