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| Massive Wind Storm – Friday, November 1st - A massive wind storm with wind speeds of a 100 miles an hour rolled through central Ontario including Gravenhurst with plenty of damage to trees and hydro outages through both Gravenhurst and Bracebridge. The Hydro crews continue to be busy replacing pole and lines to restore hydro in the area. (Photos By Fred Schulz) |
LIVING WITH HISTORY IN THE CONTEMPORARY SENSE - HOW SHOULD IT ALL COME TOGETHER?
AND WHO BENEFITS FROM HISTORICAL PRECEDENT?
I CRITIQUE MYSELF CONSTANTLY, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING. I AM ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT BEING OVER-ZEALOUS ABOUT SOME THINGS, AND WEAK-KNEED ABOUT OTHERS. I PLAY IT LIKE THE GOALTENDER I USED TO BE, AND COVER ALL THE PLACES, A PUCK MIGHT SLIP THROUGH. JUST AS I DID WHEN I WAS PLAYING, YUP, I MISS A FEW NOW AND AGAIN. JUST A FEW. BUT I'D RATHER NOT HAVE ANY HIT THAT MESH. EACH TIME ONE CROSSES THE THRESHOLD OF THE RED LINE IN THE CREASE, DAMN-IT, I'VE MADE A MISTAKE. I WANT TO MAKE UP FOR IT, AND I WILL TRY TO REGAIN YOUR CONFIDENCE AS MUCH AS I POSSIBLY CAN. HISTORIANS SHOULDN'T MAKE MISTAKES, PERIOD.
IT SERVES TO CHANGE HISTORY, AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES INACCURACY SO DARN PRECARIOUS.
I HAVE TOLD MY BOYS FROM AN EARLY AGE, THAT I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL, SO FIND SOMEONE ELSE. I LIVED A HARD LIFE AND LEFT AN IMPRINT OF SUCH, IN EVERY TAVERN I VISITED, AND HAPLESSLY CALLED A "PRESS CLUB." I WASN'T ALONE. I HAD LOTS OF CRONIES, HELPING ME ALONG WITH MY BAD HABITS. "BUY CURRIE ANOTHER PAIL OF ALE," WAS THE RALLYING CRY, OF MY MATES IN SOCIAL CRIME. WHAT CAME FIRST FOR THE FLEDGLING HISTORIAN, MAY HAVE INVOLVED POLE DANCING, BULLWHIPS, AND MANY A "LOST WEEKEND", JUST LIKE THE MOVIE.
I DO APOLOGIZE FOR THOSE YEARS OF RECKLESS ABANDON. A WRITER OFF THE RAILS. I PLAN TO WRITE ABOUT THOSE YEARS, TO KEEP MY BOYS FROM EVER DRINKING ANYTHING STRONGER THAN EGG NOG.
I WILL HOWEVER, NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR BEING OUTSPOKEN. I DON'T MAKE A HABIT OF GOING AFTER SITUATIONS I'M NOT PARTICULARLY FAMILIAR. SOME OF MY CRITICS WOULD ARGUE, THAT AVOIDANCE IS AN ACT OF COWARDICE; BEING KEEN ON THE LOCAL NEWS SCENE, YET BEING PENSIVE AND UNPREPARED TO COMMENT...... BECAUSE OF WHAT? FIRSTLY, ADMITTING THAT I DON'T KNOW ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE? WELL THAT'S CERTAINLY PART OF IT. BUT THERE ARE ISSUES AND CRITIQUES I WON'T OFFER, BECAUSE IT IS A DEAD MAN'S LEAP TO ATTEMPT SUCH AN EFFORT. I'VE LEARNED THAT BY THE ACUTE EXPERIENCE OF COLD IMMERSION. ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT I DON'T KNOW OF CERTAIN ISSUES, I MAKE A BIT OF HOBBY RESEARCH, TO BONE UP ON, YOU MIGHT SAY. ONE DAY DOWN THE ROAD, I WILL COMMENT. THERE ARE ABOUT FIVE OF THESE RIGHT NOW, THAT ARE IN A HOLDING PATTERN, AND THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY.
GENERALLY, MY NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR THE NEXT YEAR, IS TO PETITION MUNICIPAL COUNCIL HOPEFULS, TO TAKE THE TIME TO BRUSH UP ON THEIR LOCAL HISTORY LESSONS.....TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT, TO US HISTORIANS OF THE REGION, MAKES MUSKOKA UNIQUE. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE IS ALSO A LOT MORE TO KNOWING THE HISTORY OF OUR REGION, THAN BEING ABLE TO RECITE NAMES, DATES AND OCCURRENCES NOTED IN LOCAL HISTORY TEXTS. THERE'S NO TEST ON THIS. JUST AN ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, OF WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE CALLED "A MUSKOKAN." BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE IS A SOCIAL / CULTURAL IDENTITY ATTACHED TO OUR REGION, THAT HAS BEEN IGNORED FOR FAR TOO LONG. IT'S TIME THAT IT WAS RECOGNIZED AND RESPECTED......AND YES, EVEN IN THE HALLS AND AROUND THE BOARD TABLE, AT LOCAL TOWN HALL(S). HERE'S WHAT I AM PREPARED TO DO, IN ORDER TO HELP THE CAUSE OF PUBLIC RE-EDUCATION.
I HAVE NEVER ONCE, NOT EVEN AFTER INCURRING EXPENSES, HELD MY HAT OUT, TO ANY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, FOR MONEY OR REIMBURSEMENT, IN EXCHANGE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORK I'VE UNDERTAKEN, AS A HERITAGE ASSET. THE RESEARCH WORK ON WASHINGTON IRVING, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, IN GRAVENHURST, BOTH RELEVANT TO THE NAMING OF EACH COMMUNITY, WAS DONE ON MY DIME AND MY TIME. IN GRAVENHURST, I PURCHASED A SECOND EDITION OF SMITH'S BOOK, "GRAVENHURST; OR THOUGHTS ON GOOD AND EVIL," FROM A RARE BOOK SELLER, IN THE UNITED STATES, SO THAT THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST HERITAGE COMMITTEE WOULD HAVE A COPY FOR THEIR ARCHIVES COLLECTION. I DONATED A PHOTOGRAPH OF WILLIAM DAWSON LESUEUR, THE POSTAL OFFICIAL, WHO NAMED BOTH HAMLET POST OFFICES, AND A BOOK I PURCHASED FROM CARLETON UNIVERSITY, ON HIS LIFE AND WORK, AS A LITERARY CRITIC AND HISTORIAN. I MADE MYSELF AVAILABLE IN BRACEBRIDGE, AT ANY TIME, TO ASSIST WITH PROJECTS INVOLVING THE CELEBRATION OF IRVING'S WORK, IN SUPPORT OF A TOWN INITIATIVE; BUT TO DATE, WELL, MY PHONE HASN'T HAD MUCH OF A WORK-OUT. THIS ISN'T A TESTIMONIAL ABOUT MY GENEROSITY, RATHER MODEST PROOF I GIVE A CRAP ABOUT PRESERVING AND DEVELOPING HERITAGE PROJECTS, FOR CONTEMPORARY AND FUTURE REFERENCE. NOT FOR PROFIT.
SINCE EARLY SEPTEMBER I'VE HAD MY HEAD STUCK IN MY ARCHIVES, SO DEEP, I ACTUALLY FORGOT ABOUT HOW IRRELEVANT HISTORY CAN BE, TO THE MODERN PURSUIT OF EVERYDAY LIVING. WHEN I WAS STARTING OUT AS A ROOKIE HISTORIAN, BACK IN THE 1970'S, HERITAGE WAS IN VOGUE IN MUSKOKA, OR AT LEAST IT SEEMED THAT WAY. EVEN IF YOU LOOKED AT MOST MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, THEY WERE MADE UP OF ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO WERE PART OF A MULTI-GENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DISTRICT. THEY WERE, IN SOME CASES, EXTENSIONS OF ACTUAL PIONEER FAMILIES, WHO HAD MADE IT TO THE MODERN ERA, TO GOVERN ACCORDINGLY. FROM EXPERIENCE, AND A DEEP PERSONAL BIAS, ABOUT THE WORTH OF HISTORY TO CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, I FELT THESE ROOTED MUSKOKANS HAD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL ISSUES. THAT DIDN'T MAKE THEM RIGHT ALL THE TIME, OR GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD BE GUARDIANS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE RELATED TO THE FOLKS WHO FIRST BROKE GROUND HERE, FOR THOSE INNAUGURAL HAMLETS. AND AS I RECALL, THEY DEFINITELY MADE USE OF HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS LOCALLY, TO ADDRESS CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY FOUND HISTORY, AND SOME OF IT ETCHED BY THEIR OWN FAMILY MEMBERS, TO BE A SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE, TO UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY, HOW PROBLEMS WERE HANDLED IN THE PAST. JUST POSSIBLY, SOMETHING THAT WORKED IN 1905, OR 1957, HAD A PROFOUND RELEVANCE, TO A PERPLEXING ISSUE, FACING A MODERN COUNCIL. WHAT I FIND DIFFERENT TODAY, WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT ESPECIALLY, IS THE DEEPENING AND BROADENING CHASM BETWEEN THE COUNCIL PROTOCOLS AND HABITS OF THE PAST, AS COMPARED TO THOSE WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THE MUNICIPALITIES TODAY.
FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADVISE SEVERAL COUNCIL HOPEFULS, IN THE LAST MUNICIPAL ELECTION. ONE ASKED FOR ASSISTANCE AND ONE WAS THE WILLING, OR UNWILLING RECIPIENT OF SOME OLD FASHIONED ADVICE, BASED ON MY LONG INTEREST IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE TRANSFORMATIONS. TO BOTH I SUGGESTED THAT THE WAY TO ENLIGHTEN THEMSELVES, TO THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS AND DISCONNECT, OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICIANS, AND THE PUBLIC INTERESTS OF THIS NEW CENTURY, WAS TO USE HISTORY AS A BASE FROM WHICH TO BUILD. SO TO START WITH, I MADE THE SUGGESTION, WHICH I WOULD FOLLOW SHOULD I DECIDE TO RUN FOR LOCAL OFFICE, THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE A LUNCH ENGAGEMENT WITH SOME OF OUR REGION'S LONG SERVING REPRESENTATIVES.....AS A STARTER. WE HAVE SOME HIGHLY DISTINGUISHED FORMER COUNCILLORS, MAYORS, AND EVEN DISTRICT CHAIRMEN, IN OUR MIDST, WHO GO BACK A LONG WAY IN OUR MUNICIPAL HISTORY, WITH A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF THE PAST.....AND HOW THEY WERE OVERCOME. I GAVE THEM NAMES OF SOME OF THESE CITIZENS, AND EVEN OFFERED TO BROKER A LUNCHEON ENGAGEMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT I BELIEVE THIS CONNECTION IS, IN TERMS OF EXPERIENCED-GAINED; THAT COULD ENLIGHTEN PRESENT DAY OFFICIALS, TO MAKE MORE INFORMED AND REPONSIBLE DECISIONS. WHAT HAVE THEY GOT TO LOSE, EXCEPT A FEW HOURS INVESTED IN CASUAL CONVERSATION. WELL SIR, I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN TALKING TO MYSELF. MY IDEA WAS WHACKY.
LIKE HOW THE LOCAL POLITICIANS TODAY DISMISS THIS BLOG AS BEING UNFAIRLY BIASED, AND A LAUNCHING PAD OF BASELESS CRITICISM, ON FOLKS, WHO APPARENTLY HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE TO WEATHER ALL STORMS. THE CANDIDATES I SPOKE WITH TOOK ZERO OF MY ADVICE IN THIS REGARD. WHO WAS I, TO TELL THEM HOW TO BE WORTHY ELECTED OFFICIALS? HOW WOULD TALKING TO VETERAN COUNCILLORS, MAKE ANY SENSE TO THE MODERN ISSUES FACING A CONTEMPORARY COUNCIL, IN THE HECTIC PACE OF NEW-AGE PROGRESS? TO THEM, HISTORY WAS IRRELEVANT; A GENERAL WASTE OF TIME, WHILE VOTE-GETTING OUT ON THE ELECTION HUSTINGS. BUT WHAT THEY CLEARLY AND WITHOUT ANY SENSE OF REQUIREMENT, DEMONSTRATED, BY THEIR CASUAL INDIFFERENCE, TO WHAT LOCAL HISTORY REPRESENTS, BEYOND THE MUSEUMS AND COVETED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS, WAS THAT FOUNDATIONS ARE ONLY TO STAND ON. NOTHING MORE. THEIR ROOTS ONCE ELECTED, WOULD BE SECURE AND DEEP ENOUGH, TO SURVIVE ANY POLITICAL STORMS RISING OVER THE LAKELAND. OR SO THEY BELIEVE. HOW COULD I TELL THEM JUST HOW MUCH PERIL COMES TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE THEY KNOW IT ALL, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING GOOD AND RESPONSIVE ELECTED OFFICIALS? WHAT THEY WANTED WAS EITHER A FOUR YEAR JOB, AND MANY PAY CHEQUES, OR THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NEAT TO WIN A POPULARITY CONTEST.
EVEN THOSE COUNCILLORS WHO BELIEVED THEY WERE FIRMLY ROOTED, AND UNDERSTOOD LOCAL HISTORY, BEYOND THE EXHIBITION LEVEL, HAVE BEEN CLEARLY EXPOSED AS NOT KNOWING THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THEY THOUGHT. I'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF THESE SHORTFALLS FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS LOCALLY, AND NOT JUST IN GRAVENHURST. YET EVEN AS THIS HAS NOW TURNED INTO AN ELECTION YEAR, I DON'T EXPECT I WILL HAVE ANY MORE LUCK CONVINCING COUNCIL HOPEFULS, OF THE IMPORTANCE, OF KNOWING THE HISTORY OF THE REGION, FROM THOSE WHO KNOW IT BEST.....AND HAVE FOR LONG AND LONG BEEN ITS GUARDIANS.
INSTEAD OF GETTING THE RESPONSE, "WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ALL THAT FOR," IT WOULD BE ASTONISHING, AND EXCITING, TO FIND A CANDIDATE WHO RECOGNIZES, THAT MUSKOKA DESERVES BETTER; THE KIND OF RESPECT FROM ITS OFFICIALS, REFLECTIVE OF THOSE VALUES INSTILLED FROM THE BEGINNING.....THE BUILDERS OF THAT FOUNDATION WHICH STILL SERVES US TO THIS DAY. WHAT IS CONSIDERED "YESTERDAY'S NEWS," IS ACTUALLY VERY RELEVANT TO THE NEWS OF THE DAY, BUT TRY SELLING THAT CONCEPT TO WHIRLWIND POLITICIANS EYEING THE FUTURE. BUT HERE'S A REASON WHY HISTORY HAS ITS INHERENT VALUE, IF ONE DECIDES TO SEEK IT OUT. A FOUNDATION THAT IS MORE THAN JUST BLOCKS AND CEMENT.
QUITE A FEW YEARS BACK, THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE WAS MOVING AHEAD WITH PLANS TO BUILD A SECOND ICE SURFACE, TO ACCOMMODATE THE GROWING DEMANDS ON ICE, AT THE ARENA ON JAMES STREET. I WAS ASKED BY THE THEN MAYOR, JIM LANG, IF I WOULD AGREE TO SERVE ON A COMMITTEE, TO GET THESE PLANS MOVING ALONG. IT WAS, I BELIEVE, IN THE EARLY 1990'S. THE CHOICE OF EXPANSION, WAS ACROSS THE ROAD, WHERE THE FORMER BRACEBRIDGE CURLING CLUB RINK HAD BEEN LOCATED, BEFORE IT WAS TORN DOWN IN THE MID 1970'S. THE DOUBLE-RINK PROPOSAL WAS GETTING A LOT OF SUPPORT, AND IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE PERFECT LOCATION WAS TO BUILD ON THE PROPERTY, THAT AT THAT POINT, WAS BEING USED FOR ARENA PARKING. THERE WERE OTHER PLANS, BUT THE MOST DESIRABLE, WAS TO PUT THE SECOND RINK ACROSS JAMES STREET, WHICH WAS OPEN AND READY TO RE-DEVELOP. THE OTHER OPTION WAS TO BUILD ON THE SOUTH SIDE INSTEAD, WHERE THE SKATEBOARD PARK IS NOW LOCATED. PRIOR TO OUR FIRST FULL MEETING, I KNEW, FROM GENERAL RESEARCH ABOUT LAND US ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET, THAT THE LAND IN AND AROUND THE ARENA, HAD BEEN, AT ONE TIME, A HUGE GAPING RAVINE, WHICH YOU CAN STILL SEE EVIDENCE OF, ADJACENT TO THE HOSPITAL; AND THEN, DRIVING BEHIND THE PRESENT ARENA, INTO THE RIVER HOLLOW THAT I KNEW, IN MY ERA, AS MAIN STREET.
WHAT HAPPENED, WAS THAT FROM PIONEER TIMES ONWARD, THE PLAN OF RECLAMATION, WAS TO INFILL A LARGE PORTION OF THE RAVINE, TO BRING IT UP TO A LEVEL GRADE WITH THE MAIN STREET AREA OF TOWN. I DON'T HAVE ANY PICTURES IN MY ARCHIVES, OF THIS AREA IN EARLIER TIMES, BUT I WAS TOLD BY SOME OF MY HISTORICAL CRONIES, THAT IT WAS HUGE AND ATE UP A LOT OF FILL. AND NOT JUST CLEAN FILL. SO WHEN THE TOWN BEGAN STUDYING THE SITE OF THE FORMER CURLING CLUB, THEY FOUND, AMONGST A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION RELATED DEBRIS, AND DECAYING FOREST PRODUCTS, WERE A SELECTION OF AUTOMOBILE HERITAGE, THAT MANY YEARS AGO MADE BULKY SOIL-HOLDING, INFILLING MATERIAL. SO THE SOIL TESTING REVEALED A PART OF HISTORY MANY HAD FORGOTTEN, OR HAD FAILED TO ASK ABOUT, BEFORE SPENDING MONEY ON SOIL TESTING. THE CURLING CLUB WAS NEVER MEANT TO LAST FOR A CENTURY, AND THOSE WHO BUILT THE BARN-LIKE STRUCTURE, KNEW THEY WERE CONSTRUCTING IT ON UNSTABLE GROUND. BUILDING A HUGE SECOND ICE SURFACE WITH GREATER ALLOWANCE FOR PUBLIC SEATING, WOULD HAVE PUT TOO MUCH MORE STRESS ON A SOIL MIXED WITH THE TOWN'S AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE, AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE YOU COULD USE TO FILL A HOLE. THE ARENA EXPANSION PLAN WAS SCRAPPED, PARTLY DUE TO FUNDING BUT MOSTLY TO DO WITH UNSUITABLE GROUND IN THE VICINITY.
I CAN THINK OF DOZENS OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS, WHERE MODERN COUNCILS, COULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN THEIR GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITIES, IF THEY HAD RESPECTED THE RESOURCES OF THEIR OWN LOCAL HERITAGE.....AND THE HISTORIANS WHO ACT AS ITS KEEPER. I HAVE A HARD TIME GRASPING, WHY ANYONE WOULD WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE ON BECOMING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, WITHOUT HAVING ALL, AND I MEAN ALL, THE TOOLS REQUIRED TO DO THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE. TO BE UP-TO-SPEED ON ALL RELEVANT ISSUES (SOME PAST, SOME PRESENT, SOME FUTURE), AND STAY INFORMED AS NEW DETAILS BECOME AVAILABLE. WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT THIS KNOWLEDGE, LIKE THE ARENA PARKING LOT I JUST MENTIONED, IS THAT SERIOUS AND COSTLY ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT ARE MADE, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. POLITICAL QUAGMIRES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BRIDGED SUCCESSFULLY, WERE HASTILY SPANNED, BASED ON NOTHING MORE THAN HAPPENSTANCE, AND PROBLEMS SURFACED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. ADVISORIES THAT I RECEIVED, IN RESEARCH, ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, PLACES IN GRAVENHURST WHERE BUILDINGS SHOULDN'T BE ERECTED, (BUT WERE ANYWAY) CAME FROM FOLKS WHO HAD A LONG HISTORY HERE, AND UNDERSTOOD INTIMATELY WELL, HOW THE LAND INSECURITIES, IMPLICATED BY THE ACTIONS OF MAN (IN THE PAST) AND NATURE COMBINED, WOULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE FUTURE.....IF THESE SITUATIONS WERE NOT ADDRESSED.
SOME OF THESE LOCAL PROPHECIES HAVE ALREADY COME TRUE, AND THERE ARE MORE TO COME. AND SOME WILL PAY THE PRICE OF BAD PLANNING. YET EVEN WITH PRECEDENTS KNOWN, AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO HELP MAKE MORE INFORMED DECISIONS, HISTORICAL TRUEISMS ARE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE, AS IF MODERN DAY GENIUS TRUMPS ALL THE SAGE ADVISORIES OF THE CENTURIES. SOME TIMES, AS SMART AS WE THINK WE ARE, IN THIS NEW CENTURY, NATURE HUMBLES MANKIND, JUST AS IT HAS FROM THE DAWN OF MOTHER EARTH. BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE A FEW OLDTIMERS YET, WHO COULD MAKE THE SUFFERING OF MISADVENTURE, MUCH LESS PAINFUL, IF GIVEN THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE; AS HAVING EXPERIENCED INTIMATELY, WHAT THEY OFFER ADVICE ABOUT. I'VE ASKED COUNCILLORS PERSONALLY, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, WHAT IT WAS ABOUT HISTORY THAT PERPLEXED THEM.....AND MADE THEM STANDOFFISH, AND THE ONLY THING THAT CAME UP, REPETITIVELY, WAS THE DRUDGERY OF HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY CLASSES. GADS, IS THAT THE BEST REASON YOU'VE GOT FOR NOT WISHING TO BE SADDLED BY HISTORY? THERE IS A PLACE FOR HISTORY IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES, BEYOND THE SPARKLING MUSEUM EXHIBITS, AND THE BRILLIANT RESTORATIONS, OF WHAT WAS OLD, BEING NEW AGAIN. THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT OUR MUNICIPAL POLITICIANS NEED TO PASS AN APPTITUDE TEST, ON THE HIGHLIGHTS OF LOCAL HISTORY, TO QUALIFY TO RUN FOR ELECTION IN OUR MUSKOKA MUNICIPALITIES; BUT IT DOES HAVE ITS PLACE IN THE GRAND SCHEME, OF HOW TO GOVERN OUR RATHER UNIQUE REGION.
WHEN I SUGGEST, AS I WILL AGAIN, AND SOON, THAT COUNCIL HOPEFULS SHOULD MEET WITH FORMER LONG-SERVING POLITICIANS, IN MUSKOKA, AND TAKE SOME INTEREST IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT THE REGION THEY INTEND TO GOVERN, I DO SO AS ONE WILLING TO DO HIS PART TO FACILITATE THE SHARING OF EXPERIENCE. I MEAN IT.
AS QUITE A NUMBER OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATES ARE BEGINNING TO MUSTER ON THE SIDELINES, AWAITING THEIR NEW YEAR OPPORTUNITY, TO DECLARE THEMSELVES AS CANDIDATES, I AM WILLING TO TUTOR ANYONE WILLING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, AND IT WON'T COST ANYTHING MORE THAN A DEDICATION OF TIME. THAT'S RIGHT. HISTORICAL TUTORING FOR FREE. THIS IS HOW WORRIED I AM, ABOUT THE TERRIBLY FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP THESE DAYS, BETWEEN THE OLD MUSKOKA AND THE NEW; THE NEW BREED OF LOCAL POLITICIAN, VERSUS THOSE WHO WERE BORN AND RAISED MUSKOKANS, WHO WERE DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE FAMILY HISTORY OF THE REGION. IT'S NOT TO SUGGEST THAT A QUALIFIER FOR LOCAL ELECTION, IS THAT YOU PROVE YOUR GENERATIONAL LINEAGE HERE, BUT RATHER TO SUGGEST, THAT OUR INTERESTS IN THIS REGION, SHOULD BE TO ELECT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIES, WHO ARE WILLING TO LEARN ABOUT THE HERITAGE OF MUSKOKA MORE INTIMATELY.....NOT JUST BY TAKING A HERITAGE TRAIN RIDE OR A STEAMBOAT CRUISE; OR ATTENDING A LOCAL MUSEUM FOR A CASUAL VISIT. A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT OUR REGIONAL HISTORY, AND I FIND THAT FRIGHTENING TO THE FUTURE WELFARE OF ALL OF US.....AND THIS INCLUDES THE TREATMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE CUSP OF NEW DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS, I EXPECT TO BE BOOMING IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS.
IF YOU PLAN ON RUNNING FOR LOCAL COUNCIL, AND FOR FUN, YOU'D BE WILLING TO SPAR WITH A LOCAL HISTORIAN FOR A FEW ROUNDS, (TO MAKE ME PROVE MY POINT ABOUT THIS HERITAGE STUFF), YOU'RE WELCOME TO VISIT ME, ON THE MAIN STREET OF GRAVENHURST.....AT A CONVENIENT, NICE PLACE FOR A CHAT. WHILE SOME ARGUE THAT I BITE, AND I'M MEAN AND SPITEFUL, THE TRUTH IS, I'M A MUSKOKA HISTORIAN WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT HOW THE MODERNISTS ARE TREATING OUR HERITAGE. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO OPEN A MUSEUM, AND DECLARE "THE JOB'S DONE, WE'RE HERITAGE-MINDED!" I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT OUR LEADERS ARE EAGER TO BE ENLIGHTENED, BECAUSE OF THE DOORS IT OPENS TO ATTAINED WISDOM. I'VE NEVER MET A SINGLE PERSON, IN ANY WALK OF LIFE, IN MY FIFTY-EIGHT YEARS, WHO HAD A FULL COMPLIMENT OF ENLIGHTENMENT. AND I'VE KNOWN SOME SMART COOKIES. BUT EVEN THOUGH I FOUND THEM BRILLIANT INDIVIDUALS, BY THEIR OWN ASTUTE ADMISSION, THEY WERE UNFALTERING ADVOCATES OF HIGHER LEARNING.....WISHING TO EXPERIENCE MORE. EVERY DAY PEOPLE WHO WERE RAVENOUS TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, TO EXPAND THEIR OWN PERSONAL UNIVERSES. THEY COULDN'T BE SATISFIED WITH LESS. WE ALL HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO QUEST FOR MORE. UNFORTUNATELY, TIME AND AGAIN, MONEY SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY PURSUIT WITH THE GOLDEN ALLURE. KNOWLEDGE? GOOD IF IT PERTAINS TO WEALTH ACCUMULATION. NOT SUCH BIG A DEAL, IF JUST TO HAVE AS BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE, IN CASE A DEBATE ON THE SUBJECT BREAKS OUT.
I WOULD LIKE OUR NEWLY ELECTED MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS, TO NEVER NEVER FEAR RAPPING ON MY DOOR, TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE, BECAUSE OF A SINCERE WISH TO MORE FULLY UNDERSTAND THESE HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS THAT DEFINE MUSKOKA. IF THEY ARE FRIGHTENED OF ME, BECAUSE THEY THINK I'M A LOBBYIST IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING, THEY CAN REST ASSURED, I WILL NEVER LET POLITICS (OR MY OWN) CORRUPT THE TRUTH OF HISTORY. IF THEY WANT MY OPINION ON CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, THEY CAN ASK. THIS COMES FROM MY OWN PRIDE IN LOCAL HISTORY, OF WHICH OUR FAMILY IS THOROUGHLY AND REVERENTLY ENTRENCHED. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN MAKE A BETTER DEAL THAN THIS, TO OFFER MYSELF TO MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES FOR NARY A PENNY.....OUT OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY. CALL ME AN OLD FUDDY DUDDY, BUT I AM STILL A STALWART SUPPORTER OF ONGOING EDUCATION, UNTIL DEATH DO US PART. LET ME KNOW IF I CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE.
WHAT HISTORICAL INSIGHT CAN DO FOR A FAMILY - A LITTLE UPDATE
SUZANNE IS BULLDOG RESEARCHER, WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY HISTORY. MOST RECENTLY, SHE ENLIGHTENED US CURRIES, TO A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT REALITY OF OUR HISTORY WE DIDN'T KNOW.....BUT WE HAD TO KNOW FOR OUR OWN GOOD. I MEAN THAT. MY GRANDMOTHER, ON MY FATHER ED'S SIDE, WAS ODD IN MANY WAYS, AND NO ONE EVER TOOK THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE WHY. MY MOTHER HATED THE FACT SHE WOULD COME TO OUR HOUSE, FOR THE HOLIDAYS, AND BECOME MOODY AND DEMANDING, AS IF SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. IT'S TRUE. SHE WAS VERY PROPER AND VERY ELEGANT IN HER DEPORTMENT. YET SHE HAD BEEN A HOUSEWIFE, MARRIED TO AN ALCOHOLIC HUSBAND, IRISH TO THE BONE, WHO RAISED HER FAMILY IN TORONTO'S CABBAGETOWN, LARGELY AS A SINGLE MOTHER. SHE OFTEN LEFT HER FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN, FREQUENTLY, TO THE CUSTODY OF THE CHILDRENS AID, AND SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE A CASE SHE WOULD ABANDON THEM IN A PARK, AND IT BECAME THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MY FATHER, ED, TO LOOK AFTER HIS SIBLINGS, GETTING THEM FED AND HOUSED BY NIGHTFALL. SO MY MOTHER MERLE HELD IT AGAINST HER. BUT I HAVE BEEN WONDERING OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS, WITH OUR NEW INFORMATION, WHETHER MERLE WOULD FEEL DIFFERENTLY NOW, IF SHE WAS ALIVE, SHARINSG THIS NEW FAMILY HISTORY.
DORIS CURRIE, CAME TO THIS COUNTRY AS AN ORPHAN IN 1921, ABOARD THE SHIP "SCANDANAVIAN." SHE WAS 14 YEARS OF AGE, AND WAS SENT TO CANADA AS ONE OF THE "BERNARDO CHILDREN," MADE FAMOUS BY THE WORK AND DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS OF DR. BERNARDO, WHO SENT ORPHANS UNDER HIS CARE, TO WORK AS SERVANTS AND LABOURERS IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA. AS PART OF THE LEGACY OF BERNARDO CHILDREN, IT MEANS THAT MY SONS, ANDREW AND ROBERT ARE THE DIRECT DESCENDANTS OF WHAT WE HAVE NOW LEARNED, WAS A BERNARDO CHILD. THIS IS NOT THE HAPPIEST OF LEGACIES TO BELONG, AS MANY OF THE CHILDREN HAD UNHAPPY EXPERIENCES, BEING DUMPED IN A FOREIGN LAND, IN JOBS THEY WERE TOO YOUNG AND ILL PREPARED TO HANDLE. MANY FACED EXTREME HARDSHIP AND ABUSES AT THE HANDS OF THEIR SPONSORING FAMILIES, AND WERE EXPECTED TO WORK LONG HOURS, JUST FOR ROOM AND BOARD. IN MUSKOKA, JOHNNY MOON, WAS THE BEST KNOWN BERNARDO BOY, AND HE LEFT A DIARY OF HIS EXPERIENCES, WORKING ON AREA FARMS, AND WHAT MET THESE ORPHANS ON THE PIONEER FARMSTEADS OF RURAL ONTARIO.
HER NAME WAS DORIS HARDING, AND HAD BEEN THE DAUGHTER OF PARENTS, ARTHUR AND FLORENCE HARDING, OF LONDON, ENGLAND. THERE IS NO INDICATION, AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF RESEARCH, HOW THE HARDINGS PARTED WITH THEIR DAUGHTER; WHETHER THE RESULT OF ILLNESS LEADING TO DEATH, OR A TRAGIC CONCLUSION OF FIGHTING DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR, CLAIMING ARTHUR HARDING FIRST. IT IS KNOWN THAT DORIS WENT TO LIVE WITH HER GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM ROBERTSON NICHOLSON. IT'S LIKELY THAT MR. NICHOLSON, MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY, AND HIS GRANDDAUGHTER WAS SENT TO THE BERNARDO ORPHANAGE, AS A RESULT OF HER YOUNG AGE, AND LACK OF FAMILY TO ASSIGN HER CARE. IT IS ALSO NOT KNOWN HOW LONG SHE REMAINED IN THE IMMEDIATE CARE OF DR. BERNARDO. IN 1921 SHE WAS SENT TO CANADA, (AS WHAT WAS KNOWN AS THE "BERNARDO PARTY" ONBOARD) TO WORK (FOR ROOM AND BOARD) AS A MAID FOR REVEREND CHARLES E. RILEY, OF DUNDAS-TOWN, ONTARIO. THIS INFORMATION WAS CONFIRMED IN PART, BY THE RELEASE THIS WEEK, OF THE 1921 CANADIAN CENSUS. AS MY MOTHER AND FATHER BOTH KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO BE "A BERNARDO CHILD," FROM READING ABOUT THEM, AND VIEWING TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES, I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SHOCKING REVELATION, TO KNOW THAT MY NANNA, DORIS CURRIE, HAD ALSO BEEN A BERNARDO ORPHAN. THEY NEVER ASKED ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD. THE ONLY ONE WHO ACTUALLY WAS ABLE TO DISCUSS FAMILY HISTORY WITH HER, WAS SUZANNE, WHO MADE COPIOUS NOTES WHENEVER SHE MET DORIS AT FAMILY GATHERINGS. MY MOTHER, AT ONE POINT, ACTUALLY ORDERED SUZANNE TO CEASE AND DESIST, ASKING DORIS THESE QUESTIONS, BUT NEVER GAVE ANY REASON WHY. I SUPPOSE IT WAS THE CASE, MERLE THOUGHT SHE WOULD CREATE SOME FALSE STORY ABOUT HER PAST. WHO KNOWS. THE IMPORTANT PART OF THIS, IS THAT FAMILY HISTORY, ONCE OBSCURED BY EMBARRASSMENT, INDIFFERENCE AND IGNORANCE, HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING FINDS MADE BY OUR FAMILY HISTORIAN. SO NOW, AS OF TODAY, OUR BOYS CAN, ON ONE SIDE OF THE FAMILY, BE CALLED BY HISTORICAL PROVENANCE, UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS, AND ON THE OTHER, THE OFFSPRING OF A BERNARDO CHILD. THIS ALL COMES, COURTESY SUZANNE'S DOGGED DETERMINATION TO FIND OUT WHO WE REALLY ARE. THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS, WHY IT'S A GOOD THING TO KNOW YOUR FAMILY TREE. TRACING HEALTH ISSUES, FOR ONE.
MORE ON FAMILY HISTORY SLEUTHING COMING SOON. THANKS FOR JOINING TODAY'S BLOG. AS I'VE SAID MANY TIMES BEFORE, I REALLY DO ENJOY WHEN YOU COME TO VISIT. THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ANOTHER CHAIR AT HEARTHSIDE. WASN'T THAT A WILD WIND THIS MORNING. WE DIDN'T LOSE A SINGLE SHINGLE, BUT DID GET RID OF A LOT OF DEAD LIMBS ON TREES I WAS SUPPOSED TO TRIM LAST WEEK. TAKE CARE OUT THERE.
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