The history of Big Brothers of South Georgian Bay begins with John Pennock. As principal of Stayner Collegiate Institute, he frequently dealt with young men who clearly would have benefited from association with a mature male role model. Consequently, in 1969, John wrote, as a concerned citizen, to Frank Fogwell at Big Brothers of Canada. He was encouraged to contact the Orillia Big Brother Agency. After several meetings in Orillia, John was joined by other staff members from SCI to help get the local association off the ground.