People and faces at the Stirling MILL: 'making it work', can take a little time...
And a whole lot of hands, pitching in to work together!
Operations
James Reid
Curator
Throughout his life, James has been strongly connected to music; both the works of classical composers familiar from his childhood home and the music he learned later for himself. He plays guitar, baritone guitar and tenor banjo. He has performed as an amateur musician and – on occasion – professionally, and hosted many musical events in the community over past years. James has been involved with the Blue Skies Music Festival (Clarendon, ON) since 1986.
Several years ago, he began working on his current passion: a project to make access to musical instruments and music learning more easily available to everyone – young and old – everywhere across our local communities. This resulted in the 2018 incorporation of the Stirling Musical Instrument Lending Library to serve rural residents, villages, small towns and urban centres alike. Opening to the public in January 2019, the Stirling MILL has been keeping him moderately busy ever since.
James works with Staff to facilitate the lending program, these days mostly focused on oversight, working with the instrument collection and...
Contact James: curator@stirlingmill.ca
Julie Brogee
Staff Lead
Julie joined the MILL staff in 2022 following retirement from 28 years as a Child and Youth Counsellor with Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board. Music has always been a big part of her life, including 17 years as the Junior Choir Director for St. Paul's United Church in Stirling. She enjoys family music nights at home and around the campfire, and family performances at various events and locations including The Stirling Festival of Sacred Praise and Hastings Manor Long Term Care Facility.
She has relished watching her children grow into talented musicians and often finds herself in the audience of Long Range Hustle, a successful touring band that includes both her sons, Paul and Mike.
Julie loves working with our MILL Patrons, from children through to seniors, assisting and supporting their musical journey; helping them discover the right instrument at the right time and find delight in the joy that making music brings.
Contact Julie: staff@stirlingmill.ca
Murray Francis
Staff Assistant
Murray Francis – Staff Assistant
Murray began volunteering with the MILL in 2022. Originally planning to do guitar repairs, he settled into admin work and staffing because that was where his help seemed most needed. Murray assists Julie with day-to-day operations and usually works the Saturday shift at the MILL, helping Patrons find what they need and, for the rest he says: “Nothing glamorous about entering inventory or shipping out instruments to other Libraries, it just needs to be done.”
He has long familiarity with music, having played acoustic and electric guitar for over 60 years on & off. Murray is presently playing 2 – 3 times a month at various seniors’ residences around the area.
Contact Murray: staff@stirlingmill.ca
Stuart Liebau
‘Instrument Wrangler’
Stuart has been with the MILL since 2021. Doing minor repairs and setups, he enjoys bringing instruments back to life that require a little TLC; he works to get the best for them in looks and playability. Although his primary interest is acoustic guitars, through volunteering at the MILL Stuart also participates in the care and maintenance of many different instruments. He is always interested to hear feedback, both pros and cons, about any instrument we lend so that we can continue to improve our Patrons' experience.
'Buddy Enroute' – the MILL couriers
The volunteer drivers who deliver our instruments to you!
Frequently unnoticed and usually unsung, these fine folk transport instrument loans between the MILL's 'head office' in Stirling and all 9 of our Partner Libraries. At their own expense...!
Frequently less than a week between the loan request and its arrival at your local Public Library. So many thanks are owed, so often, to each of you!
- Bill – Madoc
- Kim – Marmora
- Graeme – Campbellford, Hastings, Warkworth
- Laurie – Brighton
- Haley – Trenton
- Mike – Belleville (and wherever else we need)
- Catrina – Tweed
Student volunteers at the MILL...
From our very first year the MILL has been blessed with a succession of extraordinarily talented young folk, high-school students who came to the MILL for ‘community hours’ and somehow just kept coming back. Some of them are excellent musicians too and had lots to share about instruments they were familiar with; handy for all, both Patrons and other MILL Staff.
Student volunteers make a valuable contribution to our Staff effort: everything from ‘basic assistance’ (cleaning instruments after a loan, regular checking and re-tuning stringed instruments, loading/unloading, etc.) through (for some) learning inventory, serving the public and, on occasion, covering regular Staff duties.
Ian Revell
Board of Directors – President
Ian Revell is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who grew up in Belleville. Leaving the area in the early 90s to study in the Music department of Queen's University, he returned in 2014 to settle down with his family. He has previously worked as the Administrator of Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts, a non-profit gallery in Toronto, and has served on the boards of the Kingston Artists Association and the Princess Court Cinema. He leads a goth project called 'Double Eyelid' which has toured Canada, the US and the UK. He is proud to support the MILL in its mission of making music more accessible to all.
Contact Ian: ian@stirlingmill.ca
John Monachan, CD SSM
Board of Directors
In the summer of 1969, John Monachan attended his first band camp with the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets. This experience set the path for a musical career within the military that began with 6 years playing euphonium in the Navy reserve band of HMCS Carleton in Ottawa, and continued through ten years playing euphonium and trombone with the National Air Force Band. In 1990 he was selected to take over the very busy Canadian Forces NATO base band in Baden, Germany, where he conducted and performed 175 engagements per year for both the military and the local community. In 1992 he returned to Canada and his position at the Central Air Force Band in Ottawa, Canada, where he was the principal euphonium for the band, performing for Presidents, Kings, Queens and Heads of States of many countries. On his retirement from the military in June of 2010, at the rank of Warrant Officer, he also held the position of public relations officer for the band.
After a short time away from music, John became more involved with community musical groups in both Florida and Canada. In March of 2013, John accepted the position of conductor and Director of Music of the Lehigh Concert Band. He immediately re-established the Board of Directors and worked with the musicians to build a stronger and more cohesive group, ultimately growing the band to include members who would travel from as far as Sanibel, Port Charlotte and Naples. In 2017 John was instrumental in advising and guiding the Lehigh Board in the re-branding of the band to its new form as the Southwest Florida Concert Band.
John was the Director of Music and conductor of the Southwest Florida Concert Band from September 2017 until April of 2024. Under his leadership, the new band became one of the highest rated community concert bands in that part of Florida, rivaling the Naples Concert Band. Dynamic and entertaining recordings can be heard on Youtube by searching the name of the band.
In May 2020 John and Karen moved to their current house in Foxboro ON. and settled into the area where they played in the local community bands. Needing a new project in the summers, in June of 2022 John formed the Hastings County Concert Band. It was the newest concert band in Canada and opened up playing opportunities for local musicians from July to September. The group only operates in the summer, and in 3 seasons has grown to over 40 musicians, raised $6,600 for charity, has a student music scholarship program and is the only registered Not For Profit community band in the region. There are incredible recordings available on their channel.
In January of 2023 he was given the opportunity to conduct a newly formed New Horizons Band, which he did until he and his wife sold their home in Florida in June 2024 and returned to Canada full time.
Contact John: john@stirlingmill.ca
Graeme Peters
Board of Directors
Hailing from Saint John, New Brunswick, Graeme Peters is Chief Librarian at Trent Hills Public Library, a post he has held since 2021. He has also worked as a librarian at New Tecumseth Public Library (2016 to 2021), and was library director for the Regional Municipality of Tracadie in New Brunswick (2011 to 2016). He has a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario and an Education degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Graeme has worked numerous jobs over the years including teaching, organic farming, and tree planting, but he is happiest in a library. He has been a Director on the Stirling MILL Board since June 2023.
Contact Graeme: graeme@stirlingmill.ca
Bonnie Mouck
Secretary
Bonnie Mouck is a native of Stirling with a deep connection to the arts. Starting at the Stirling Festival Theatre, Bonnie moved on to Kingston Arts Council as a fundraising specialist and eventually Executive Director. In Toronto she worked with Factory Theatre for several years and has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, including board positions with Easter Seals in Kingston and Distress Centres of Greater Toronto.
Outside the arts, her career includes 14 years in professional services focused on business-to-business marketing. She brings a wealth of experience to support her work for the MILL.
Bonnie Mouck was appointed as Secretary to the Stirling MILL in June 2023.
Contact Bonnie: secretary@stirlingmill.ca
"If two and two and fifty make a million..."
The faces featured on this page - Patrons, staff, volunteers and friends of the MILL - are just the tip of the iceberg!
Pete Seeger had a song back in the early '60s that had a line something like: "If two and two and fifty make a million, we'll see that day come 'round..."
Thanks to everyone, all across our musical communities, for the interest and support you have shown, nurturing the Stirling MILL from aspiration to reality. It is of all our communities that this program is created and inspired.
Keep on making music, and keep on 'making that day come around'.
