The Hepatica Cup, donated to the club by long-time members Merlin Becker and Norm Jarvis, is awarded to the winner of the Hepatica Shoot, a competition held over two successive weekends in the spring. This trophy was the first of the Highland Glen Camera Club’s in-club competition awards.
Norm Jarvis and Merlin Becker donated the Cup to stimulate club members to break out of their winter inertia with an early spring shoot. The idea was well received and has become an annual event ever since, with the trophy going to the best image of a hepatica, shot on the designated dates. The challenge with this flower is due to its small size, sensitivity to the sun’s warming rays, its unique color, and a two week blooming window.
Norm Jarvis and Merlin Becker are widely known for their love of nature and photography. They both joined the club in 1986 where their skills in photographing difficult nature subjects was overshadowed only by their enthusiasm for nature photography. They eagerly shared their photographic expertise as well as their wealth of botanical knowledge about their subjects. Over the years both men have held the position of club President and almost all other director positions in the HGCC. Both actively competed in HGCC, as well as nationally in nature categories, generating a highly respected name for the Highland Glen Camera Club within CAPA.
Norm Jarvis became national President of the Canadian Photographic Association of Canada (CPAC) in the early 1990’s, during the challenges involved in crafting a merger with the equally reputable National Association for Photographic Art (NAPA) into today’s Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA). Upon retirement in 2003 Norm relocated to Whitney, Ontario, where he resides, with his wife Pat, a short two kilometers from Algonquin Park.
Previous winners of this trophy are listed below.
1989 Jack Battler
1990 Karl Glockemann
1991 Merlin L. Becker
1992 Karl Glockemann
1993 Karl Glockemann
1994 Karl Glockemann
1995 Merlin L. Becker
1996 Norm Jarvis
1997 Norm Jarvis
1998 Merlin L. Becker
1999 Paulette Weber
2000 Norm Jarvis
2001 Merlin L. Becker
2002 Barb Hamblin
2003 Richard Pierce
2004 Richard Pierce
2005 Richard Pierce
2006 Richard Pierce
2009 Richard Pierce and Achala Mishra