Spring Contributors
Meet three of the dedicated team members – Janice Quirt, Don Scallen, and Cindy Caines Dillman – who worked on our Spring issue.
Janice Quirt
Janice is a writer and communications professional who lives in Orangeville with her partner John, son Josh and daughter Daisy.
Janice loves walking to downtown Orangeville, constantly balancing her desire to collect vinyl records and thrift mid-century modern ceramics with her minimalist streak – the solution comprises window shopping and library books.
In this issue Janice penned two contrasting pieces: “A Day in the Life” with technology design secondary school teacher Andrea Phillips; and a feature on younger generations embracing analog passions, with her daughter as one of the subjects.
“I can love the tactile nature of analog records, books, photos, and paper and pen while still being transfixed by the creative pathways opened by digital technology, and I think it’s healthy to dabble in both worlds.”
Don Scallen
Don Scallen loves nature. He is fascinated by the natural history of plants and animals and their interactions with the environment. His heroes include Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall and the venerable David Attenborough.
Here’s an Attenborough quote that resonates with Don: “It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
Don writes frequently about nature for In The Hills and, in 2020, published his first book, Nature Where We Live: Activities to Engage Your Inner Scientist from Pond Dipping to Animal Tracking.
He enjoys speaking to naturalist clubs, horticultural societies and environmental groups about diverse nature-oriented topics.
Cindy Caines Dillman
“Once In The Hills hooks you, you’re hooked for life,” says the magazine’s beloved operations manager, Cindy Caines Dillman, who has worked here since 2013 and considers it “my magazine” in many ways.
On the home front Cindy has been busy. She married her longtime partner, Ken, in June of 2023. Their blended family consists of three grown children, one teenager and one grandchild (born in June 2022) with two more on the way. “My heart is overflowing!” she says.
In addition to other passions – reading, crocheting, camping and cruising – Cindy maintains a consistent fear of spiders – stemming, she says, from her mother’s arachnophobia. “She actually threw a shoe at me – to save my life, I’m sure – when I was about eight because I had one in my hair!”
Born in Newfoundland, Cindy considers herself a small-town girl at heart. “Spiders are everywhere, so I may as well live somewhere I love.”
