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Ramona United Church – 1908 Union Cemetery – 1892
Historic Church & Cemetery near Macarthur Side Road and Fair Grounds Road on the northern boundary of Ramara Township and The Town of Gravenhurst was perfectly framed with maples in brilliant fall colours on Sunday afternoon. The winds and rain on Monday will have rapidly changed the landscape and beautiful fall colours we’ve enjoyed over the past few days. (Photo By Fred Schulz)
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A TURN AWAY FROM RURAL LIVING
- WHERE IT ALL BEGAN BEING DISMISSED AS AN IRRITATING, NEEDY INLAW
"HERE HOARY ROCKS THAT COUNTLESS AGES PAST, HAVE BRAV'D THE FORCE OF WINTER'S WILDEST BLAST, AND SCORCHING HEAT OF SUMMER'S FIERCEST RAY; THESE RUGGED, BEETLING CRAGS OF GRANITE GRAY, WITH AWFUL MAJESTY, SUBLIMELY GRAND, IN ALL THEIR NATIVE MOSS-CLAD GLORY STAND. BEHOLD THE MAPLE GROVES IN BRIGHT ARRAY, THEIR GORGEOUS TINTS AND BRILLIANT HUES DISPLAY, AMONG THEIR SHORT LIV'D FADING GLORIES SEE; EMBLEM OF CONSISTENCY, THE HEMLOCK TREE, THAT EVER GREEN ITS SPREADING BRANCHES SHOW, ALIKE IN SUMMER'S SULTRY HEAT AND WINTER'S DRIFTING SNOW." THOMAS MCMURRAY, FROM HIS 1870'S BOOK, "MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND." I WANTED TO SEE THIS POEM IN REAL TERMS, AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID THIS AFTERNOON, ON SUCH A BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL AUTUMN WEDNESDAY.
THERE ARE SOME FOOLISH POLITICIANS LOCALLY, ME THINKS, WHO HAVE TAKEN IT ENTIRELY UPON THEMSELVES, QUITE PREMATURELY I MIGHT ADD, TO IMPOSE AN URBANIZING FUTURE-AGENDA, UPON A CHARMING RURAL DISTRICT IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. I HAVE RUN INTO LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO ARE OF THE URBAN ILK, BELIEVING THAT FOR MUSKOKA TO HAVE A PROSPEROUS FUTURE, IT MUST HAVE MUCH MORE URBAN INVESTMENT AND THE KIND OF PROGRESS COMMON OF ANY CITYDOM. SPRAWL IS THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND. MEASURED AND COMPATIBLE EXPANSION ALONE, IS QUITE TOLERABLE, EVEN FOR A RURAL-LOVER LIKE ME. WE REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE, AS TORONTO'S SPRAWL AND POPULATION GROWS, AND THE URBAN BOUNDARY EXPANDS NORTHWARD EVERMORE, MEASURABLY EACH YEAR. LOOK AT THE NEW GROWTH SPURT IN BARRIE AND ORILLIA. YET I SENSE WITH MORE AND MORE LOCAL OFFICIALS THESE DAYS, A GROWING IMPATIENCE TO "BRING IT ON," AND "WE'LL ACCOMMODATE YOUR EVERY NEED!" I'M SCARED OF THE ECONOMIC BOOM THAT IS COMING, THAT WILL TEST THE RESOLVE OF THE POPULATION TO STAY RURAL IN CHARACTER. IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT.
I THINK THERE IS ALSO IMPATIENCE GROWING, THESE DAYS, WITH THE WANTS AND NEEDS OF THOSE WARDS OUTSIDE THE URBAN BOUNDARY. TREATED IN RESPONSE, AS IF THEY ARE JUST THE ANNOYING IN-LAWS, THE TOWNS INHERITED, UNDER THE TERMS OF REGIONAL GOVERNMENT, BACK IN THE EARLY 70'S. THEY KEEP ASKING FOR STUFF. IMAGINE THAT? THERE WAS A DAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE RURAL NEIGHBORHOODS HAD A LOT OF SWAY WITH DECISION MAKING. NOW IT'S THE URBAN AREAS CALLING THE SHOTS.
OBVIOUSLY THE MAJOR TOWNS AND SIGNIFICANT VILLAGES, ARE MORE "NEEDY" FOR MUNICIPAL SERVICES, THAN THE MODERN DAY HOMESTEADERS STILL OCCUPYING THE OUT-BACK; IN FACT, STILL GETTING THEIR WATER FROM DUG OR DRILLED WELLS, AND HAVING SEPTIC BEDS TO HANDLE WASTE-WATER. THE FINANCIAL STRESSES OF SEWER AND WATER INSTALLATIONS HAVE, AT THE SAME TIME OF THIS PROGRESS, MADE THE URBAN ZONES TAX GUZZLERS, AND THESE SERVICES ARE BEING UPGRADED IN THE SMALLER COMMUNITIES AS WELL, TO HELP CURB POLLUTION ISSUES, AND THE ENVIRONMENT GENERALLY. BUT MORE AND MORE THESE DAYS, THE HINTERLAND IS ONLY THE SPARKLE IN THE EYES OF POLITICIANS, AND INVESTORS, SPECULATING THAT ONE DAY SOON, DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES WILL COMPROMISE MORE ACREAGE BEYOND THE PRESENT URBAN BOUNDARIES; GRADUALLY CHANGING THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF OUR REGION. MORE COMMERCIAL NODES, MORE RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS, MORE INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS ABROAD. LESS UNOBSTRUCTED COUNTRYSIDE, WOODLANDS, LAKESHORE, AND LOWLANDS.
I LIVE IN AN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT FORTUNATELY HAS A LOWLAND BUFFER, ACROSS THE ROAD, KNOWN AT "THE BOG." WHEN THE ORIGINAL SUBDIVISION PLAN WAS PRESENTED AND APPROVED, THE IMPORTANT LOWLAND, FILTERING WATER THAT DRAINS FROM THE URBAN AREA TARMAC, INTO MUSKOKA BAY (OF LAKE MUSKOKA) WAS INCLUDED AS OPEN SPACE. SEVERAL YEARS AGO THIS WAS CHALLENGED, BY A TOWN COUNCIL NEEDING QUICK MONEY, AND IT SHOCKED MANY OF US, JUST HOW FAST ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING COULD BE DISMISSED, FOR A CASH DIVIDEND. THE IDEA WAS TO CREATE URBAN LOTS SO THAT MORE BUNGALOWS COULD BE BUILT, AT THE EXPENSE OF AN IMPORTANT TWENTY ACRES OF OPEN SPACE. IT WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE URBANIZING BULLDOZER MENTALITY, OF BRUTISHLY OVER-RIDING ENVIRONMENTAL COMMON SENSE, BECAUSE OF THIS CITY-BUILDING PLAN OF ATTACK. WHILE EVEN THE MOST ARDENT ENVIRONMENTALIST, APPRECIATES THE GROWTH RIGHTS OF ANY URBAN AREA, IT WAS HARD TO SWALLOW, THAT MANY OF THE COUNCILLORS VOTING ON THE PROPERTY SELL OFF, HADN'T EVEN SET FOOT ON THE PROPERTY THEY WERE ABOUT TO DESTROY FOR MORE HOUSING.....WHEN THERE WERE MANY OTHER PROPERTY OPTIONS TO CONSIDER.
THE REAL FEAR MANY OF US HAD, WHO FOUGHT THE TOWN ON THIS ISSUE, WAS NOT ONLY THE PERCEIVED WEAKNESSES OF THAT PARTICULAR COUNCIL, BUT THE FACT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS, OF GRAVENHURST, WHO HONESTLY, COULDN'T HAVE CARED LESS.....AND IF THERE HAD BEEN A REFERENDUM ON THE PROPOSED SELL-OFF, I'M POSITIVE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AT BEST, A FIFTY-FIFTY SPLIT. AMONGST THOSE IN FAVOR OF BULLDOZING OVER THE LOWLAND, WERE A LARGE NUMBER OF FOLKS LIVING IN GRAVENHURST, TEMPORARILY, WORKING LOCALLY BUT KNOWING THEY WOULD BE TRANSFERRED OUT OF THE AREA WITHIN A FEW YEARS. IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T DENY THEM THE RIGHT TO AN OPINION, ON THE MATTER, BUT IT'S MUCH LESS SIGNIFICANT TO ME, THAN IF THEY PLAN TO STAY FOR THE LONG HAUL. OTHER DANGEROUS VOTES IN FAVOR, OF A NEW SUBDIVISION ON THE BOG PROPERTY, MIGHT HAVE COME FROM A YOUNGER GENERATION, NOT WORRIED ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, OR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE, AND HAVING LITTLE INTEREST IN THIS RURAL-LIKE OPEN SPACE IN AN URBAN AREA. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN RETROSPECT, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE LIKELY TO VOTE FOR URBANIZING DEVELOPMENT OUT OF APATHY. WHO CARES ABOUT WETLANDS? FRANKLY, SOME OF US, CLOSE TO THE FIGHT, RECOGNIZED EARLY-ON THAT WE COULD NOT COUNT ON OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, AND MUNICIPAL COMMITTEES, BECAUSE OUR ZONE WASN'T ON THEIR "MUST FIGHT FOR" LIST. WE WERE ON OUR OWN, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT, WE GOT SUPPORT FROM THE GRAVENHURST RATEPAYERS GROUP AND THE MUSKOKA BAY ASSOCIATION, WHICH SCARED THE BEEJEEBERS OUT OF COUNCILLORS WHO MISTAKENLY THOUGHT IT WAS A DONE DEAL.
THE POINT OF TODAY'S BLOG, ABOUT MUSKOKA, IS THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH URBANIZING GOES ON HERE, AND HOW OUR POLITICIANS FAVOR THE MAJOR TOWNS, WHICH IS PRETTY HARD TO DENY THESE DAYS, OUR REGION IS STILL BY DEFINITION, A RURAL AREA.....A HINTERLAND.....COTTAGE COUNTRY. WHAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE DECADES HOWEVER, IS THAT THIS LACK OF RESPECT FOR OUR ROOTS, WHICH WAS SEEDED BY THE FREE LAND GRANT AND HOMESTEADS ACT, OF THE LATE 1860'S, HAS I THINK, CORRUPTED HOW THE CITIZENRY GENERALLY, THINKS ABOUT THE RURAL ZONES....EVEN HOW THOSE WHO LIVE RURALLY LOOK AT THEIR OWN SITUATIONS, AND THE RESPECT THEY GET FROM THE PARENT MUNICIPALITY. DO THEY CONSIDER THEMSELVES SECOND CLASS CITIZENS BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIVE IN THE URBAN-DEFINED NEIGHBORHOODS, OF OUR TOWNS ON THE WAY TO CITYDOM? THIS ISN'T A TREND THAT BEGAN RECENTLY. IT HAS BEEN GROWING IN ATTITUDE OVER MANY DECADES.....MORE THAN A CENTURY IN FACT, AND RURAL POLITICIANS HAVE HAD TO FIGHT LONG AND HARD FOR RECOGNITION OF LOCAL NEEDS. I READ ABOUT IT FREQUENTLY IN THE LOCAL MEDIA, AND FROM MY DAY AS EDITOR OF THE BRACEBRIDGE HERALD-GAZETTE, SO MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THIS REGARD; THE RURAL AREAS SEEM NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN ACREAGE-IN-HOLDING, UNTIL THE URBAN LIMITS EXPAND IN THAT PARTICULAR DIRECTION.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1979, WHEN I JOINED THE COMMUNITY PRESS, WITH MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, WORKING FIRST WITH THE GEORGIAN BAY-MUSKOKA LAKES BEACON, AND THEN THE HERALD-GAZETTE, IT WAS IMPRESSED ON ME WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, THAT OUR JOB WAS TO MAINTAIN OUR COUNTRY CORRESPONDENTS. IT REPRESENTED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REPETITIVE ACT OF OUR NEWSPAPER, TO SEEK OUT AND PUBLISH THESE WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWS CONTRIBUTORS, BECAUSE IT WAS WHAT MAINTAINED OUR CIRCULATION AS A NEWSPAPER. THESE LITTLE HAMLETS COULDN'T AFFORD THEIR OWN NEWSPAPERS OR EVEN NEWSLETTERS, SO WE GAVE THEM COLUMN SPACE EACH WEEK, TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AND FORMER NEIGHBORS BY SUBSCRIPTION TO OUR NEWSPAPER. THE FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS, WHICH I'M SURE WOULD SEEM RIDICULOUS TO THE THIRTY-SOMETHINGS, SEEMINGLY MAKING CORPORATE MEDIA POLICY THESE DAYS, IS THAT A MAJORITY OF OUR READERS WERE CONSUMING THESE COUNTRY COLUMNS AS PART OF THEIR WEEKLY READING PLEASURE. NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY LIVED IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, OR HAD KIN-FOLK THERE. THEY MAY HAVE KNOWN THE PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THESE COLUMNS, OR MOST LIKELY, THEY TOOK A GENUINE INTEREST IN WHAT WAS GOING ON IN, FOR EXAMPLE, BENT RIVER, UTTERSON WEST ROAD, PORT CARLING, MILFORD BAY, PORT SYDNEY, BARKWAY AND WINDERMERE. THERE WERE MANY MORE.
I FOUND OUT, AS A ROOKIE EDITOR, THAT KILLING THESE COLUMNS SO THAT WE COULD GET BETTER EDITORIAL MATERIAL PUBLISHED, FROM OUR OWN NEWS STAFF, WAS ALSO A SORT OF PREAMBLE DEATH KNELL....AS WE STARTED TO LOSE OUR SUBSCRIBERS, LIKE A BALDING MAN CHECKING OUT THE COMB EVERY MORNING. I HAD A CHANCE TO RESEARCH THIS "COUNTRY CORRESPONDENT" MANIFESTATION, WHILE IN THE MIDST OF THE MODERNIST REVOLUTION TURMOIL. UPDATING AND BECOMING A CONTEMPORARY PUBLICATION, WITHOUT GOING BROKE AT THE SAME TIME. I LEARNED ABOUT THE SOCIAL / CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF HAVING THESE RURAL AREAS REPRESENTED, IN PRINT EACH AND EVERY EDITION. I UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORANCE OF PUBLISHING THE WOMENS' INSTITUTE REPORTS, 4-H OVERVIEWS, UPDATES FROM THE CHURCHES, AGRICULTURAL COMMITTEES, HORTICULTURAL MEETINGS, AND OH SO MANY MORE. THESE INCLUSIONS WERE THE MEAT ON THE NEWSPAPER'S BONES. I JUST HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BECOME CONTEMPORARY AND RESPONSIVE TO THE MODERN DEMANDS OF A RURAL NEWSPAPER, WITHOUT LOSING THE TRUE "RURAL" CHARACTER. I DID IT FOR TEN YEARS AND I'M PROUD TO SAY, I KEPT UP MOST OF MY COUNTRY WRITERS, AND WAS ABLE TO BRIDGE THE DEMANDS OF URBAN AND RURAL READERS WITH NEWS AND FEATURE COPY.
TODAY, WELL, THE MEDIA DOESN'T IMPRESS ME WHATSOEVER, HAVING LOST THIS UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT MUSKOKA NEEDS IN A "LOCAL" PUBLICATION. THE RURAL NATURE OF OUR REGION JUST ISN'T REFLECTED IN THE SAME WAY, AND IT LOOKS VERY MUCH AS IF URBAN TRENDS AND COTTAGERS ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FOLKS WHO MAKE UP THE POPULATION OF OUR BEAUTIFUL HINTERLAND. THE MEDIA WITH A LOT OF URBAN INFLUENCES, ISN'T TOO INTERESTED IN WHAT MANY OF US LONG-TIME RESIDENTS THINK ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF MUSKOKA, AND HAVE PRETTY MUCH DECIDED TO TELL US WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.....NUFF SAID. WHICH EXPLAINS TO ME, WHY SO MANY FOLKS JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT THESE PUBLICATIONS, AND HAVE TURNED TO SOCIAL MEDIA INSTEAD.
I HAVE TRIED TO REACH THESE MEDIA FOLKS, WITH ALTERNATE PLANS, TO RE-INTRODUCE A MORE "COUNTRIFIED" AND RESPONSIVE APPROACH TO WINNING BACK READERS. THE BOTTOM LINE, IS THAT WITH TODAY'S FREE DISTRIBUTION, THEY CAN POINT TO THE CIRCULATION NUMBERS AND CLAIM EVERYTHING IS COOL, AND THE READERSHIP SATISFIED. I KNOW DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE I KNOW MUSKOKA. I'VE MADE IT A LIFE-LONG PROJECT. TO PUBLISHERS AND EDITORS, AN HISTORIAN LIKE ME, IS NOTHING MORE THAN A REMINDER OF THE PAST THEY'VE ALREADY SCRAPED OFF THEIR CORPORATE SHOE.....HAVING NO INTEREST IN REVISITING THE SO CALLED OLD-WAYS. YET, WHAT I FIND HUMOUROUS, IS THAT SOME OF THOSE SAME PEOPLE, I WAS ONCE SO INTIMATELY ASSOCIATED, ARE STILL IN POSITIONS OF PUBLISHING AUTHORITY......ONES WHO ACTUALLY TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF KEEPING THE COUNTRY CORRESPONDENTS PART OF OUR PUBLICATION. A LITTLE HYPOCRITICAL? THERE IS STILL THE SAME NEED, IF NOT MORE, TO BE INCLUSIVE OF THESE COUNTRY VALUES, AND IT IS AN ERROR TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE LESS IMPORTANT TODAY THAN THEY WERE THIRTY YEARS AGO. BUT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE SOME SURVEY OR OTHER, THAT REPORTS THE OPPOSITE. YET IF THEY FOLLOWED THEIR HEARTS AS MUSKOKANS FIRST, THEY WOULD KNOW FULL WELL, THAT MEDIA SERVICES ARE NOT MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE RURAL POPULATION, THAT STILL ABSOLUTELY NEED THOSE NEIGHBOR CORRESPONDENTS, TO TRULY PUT THEIR HAMLETS, THEIR CROSSROADS, ON THE MAP. ONE DAY HOWEVER, THIS WILL DON ON SOME PUBLISHER, WILLING TO RE-INVEST IN OLD-TIME VALUES, THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF OUR GOOD NEIGHBORS, STILL LIVING ON THE HOMESTEAD ACREAGES OF OUR REGION'S FOUNDERS.....WHO UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE OUR FOLK HISTORY, HAVE BEEN CONVENIENTLY BYPASSED BY SO CALLED PROGRESS EVERYWHERE ELSE. THIS IS A SHAME AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. BUT WILL IT? THEY SAY HISTORY REPEATS, AND IN MY PROFESSION, IT IS QUITE PROPHETIC AND PROPORTIONAL, TO BELIEVE THIS TO BE TRUE. MAYBE THE RURAL POPULATION WILL RISE UP AND DEMAND BETTER TREATMENT, FROM THEIR GOVERNING MUNICIPALITY....OR ELSE, WELL, MAYBE EVEN SUCCESSION FROM THE UNION, AS WE ARE HEARING FROM SOME OF THE LARGER MUNICIPALITIES, UNHAPPY WITH REGIONAL REPRESENTATION. I THINK IT'S COMING. I AM ONE WHO BELIEVES THAT WHERE THE HISTORY OF MUSKOKA BEGAN IN EARNEST, IT WILL RISE AGAIN AS A SORT OF CHARACTER PHOENIX, AND BEGIN, ONCE MORE, TO HEW INFLUENCE ON LOCAL POLICY.....TO INSIST ON A MORE EQUITABLE RETURN FOR THEIR TAX INVESTMENT.
A DRIVE THROUGH MUSKOKA - GOOD FOR THE SOUL
TODAY I DECIDED TO LEAVE THE BOOKS AND THE HISTORICAL JOTTINGS, RENDERED BY THE FIRST HISTORIANS, OF OUR REGION, SAFELY PLACED IN MY OFFICE ARCHIVES, TO INSTEAD VENTURE FORTH, ON THE OPEN, BECKONING ROAD, WITHOUT ANY FETTERS WHATSOEVER..... EXCEPT HAVING ENOUGH GAS MONEY TO GET HOME AGAIN AFTER; RETURNING, OF COURSE, THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINED BY THE SITES OF THIS AUTUMN LAKELAND. I LOVE THESE COUNTRYSIDE JUNKETS, AS MUCH AS MY PHOTOGRAPHER CHUM, FRED SCHULZ, WHO HAS BEEN COMBING HIS WAY THROUGH THE HINTERLAND, FOR INTERESTING "MUSKOKA" IMAGES, REFLECTIVE OF THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF OUR REGION. I SUPPOSE BOTH OF US HAVE QUESTIONED, IN RECENT YEARS, HOW BEST TO REPRESENT MUSKOKA BY CAMERA AND PEN, AND IT HAS JUST DAWNED ON US, THIS PAST YEAR, THAT THE ONLY REAL REQUIREMENT IS THE PASSION TO EXPLORE.....AND NOT TO PRE-JUDGE ANYTHING ON THE MERIT OF SOMEONE ELSE'S OPINION, OR HEARSAY AS THE END-ALL. IT'S LED US BOTH TO BE MORE OPEN MINDED TO EXCEPTIONS FOUND ALONG THE WAY.
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT OUR APPRECIATION FOR MUSKOKA AND ITS SEASONS, WILL CHANGE BOTH OF OUR OPINIONS FOREVER, WHEN WE ARRIVE AT A POINT OF EXHAUSTION IN OUR WORK.....WHICH HOPEFULLY IS STILL A LONG WAY OFF.
I WANTED TO OFFER A BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE, AS WELL, ABOUT WHAT I HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT, OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, IN THIS DAY TO DAY BLOG, THAT ADMITTEDLY, HAS MORPHED ON ABOUT TWELVE, OR SO, DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, BASED ON MY ANGER OR PLEASURE AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT, OF ANY DAY, WINTER, SUMMER, SPRING, OR FALL; WHEN I SIT LIKE A DUFUS STARING HOPEFULLY, AT THIS KEYBOARD, AND IMPOSING WHITE SCREEN.....TRYING TO FILL IT WITH THE BLACK STRIKES OF SENSIBLE OVERVIEWS. SOMETIMES I HAVE SAT HERE FOR HOURS AND CREATED WHAT AMOUNTS TO AN ABSTRACT PORTRAIT OF ALL THE THINGS I DISLIKE; ON OTHER OCCASIONS, IT SEEMS AS IF I'M CHANNELLING ANOTHER MUCH BETTER WRITER, WHO MAKES A SENSIBLE POINT, IN HALF THE NUMBER OF WORDS I ROUTINELY EXPEND, TO SAY THE SAME THING.
THE CHANGES I MAKE THROUGH THE YEAR, ARE DUE TO A WRITER'S MOOD SWINGS, OF WHICH I HAVE MANY. SUZANNE COULD WRITE HER OWN TELL-ALL BOOK ABOUT LIFE WITH A WORDSMITH. THE WOMAN IS SAINT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW, AS FAITHFUL READERS, THAT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS DAILY EFFORT, IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2011, I HAVE BEEN LIKE MOST AUTHORS, AND BEEN HEARTFULLY DISTRESSED OR IMPRESSED, OR JUBILANTLY PLEASED HAVING ONLY ACHIEVED STATUS QUO, WHEN I CLICK ON MY "STATS" FOR THE DAY, TO GET MY READERSHIP NUMBERS. NO AUTHOR OR ARTIST WANTS TO THINK THEY CAN'T DRAW A CROWD BY UNVEILING THEIR LATEST CREATION FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. IN THEORY, IT SHOULD LEAD ONE TO PERFORM BETTER AND MORE AGGRESSIVELY, TO GAIN A FOLLOWING. WHAT IN MY FIRST YEAR WAS A DRUDGERY OF LOW NUMBERS, ESCALATED BY YEAR TWO, BEYOND WHAT I HAD WISHED FOR ONCE UPON A TIME. IN FACT, AT TIMES OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, I WAS AT A POINT OF HAVING AN OVERALL AUDIENCE, INCLUDING THE PUBLICATIONS I WRITE FOR MONTHLY, HIGHER THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME IN MY WRITING CAREER, WHICH BEGAN IN THE LATE 1970'S; WITH MY FIRST PUBLISHED COLUMN ON ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, INCLUDED IN THE BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER.
THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES OF GREAT EXPECTATION WHEN THESE NUMBERS HAVE MORE THAN TRIPLED, AND IN REGARDS TO MY POLITICAL CRITIQUES, I FELT VERY JUSTIFIED LETTING LOCAL COUNCILLORS KNOW, I WAS REACHING THEIR CONSTITUENTS, MORE EACH WEEK,.....AND SHOULD THEY WISH TO EVER RUN AGAIN, WELL, IT WOULD BE WISE TO PAY SOME ATTENTION TO OVERVIEWS LIKE MINE. I WAS GETTING POWER HUNGRY BASED ON EVER INCREASING READERSHIP. WHEN I ANNOUNCED MY INTEREST IN RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, IN THE 2014 ELECTION, I MADE THE SINCERE DECLARATION, THAT I WOULD NOT USE THIS BLOG TO FURTHER MY CAMPAIGN. THAT WOULD BE PLAYING FAIR. IT'S NOT WHY I BEGAN THIS COLUMN, TO ADVANCE POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS, AND IN FACT, THE ONLY REASON I WILL EVEN CONSIDER RUNNING IN THIS ELECTION, IS IF I CAN'T FIND A LIKE-MINDED CANDIDAT(S) I CAN SUPPORT FROM THE SIDELINES INSTEAD. I HAVE GOT TO A POINT WITH OUR LOCAL COUNCIL, OF HAVING SO MUCH TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, THAT I COULDN'T CARRY-ON THE SAME AS BEFORE, WITHOUT PUTTING MYSELF IN THE FIRING-LINE; NOW, BY STEPPING FORWARD AS A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE. I JUST WASN'T GOING TO PLATFORM-IT USING THIS BLOG-SITE, WHICH HAS BEEN LIKE A COUNTRY JOURNAL FOR ME, SINCE THE BEGINNING.
THE MOST READERSHIP DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS, HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY MY POLITICAL CRITIQUES, FOLLOWED BY TOWN AND REGIONAL RAMBLINGS ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS; WITH MY WORK ON ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES CLOSE BEHIND. WRITING ABOUT GHOSTS AND THE PARANORMAL HAS BEEN OF LESSER INTEREST AS HAS THIS MOST RECENT WORK EXAMINING THE FOLK AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF MUSKOKA. I UNDERSTAND THIS, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS, IT'S ONE OF THOSE BUCKET-LIST DEALS, THAT I SIMPLY HAVE TO FULFILL, AS A REGIONAL HISTORIAN. I'VE BEEN WORKING MY WAY UP TO THIS FOR SEVERAL DECADES, HAVING SERVED MY APPRENTICESHIP WITH MUSKOKA'S BEST KNOWN HISTORIAN, ROBERT BOYER. I'VE DONE MY DUTY AS A MUSEUM CURATOR, AND AN HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTOR. I'VE HELPED LAUNCH MUSEUMS AND HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS, AND LIKE TO THINK I'VE HELPED SAVE A COUPLE OF MUSEUMS THAT WERE ON SHAKY GROUND. MUSKOKA HISTORY, ESPECIALLY ITS PIONEER PERIOD, HAS BEEN A PRIORITY PROJECT FOR ME, AS HAVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT BIOGRAPHIES OF LOCAL ARTISTS, I FELT NEEDED FULFILLMENT.
IF YOU THINK I'M A GLORY-HOUND, OR AN HISTORICAL EGO-MANIAC, I GUARANTEE YOU, IN THIS REGARD, THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD MY THIRST QUENCHED WITH RESULTS. THUS, BY THE FACT I'M STILL WORKING IN THIS REGARD, THERE MUST BE MORE TO THE PERCEIVED AND ACTUAL GAINS, THAN JUST EARNING A HONKING BIG READERSHIP, AND MAKING LOTS OF FOLDING MONEY. SOME MAY BELIEVE MY MOTIVES ARE ENTIRELY SELF-SERVING WHICH IS TRUE ENOUGH, BUT ARE MISTAKEN TO THINK I'M IN IT FOR THE MONEY....OR THE FUTURE PUBLISHING BENEFITS. I CAN ATTEST TO YOU, THERE'S NO FINANCIAL PROFIT TO BE GAINED, DOING THIS REGIONAL HISTORY-THING, ONLINE OR IN BOOK FORM. I AM HOWEVER, DOGGED IN DETERMINATION, TO RIGHT THE WRONGS, AND CORRECT THE OVER-SIGHTS THAT HAVE COMPOUNDED IN THIS REGION, OVER WELL MORE THAN A CENTURY....PERPETUATED BY SOME WRITERS WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE HISTORIANS, BUT AT BEST, WERE GRANDSTANDERS WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN WHAT THEY WERE WRITING ABOUT. I AM A LONG WAY FROM AN HISTORICAL PURIST, AND BY NO MEANS QUALIFY MYSELF AS AN EXPERT, IN ALL MATTERS OF LOCAL HISTORY. BUT I DO VERY MUCH TAKE OFFENCE, WITH THE HAPHAZARD WAY WRITERS AND PUBLISHER TODAY, MISREPRESENT AND CERTAINLY MISINTERPRET WHAT I BELIEVE RESTS AT THE CORE OF MUSKOKA'S HERITAGE. SELF INTEREST DOES THIS UNFORTUNATELY, AND THERE IS PROFIT ATTACHED TO THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME, OF PAINTING MUSKOKA TO SUIT A PREVAILING NEED. I CAN'T DO THAT. I WON'T DO THAT. IT'S WHY I TAKE SO MUCH TIME, HERE IN MY ARCHIVES OF MUSKOKA HISTORIES, TO SELECT THOSE HISTORICAL INSIGHTS, THAT PRESENT MUSKOKA UNPLUGGED, TO USE A CONTEMPORARY REFERENCE. I DON'T CARE WHAT A PUBLICIST COMES UP WITH, TO SELL OUR REGION......UNLESS IT IS HISTORICALLY AND BLATANTLY IN ERROR, OR SO RIDICULOUSLY ARROGANT THAT I CAN'T RESIST A WEE JAB HERE AND THERE, FOR SELF GRATIFICATION. I'VE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO BEING FOBBED-OFF FOR MY EFFORTS.
I HAVE NEVER IN MY INVOLVEMENT IN LOCAL HISTORY, TURNED AWAY AN ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER, HISTORIAN, OR AUTHOR, LOOKING TO SHARE SOME OPINIONS ABOUT OUR REGION. I HAVE NEVER ONCE, TURNED MY BACK ON AN HISTORICAL PROJECT OF MERIT, THAT NEEDED ADVISE, AND MANY TIMES, THAT HAS BEEN A MATTER OF WASTED EFFORT, EVEN OFFERING.....EXCEPT THAT IT MADE ME FEEL BETTER FOR DOING SO. SUCH A CASE RECENTLY, IS WOODCHESTER VILLA IN BRACEBRIDGE, A MUSEUM I HELPED FOUND. POLITICS GETS IN THE WAY A LOT THESE DAYS; BECAUSE THE RULE APPARENTLY, IS THAT HISTORIANS MUST STICK TO THEIR LANES, AND BE VOID OF ANY OPINION ABOUT MUNICIPAL CONDUCT IN THESE MATTERS. THEY WILL HAVE TO CHANGE THAT OPINION TO GET MY FUTURE SUPPORT. I HAVE NO PLANS OF CHANGING MY PERSPECTIVE, JUST TO GAIN THEIR APPROVAL. THERE'S NO REASON THOSE OF OPPOSITE OPINIONS CAN'T ACHIEVE A SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIP. WORKING WITH CONTRARY POINTS OF VIEW, AS CRITICAL INPUT, IS A FUNDAMENTAL EXERCISE IN DEMOCRACY, BUT MOST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THESE DAYS, PREFER THE COMPANY OF THOSE WHO KEEP OPINIONS TO THEMSELVES....OR WHO NOD APPROVAL WITH NARY A WORD OF OPPOSITION. I WILL NEVER BE ONE OF THESE ACCOMPLICES, BECAUSE IT IS CONTRARY TO EVERYTHING I BELIEVE IS HISTORICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RECORD. AND IT'S TRUE I'VE PISSED OFF MORE THAN A FEW HISTORIANS BY DEBUNKING SOME LONG HELD OPINIONS AND FACTS, BUT I WON'T BE OFFERING ANY APOLOGIES FOR DOING SO. I SUBSCRIBE TO STATUS QUO AS FAR AS MY FAVORITE CHAIR IS CONCERNED AND THE STATE OF MY ARCHIVES BUT IT CERTAINLY ISN'T A PHILOSOPHICAL MAINSTAY FOR ME, AS IT IS WITH SOME I KNOW. I'D LOVE TO BE INVITED BACK TO HELP WITH THE WOODCHESTER VILLA RESTORATION, BUT AS LONG AS I'M A BIG MOUTH, IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.
IN THE EARLY GOING, AND AT SELECT TIMES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, I HAVE FELT BLESSED TO HAVE HAD SO MANY READERS JOINING WHAT I BELIEVE IS A UNIQUE BLOG AMONGST MY CONTEMPORARIES. TODAY I AM MUCH LESS CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING BIG GAINS IN THE NUMBERS GAME, AND MORE ABOUT HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND A GENUINE INTEREST IN FINISHING-UP WHAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING-ON FOR A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.....AND THAT IS THE PROPER, AND RESPONSIBLE REPRESENTATION OF MUSKOKA, AND ITS PIONEER PERIOD. FOR THIS LATEST BLOG PROJECT, I HAVE THE SUPPORT OF WELL KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER FRED SCHULZ, WHO HAS SPENT HIS LIFE WORKING AND RESIDING IN THIS MAGNIFICENT HINTERLAND, AND HAS, YEAR AFTER YEAR, REPRESENTED IT SO WELL, ON FILM, FOR JUST AS MANY DECADES AS I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO THE SAME IN PRINT. NOW WE ARE DOING THE SAME THING TOGETHER, AND SO FAR THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN GENEROUSLY POSITIVE, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE READERSHIP. WE MAY NOT HAVE A HUGE AUDIENCE, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO STOP THIS HISTORY-MAKING PROJECT, TO PROFILE THE PAST AND PRESENT OF OUR REGION.....HOPEFULLY FOR THE LONG TERM BENEFIT OF STUDENTS, RESEARCHERS AND HISTORICAL ENTHUSIASTS, LONG AFTER FRED AND I ARE PUSHING UP DAISIES. BUT ONE THING'S FOR SURE. IT WILL NEVER BE CONSIDERED A PROJECT THAT WAS DONE FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY.....OR ITS ACCUMMULATION, BECAUSE WE ARE BOTH VOLUNTEERS, WHO HAVE SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS, SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT......AT LEAST IN OUR OPINION OF WHAT IS ASKEW IN THE WAY OUR REGION IS CURRENTLY VIEWED AND INTERPRETTED BY OTHERS.....INCLUDING MUCH OF THE LOCAL POPULATION WHO HAVE MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE OF HOW IT ALL BEGAN IN THIS DISTRICT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HANGING IN THERE, THROUGH MUCH TRIAL AND ERROR, AND AN UNSPECIFIED AMOUNT OF SELF DISCOVERY UNCOVERED ALONG THE WAY.
FRED AND I ARE HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIVES, ROAMING ABOUT THIS GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL DISTRICT......THAT WE ALL SHOULD CELEBRATE WHILE WE STILL HAVE IT AS HINTERLAND.......AND NOT STRIP-MALLS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE. PLEASE VISIT AGAIN TOMORROW, AND WE POST OUR OBSERVATIONS.
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