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Devil’s Punchbowl to get brighter, energy-efficient cross
(Stoney Creek News, Nov 13 2013)

Tony Goemans loved to hike the Devil’s Punchbowl Conservation Area, making it part of a daily round trip that he and his dog took from their Battlefield Drive home for nearly 15 years – one that took precisely 42 minutes.

Now, the upper Stoney Creek park’s iconic cross will burn more brightly in the memory of Goemans, founder of the successful appliance-store chain that bears his name, thanks to a $50,000 donation from his family.

The money will allow the Hamilton Conservation Authority to replace the deteriorating cross with a brighter, more energy efficient one and make other improvements to the surrounding landscape and amenities.

Son Jason Goemans said the donation on behalf of his dad, who died from melanoma in August at age 66, acknowledges the joy the Devil’s Punchbowl brought his entire family.

He said an annual, supplemental donation will keep the cross powered and help remove the parking meter to make the area more of a visitor destination.

“That area represents a lot of good times, a lot of good memories and we just want to offer a small token of our appreciation,” Jason Goemans said.

“It really is un underutilized resource that a lot of people don’t know. There’s all kinds of wildlife, birds,” he said. “The vistas of the city really are fantastic.”