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.
An historic weekly
Whether you like the results or not Monday night the voters of Canada spoke and, at last, we have a majority situation so, hopefully, we can move on to governing this great country without the constant bickering and threats of an election hanging over the Parliament Buildings.
Canadians voted for change and, brother, they got it in spades. Who would have ever thought that the NDP would form the official opposition and that two party leaders would be defeated soundly when the ballots were tallied.
No doubt that the political landscape of Canada has changed drastically, especially in Quebec, where the Bloc Quebecois were decimated and lead Gilles Duceppe resigned as leader. The downfall of this party, designed solely to destroy Canada as we know it, should be welcome news to Canadians and regardless of what you think of NDP leader Jack Layton, he deserves credit for a Quebec campaign that accomplished something the other parties have not been able to accomplish. Mind you, with a caucus full of new MPs, many who do not speak French, Layton faces a monstrous challenge of bringing all these members together to operate as an effective and progressive opposition. Not an easy task and we wish him well.
At least now we can get on with the business of running Canada without the continuous threat of another election hanging over our heads. Canadians were sick of going to the polls every couple of years and they showed it.
The downside of the election is that only 60% of eligible voters took the time to go out and vote. What a shame when so many people around the world are protesting, many being killed, fighting for the right to vote that thousands of Canadians take for granted. We can only hope that some day this will change.
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Where were you when?????? This is always a fun conversation starter at many gatherings as we look back at the first man on the moon, Kennedy assassination, the fall of the Iron Curtain, to name a few. You can probably think of more historic events to add to the list. We can add another when word spread around the world with lightning speed that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by crack U.S. forces in Pakistan. No doubt he had the title of the most despised human being on the face of the earth after the very tragic events of 9/11 and it is a credit to U.S. technology, and determination, to chase him down.
Although everyone is pleased with the results of the raid, it will not be the end of attacks on our way of life by his band of followers who will not be happy until their kind rules the world. In fact, security forces around the world have been placed on high alert watching for signs of retaliation for what happened to their leader.
And we know from experience that these maniacs will spare no innocent life when it comes to accomplishing their despicable goals. They have no feelings for their fellow human beings if they are not part of their fraternity. The free world has tragically discovered this with their terrorist attacks on innocent people around the world.
But it does give one a sense of closure that this beast has been killed, and there were celebrations around the world. Sad part is we can all be assured that there will be another crackpot ready to assume the role of leader and will be planning retaliation. That's a way of life for these people who want to destroy our way of life.
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Merchants in Uxbridge work very hard, put in long hours, and show dedication to operating businesses that make our community strong. Not an easy task for small businesses to compete against the giant retailers with their large stores, massive advertising campaigns and a huge variety of merchandise on their shelves.
So it was great to see two of our Brock Street merchants gain national recognition as they were nominated in Canada-wide competitions. Blue Heron Books was established in 1989 and has provided a wonderful, and appreciated, service to the community for the past 21 years.
This year owner Shelley MacBeth finds herself among the three finalists for the Bookseller Of The Year Award. The winner will be announced at the 2011 CBA Libris Awards dinner on May 14 in Toronto. I know that Shelley will leave for the dinner with the full backing of all the residents of Uxbridge who will be cheering her on. Congratulations, Shelley. Great to see your hard work and dedication recognized.
And right next door on Brock Street Donna Van Veghel traveled to Montreal to pick up an award for operating Canada's most innovative bakery of the year. This is a wonderful honour when you realize that Baked at Frankie’s - gluten free - has only been open on Brock Street for 14 months and to be proclaimed the best competing against bakeries across Canada is an amazing accomplishment. In the short time they have been open they have attracted customers from many communities throughout the GTA.
Another wonderful boost for our community and our small, independent, business owners.
