The local community has lost two of its most ardent supporters – Diana & Manfred Koechlin. Diana passed away in late February, and Manfred in mid April.
Both were instrumental in the development of the Quinte Arts Council and in supporting the already functioning arts scene when they arrived in Belleville in the late 1960’s. Yes Belleville was already an active arts community with groups such as Community Concerts, Belleville Art Association, Belleville Theatre Guild, a men’s barbershop chorus, National Ballet Guild and the Eastern Ontario Concert Orchestra, but as 1967 approached, there was no single organization that could bring all of them together to celebrate the country’s centennial. Along with people like Marian Wilson, Mary Shipton, Barbara Whelan, Florence Lennox and others, Diana Aitken and Manfred Koechlin led the way in organizing the first Arts Fest, which showcased to the community a variety of local artistic groups. It was such a success that those involved felt an umbrella organization should be founded to continue the cross-pollination among local arts groups. Initially the QAC mandate was to cover four counties: Hastings, Prince Edward, Northumberland and Lennox-Addington. In addition, this new organization aimed to act as an impresario in bringing major nationally-known arts performances to Belleville. In the earliest days, both Diana and Manfred were even involved in a study to discern the feasibility of a Community Arts Centre on the Loyalist College campus.
In the early seventies, Manfred, working closely with Belleville City Council’s Robin Jeffrey and Jean Smith, was instrumental in establishing a student exchange program between the sister cities of Belleville and Lahr Germany. He helped choose the first eight students to go overseas, one of whom was financially disadvantaged. When it came time to reciprocate the exchange, Manfred hosted the young German rather than put pressure on the Belleville student’s family. That international friendship has continued for decades.
By the mid seventies, both were active on the QAC Board; she as the Secretary, and Manfred in establishing a Performing Arts Committee, of which he became Chair for several years. Through his connection to Friedl Bellstedt, the CEO of Corby’s, Manfred obtained the funding to establish the long-running Wisers Deluxe Series of the Performing Arts, and later, the more intimate Music Box series. In this era, Diana was one of the founders of the Jest for Fun children’s arts program and a major force in developing the EACH program (Enriched Arts for the Children of Hastings) with the Hastings County School Board. As time passed, surrounding communities saw and envied what was happening in Belleville and wanted to establish their own arts councils. In a volunteer capacity, Diana was instrumental in guiding the establishment of such councils in Trenton, Picton, and Bancroft to name a few.
Diana parlayed her volunteer expertise in community arts development into a paying position in 1977 when she was hired by the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation. Initially she acted as the Ministry’s Regional Correspondent for the fledgling Ontario Arts Council, and later as the Ministry’s Regional Consultant for Eastern Ontario, responsible for a territory from Port Hope to Cornwall. In this role, she worked with countless artistic, performing, craft, historic, literary and recreation groups, as well as local and regional library systems, helping them to become established in even the smallest of communities, and facilitating their requests for program development and provincial financial assistance.
Following her seventeen years in various positions with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation she accepted a position as a Director of Community Arts Ontario, the volunteer umbrella organization for the many newly-formed Arts Councils all across Ontario.
While Manfred, an ardent sailor, was managing various businesses in both Belleville and Trenton, he devoted much of his time to making the region aware of the very poor water quality in the Bay of Quinte. He was instrumental in developing the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan, which led to his being part of a public enquiry into local water pollution, and a participant in an international commission studying the health of the waters of the Great Lakes. Over many decades, RAP was responsible for cleaning up the waters of the Bay.
In retirement, Diana and Manfred enjoyed summer sailing, especially in the 1000 Islands. However, the rest of the year, they continued to enrich the local community as founding members of the board of Later Life Learning, for which she was chair for over a decade, while Manfred remained active in the Remedial Action Plan organization. He also expanded a life-long curiosity about the intricate details of clocks by gradually building a thriving clock and watch repair business among his many friends. Diana was a long time member of the Quinte Morning Music Club, a supporter of the Belleville Art Association, Quinte Opera Guild, and the Eastern Ontario Concert Orchestra. She also returned to the Quinte Arts Council Board in the early nineties when the Quinte Cultural Centre was being planned. Her expertise in arts development and her provincial connections were invaluable. Had it been developed, the project would have been the cultural jewel in the crown of the area. In recognition of her many contributions, Diana was one of the first to be recognized with the Quinte Arts Council Arts Recognition Award in 1994.
In later years, health and hearing issues limited Diana and Manfred’s attendance at many local arts events, but their love of, and support for, the arts never wavered. Never ones to enjoy the spotlight, they made their contributions humbly and without fanfare. The city and surrounding region are diminished by their passing.
