Adults 'homeward bound' when entering child's world, Muriel (Hunt) Morris says at retirement party in 1970

Muriel E (Hunt) Morris

After 32 years as a teacher at Chapleau Public School, Muriel E. (Hunt) Morris, my mother, retired at the end of June 1970.

Looking through my stacks of newspaper clippings recently, I came across the story about her retirement party written by Margaret 'Maggie; Costello in the Sault Star.

My mother came to Canada from England as a young child in 1913 with her parents Edythe and George Hunt, and her older sister, Elsie, and they settled in Chapleau. She attended Chapleau Public and Chapleau High schools then Normal School in North Bay and upon graduation taught four years "in the country" as she would say at Kakabeka Falls.

Our lives take some twists and turns we never anticipate, and such was the case with Mom's. She had come home to Chapleau to teach in the 1930s, married Jim Morris, my father in July 1940 and moved to Hamilton where he was in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and  became a Flying Instructor in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

I was born in Hamilton in November 1941, and in 1942 we returned to Chapleau  when he went overseas. It was never the plan of my parents that we would remain in Chapleau after the end of World War II.  Mom and I lived with my aunt and uncle Elsie and B.W. "Bubs" Zufelt, and at times grandparents Harry and Lil (Mulligan) Morris.

Auntie Elsie, Nanny and Mom at their mother's 80th birthday

My grandfather George Hunt was with us while my grandmother Edythe Hunt was back In England serving as a nurse during the war.

On July 16, 1943, my father was killed on active service in the RCAF, and that single act, made all the difference in our lives.

My Mom and Dad

Mom decided we would stay in Chapleau, and to this day, I am so thankful she did. It was the greatest place to grow up and live.

Enough background, and now on to the retirement party according to Margaret Costello. I wish my friend Maggie was still here so I could thank her for the story.

"Every now and then, unlike the prophets who are not honoured in their own country, an outstanding citizen of a community receives honour and tribute from friends and associates of all ages on the local scene. Such was the case when Mrs. Muriel Morris was guest of honour at a reception of the Chapleau Board of Education in the Legion Hall," Maggie wrote.

Describing the decoration in the hall all made by students of Chapleau Public School, she wrote that it was "a riot of colour provided by a tree decorated with multicoloured gigantic blooms, a bower of sunshine yellow with a proliferation of more huge flowers and individual big blossoms hung from the ceiling".

Rev. Murray Arnill, chairman of the Chapleau Board of Education, welcomed the guests -- packed with friends, fellow teachers and students past and present.

"The school choir, trained to a high polish by Mrs. Jeannette Gjoni and Mrs. Wilma Schmidt who also provided the piano accompaniment, sang four bright selections with such verve that they won rounds of applause," according to Maggie.

Heading to visit Maw and Grandpa Morris

As an aside, Mom particularly loved this part of the program as music was such a part of her life and she directed many concerts and plays including HMS Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was also great to see Wilma directing a choir at the 90th anniversary reunion festival of Chapleau High School in 2012.

Mrs. Olive M. Card, deputy reeve of Chapleau extended congratulations commenting that my mother must "be proud to have played a part in the education of Chapleau children many of whom had gone on to distinguish themselves in a wide var iety of professions.

Board member Mansel Robinson presented gifts of a lawn table, umbrella and portable television.

In her comments Mom said "the entire occasion" was beyond anything she had ever dreamed of.

She only hoped that some of the things she had taught the boys and girls would stay with them and help make them better men and women, and was proud to have had a part in  their education and that Chapleau would be proud of them.

Then, she addressed parents, and like it was only yesterday, I recall Mom preparing her comments at home on Grey Street.

Maggie captured her words: "There have been many changes in education, but the function of teacher and parents has not changed. It is to guide children into self development, to create a climate for learning in school and at home.

"The home and school cannot be divorced if we are to be successful. The child must be encouraged to make the most important discovery of all -- himself or herself!.

"The major concerns of childhood continue through the years."

She concluded with "When we enter into a child's world we are not in a strange land -- we are homeward bound."

School principal Foy Wright commented that long before current concepts were accepted, she was among the first "to think of the child as an individual. She had a wonderful sense of responsibility not just for her own room, and a sense of dignity and quietness."

Mrs. Opal Simpson of the teaching staff made a presentation of a coffee table. Mrs. Simpson added that "To those of us who have worked with her, she has been a warm personal friend, and her departure will leave gap hard to fill."

Thomas Corston, recently retired as Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Moosonee on behalf of former students and friends presented her with a purse.

As a young teacher

Mom was active in the choir of St. John's Anglican Church where she served as choir director for many years, in the Sincerity Rebekah Lodge and the Anglican Church Women. Sonia Lucas, Margaret Fife and Margaret Turner presented gifts from each respectively.

Mrs. Mary Campbell of the teaching staff had organized a book with the hundreds of names of former pupils over the 32 years. My mother treasured this gift greatly and used it to comment when one of them got married, graduated, had children, etc.  It became her personal journal about her pupils.

Over the years, so many of my Mom's pupils have shared comments and memories of her with me which I have so much appreciated. I would never have attempted to do a column on Mom, but as another school year draws to a close, I believe her comments to parents, indeed all of us, apply today as much as they did in 1970. It is also Mother's Day on May 11.

And, Margaret Costello supplied most of the content.

Mom died on March 4, 1989. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Counting boathouses along front river in Chapleau among great memories of those were the days in 1950s

Jim Schafer, Des Delaney

Looking back to the 1958-59 school year at Chapleau High School recently brought back many fond memories perhaps summed up best by the line from a song "Those were the days my friends..."

I have been reading some of the columns that Joy Evans and I wrote for the short lived Mid North News where it seemed we touched not only high school news but youth activities generally in Chapleau.

Why did I turn back the clock to those years, you ask? Well, in 2014 I am celebrating 50 years of doing and teaching journalism and communications in one form or another, but it was at the Mid North News when I was in Grade 12 that I wrote my first regular column, sharing the space with Joy.

In fact, the "sound of story" as the American writer Reynolds Price called it, has likely been a major force in my life since I was a child playing with toys on the living room floor as my grandfather George Hunt taught me the history of England -- you know, the exciting stuff about castles and knights in shining armour.

My mother, Muriel E (Hunt) Morris, instilled a love of reading in me before I could walk, and it remains with me to this day.

I shake my head a bit. All these years later, the wheel has come full circle as I write Chapleau Moments for the Chapleau Express, a weekly column for the online Cranbrook Guardian and edit and write for three blogs owned by Uneek Luxury Tours in Orlando, FL.

In one of our columns we reported that Angelo Bucciarrelli, president of the Rotary Club of Chapleau and Des Delaney, chair of the club's vocational service committee, (both of whom had attended CHS), were present to present a Rotary plaque to the 120 students at the school.

They attended the morning assembly that marked the start of each school day, and Alison McMillan was the pianist for the song singing that was part of the daily ritual.

Des Delaney presented the plaque to Jim Schafer, the student council president. It was also announced that popular English teacher Richard (Murch) Murchland had joined the Rotary Club. Mr. Murchland also directed the annual school play.

Despite the fact that the school had low ceiling gym, sports were popular. Girls volleyball had been started under the direction of Betty Ann (Payette) Morin while Mr. Murchland coached a boys' basketball team that was challenging all comers. I was on the team but don't recall if we won or lost games.

Tom Bateman, who was in Grade 11 took on the responsibility of teaching Grade Nine boys tumbling.

John McClellan, who had been teacher and principal at CHS for 30 years had retired in 1956 but had donated a trophy for annual high school hockey competition. Mr. McClellan had returned in 1957 for the annual inspection of 1181 Chapleau High School Cadet Corps and the cadet banquet as guest speaker.

The annual inspection, banquet and dance  which included the Girls' Precision Squad was a big part of CHS life

CHS had been defeated in its first bid to win the trophy by Sudbury Mining and Technical School but there were high hopes to win.. My memory fails me and I don't have a column on the 1958-59 game but I think CHS won! Someone remind me!

Harry Pellow. secretary of the CHS hockey club, told us that he would be calling a meeting to get the all star team organized. CHS also played in the town league and a school league -- at time of writing playing without team sweaters which made it a bit confusing to differentiate who was on which team. I do recall as I referred those after school games.

Joy and I also wrote about the activities of the Catholic Youth Club and the Anglican Young People's Association with the main focus on dances, banquets and other social activities.

Jim Bucci organized a scavenger hunt, and one of the hardest challenges was to come up with the number of boathouses along the front river. Just imagine going out on a cold Winter night and trudging through the snow from the trestle to the forestry point counting boathouses. Great fun though!

For after the hunt though, Naomi Mizuguchi had organized a lunch and dance in the basement of St. John's Anglican Church for everyone.

By 1959 I had expanded my journalistic activities to include a weekly youth television program on CHAP-TV. Imagine, Chapleau had its own television station for a few years.

While attending Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University) I was the editor of the student newspaper 'The Cord' for two years, and on August 31, 1964, my uncle B.W. "Bubs" Zufelt, and my grandmother Edythe Hunt drove me to Timmins to start my first job as a reporter at The Daily Press.

I agree to this day with Reynolds Price, the writer, that to "tell and hear stories is essential" - and the "sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our day's events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths."

Thanks to Doug Greig for sending me scans of our columns from Mid North News, to Joy (Evans) Heft for sharing a column with me, and to everyone else I have met along the way, and to the many who have listened to my stories, and shared theirs with me, all of you have made that dominant sound come alive. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Murray Arnill former minister at Trinity United Church in Chapleau dies

Murray on left at official opening of new CHS in 1966

The Reverend Dr. Murray Arnill who was minister at Trinity United Church in Chapleau from 1966 to 1972, died Monday, April 14, 2014 surrounded by his loving family. 

 

During his time in Chapleau, the Christian Education addition to the church called Trinity Hall was opened in 1969.

 

Very much a part in community affairs, Murray served as a member and chair of the Chapleau Board of Education, president of the town hockey league, and chair of the winter carnival committee, among other activities including the Boy Scouts. 

In 1971, he was elected as one of five adults on an advisory board to Chapleau Youth Action, by the young people of Chapleau.

 

Coffee houses for youth in the church basement were the place to be on weekends during his time in Chapleau.

Murray left with George Evans, Manlio Spessot and Scouts

 

 Murray became chancellor of Huntington University later in his career and was awarded a doctorate degree.

 

Here is an obituary, prepared by his children which sums up Murray so well:

 

"Dad is survived by his children Catherine Hill (Francis) of Uxbridge, Tim Arnill of Newmarket, Barbara Taylor (Rob) of Barrie, The Rev. Mark Arnill (Janyce) of Deseronto and by his 14 grandchildren who love him and will miss him.

 

 "A poet, a friend, a Dad, a shepherd, a mentor and a fellow traveller; with humble joy and hard work, Dad served the various churches and larger body of believers as he worked throughout northern Ontario during his ministry and well into retirement. 

 

 "His door was open to both friend and stranger alike and the coffee was always on. It is with sadness that we acknowledge his death. It is with thankfulness that we celebrate his life. And it is with a certain sense of awe that we acknowledge Dad's amazingly wide open arms that welcomed any and everybody. Our family is huge! Thanks Dad. "Well done, good and faithful servant!" 

 

Family and friends received at the LOW & LOW FUNERAL HOME , 23 Main St. S., Uxbridge (905-852-3073) for visitation on Friday, April 25, 2014 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. 

 

Funeral service was to take place Saturday, April 26, 2014 at Trinity United Church, 20 First Avenue, Uxbridge at 1 p.m. with a reception to follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Huntington University, Sudbury or your local church would be appreciated. For online condolences, please visit www.lowandlow.ca12749043