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| Our First Snowfall in Gravenhurst - Christmas eve is just two months away and Gravenhurst received it’s first snowfall through the night! It’s a beautiful blanket of white to over up the leaves and pine needles that still need to be raked and cleaned up for the season. (Photo By Fred Schulz) |
GETTING TO KNOW MUSKOKA ONE CROSSROADS, ONE HAMLET, ONE VILLAGE, ONE TOWN.... AT A TIME -
REPORTING ON MUSKOKA REVEALED WHAT MOST NEVER KNOW ABOUT THE HOME DISTRICT
I'D SIT AT A COUNCIL MEETING, AS A REPORTER FOR MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, GNASHING MY TEETH, WHEN THE AGENTS REPRESENTING DEVELOPERS, WOULD PITCH A NEW URBAN-INSPIRED PROJECT, TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN OUR DISTRICT, THAT, BY CLAIM AND CLAIM ALONE, WAS GOING TO IMPROVE ALL OUR LIVES. BASICALLY SPEAKING, WHAT THEY WERE ALLUDING TO, IS THAT OUR LIVES SUCKED WITHOUT THEIR INFUSION OF URBAN BLISS. IF I WAS WRITING THE STORY ABOUT THIS, I WOULD EXCUSE MYSELF FROM THEN WRITING AN OPINION PIECE FOR THE EDITORIAL PAGE, BECAUSE I'D BE TOO BLOODY MAD TO BE FAIR TO THE PROPONENTS. I HAVE ALWAYS DESPISED, HOW DEVELOPERS USED THIS "DISADVANTAGED THING," TO SELL THEIR PROJECT TO US POOR AND WRETCHED PERMANENT RESIDENTS. I WAS ONCE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THIS MATTER, AT A MEETING OF "SUITS", INCLUDING PLANNERS, BUILDERS, PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALISTS AND INVESTORS. THEY WANTED A PRESENTATION ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, AND I GAVE THEM ONE.....JUST NOT THE FIVE MINUTE TUTORIAL THEY HAD APPROVED. THE SHORT VERSION, WAS THAT TO WIN OUR AFFECTION, AS MUSKOKANS, DEVELOPERS NEEDED TO DROP THE CITY ATTITUDE FOR A BIT, AND SEE OUR DISTRICT FROM A "HOME" REGION PERSPECTIVE FOR A CHANGE. AND STOP TELLING US WHAT WILL MAKE OUR LIVES BETTER. WE LIKE TREES AND CLEAN WATER, AND LAKESIDE PATHS, AND BOATING ON THE LAKE THAT DOESN'T PARALLEL THE TRAFFIC STRESS ON THE 401. WE LIKE THE CALL OF LOONS AND WE APPRECIATE WILDFLOWERS AND THE WHOLE WHACK OF MAGNIFICENT NATURE, INCLUDING BEARS. I NEVER GOT INVITED BACK. WONDER WHY.
I WORRY THESE DAYS, ABOUT THOSE IN UPPER LEVEL GOVERNMENT, SERVING THIS REGION, AS MANAGERS AND SENIOR ADVISORS, AND EVEN SOME COUNCILLORS, WHO ARE NOT AS CONNECTED AS THEY SHOULD BE, OR AS AWARE OF REGIONAL HISTORY, AS SHOULD BE REQUIRED AS A CONDITION OF OFFICE. THERE ARE MANAGERS WHO ARE MAKING DECISIONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY, RECKLESSLY IMPRINTING, AND ALTERING MODERN HISTORY, BY THE DEGREE OF CHANGE THEY IMPOSE, EVEN IN ROUTINE DECISIONS. I REALLY DON'T LIKE THAT, AND ANY COUNCILLOR WHO FEELS IT'S OKAY TO CHANGE MUSKOKA TRADITIONS, FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, BY THE STROKE OF A PEN, BY SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE ANY SERIOUS BACKGROUND HERE, TO ME.....WELL, ADDS MUCK AND WATER TO THAT SLIPPERY SLOPE YOU HEAR ABOUT. A WATERING DOWN OF WHAT MUSKOKANS WANT FOR THEIR DISTRICT, AND THIS OF COURSE INCLUDES BOTH PERMANENT RESIDENTS AND SECOND HOME OWNERS (COTTAGERS). THEN, WHEN THEY'VE MADE THEIR MARK, SON OF A GUN, IF THEY DON'T BUGGER OFF, TO ACCEPT A JOB ELSEWHERE.....LEAVING US TO DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH.
THE BLOG MATERIAL BELOW, IS AN HONEST, STRAIGHT FORWARD ATTEMPT, TO EXPLAIN, AS BIASED AS I AM, JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, TO KNOW MUSKOKA INTIMATELY WELL, BEFORE YOU MASTERMIND A WAY OF IMPOSING OUTSIDE VALUES, TO CHANGE US BUMPKINS FOR THE ALLEGED "BETTER." IT IS HAPPENING FREQUENTLY. AND OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE IN ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN. WHEN I GET ON MY SOAP BOX, ABOUT GETTING A NEW SLATE OF CANDIDATES FOR THE NEXT MUNICIPAL ELECTION, IN A YEAR'S TIME, BY GOLLY, DON'T UNDERESTIMATE MY KEENEST DESIRE, TO FIND FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO REPRESENT OUR REGION, AS NATURE-LOVING MUSKOKANS, WITH A RIPENED SENSITIVITY, TO THE HISTORY OF MUSKOKA. SO IF YOU PLAN ON RUNNING, AND WANT A HISTORY LESSON, I'M AVAILABLE. FOR FREE.
GETTING TO KNOW THE GOOD FOLKS WHO CONTINUE TO CALL MUSKOKA HOME
IN THE FALL OF 1978, OUR FAMILY HAD JUST COME OFF OUR FIRST YEAR, AS ROOKIE ANTIQUE DEALERS. WE HAD OPENED THE SMALL GIFT AND ANTIQUE SHOP, ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET, IN BRACEBRIDGE, ON THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE FORMER HOME AND OFFICE, OF DR. PETER MCGIBBON....ONCE A MUSKOKA M.P. BACK IN THE DAYS OF ARTHUR MEIGHEN. I'D ALSO JUST WRAPPED UP AN "EXPERIENCE '78" HERITAGE PROJECT FOR THE MUSKOKA BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHICH CREATED A TAPED RESOURCE KIT TO BE USED FOR TEACHER AND STUDENT REFERENCE. IT WAS A GREAT ADVENTURE, INTERVIEWING MANY OF MUSKOKA'S OLDEST RESIDENTS, TO BE PART OF THE PERMANENT HERITAGE COLLECTION, WHICH I BELIEVE IS STILL IN USE TODAY FOR THE TRILLIUM LAKELANDS BOARD OF EDUCATION.
I WAS WORKING WITH THE BRACEBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THAT I HELPED FOUND, AND IT WAS PLEASING, THAT THE PROCESS TO OPEN A BRACERBDIGE MUSEUM WAS WELL UNDER WAY, BEHIND THE LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT WAYLAND DREW, AND KEN BLACK, FROM THE ROTARY CLUB, WHICH PURCHASED THE FORMER ESTATE BELONGING TO BIRD'S WOOLLEN MILL FOUNDER, HENRY BIRD; KNOWN AS WOODCHESTER VILLA. THE ROTARY CLUB, UPON COMPLETION OF THE RENOVATIONS, WOULD THEN TURN OVER THE BUILDING TO THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, AND IT WOULD BE THE DIRECTORS OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WHO LOOKED AFTER ITS DAY TO DAY OPERATION.
OUR BUSINESS WAS IN ITS FIRST YEAR AND COULDN'T BE EXPECTED TO MAKE MUCH IN THE WAY OF PROFIT. WE WERE HAPPY ABOUT ITS SUCCESS TO THAT POINT, BUT I NEEDED A JOB TO SURVIVE. MY MOTHER WAS HAPPY TO RUN THE SHOP, AND I WORKED WHENEVER I COULD, RESTORING AND REFINISHING FURNITURE. SO I DECIDED TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME IN TORONTO, TO CHECK OUT SOME JOB OPPORTUNITIES. I FIRST GOT A JOB AS A "WATER BOY," AT BLACK CREEK PIONEER VILLAGE. HERE I WAS, FRESHLY GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY NEXT DOOR, WITH A DEGREE IN CANADIAN HISTORY, AND MY FIRST JOB WAS TO HAUL WATER TO THE VARIOUS BUILDINGS THAT REQUIRED IT, OVER A SUBSTANTIALLY LARGE HISTOIC SITE. AND I WAS IN THE BACKYARD OF YORK UNIVERSITY, WHERE I HAD JUST RECENTLY GRADUATED. WHILE ADMITTEDLY, IT WAS A STARTING POSITION, I DIDN'T FEEL THAT WAY, AND JUST DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR WORK ONE DAY. I STILL FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT NO-SHOW. THEY WERE NICE PEOPLE WHICH REALLY KNOTTED-UP MY CONSCIENCE FOR YEARS.
THEN I GOT A JOB AS A YOUTH WORKER, IN AN DEEP-WOODS GROUP HOME, AND AFTER A WEEK OF ISOLATION, AND A LOT OF STRESS, I JUMPED SHIP WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY AFFORDED. THEN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NEAT TO WORK AS A PROFESSIONAL RECRUITER, ANOTHER NAME FOR "HEAD HUNTERS," WHICH FOR ME, MEANT CALLING UP PEOPLE WHO HAD GOOD JOBS, AND TRYING TO SELL THEM ON ANOTHER JOB, A CLIENT HOPED TO FILL THROUGH OUR PERSONNEL SERVICE. I LASTED THROUGH TWO INTERVIEWS, GOT THE JOB, WAS THERE WITH BELLS ON THAT FIRST DAY, IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO, AND BY LUNCH HOUR, I WENT TO THE EATON'S CENTRE, HAD A SANDWICH, DECIDED TO WALK UP TO THE BAY STREET BUS TERMINAL.....TO BUY A TICKET HOME.
I STRUGGLED AT HOME, TRYING TO IMPROVE THE ANTIQUE SHOP SALES FIGURES, PARTLY SUCCEEDING I MIGHT ADD, AND AT A NEW YEAR'S PARTY BACK IN TORONTO, MY GIRLFRIEND ADVISED ME OF THE FACT HER NEW BOYFRIEND WAS JEALOUS OF ME. THIS WAS NEWS TO ME, AND OF COURSE, NECESSITATED ENDING OUR FIVE YEAR RELATIONSHIP. HAPPY FREAKING NEW YEAR, I SAID, CONTEMPLATING WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG FOR A GUY WITH SO MANY GREAT PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.....THAT SEEMED TO BE DIMINISHING AT A RAPID RATE.
ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1979, I GOT A CALL FROM THE PUBLISHER OF THE MUSKOKA LAKES - GEORGIAN BAY BEACON, IN MACTIER (SOUTH OF PARRY SOUND, AND IN THE TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BAY), ASKING IF I WAS STILL INTERESTED IN A REPORTING JOB. AT CHRISTMAS, I HAD APPLIED FOR A PART TIME JOB AT THE HERALD-GAZETTE, IN BRACEBRIDGE, BUT DIDN'T GET THE POSITION. HERE IT WAS, JUST A MONTH LATER, AND I WAS BEING OFFERED A FULL TIME REPORTING JOB WITH MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS. THE ONLY CATCH, WAS THAT I NEEDED A CAR RIGHT AWAY, AND SEEING AS I WAS BROKE, IT SEEMED A LONG-SHOT THAT I COULD ACCEPT THE JOB UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. THE CALL TO OUR BRACEBRIDGE HOME, CAME AT THE STRANGEST TIME, AS WELL. MY GIRLFRIEND, WHO HAD DRIVEN ME BACK TO BRACEBRIDGE, AFTER GIVING ME THE PROVERBIAL HEAVE-HO, CAME IN TO OUR SHOP FOR A SHORT FAREWELL HUG, AND "YOU'LL GET OVER IT," CHAT, AND JUST AS I WAS OPENING THE DOOR, THE WALL PHONE BEGAN TO RING. IT WAS THE JOB OFFER. MY DEPARTING FRIEND, OFFERED A LITTLE BIT OF ADVICE TO HER "NOW" FORMER BOYFRIEND. "IT'S A WRITING JOB....IT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED.....TELL THE PUBLISHER YOU'LL TAKE THE JOB, AND ARRANGE FOR A CAR LATER." I HAD TO AGREE WITH HER. THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF JOBS IN OUR AREA FOR WRITERS AND HISTORIANS, SO IT MADE SENSE TO GRAB THIS ONE. I KNEW WHERE MACTIER WAS, AS I'D PLAYED HOCKEY THERE MANY TIMES AS A KID, BUT I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM FIGURING OUT HOW I WOULD RELATE TO LIFE IN A VILLAGE.....WORKING IN WEST MUSKOKA, THAT I ONLY KNEW FROM EITHER HOCKEY GAMES IN THE PAST, AND HAULING LUMBER AS A FORMER DRIVER FOR BUILDING TRADES CENTRE. I WAS STILL BEING INFLUENCED BY MY EARLY YEARS GROWING UP IN THE CITYDOM OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO, AND THEN, IN BRACEBRIDGE, OF WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR THROUGH AND THROUGH.
THIS START-UP, AS GOOD AS IT SEEMED TO A WRITER-IN-NEED, WAS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE, AND THE FACT I FELT LIKE CRAP AFTER OUR BREAK-UP, MADE, AND I APOLOGISE TO THE FINE FOLK OF MACTIER, FOR WRITING THIS, IT SEEMED VERY MUCH A PARALLEL OF JOINING THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION, TO LOSE MY PREVIOUS IDENTITY DURING THE IMMERSION IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE. I WOULD TAKE THIS JOB TO FIND THE NEW "TED CURRIE," AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MY DEPARTING GIRLFRIEND HAD, WITHOUT KNOWING IT, GIVEN ME CAREER CHANGING ADVICE, ON THE CUSP OF A LIFE CHANGING BREAK-UP. I WAS GOING TO BE A NEWSMAN LIKE I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED. MY EXPERIENCES IN A MUSKOKA VILLAGE, SERVICING THE READERSHIP NEEDS, OF A HUGE COVERAGE AREA, OF BOTH GEORGIAN BAY AND THE TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES, MADE IN LOGISTICALLY DEMANDING BUT GEORGRAPHICALLY EXCITING. EVERY DAY THAT I TRAVELLED THROUGH THE WESTERN SECTION OF MUSKOKA, OFFERED DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE. OF THIS I AM SO GRATEFUL TODAY.
I WORKED AS A REPORTER AND NEWS EDITOR OF THE BEACON, UNTIL 1981, WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE TO TAKE OVER THE EDITOR'S DESK OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE, WHICH WAS THE DREAM JOB FOR ME....AND ONE THAT I HAD PLANNED ON HAVING, ONE DAY, EVEN WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL; THEN OCCASIONALLY SEEING MY NAME PUBLISHED IN HOCKEY WRITE-UPS. WHILE I WAS IN A HURRY TO MOVE ON WITH MY CAREER, AND THIS WAS A HUGE BOOST IN RESPONSIBILITY AND PAY, I HAVE A HUGE REGRET TODAY, THAT I NEVER PROPERLY THANKED THE FINE FOLKS OF MACTIER, FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY DURING MY STAY THERE, HOWEVER BRIEF. YOU SEE, IT WAS MY FIRST REAL OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT MUSKOKA, FROM A REPORTER'S PERSPECTIVE...MUCH OF IT THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA. I KNEW ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT MACTIER, OTHER THAN THEY HAD AMAZING HOCKEY CLUBS, WITH A HUGE TALENT POOL, AND THEIR FASTBALL CREDENTIALS, WERE LEGENDARY IN THE CHRONICLES OF BASEBALL IN ONTARIO. THEY TURNED OUT SOME AMAZING PLAYERS OVER THE DECADES, AND I GOT TO KNOW MANY OF THEM THROUGH SPORTS, AND SOCIALLY, AT EVENTS AND JUST FROM CASUAL SCRUMS IN OUR NEWSPAPER OFFICE.
JOYCE LUSK AND LORNA MCLEOD WERE TWO SWELL STAFFERS, WHO WHEN NOT WORKING ON NEWSPAPER LAYOUT, WERE PLAYING PRACTICAL JOKES ON ME, OR BETTER, GIVING ME BACKGROUNDERS ON THE CITIZENS I WAS REPORTING ON EACH WEEK. BRIAN LEMKAY WAS MANAGING THE ARENA AT THAT TIME, AND HE ENCOURAGED ME TO COME OUT AND PLAY NET, IN A SCRIMMAGE WITH THE MACTIER LIONS HOCKEY CLUB. I HAD SO MUCH RUBBER HITTING AND PASSING ME THAT NIGHT, I WAS AKIN TO THE LANDING STRIP OF A MAJOR AIRPORT. ROGER CROZIER TOLD ME ONCE, THAT I HAD THE POTENTIAL OF GOING ON TO HIGHER RANKING, AS A GOALTENDER, AND PRESUMABLY THAT MEANT THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE, WHERE HE HAD EARNED HIS STRIPES. I REMEMBER THINKING ABOUT THAT STATEMENT, RECALLED FROM YOUTH, AS THE MACTIER LADS WERE HUMBLING ME WITH GOALS AGAINST. YOU KNOW, THEY ALL CAME UP TO ME AFTER THE WILD SHOOT-OUT, AND CONGRATULATED ME FOR.....GET THIS, HAVING THE COURAGE TO STAND BETWEEN THE PIPES. THEY ADMITTED THAT IT WAS TRADITON TO BREAK IN THE NEW GUY, WITH ALL GUNS BLAZING. THEY INVITED ME TO HAVE A COUPLE OF POPS, AS THEIR GUEST AT THE MACTIER LEGION, AND I HAD A WONDERFUL SOCIAL EVENING WITH SOME OF THE FINEST PLAYERS I'D EVER BEEN ASSOCIATED IN MY HOCKEY DAYS.
BRIAN LEMKAY WAS MY VILLAGE INTERPRETOR. HE KNEW EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND IN THE WEST MUSKOKA AREA GENERALLY, NEVER BEING AFRAID TO INTERJECT WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR NEWS STORIES, AND INTERESTING FEATURES ABOUT THE AREA. HE ALSO LET ME IN ON SOME PERSONAL INFORMATION, THAT KEPT ME FROM ASKING CERTAIN FOLKS, INTRUSIVE QUESTIONS, DUE TO A PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN OTHERWISE. I COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON BRIAN AT THE RINK, OR AS A NEWS AND COMMUNITY ADVISOR, TO KEEP ME ON THE PROVERBIAL STRAIGHT AND NARROW, WHICH WAS IMPORTANT TO ME AS A ROOKIE REPORTER FOR ONE THING.....AND A NEW MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
MY FIRST CONFLICT, CAME IN MY FIFTH WEEK ON THE JOB. I HAD TO COVER A BAKE SALE, I BELIEVE, AT A LOCAL CHURCH, AND THE EDITOR WANTED A PHOTOGRAPH FOR THAT WEEK'S PAPER. MY NEW GIRLFRIEND (I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN QUICK TO REBOUND), MARILYN, CAME WITH ME THAT DAY. WE WERE WELL RECEIVED IN THE CHURCH HALL, AND IMMEDIATELY GIVEN COOKIES AND COFFEE, SO WE COULD GET IN THE MOOD OF THE TRADITION OF THE CHURCH FUNDRAISER. AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR OF SMALL TALK, AND GOOD COMPANY, I DECIDED TO PULL OUT MY CAMERA EQUIPMENT AND GET A FEW SHOTS FOR THE BEACON. I SHOULD NOTE HERE, THAT THE COMMUNITY LIKED HAVING THEIR NEWSPAPER, AND ON MOST OCCASIONS, WOULD CO-OPERATE FULLY WITHOUT HESITATION. THERE WERE EXCEPTIONS. I FOUND ONE.
WHEN I GOT MY FLASH UNIT MOUNTED ON THE CAMERA, AND SET ABOUT TO FIND A GOOD SUBJECT FOR THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EVENT, I FOCUSED ON A WOMAN IN THE CORNER OF THE HALL, WHO HAD A SMALL TRAY OF WRAPPED BUTTER TARTS IN HER HAND. LOOKED GREAT THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER. I DID HOWEVER, HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING FOCUSED, BECAUSE SHE KEPT MOVING, ESPECIALLY SO, WHEN I TRIED TO GET CLOSER TO HER FOR A BETTER SHOT. MARILYN WAS AT MY SIDE, AND KEPT NUDGING ME. "WHAT, WHAT," I ASKED, WHILE TRYING TO KEEP THE WOMAN PROPERLY FRAMED. SHE WAS TRYING, YOU SEE, IN A VERY SUBTLE WAY, SO AS NOT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO HER WARNING, THAT THE WOMAN I WAS PLANNING TO PHOTOGRAPH HAD BECOME AGITATED, MUMBLING THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT HER PICTURE TAKEN. IT WASN'T UNTIL, I SAW THE WOMAN'S FIST SHAKING AT ME, THROUGH THE SAME VIEWFINDER, THAT I ASSESSED, SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE PICTURE.....EVEN BEFORE I CLICKED THE FIRST FRAME. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE WORDS SHE USED, TO MAKE ME LOWER THE CAMERA, BECAUSE THE SHAKING FIST WITHIN INCHES OF THE LENS, WAS QUITE ENOUGH TO RELAY THE MESSAGE, THIS LADY DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN THE BEACON. APPARENTLY THE PHOTOGRAPHER, BEFORE I TOOK OVER AS REPORTER, HAD ENCOUNTERED THE WOMAN AT ANOTHER EVENT, AND OPTED TO TAKE HER PICTURE. AND DESPITE WARNINGS NOT TO RUN THE IMAGE, HAD DONE SO UNDER THE FUNDAMENTAL LIBERTIES OF "FREEDOM OF THE PRESS." AS IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME LATER, THE WOMAN JUST DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE HER PICTURE PUBLISHED IN THE PAPER, AS SHE BELIEVED THE IMAGES TAKEN OF HER IN THE PAST, WERE ALWAYS VERY UNFLATTERING. MY WIFE SUZANNE IS LIKE THAT, AND WOULD EVEN TRY TO AVOID YEARBOOK PORTRAITS, WHEN SHE WAS TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL. THE LADIES OF THE BAKE SALE ARRANGED AN EVEN BETTER PHOTOGRAPH FOR ME TO TAKE, AND THE WOMAN IN QUESTION, OFFERED AN APOLOGY LATER AS WELL. I HAD OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE HER PICTURE, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, BECAUSE SHE VOLUNTEERED FOR MANY COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS, BUT I NEVER AGAIN RAISED A CAMERA LENS IN HER DIRECTION. ALL SHE NEEDED TO DO WAS GIVEN ME "THE LOOK," AND I CHANGED MY FOCUSE IMMEDIATELY.
WHEN I WASN'T WRITING OR REPORTING, I'D HAVE TO RUN THE OFFICE SUPPLY PORTION OF OUR THE BEACON OPERATION, AND I FOUND ABOUT THIS RETAIL COMPONENT, ONE DAY, WHEN JOYCE AND LORNA WENT FOR LUNCH, LEAVING ME ALONE IN THE SHOP WITH CUSTOMERS FROM MOOSE DEER POINT, WHO WANTED A LARGE AMOUNT OF STATIONARY. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING, BUT THEY WERE VERY PATIENT AND HELPFUL, TO THE NEW OUT-OF-PLACE SALESMAN. IT WAS SORT OF A BOOT-CAMP OF COMMUNITY NEWS REPORTING, AND IT WAS AN IDEAL REGION TO GET STARTED IN THE PROFESSION. I NEVER RECALL A TIME, WHEN THE CITIZENS EVER GOT IN THE WAY OF A REPORTING ASSIGNMENT, OR STONEWALLED ME, TO PROTECT SOMETHING OR OTHER. THEY DIDN'T MIND TALKING TO THE PRESS, AND GIVING ME TIPS ON STORIES WHEN MY WELL HAD RUN DRY. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, THEY LET ME LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES, HAVING THE OPINION, NEW REPORTERS WERE ALWAYS GOING TO SCREW UP SOONER IF NOT LATER....SO CUT THEM SOME SLACK. YOU SEE, THEY KNEW THAT FOR MOST YOUNG REPORTERS, THE BEACON WAS JUST A TRAINING JOB.....AND WHEN ENOUGH EXPERIENCE AND CREDITS WERE GAINED, THE STAFFER WOULD MOVE ON TO GREENER PASTURES. IT HAPPENED TO THEM MANY TIMES. THEY HARDLY GOT TO KNOW REPORTERS BEFORE THEY HAD FLED TO OTHER MEDIA EMPLOYMENT. IT WASN'T FAIR TO THIS KINDLY COMMUNITY. BUT IT WAS AN OBVIOUS SITUATION IN NEWSPAPER-JOCKEYING. AS A SMALL CIRCULATION WEEKLY, IT WAS NEVER GOING TO BE THE KIND OF PERMANENT JOB THAT LASTED MOST OF A PROFESSIONAL CAREER....LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS, OF AN OFFICE CLERK WORKING-UP THROUGH THE RANKS, TO REPORTER, EDITOR THEN PUBLISHER. THE BEACON ONLY HAD ONE REPORTER AS SUCH,
SO BY TIME A NEWS STAFFER BECAME ACCUSTOMED TO THE AREA, IT USUALLY HAPPEND, THEY GOT A BETTER JOB OFFER ELSEWHERE. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO WARM UP TO A REPORTER, WHO HAS THE TASK OF REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY, WHO MAKES FRIENDS, AND BUILDS INROADS OF CONFIDENCE, ONLY TO ABANDON THEM, WITHOUT RESERVATION. I HAD LOTS OF RESERVATIONS. JUST NOT A LOT OF MONEY, AND THE CAR RENTAL WAS EATING UP A LOT OF MY PAY CHEQUE EVERY WEEK.
BY THE TIME I GOT MY OPPORTUNITY FOR A JOB PROMOTION, I WAS MAKING FRIENDS AND EVEN COACHING THE LOCAL MIDGET HOCKEY CLUB....AND WHAT A TEAM THAT WAS! GREAT KIDS AND OUTSTANDING ATHLETES, AND WE SHOWED A LOT OF TOWNS IN OUR AREA, INCLUDING PARRY SOUND AND BRACEBRIDGE, WHAT VILLAGE LIVING DID TO HONE GREAT HOCKEY PLAYERS. I FELT COMFORTABLE WORKING IN MACTIER, AND ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE VILLAGE, I RESIDED IN NEARBY FOOTE'S BAY, AT EARL AND JESSIE MACDONALD'S "SEVEN PERSONS' COTTAGE," ON THE SHORE OF LAKE ROSSEAU. I'VE WRITTEN OFTEN ABOUT THIS PINT-SIZED HOUSE, DESIGNED AND DOWNSIZED TO GNOME-SCALE, FROM THE FLOOR PLAN OF A MUCH LARGER ENGLISH COUNTRY ESTATE. WHEN I WALKED, HUNCHED OVER, THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, JESSIE AND EARL HAD LEFT A COPY OF THE NEW BOOK OUT, ENTITLED "GNOMES." I CAN HONESTLY CLAIM TO HAVE LIVED IN AN ENCHANTED COTTAGE ON THE SHORE OF A MUSKOKA LAKE. NOW I SHOULD NOTE, THAT I DID RUN INTO A LITTLE BIT OF GRIEF WITH MY DECISION TO LIVE IN FOOTE'S BAY, INSTEAD OF MACTIER. MACTIER IS IN THE TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BAY AND FOOTE'S BAY IS IN THE TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES. PLUS, THE VILLAGE AND HAMLET WERE COMPETITIVE ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ATTRIBUTES OVER THE OTHER. BUT WE MADE UP, AND I HAPPILY RESIDED NEARBY, AND DID NINETY PERCENT OF MY WORK IN MACTIER. DUE TO ECONOMICS, THE FACT THAT I FOUND IT HARD TO LIVE ON A REPORTER'S SALARY, I LIVED IN BRACEBRIDGE FOR THE WINTER, IN THE MCGIBBON HOUSE, WHERE MY PARENTS STILL RESIDED. IT WAS A BEAST OF A DRIVE EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE WINTER STORMS BLOWING-IN OFF GEORGIAN BAY. IT WAS STILL CHEAPER, EVEN PAYING MILEAGE ON MY RENTAL CAR, TO DRIVE BACK AND FORTH TO BRACEBRIDGE. HONESTLY, EVEN PAYING RENT TO LIVE LOCALLY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN PENNILESS AS WELL. THAT WAS THE ONE ASPECT OF WORKING FOR THE PRESS THAT ALWAYS GOT IN THE WAY......THE SHORTAGE OF MONEY. BY TIME THE RENT WAS PAID, THE CAR PAYMENT SUBMITTED, AND A FEW GROCERIES PURHASED, THERE WASN'T MUCH LEFT FOR THE UTILITIES OR THE OCCASIONAL BOTTLE OF BEER.....THE FUEL FOR MY CREATIVE MULE.
MY EARLY YEARS WORKING FOR MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, IN MACTIER, COVERING WEST MUSKOKA, WAS ADVENTURE-FILLED, AND THE IDEAL INTRODUCTION TO REPORTING AS A PROFESSION. IT WAS A FORGIVING PLACE, WHERE THE RESIDENTS ALLOWED ME TO FUMBLE THE BALL, OCCASIONALLY, AND MAKE EDITORIAL BLUNDERS, WITHOUT ASKING FOR ME TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BEACON STAFF. THAT WAS AWFULLY NICE OF THOSE PEOPLE. THEY LET ME LEARN ON THE JOB, AND WERE ALWAYS SO PATIENT, WHEN COUNTER-INSTRUCTING ME ON THE STORY BACKGROUNDERS I'D MESSED UP. I GOT TO SEE COMMUNITY TRADITONS AND HERITAGE INTERESTS KNIT TOGETHER, LIKE A CRAZY QUILT IS SEWN BY METICULOUS CRAFTERS....WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT SHAPES PUT TOGETHER TO MAKE ITS ATTRACTIVE MOSAIC. I SAW A STRONG VILLAGE IDENTITY EMERGE FROM EVERY EVENT I ATTENDED IN MACTIER. TO SOME PASSERSBY, MACTIER MAY HAVE SEEMED UNFRIENDLY AND UNWELCOMING, BUT IT WAS, IN REALITY, THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. TODAY THOSE MACTIER YEARS ARE FOND MEMORIES, AND ALWAYS COME INTO FOCUS, WHEN I'M WORKING ON EDITORIAL PIECES LIKE THIS, TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF OUR CROSS ROADS' COMMUNITIES, HAMLETS, VILLAGES AND TOWNS, DOTTING THE COUNTRYSIDE, THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA.
IT WAS WHILE WORKING FOR THE BEACON, IN MACTIER, THAT MY RELATIONSHIP BEGAN WITH OUR FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, STAN DARLING, IN OTTAWA AND FRANK MILLER AT QUEEN'S PARK. TRAVELLING WITH THESE GENTLEMEN, ON THEIR CONSTITUENCY STOPS, FOR SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES AND RIBBON CUTTINGS, TOOK ME TO THE HEART OF THESE COMMUNITIES......INTO THE LIVINGROOMS OF THE CITIZENS, MANY WHO HAD A MULTI-GENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSKOKA. WE VISITED MANY HUMBLE ABODES, AND WERE AFFORDED SUCH KINDNESSES AND HOSPITALITY; AND TALKED WITH THE FAMILIES OF PLAQUE RECIPIENTS, WHO WERE HERITAGE STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS REGION....AND THE LEARNING CURVE, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, KEPT GOING ON AND ON.....THANKS TO THE FRIENDLY TUTORIALS I WAS GETTING AROUND THE KITCHEN TABLES OF MUSKOKA GENERALLY. I OFTEN WORKED WEEKENDS, COVERING HERALD-GAZETTE ASSIGNMENTS AS WELL.
HONESTLY I CAN'T BEGIN TO ESTIMATE, HOW THIS IMMERSION BY NECESSITY, HAS COME TO INFLUENCE ME TODAY.....SUCH THAT WHEN I MAKE STATEMENTS, AS I BEGAN THIS BLOG TODAY, IT'S ALL SECURELY ROOTED IN THE REALITY, I TOO, WENT FROM CURSORY KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOME REGION, TO AN INTIMATE APPRECIATION, FOR WHAT IT MEANT TO BE CALLED "A MUSKOKAN," ALL THANKS TO MY FIRST WRITING GIG IN THE VILLAGE OF MACTIER. WHAT I LEARNED THERE, WAS USED AS A TEMPLATE, TO RESEARCH OTHER COMMUNITIES IN OUR DISTRICT, SO THAT MY IMMERSION AS A WRITER, WOULDN'T BE QUITE SO AWKWARD AND FULL OF MISADVENTURE. EACH OF OUR COMMUNITIES IS DISTINCTIVE, AND THEY ALL POSSESS INTERESTING HISTORIES. YET MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL, AND SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS, HAVE MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE COMMUNITIES, THAT MAKE-UP THE UNIQUE MOSAIC OF THE MUSKOKA QUILT. THEN IT'S TO BE EXPECTED OF GOVERNMENT DECISIONS, THAT THEY WILL, INEVITABLY OVERLOOK WHAT THEY SHOULD BE ACUTELY AWARE OF......
IN A NUTSHELL, MUSKOKANS NEED TO SEIZE THE MOMENT, AND COMMIT TO PROTECT OUR HISTORY, PRESERVE OUR SOCIAL, CULTURAL LEGACY, AND CORRECT THOSE INTERLOPERS, WHO BELIEVE OUR REGION WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER, WITH THOSE NICE URBAN TOUCHES OF SPRAWL AND MAYHEM.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR INCLUDING THIS BLOG ON YOUR DAILY JOURNEY. FRED SCHULZ IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON OUR CHRISTMAS SEASON BLOG-FEST, WHICH WE HOPE TO BEGIN ON THE 16TH OF NOVEMBER.....WHICH WILL BE A TRUE MUSKOKA CELEBRATION, OF THE GOOD LIFE HERE IN GOD'S COUNTRY. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE FEATURE SERIES, WHICH WILL CONTINUE RIGHT UP TO NEW YEAR'S DAY. SEE YOU AGAIN, REAL SOON.
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