Chapleau Methodist Mission later Trinity United Church established in 1886 by pioneer missionary Rev. Silas Huntington

When construction crews were pushing westward in Canada building the Canadian Pacific Railway, the "Methodists were not far behind", according to a history of Trinity United Church in Chapleau. 

The Methodists sent missionaries  "to minister to the spiritual needs of the men engaged in the construction business". The Church of England (Anglican) and Roman Catholic Church were doing the same thing.

In June 1886, one of the great missionaries of the Methodist church, Rev. Silas Huntington, arrived in Chapleau and conducted services in a partially completed store on Birch Street. Apparently he stayed at the home of Thomas Nicholson, which may have been the first real "private residence" in the fledgling community.

The Huntington University in Sudbury web site says: Our namesake, Silas Huntington, was an itinerant Methodist minister who established more than 100 churches throughout Northeastern Ontario from 1880 to 1905. He explored this region by canoe and train in order to reach out to the loggers, Native peoples, rail road workers and settler families from many parts of the world. He was active in community development throughout the north

He returned about six weeks later with W.P. Boshart, a student minister, who conducted his first services in a large tent at Lorne and Birch Streets. The first Chapleau Methodist Mission church was built where Trinity United Church is today , a small frame building heated by a wood stove with a small vestry at the back where the minister lived.

By 1889. plans were made to build "a large brick parsonage" which was subsequently done, and the house still stands beside the church on Beech Street. 

A Ladies Aid Society was established in 1898 and it undertook many projects to assist the church, including the furniture and furnace for the parsonage, later called the manse.

In 1904, Rev. J.J. Coulter noted that "Chapleau was then almost entirely a railroad town without sewer, running water or electricity." 

However, Chapleau moved forward in the next 10 years significantly in all areas, under the leadership of its first reeve G.B. Nicholson -- although a sewage plant and system were not undertaken until 1950 when B.W. Zufelt was reeve.

A new church was planned by 1906 and in 1908 the cornerstone had been laid for the "cement block church" at Lorne and Beech streets. The original church was moved to Lorne and Pine Streets and became the Doig family residence for many years.

A highlight of the early years occurred in 1919 when a memorial pipe organ was installed. At the service of dedication and unveiling of memorial tablet, Miss Stancil Pellow, a member of one of the community's early families, was the organist and served for over 40 years. She married Tommy Rose. 

Music was so important in those early years, and Trinity United, as it came to be called in 1925 after a merger of four churches, always had a wonderful choir --- as did Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church and St. John's Anglican Church.

The first Sunday School was started about 1889, and in due course, its "Hustlers Class" became very popular over many years. Its activities included social events, skiing parties, and even a cabin built at Fox Lake. 

Renovations were undertaken in 1955, and in 1969, the Christian Education Wing was added when Rev. Murray Arnill was the minister.  

Rev. Arnill later became the Chancellor of Huntington University, then Chaplain. He died in April 1914.

On a weekend, the coffee houses in the basement of the church were the place to be for young people of all denominations to be found, and after returning to Chapleau in 1969, to teach at Chapleau High School, I spent many great evenings there --- and later at Murray's kitchen table drinking coffee into the wee small hours. 

In fact, the coffee houses, in part, launched the career of Canadian filmmaker Peter Elliott, who would show his productions to coffee house audiences.,

In the 1970s, it was decided that the cement block church had to be replaced. The Chapleau Sentinel reported that the the new church came into being when Rev. Doug Maclean was minister. "The structure was found unfit for renovation and the congregation had to embark on a new building program." Harry Pellow, the nephew of Stancil Pellow, prepared plans.  Harry was also the architect for the Chapleau General Hospital, Chapleau Civic Centre, Chapleau Recreation Centre, Cedar Grove Lodgel and the golf club house.  The "new" church was dedicated on April 18, 1978.

Happy Easter to all!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Mr. Fife Goes to Washington: Watch Out Mr. President, Bob is on the Premises

As the official visit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  was getting underway, Alexander Panetta, the Washington correspondent of the Canadian Press issued a "warning" to President Barack Obama on Twitter.

It read: "Warning, Mr. President - @RobertFife is on the premises." Gerald Butts, the principal secretary to the prime minister "liked" it.

Actually it was high praise for Bob, and a mark of respect for his reporting abilities from one of his fellow journalists. Bob, as Chapleau folks know him, was in Washington as Ottawa Bureau Chief of The Globe and Mail to report on the prime minister's visit. Bob joined the Globe in January this year but remains host of CTV's Question Period.

Mr. Panetta was likely warning Mr. Obama that he best watch out as he may be in danger of getting "Fifed" by Bob -- a term I was not aware of until now, even though I have followed Bob's journalism career since 1978 when it began.

Although others may have used the term, I discovered an article on Buzzfeed by Craig Silverman, the Founding Editor Canada, from August 2015 entitled "Why Getting Fifed by CTV Reporter Robert Fife is the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You".

Mr. Silverman also provides a definition: "Fifed. (v.) to strike terror into the hearts of Canadian politicians by Robert Fife." He goes on to provide examples mostly centred on the Senate scandal surrounding Senator Mike Duffy.

It was Bob who broke the scandal wide open, and when I saw the tweet that once again Robert Fife had proven why he is simply the best, it immediately captured my attention. Kevin Newman, was retweeting a comment by Rosa Hwang, senior broadcast producer with CTV National News. "Once again Robert Fife proves why he's simply the best." Bob has received several awards for his reporting.

Bob on Bantam team

"What had Fife done now?  I wrote in my Cranbrook Guardian column that Bob had broken the story that Nigel Wright, the chief of staff to Stephen Harper, then the prime minister, had written a personal cheque to Mike Duffy, the senator appointed by Harper,  for $90,172 to pay back expenses to which the senator was not entitled. 

The Duffy scandal was placed squarely in the office of the prime minister by Bob Fife,

In November 2008, Deborah Howell, the ombudsperson at the Washington Post wrote that "good reporters are the heart of news gathering. If it's news, they have to know it. Without them, the public wouldn't have the news and information essential to running a democracy -- or our lives. Whether the story is local, national or foreign, it has to be gathered on the ground by a reporter." 

Ms Powell added in answering the question about what makes a good reporter, "Endless curiosity and a deep need to know what is happening. Then, the ability to hear a small clue and follow it."

Bob Pres of CHS Student Council seated 2nd on right

That's Bob.

Bob is one of those reporters who certainly fits the comment by former Washington Post Post executive editor Ben Bradlee who thought that a reporter's most important quality is energy: "They've got to love what they're doing; they've got to be serious about turning over rocks, opening doors. The story drives you. It's part of your soul."

In the interests of full disclosure Bob was in Grade Nine when I arrived  to teach at Chapleau High School in 1969, and once he learned I had been a daily newspaper reporter, he never stopped asking me questions throughout his high school years. And when he was attending the University of Toronto, he challenged me on every issue when he came home on vacation or to spend the summers. Maybe I was one of  the first people to to be "Fifed". 

Happy St. Patrick's Day. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

NAMES  CHS Student Council of 1972-73 when Bob Fife was president. Front row from left Jamie Doyle, Eileen McCrea, Tom Tangie, Bob, Patty Desbois. Middle row from left Rusty Deluce, Joan Lapointe, Walter Sonego, Dan Plouffe, Michael Dillon, Mary Ann Morris, Doris Delaney. Back row Robert Doyle, Gary Legros, Leslie Doig, Maurice Blais, Pat Connelly, Keith Marsh

Dakotah Woods of Quebec Remparts stresses hard work, dedication and education in cover story feature with Wabun Sun

Dakotah Woods from Chapleau, playing for Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is featured as cover story in the Wabun Sun.

The Wabun Sun is published by the Wabun Tribal Council online and in print with stories and features from its seven First Nations members: Beaverhouse, Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, Flying Post, Matachewan, Mattagami and Wahgoshig.

I have touched on some of the highlights of Dakotah's interview but you can read it in its entirety at http://wabunsun.com or obtain a print version from Wabun Tribal Council. 

“Playing my first major game for a team like the Remparts was an amazing experience and something that every kid dreams of. As an Aboriginal person and someone from a small northern community this has been an exciting and unbelievable journey,” Dakotah told the Wabun Sun.

Born in Chapleau, Dakotah, who is a member of Brunswick House First Nation. first played in the Chapleau Minor Hockey Association, and his career continued after the family moved to North Bay. He is the son of Isabelle (Saunders) and Gordon Woods.

His mother Isabelle told the magazine that the move, to advance her son's hockey career, was also a chance for her to continue her training and education in the medical field. 

“I feel that Dakotah and I went on a journey together with the family to North Bay to further our opportunities and to live our dreams. He was excelling in hockey and I was also doing my best to complete my training and education in nursing. He was always a dedicated individual and it was never hard to get him to those early morning games, through long days of training or enduring late night road trips. He has worked very hard for what he has achieved and knowing that makes us all very proud of his accomplishments,” said Isabelle. to the Wabun Sun.

My congratulations to Isabelle on completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Nipissing University in 2015

Dakotah's father Gordon commented: “We are so proud of what Dakotah has accomplished these past few years. There have been plenty of sacrifices on his part and for our family as well but we are grateful for the success he has achieved. I have so much pride in his hockey career but I am also happy to have watched him grow from a dedicated boy in hockey to the mature independent man that he has become."

The magazine noted that "Dakotah Woods, a member of Brunswick House FirstN ation, has become a positive role model for the Aboriginal community by achieving the ranks of semi professional hockey with the Quebec Remparts. "

 The article mentioned that his family went to visit him in Quebec City where he now resides, to celebrate his 1 8th birthday this January."He stays in constant touch with his family in Ontario including his older sister Cedar, who recently completed her secondary school education and his younger brother Hunter, who is following in his brothers footsteps and is involved in the Little Native Hockey League in northern Ontario.

 "In terms of his education, Dakotah Woods makes his studies a priority during his regular schedule and hopes to some day follow in his mother's path and develop a career in the medical field. He wants to give other young Aboriginal people the message he learned from his family that hard work and dedication to sports is important but that education should also be prominent.

 “I make myself available to speak to other young people, especially in First Nation communities. I want to share the same teachings I learned from others along my path, that no matter where you are from or what walk of life, if you work hard, keep focused, make good choices and don't allow others to bring you down, anything is possible. It is also at times necessary to make sacrifices to achieve your goals and that means choosing your friends well and being aware of the danger or pitfalls of drugs and alcohol,” commented Dakotah who has a strong connection to his community and its history. 

Wabun Sun noted that his mother Isabelle is the daughter of legendary Chief Joe Saunders and Chief Francis Saunders. Both of Dakotah's grandparents were instrumental in creating positive developments for their community and Chief Joe Saunders was also a founding member of the Wabun Tribal Council.

“My biggest thanks are to my parents for everything they've done for me and to my sister Cedar and my younger brother Hunter, for all their support. There have been so many people who have helped me on my path and I wish I could list them all but that would take a book,” said Dakotah in his interview.

During the off season of hockey, mainly from June to August, Dakotah makes himself available to speak to First Nation youth at public events in workshops or motivational speaking.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca