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.
I love a bargain
The end of October will see our Governor-General Michaelle Jean leave her post and return to civilian life. Normally this is something I would not comment on, but this past summer I was privileged to attend at Rideau Hall the inauguration of a large number of Canadians into the Order of Canada.
It was the first time I had seen this lady in action, and I was impressed with the sincerity and warmth that she demonstrated during the very important award ceremonies.
As each recipient was announced, the G-G greeted him or her in a most welcoming manner and spent several moments in private conversation before moving on. There was no indication on her part that this was just another ho-hum duty of her office as she made each recipient feel they were the most important Canadian at that moment.
Later, at the reception on the grounds, she mingled in a most casual manner and made herself available for many photos without complaint.
Many Canadians often criticize the office of the Governor-General but, after being exposed to this prestigious ceremony, I am no longer one of them. Michaelle Jean is a very gracious and warm lady, and I wish her and her family well in the future and, at the same time, express the wish that her successor carries on the tradition of using the office to honour Canadians who make a positive difference in the lives of Canadians.
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Quebec is one of our most beautiful provinces. I am sure most Canadians would agree with that statement.
Setting that aside, this same province can give a lot of Canadians, and visitors, a real pain in the butt as Quebecois are coddled by politicians who cherish the large number of votes they can cast in federal elections.
For instance, it irks me that the rest of Canada has to be bilingual in order to appease our Quebec neighbours but the same doesn’t apply to them. A visit to that province and bilingualism is rarely seen. Most signs are in French only which, I am sure, can make driving dangerous for visitors who do not understand the language.
This is maybe a small thing, but one that irks, is that you can’t make a right turn on a red light like the rest of Canada. Of course there are no signs to warn of this unusual law and, again, first time visitors often find themselves in confusing and dangerous situations.
And, worst of all, like most Canadians, the fact that they continue to support the Bloc Quebecois, a party whose sole aim is to divide our great country, is very upsetting to say the least.
But a visit to Mont Tremblant over the holiday weekend gave a whole new appreciation for that part of Canada. Walking into the supermarket in St. Jovite, I noticed a young man surrounded by a large pile of full Molson beer cases, and he was standing behind one of those sample tables quite evident in most supermarkets.
This sure caught my interest, so I walked over and, sure enough, it was a new product and I was offered a half glass as a taste test. For one who lives in staid Ontario, it was hard to believe I wasn’t dreaming.
As I put the nectar to my lips, I fully expected that any moment my enjoyment would be spoiled by a police officer putting me in cuffs and whisking me off to nearest jail cell for drinking in public. Or, at the least, I would become the victim of dirty looks from some of my religious friends who live by the adage that ‘lips that touch liquor will never touch mine’ which, I should add, is fine with me in most cases.
But nothing like this happened, and I soon discovered another reason to be more fond of Quebec when I asked the price of a case of 24 bottles.
“That will be $21.95”, he said.
“No, you misunderstood me”, I replied. “I don’t want a 12 pack. I want a case of 24”.
Well, you could have picked me up off the floor when he said that was for a case of 24. So as I loaded three cases in the car (I love a bargain) and as I drove away I thought to myself that maybe Quebec isn’t quite as bad as I have been led to believe.
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I’m sure my friends in Ottawa get bored with me continually bragging about my hometown of Uxbridge. But it is so easy to boast when we have so much going on throughout the year.
This trip I carried with me a few of the program booklets that cover the 25th Anniversary of the Celebration of the Arts. If you haven’t seen one yet you will be as impressed as I with all the activities that run from September 16 to October 9.
As I distributed the booklets among friends, I was pleased with the response as they marvelled that a community the size of Uxbridge could organize and support an event of this size on an annual basis for the last 25 years.
We have so much going for us in our hometown, that it is not hard to become a goodwill ambassador. And, the nice part, you don’t have to be appointed to the position. Just take pride in your community and go about telling it the way it is and, like me, you will soon enjoy seeing the positive response.
