Harry Stemp was born in Uxbridge in 1934. He started his career with the Uxbridge Times-Journal as an apprentice typesetter at age 14. He soon began writing sports for the Times-Journal and eventually owned 10 community newspapers in central Ontario including the Times-Journal. He started writing his award-winning Stemp’s Stew in 1965. The column came to an end shortly after he sold his newspaper chain in 1989, but was rejuvenated in 2006 when Harry became a regular contributor to The Cosmos.
A pat on the back
Good thing that Pinocchio only shows up in nursery tales and not in real life, or some of the players in the Liberal Party would have some very long noses. And leading the pack would be Bob Rae, who deserted the NDP Party when he saw no future for his political ambitions. You will recall when the Liberal Party went into free-fall Bob stepped forward and volunteered to take over the reins. In doing this he guaranteed members this was not a step toward leading the party into the next Federal election.
Few believed him at the time and they were right to feel this way. Bob recently informed members that he would like to run for the Party leadership and lead the party into the next election, thereby becoming prime minister should the Liberals be victorious. Add a few inches to the nose.
But Bob isn’t the only one. Justin Trudeau has been asked several times if he is interested in running for the leadership of the Liberal Party. No way was his reply. He is happy doing what he is doing and he wants to be able to spend quality time with his young family. Certainly no one can fault him for that. Justin saw firsthand the effect of being the leader of a country can have on family life.
But, hold on. The latest gossip coming out of Ottawa is that Justin is quietly building a campaign team to work on his behalf if and when a leadership convention is held. Justin is much younger than Rae but looks like his nose is starting to grow.
However, we must be fair. The Pinocchio fable runs through all the parties and their members. It seems to be a way of life one adopts when they get elected. And it isn’t just in Canada. Unfortunately it is worldwide and the only ones who pay and suffer are the general public.
Meanwhile we can just sit back and watch the political infighting that is a regular part of the entertainment value of a leadership race. Stay tuned.
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Not many small communities can boast the variety and quality of entertainment that we regularly enjoy in Uxbridge. We have it all, and a fine example of this was the Folk ‘n Blues Fest that went for four nights last week at the beautiful Uxbridge Music Hall.
This was a tremendous undertaking, and Bob Burrows of Zephyr deserves a huge pat on the back for putting it all together. Bob is very quick to point out that he had a lot of help and singled out David Chester of Chalet Studios and Stuart and Barbara Blower of SB Visual Media. Bob was also supported by many local merchants who climbed on board when they realized that the proceeds would go to the Uxbridge Music Scholarship Trust and the Uxbridge Youth Centre.
The four nights featured talented musicians and their bands such as James Anthony, Jack de Keyzer and the Cameo Blues Band. Sprinkled in between were several of our talented Uxbridge musicians such as Chris Saunders, Haydee Grant and Carlie Laidlaw who entertain on many occasions throughout the year.
However, the highlight of the four nights came Friday night when Canadian treasure Murray MacLauchlan played to a sellout crowd. Murray has always been enthusiastically welcomed in Uxbridge and Friday was no exception. There were several well-deserved standing ovations.
Thoroughly enjoyed all four nights, and even though I know it is a tremendous undertaking, it is my wish that we haven’t seen the last of the Uxbridge Folk ‘n Blues Fest.
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Thanks to the interest and efforts of Tish MacDonald, a teacher at Uxbridge Secondary School, a number of students will have a different outlook when Remembrance Day rolls around on November 11.
Without a lot of fanfare Tish, along with the co-operation and interest of parents and school authorities, felt it was time that young people understood the sacrifice made by many Canadians in the two world wars so that we could enjoy the freedom we cherish today. She contacted the executive of the Uxbridge Legion and arranged for the students to meet with some of the remaining World War II veterans that we are fortunate to have among us. All are aging, but each agreed to meet with these young students and tell their stories of how the war changed their lives and what it was like to face the enemy on foreign soil. It was interesting and heartwarming to see the strong bond that was formed between the young and the old in such a short time.
All of this led to a large number of students and some parents travelling to Europe and visiting Vimy Ridge and the beaches of Normandy, where these brave men stormed ashore to take on the enemy and defend the free world. As history shows, saving our freedom came at the cost of the lives of so many Canadian men and women, some not a lot older than the students who were part of this wonderful experience.
The trip was a huge success and on May 31st a photo celebration evening of the Normandy and Vimy 95th Anniversary Tour was held at Uxbridge Secondary School. It was attended by those who made the trip along with a number of the veterans who worked with the students during the planning stages. It soon became quite obvious that a strong bond had been formed between these young students and the aging veterans as several of the students spoke to the audience of what this experience meant to them.
One student mentioned that Remembrance Day will never be the same for her. No more standing and waiting impatiently for the clock to strike 11 a.m. and the bugler to play the last post so she could leave. She now had a better understanding of the sacrifice that so many young Canadian men and women had made so that we can enjoy our free way of life – something that she took for granted.
Felt for the young male student who formed a strong bond with veteran Keith Webb during the planning stages of the trip. He was looking forward to returning and sharing his experiences with Keith. Unfortunately Keith passed away while the tour was taking place, and it was obvious the news of Keith’s death hit this young student very hard.
It was a wonderful evening and an excellent example of how a strong bond can be formed between the young and the old if someone just takes the time to make things happen. And it also gives the young an understanding that our freedom was just not served up on a plate. There was a tremendous cost of human life and we are lucky that we still have so many veterans among us who are willing to work with the young people and tell their stories.
May we never forget and always be thankful!
