Jennifer Whyte accepts the Col. Don Dailley Scholarship.

WILD TIME: Ontario Minister of Tourism Peter Fonseca (left) is joined by Jim Dailley of African Lion Safari as he pats Maggie, an Asian elephant.

Sixty-five tourism industry representatives from around the province gathered in Rockton last week to mark the 25th anniversary of Attractions Ontario.

The morning session at the African Lion Safari, which also served as the organization's annual general meeting, featured keynote speaker Mark Brisson of FunSpot in Orlando, Florida and greetings from Ontario Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca.

Following the business portion of the meeting, honorary plaques were presented to seven founding members of Attractions Ontario: Canada's Wonderland; Blue Mountain Resort; CN Tower; Casa Loma; Marineland; Ontario Place and African Lion Safari.

Accepting on behalf of the Lion Safari was James Dailley, whose father, Col. Don Dailley, founded the animal sanctuary and park near Hwy. 8 in 1969.

African Lion Safari Marketing Manger Lori Latter presented a brief biography of Col. Dailley, outlining his military career, his sporting achievements - which included an Olympic gold medal in hockey - his work with Oxfam Canada and the Canadian Arts Council and his dream of creating a fun, "yet educational" experience on the 700-acre parcel of land in Rockton.

With the safari-goers inside their vehicles observing the freely-roaming animals on the property, the facility literally created "displays where visitors were caged," noted Latter. In addition to his role as a founding member of Attractions Ontario, Dailley also founded the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which serves as a resource for the animal industry.

Accepting on behalf of his family, James Dailley recounted personal memories of Col. Dailley, including his refusal to acknowledge the Nazi salute at the 1936 Olympic Games, by turning his back.

"He was an unusual fellow," he said. "His main strength was people...bringing people together even though they may have had divergent policies."

The Attractions Ontario AGM included the presentation of the Colonel Don Dailley Scholarship, which is awarded to two students currently enrolled in a university tourism study program. Kristen Dyson of Georgian College and Jennifer Whyte of the University of Guelph each accepted a $1,000 scholarship.