Chapleau curling rinks considered 'worthy opponents' winning many honours in bonspiels

The Chapleau Curling Club was established in the Fall of 1885 and the first sheet of ice made during the winter across from where the liquor store is now located.

Vince Crichton wrote in Pioneering In Northern Ontario that the names of the first members were not recorded but there appears to have been a shack built with a wood stove in it to warm the players in frigid  weather. The rink was not enclosed so in order to curl shovelling and sweeping the snow was necessary. By 1904 the ice skating rink had been enclosed and one sheet of curling  was made available on the lane side of Lansdowne Street.

In 1928 the curling club was relocated to its own building on Pine Street where it remained until its move to the  Chapleau Recreation Centre in 1978. Chapleau never hosted this bonspiel again.

Chapleau actually hosted the Northern Ontario Curling Association bonspiel in 1929and did so again in 1932. In 1932 a rink comprised of Leo Racicot, Harry Morris (my Grandfather), Vince Crichton and A. Kinahan reached the finals in all events with the exception of the Consolation Trophy. Vince noted in his book that this feat was never accomplished before or since. 

However, after this success the club went into a period of stagnation during the Great Depression but in 1936 Vince proposed borrowing money to renovate the club room. Then World War II came along and by the end of the war younger members joined. 

In 1948 Vince became president and curling enjoyed a long period of prosperity. The Club rooms were expanded, a heating system installed and by 1962 an artificial ice plant was completed. Washroom facilities were also installed and in due course it took on a very inviting and pleasant atmosphere which attracted the public to watch the games.

D Matheson, T J Godfrey, T Therriault, G B Nicholson circa 1927

By  1954 school boy curling was initiated and a year later Herb Riley donated the Riley Trophy for high school curling. I curled for a couple of years in the 1950s and was able to use my grandfather's rocks.

 Later high school girls started curling and became a major part of the success enjoyed.

Vince noted that over the years Chapleau rinks were considered worthy opponents -- the only honour escaping them was the McDonald Brier.

George McCord who had been an ardent curler was once asked to name the best rink that played together from the Chapleau club.. Apparently without hesitation he replied: Leo Racicot, Harry Morris, Vince Crichton and Tommy Therriault. adding that there had never been another rink to compare with them. They curled together 12 years and they won many honours.

It took some years for women to be accepted as members but when they were approved , they had a "vibrant, growing organization and have ever since been a very vital and worthy part of the curling club".

NOTE -- In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that until today when I was thumbing through Vince's book again I was unaware that my grandfather was such an excellent curler. Of course I knew he liked to curl but not as successfully as Vince revealed.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Chapleau Hub project wins National Trust Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award

The 2019 National Heritage Awards will be presented on October 18, 2019 at the Millennium Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba during a ceremony held as part of the National Trust’s Annual Conference (in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals).

Jason Rioux will travel to Winnipeg to accept The National Trust's Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award which celebrates exemplary projects, places and people that contribute to the quality of life and sense of place, and illustrate the viability of heritage buildings and sites for traditional or new uses.

Back in the summer of 2016, Jason and his wife Victoria started the journey of taking on the St. John’s Anglican church building with an unknown destination.  It is Jason’s home town and he wanted to work on something that was good for Chapleau.  So they did a deal with Anglican diocese of Moosonee to buy the church building, which was one of the last historic buildings left standing in Chapleau but in serious disrepair.  The congregation had shrunk to very small numbers such that heating the building and keeping up with the necessary repairs was no longer financially viable.

"It seemed like every year another building was getting knocked down in Chapleau and people weren't trying to repurpose what was there, and some of the character that was in town was getting lost," Jason said.

The building has been transformed into the Chapleau Hub, a community hub to spur and support local entrepreneurs, that now hosts a licensed restaurant in the lower level with a wood fired pizza oven, and shared use on the main floor with yoga lessons, fitness programs, children and youth programming, women’s shelter meetings, weekly movie nights, and most importantly we have kept the church congregation full use on Sundays and special events, so the place of worship has been retained even though now privatized with multiple shared uses. 

The building has also been converted to a modern wood pellet boiler system, getting the building off of diesel and now a proud carbon free building, which sources its wood pellets from northern Ontario supporting the local economy. 

This has been a journey with lots of stories and lessons learned to share, which Jason will share with the rest of Canada at the conference in Winnipeg this month. 

Jason and his wife Victoria are honoured to receive national recognition for the Hub’s successes and would like to thank all the tenants, contractors, volunteers, and people that have touched or had a role to play in the success of the Chapleau Hub coming to be. However, since Jason and Victoria live so far away, they need more help to grow the activities and uses at the Chapleau Hub and manage the building, for the benefit of Chapleau, and encourage anyone interested in getting involved to reach out to Jason.rioux@gmail.com.  They also thank Jason's parents Heather and Robert Rioux.

The 2019 National Heritage Awards will be presented on October 18, 2019 at the Millennium Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba during a ceremony held as part of the National Trust’s Annual Conference (in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals).

I extend my most sincere congratulations to Victoria and Jason on winning this national award, as well as their efforts to "save" St. John's Anglican Church which was consecrated in 1907. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Dr Karl A Hackstetter, John McClellan and Michael on overcoming hate

With a federal election looming on the horizon in Canada, and the politics of hate on the rise, not only here, but in other countries I decided to wade into the issue based on one of  the most significant events in my life. I overcame hate.

Before going any further I need to make it clear that hate of any kind is not part of my life, and other than one attempt at it when I was in Grade Nine at Chapleau High School, it has not played a role.

Those of you who have read 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War" which I co-authored with my cousin Michael McMullen, may already be aware of my "hate event" described in the chapter "Dr. Karl A Hackstetter, John 'Mac' McClellan and Michael" will be aware of it.

I quote from it as I share my story on hate.

Dr. Hackstetter arrived in Chapleau in 1954 to teach at Chapleau High School, nine years after the end of World II. I entered Grade Nine in 1955, and although Dr. Hackstetter was a most intimidating person, from the first day I planned to hurt him.

Dr. Hackstetter had been an officer in the German Army during the war and my father. Jim Morris, as many of you know was killed on active service in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943. Needless to say perhaps, I was a hurting kid, and he was going to share it ----- even though I thought he was a great teacher.

One day, it struck me how to do it. I would place a photo of my father in my binder, and when Dr. Hackstetter stopped by our desks to look at our work. he would see it. So I placed the photo, and sure enough he made his rounds. As he peered down, I moved my arm so he could see the photo of my father in uniform.

He asked, "Who is that man? I do not know that man".

Dr Hackstetter far right leaving field behind CHS

"My father, I replied. He had fallen into my trap. 

"Where is he?'

"He is dead. He was killed in the war".

Dr. Hackstetter never said a word. He looked at me for a moment, and now I was terrified. He walked over to the window, looked at me again, then looked off outside. He shed a tear and then left the room abruptly.

Dead silence in the classroom.

Moments later, John McClellan, a veteran of World War I, the school principal entered the room and said quietly, "Come with me Michael ."

We went to the office and as best I could told him what I did. He then said, "Dr. Hackstetter wonders if you would be willing to have a talk with him."

I agreed, terrified as I was, in tears as I am at this moment all these years later as I type. Dr Hackstetter and I had a great chat and then Mr. McClellan returned and the three of us went down to the landing where the memorial wall of photos and plaque honouring the 17 high school students, including my Dad was.

Ad there we were side by side: World War I veteran John McClellan, me and former German army officer Dr. Karl A. Hackstetter. We stood in front of the plaque in silence for a few minutes, and then quietly went our separate ways.  I was 14 years old and had just learned a lot about forgiveness.

From that day forward Dr. Hackstetter and I were friends, even though I was never very good in Mathematics! In fact at a school dance in June 1957, he came over to me and said, "Morris, you are a lucky ******. It is a good thing I like you,"  We both understood.

1956-57 l to r G. Mino, G. Lemon, J. Riordan, G Bowles, C Fiaschetti, Dr Hackstetter

Dr. Hackstetter left  but returned a principal from 1963 to 1966. We stayed in touch f or many years.

I leave it to Carole Futhey and the staff of CHS yearbook AD ASTRA to sum up Dr. Hackstetter

The Chapleau High School yearbook 'Ad Astra' paid tribute to departing principal Dr. Karl A. Hackstetter for setting a high standard for students and "trying to kick us over it."

The editors of 'Ad Astra', led by Carole Futhey dedicated their yearbook to Dr. Hackstetter as their way of saying thank you for setting high standards, expressing the hope that "we hope that we will not disappoint him. They were exciting years."

The tribute said that Dr. Hackstetter "terrorized and goaded us, stretched us and pushed us. The experience often left us limp, but it also left us stimulated.

"Because he immensely enjoyed every activity, he tried to teach us to find satisfaction in everything we did. He not only tolerated non conformity, he loudly demanded it.

"The greatest crime was shoddiness. the most prized qualities were originality and a sense of style."

Vote as you wish but there is no need to hate!!!!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca