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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 23, 2007 - 13www.oakvillebeaver.com
■ By Angela BlackburnOAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF
It’s a social and New Age network-ing group with a focus on holisticand alternative health.
The two Oakville residents whofounded Halton Holistic Harmonyshare a passion for new ideas andpride themselves on keeping an openmind.
Exploring those ideas and meet-ing others of the same ilk led them toform the non-profit group just over ayear ago.
The Oakville-Burlington chapteris operated by 32-year-old Oakvillenative Raychyl Whyte and JohnStewart, a biophysicist and doctor ofnatural medicine.
Milton holistic psychotherapistDr. Dan Benor heads up its Miltonchapter.
“I’m a graduate of the school ofhard knocks,” said the eloquent andthoughtful Whyte.
Explaining she was working atage 12, Whyte said she managed tograduate from high school, then
study one of her great passions —theatre arts and drama — at college,also while working.
As much as financial considera-tions may have kept Whyte fromattaining a formal education, Stewartboasts a lengthy list of formal train-ing.
He was raised in Scotland wherehe studied medical science, then bio-physics in England, before he cameto Canada 25 years ago to earn hisPhD at the University of Toronto. Hebecame a doctor of natural medicine
after that.Stewart said he is a former uni-
versity lecturer who worked for adecade as a federal environmentalhealth scientist.
He has also studied Reiki, kinesi-ology, Dowsing, Kundalini, Tantra,radionics, homeopathy, Kabbalahand Buddhism.
He instructs on energy and vibra-tional sciences, acts as a consultantfor medical device manufacturersand heads up the Radionics ResearchInstitute.
The pair met at a Toronto restau-rant.
“John has had a lot of experiencegiving presentations on alternativehealth and healing,” said Whyte, not-ing that Stewart once commentedthere were few like-minded people inOakville.
“I said, ‘Oh yes there are, I’ve livedhere all my life’ so I set out to proveJohn mistaken,” laughed Whyte.
She then organized speakingengagements for Stewart locally,including one at the public library,
and the turnout was so successful thecouple then turned their energy tofounding Halton Holistic Harmony,which celebrated its first anniversaryin March.
“Our aim quite simply is a socialand networking group that affordsthe opportunity to mix and minglewith other like-minded individualsand we open the floor to guest speak-ers,” said Whyte.
While Stewart has his own com-pany, Biophysica Inc., Whyte said shekeeps busy as an actor, social activistand fashion redesigner/seamstress.
With direct experience withpoverty and personal trauma, Whyteis the membership secretary for theOakville NDP and considers herselfto have become an outspoken, deter-mined activist for socialism, altru-ism, truth, social justice, equality,compassion, and transparency, secu-larity and accountability in govern-ment.
She is a volunteer for SocialistAction, the Ontario Coalition AgainstPoverty (OCAP) and the NDP
LivingOakvilleBeaver
LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 248) Fax 905-337-5567 e-mail [email protected] • WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2007 13
GETTING IT RIGHT: In preparation for this Sunday’s Halton Young Achievers’ annual Cotillion Ball to be held from 2-6 p.m. atthe Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre on Wyecroft Road, youths in the program recently visited Paradiso Restaurant in down-town Oakville for a Dining Protocol Workshop that focused on Etiquette and Manners. At left, Ebony Dzidah Powell watches instruc-tor Pauline Bragdon demonstrate how to properly use a knife and fork; above left, Cheryl Pitt reviews dining etiquette with students,while, at right, Taylor Keen Douglas practices drinking (water) from a wine glass. Young Achievers of Halton is a community-basedgroup that aims to assist in the building of well rounded citizens of the future. It offers social skills, interactive educational forums,assists in preparing youth leadership and offers workshops in everything from etiquette, career planning and public speaking, to vol-unteering, self esteem, dance, fitness and financial planning. Tickets to the cotillion cost $50 (adult); $45 (seniors/students; $40 (chil-dren 10 and under. For tickets or more information on Young Achievers of Halton call 905-827-4324 or e-mail [email protected].
Etude in etiquette
PHOTOS BY LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER
New Age social networking on the agenda
Dr. John Stewart Raychyl Whyte Daniel Benor
■ See Halton page 14
