It was a fitting start to the Fergus 175th anniversary celebrations as Perrin Beatty visited his roots June 27.
Beatty and his family were in town for a viewing of Small Town Giant – Beatty Brothers of Fergus. Part of the day’s events included viewing the online virtual exhibit created by Wellington County Museum and Archives staff.
County Warden John Green said the county was pleased to host the gathering and it is pleased at receiving numerous records from the Beatty company, which will become part of the archive’s permanent collection. The records include documents from 1874 to 1964.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate history,” Green said, adding that can be passed on to children and grandchildren.
Green said it is also a celebration of the Beatty business which had such an important impact on the history of the area, and this part of Wellington County in particular.
Perrin Beatty is the great grandson of George Beatty, one of the founders of Beatty Bros.
Green said the Beatty company put Fergus on the map in Canada and on the industrial map of the world as it shipped its products worldwide.
Beatty is president and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Before that, he was president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
He is descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, and grew up in Fergus.
In 1972, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative and in 1979 he was appointed Minister of State (Treasury Board) in the government of Joe Clark. At the time, Perrin Beatty was the youngest person ever to serve in a federal cabinet. He held six additional portfolios in subsequent Progressive Conservative governments, including National Revenue in 1984, Solicitor General in 1985, National Defence in 1986, Health and Welfare in 1989, Communications in 1991, and Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1993.
Following the 1993 federal election, Beatty joined a number of private sector boards and worked as a consultant in the field of communications.
Beatty was appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1995, and serves on a number of Canadian government advisory committees covering issues that include national security, border management, privacy, and international trade.
Beatty is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute and served for five years as Business Co-Chair of the Canadian Labour and Business Centre.
Beatty said this was a special day for himself, his wife, Julie, and son Patrick.
“It is getting reacquainted with my roots.”
He said that while he does not get back to Fergus as often as he would like to, he looks forward to the times he can return home.
He said his father and grandfather always instilled in him that it was the community and its strength that led their company’s success.
Beatty added that even with the number of new people in the area, the sense of community can be seen and that, like Canada, the strength of Fergus today is built upon the generations before.
Even as changes reshape the community, there is a continuity and sense of belonging that will continue on. He said the work being done at the museum will continue to enrich the quality of life.
As he spied a poster of a Beatty windmill, he quipped, “If you wait long enough, a good idea will come around again.”
He noted the Beatty name followed him when he chose to enter politics in 1972. “One of the great assets was that everyone knew the Beatty name.”
However he also joked that as he campaigned he once heard a farmer state “Yup, here comes the new 1972 model Beatty manure spreader.”
Beatty expressed his pride in helping celebrate his great grandfather’s achievements and pointed to the similarities between what made the company a success then and what makes Canadian companies successful today.
Beatty said his forefathers saw no separation between the industry and the community itself … which explained its involvement in projects over the years. He said the belief was that success was based on the people who worked there.
He said Beatty Bros. was an exporter to the world, and, like today, much of its success depended on intellectual propriety. The company was well reputed for the number of patents held and the continuing research to improve its products. “While we are celebrating history, there are many lessons that can be learned.”
