FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 27, 2004
A few years ago the perennial winners of the Bert Austin Trophy issued a challenge to all other clubs to dethrone them and this year the Orillia Fish & Game Conservation Club answered that challenge.
The Orillia club won the Bert Austin Trophy at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters’ (O.F.A.H.) 76th Annual General Meeting and Wildlife Conference as the biggest ticket seller for the 29th O.F.A.H./Conservation Lottery. The Orillia club sold a whopping 1,264 books of tickets, generating thousands of dollars for local and provincial conservation projects. It is the first time the Orillia club has won the trophy since the award was first given in 1978 and is only the third club overall to ever take home the award.
The 29th Annual O.F.A.H./Conservation Lottery featured prizes in excess of $286,000, including a first prize worth over $85,000, consisting of a 2003 Dodge Durango, a Lund 1700 Pro Sport boat with a 115-horsepower Yamaha outboard and a Northtrail trailer. Second prize, worth over $40,000 was a brand new 2003 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4×4.
Thousands of dollars are raised through the sale of the O.F.A.H./Conservation Lottery each year to undertake important conservation work across the province.