Canadians continue to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria marking the start of swimming and camping season (weather permitting!)

Remember the old ditty that goes something like this: "The 24th of May is the Queen's birthday. If you don't give us a holiday, we'll all run away."

Well, we've changed the date to make it the third Monday in May, which in 2020 happens to be the 18th, but Canadians still look forward to Victoria Day, named after the British monarch who died more than a century ago. I wonder how many Canadians today even know who she was.

It says something about this vast and magnificent land, and its people, the majority of whom are housed along a thin east to west ribbon of territory, close to the American behemoth, that the name of the major Spring holiday is named after a figure from Canada's past.

And to me, that's OK. We are a people who have never really understood each other very well -- Canada has more or less developed on a regional basis, yet we can enjoy together the common holiday -- Victoria Day.

When I was a kid growing up in Chapleau, the ice would be off the river, and the weekend marked the beginning of the swimming season for the hale and hearty. Have to admit that I was not among them, preferring to wait until Dominion Day -- now Canada Day. I see in weather reports from Chapleau, they had snow recently so maybe no early swims in 2020. 

It was also the weekend when summer camps, (now usually called cottages) were opened for the season, and perhaps most of Canada followed much the same routine. At least, today as I reflect on the past 50 years or so, it seems to me they did wherever I happened to be living -- Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and now British Columbia.

We always felt quite kindly towards Queen Victoria for giving us a holiday, and nobody ever abolished it so we didn't have to run away. Every once in a while someone wants to change the name of the holiday to reflect contemporary Canadian society or abolish the monarchy. Queen Victoria's great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth II officially remains Canada's head of state..

At one point in my life I was a staunch monarchist, most likely because I was so greatly influenced by my grandparents, George and Edith Hunt, who had an abiding faith in values like duty, service, the monarch, family, country - and the Anglican church, then called the Church of England in Canada.

My thinking on the monarchy has changed somewhat today but as this Victoria Day weekend arrives I pause and wonder if it was all so bad years ago -- at least we knew where we stood without equivocation.

We knew beyond any shadow of a doubt as my Grandpa Hunt would say who we were. We did not need opinion polls to tell us what we were thinking.

Much has changed in Canada since the days of my grandparents, but on this Victoria Day weekend, having now lived in five provinces of this great nation, I think we are still a work in progress. Perhaps it is a good time to reflect on ourselves as Canadians and define our future focusing on those things that bring us together rather than those things that divide us.

Many years ago now, the distinguished Canadian journalist Bruce Hutchison wrote in a column: "This nation with all its problems, its unbalanced politics and its repulsive self pity remains the luckiest in a deranged world."

So, let's enjoy the Victoria Day weekend, and let's not run away from the challenges before us as Canadians.despite the challenges presented to us this year by the virus issues. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Pat Bamford very popular Chapleau High School teacher active in community dies in Timmins

Claude Fortin with Pat CHS reunion 2012

Pat Bamford, a very popular former teacher at Chapleau High School died in Timmins last week, with the mayor of the city George Pirie issuing a news release hoping that all those grieving "will find ways to connect, remember and celebrate the truly wonderful man he was." The flag was also to be lowered to half staff at Timmins city hall in his honour,.

And Pat was a wonderful man. I taught with Pat at Chapleau High School arriving there just after he did, and we have remained friends ever since although we did not see each other very often, In fact the last time was at the 90th anniversary reunion of CHS in 2012.

Louise Tremblay's popular Chapleau History and Genealogy page on Facebook came alive with Memories of Pat from his former students from Chapleau sharing stories about him.

Pat still stayed in touch and students from his Grade !! Geography class have actually held reunions every five years.   I hope I got that right.

Pat was very active in Chapleau life particularly sports. As the CHS curling coach in 1972-73, he coached a team skipped by Claude Fortin to first place at a bonspiel held in Marathon. Other team members included Maurice Tremblay, Irene Johnson, and Mona  Rioux.

A member of the Chapleau Junior "B" Huskies executive, he established the Pat Bamford Trophy for best defenceman. He succeeded me as manager of the Chapleau Midgets 

In due course Pat left Chapleau to teach in Timmins. but was actively involved in the city.

“It is with deep sadness that we learned of Pat’s passing yesterday,” said Timmins Mayor George Pirie in a news release. “Pat served our community with true dedication and commitment for many years, and he will certainly be missed by all who knew him. We would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this truly trying time, and it is our hope that all those grieving will find ways to connect, remember and celebrate the truly wonderful man he was.”

Bamford had a 35-year career in education, the last 10 of which were in administration at Roland Michener Secondary School, the news release said. After retiring, he represented Ward 4 in Porcupine on Timmins council for 12 years. 

“Pat’s just one of those guys that was in it for all the right reasons,” said Steve Black, a former Timmins mayor and councillor in a tribute to Pat in The Daily Press. Mr. Black summed up Pat.

“He didn’t have any personal motivations. Sometimes in politics you see ulterior motives to some things, but Pat just genuinely wanted to do good for Timmins, and see Timmins and the East End he represented, do well and take an active role in the community.

“Definitely a man with a very solid heart for the community and the people he served within the community.”

.Mr, Black said in his interview: “Me and Pat kept in touch. I considered him a true friend. He’d always be very happy to share stories of his former students, from his previous career, and how well they were doing in life. You could tell he was really passionate about that, and the students that he engaged with throughout his life, and his own family.”

I extend my most sincere sympathy to Pat's family and friends. May he rest in peace. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Virus-free. www.avg.com

In the blink of an eye, everything can change...

"In the blink of an eye everything can change..."

I went for my morning walk here in Cranbrook, and met the manager of the local Save On Foods store who told me that I could go shopping between 7 and 8 am, a special time for the elderly during the Corona virus crisis. (Yes, I have reached that age where I am considered elderly ... 

The streets were very quiet unusual for a Friday morning and there were signs in many windows along my way announcing they were closed indefinitely.

On my return home I said hello to the guard in front of the liquor store who was limiting the number of customers who would be admitted at any one time.

From what I have been reading, similar scenes were taking place across Canada, and indeed the world.

"In the blink of an eye.."

I decided to take a look backwards to the early beginnings of Chapleau.

in my book, "Sons of Thunder ... Apostles of Love' which I wote to mark the 100th anniversary of St. John's Anglican Church in 1985, I wrote "The winter of 1885 was very strenuous for the early citizens of the fledgling community. It must have been for they had left their old way of life to build a new one far from any comforts they might have known. Apparently it was a bitterly cold winter and disease was rampant,"

In 1885 instructions were given to put a spur for a boxcar to be set out at mileage 615 on the Canadian Pacific Railway line which was in the centre of the present community of Chapleau. The boxcar became the first station, office building and train dispatcher's office... A station and office building were under construction and Chapleau had become a town  made up of surplus boxcars and tents. The population consisted of about 400 people, ninety five percent of them men.

Not quite like the health care crisis we are facing today perhaps but the illness of the winter of 1885-86 most assuredly frightened these good people.

There was no hospital in Chapleau until 1914 when the Lady Minto Hospital opened and medical doctors would come and visit periodically. 

But these good people overcame the challenges and by the end of 1886 permanent structures were beginning to appear and the thoroughfares w er being being blazed replacing the forests. General stores were being built as well as churches and private residences.

In 1888 a major health care crisis occurred. Life was not easy for the early inhabitants. An outbreak of diptheria of a most virulent type inflicted the residents. Several including young children died from the disease.

But Chapleau survived the threat presented by the  diptheria epidemic, and other scares throughout its history, up to and including today. I follow Chapleau on Facebook and daily see the efforts in the community to deal with the threats posed by the Corona virus.