The sixties were critical years for the Kinsmen Club of Ottawa. The prior success of newspaper bingo resulted in our entering the sixties with it as our sole source of service income. After many months of legal involvement it was determined that, in spite of the community service being supported with the profits, a regular newspaper bingo such as ours was contrary to the law and we were ordered to cease our operation. The end did not justify the means in the eyes of the authorities.

The major projects of the late fifties had been paid in full, the Scholarship Fund had been set up and a sizeable reserve account existed, so that standing service programs of emergency welfare, summer camperships and service bingos were able to continue. Major effort was applied, therefore, to developing new sources of income.

In 1961 the concept of the Oyster Stag was tried and although it became highly successful in later years, it was 1964 before it became a profitable operation, and did not produce more than $3000 annually during the sixties. The reputation of the Kinsmen Oyster Feed grew but later changes in format proved to be necessary for it to become a major income source. Small, occasional bingos in downtown locations were started. With acceptance by the authorities of the weekly basis, they saw some lean early years as money-makers, but built up to a five figure profit level by the end of the decade. An unsuccessful attempt was made to sell fire alarms for home and business use and a variety of door-to-door sales projects of charcoal, brooms, Christmas wrapping, and Grey Cup programs were tried with a minimum of success. Perhaps the most memorable failure occurred in 1962 when a perfectly legal radio bingo operation was devised, involving skill-testing questions to be answered by the bingo winners to earn their prizes. Whether it was the too-ambitious cash prize structure or the quiz aspect which prevented KIN KWIZ getting off the ground we will never know. When losses reached $6800 we gave it up. The relationship established with radio station CKOY, however, carried on and in the mid-sixties series of Radio Auctions of items donated to us by the business community were held annually. These were reasonably successful in the beginning but the sources for donations of auctionable items grew difficult to find, leading to the demise of the venture in 1967.

As a replacement project, visions of a steady income were foreseen in the Exhibition Food Booth at which Kinsmen and Kinettes slaved over hot stoves turning out smoked meat sandwiches and hot dogs during Exhibition weeks at Lansdowne Park. Although the last years of the decade saw a stable service income from a number of projects, the first years were not money years and more accent, by necessity, was placed on providing actual labour in painting and repairing at Christie Lake boys Camp and at the Good Companions Club. Kinsmen opened their own toy repair depot and contributed their own tools, materials and labour to provide some ten thousand toys for Christmas distribution.

The Kinettes, for several years, turned over their surplus income to the Kinsmen account in order that programs could continue as the reserve account dissolved. Support for the Uplands Harriers Track and Field Club (later to become the Ottawa Kinsmen Harriers) commenced in 1965 with minimal cash donations and maximum man-hours in promoting, ticket-selling, crowd control and field staffing local track meets. These grew to International stature by 1960 and in fact provided some small profits to support the Harriers activities. A dining room extension to the Good Companions Club building, the establishment of a Medical Assistance Fund for needy Ottawa children who had to travel to larger centres for specialized treatment, and a major contribution to the Vanier building of the Ottawa Boys Club rounded out a decade of recovery from the lean years with which it started.

A major contribution of the sixties for Ottawa Kin was the increased involvement in the affairs of the Association at Zone, District and National level. The District Convention was hosted here in 1960. Ottawa members appeared almost continuously on executives and committees to National level to a far greater extent than previously, with the related advantage of increased social programs with other clubs in the District and a resurgence of fellowship involved in interclub meetings, sports, conference and convention activities. That great social and fellowship initiator, the Travelling Boot Trophy, commenced in December, its course of wandering from Kin home to Kin home reinforcing the bonds of Kinship amongst our members.

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