Players Bend the rules and push the limits

around the Bend (players)
Wednesdays - Grand Bend Farmers’ Market; other dates and locations: see website

Interview & photos by Casey Lessard

aroundtheBend(players) are seven University of Windsor theatre students living in Grand Bend for the summer and performing street theatre at venues including Evinc Studios, the Grand Bend Farmers’ Market and the Lakeview Café.

What kind of theatre do you do?
Joshua Browne: We adapt our work to whatever our audience and whatever our space is. We’re performing at the Lakeview in a few weeks - probably some Shakespeare on their patio. We’ve talked about doing a show at the mini-golf place where it has all these little houses that look very Victorian, so we had an idea of doing some Shaw there and having an evening event or even have it happen while people are playing golf. We did clowning at the Farmer’s Market last Wednesday.

Who thinks of the themes and who thinks of the ideas?
Sean Topps: It’s a collaborative effort. We want to create our own work to reflect the community rather than to dictate to the community what we’re going to perform. It’s about all of us having a really open dialogue and a form of communication to collaborate and concoct a piece.

What do you hope to get out of being part of something like that?
Allie Boak: Becoming a self-sufficient actor I think is very important, especially nowadays in theatre and just exploring different types of theatre like site-specific work and working with this excellent group of people.

What do you hope the Grand Bend audience gets out of this?
Stephanie Carpanini: We want people to make up their own story through what they are seeing. Not necessarily always presenting to them your typical kind of conventional theatre and that it doesn’t have to be on a stage. We’re trying to give our age group and younger kids a love for art.
There aren’t a lot of young people anymore that appreciate theatre - I mean there are but nowadays kids just want to go out and party and drink beer - the kids on the streets of Grand Bend last night anyways.

When you look at the work that you guys are doing, what do you hope to address in the work that you are doing with this group?
Carolyn Lawrence: It’s important to challenge the audience. I mean you take these people, like last night, that are drunk and it’s easy to label them as drunks and they aren’t coherent and they wouldn’t understand so let’s give them a couple simple jokes and make them happy but you start to realize that there’s more to it than that. You can’t just label that audience. There were older generations walking by and there were some kids that would walk by.

Based on your experience last night and the practices you guys have been doing what have you learned so far from the experience?
David Baker: The show we did last night was very crazy and sort of raunchy. We did that because we knew the audience that we were going to direct it towards. And then we got all this crazy feedback. For some reason I was a little surprised but then again the audience reflected what we were doing in the same way. Sort of what we were doing on stage was exactly what was going on off stage. They were throwing pizza at us.
Joshua: As much as getting hit with a pizza sucks and heckling is a pain and it hurts, it’s also real. It’s also a real dialogue and we learn from that.

Christine, there was a tough scene where you’re having (simulated) oral sex performed on you. It’s a public place; you’re portraying something that’s very private. There’s sodomy and all this other stuff. What do you expect the reaction to be from the audience? I saw one group of people walk away at that scene.
Christine Carr: It was a comment on the life of Grand Bend, the life of these tourists who come into town. I think people sat there and had a little click in their minds that maybe this is an experience they’ve had and that’s why they walked away, or it’s something they relate with this party scene. As an actor it’s a scary thing to do. It takes a lot of guts and being able to throw yourself out there and go for it. There’s a fine line where it becomes pornography. Yeah, it was scary to go out there. It was risqué. The things that are the scariest are the most worthwhile. It makes it exciting and challenges the audiences. As long as you are true to the story and are specific.

Sean: The piece came out of a dissatisfaction of our culture at our age. Our generation, our pop culture. And the things we think are glossed over or missed in a lot of ways. Our knowing things aren’t quite right here. What we did is very surface and that’s what our culture is. It’s sex-driven and not of the self. That’s why we wanted to show it on stage.

Joshua: We drink, we party. We are part of this culture as much as anyone. It’s poking fun at stuff, but it’s not meant to put anyone down. We’re not trying to come down from on high; we’re trying to hold up a mirror. Sometimes it’s too accurate and hard to take.

Our home and native land

Why did Dudley die?
Sam George gets some answers

As told to Casey Lessard

Maynard “Sam” George’s brother Anthony “Dudley” George was shot by Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Kenneth Deane (who was later found criminally negligent) September 6, 1995 at Ipperwash Provincial Park.
After occupying the Camp Ipperwash military base for two years, about 35 protesters moved into neighbouring Ipperwash Provincial Park September 4 to call for the return of Stoney Point Nation lands at the camp and the park.
Dudley George was the only aboriginal person killed by police during a land claims dispute in Canada in the 20th century.

What really happened?

I look at this Report of the Ipperwash Inquiry and I wonder whether or not there’s ever been anything written like this before. From what I can see, somebody has finally said there were two sides to this story.
They obviously listened to the First Nations side as well as the other side and they came to the conclusions that resulted in this report. We had the police side of the story, the protestors’ side of the story, and my perspective for my family’s side of the story. They had political people in there, staff from the political parties, people from different departments in there. Everybody had an opportunity to come in and give their perspective on what happened. So many people had a story they wanted to tell. Not one person had the same story, not one.

One thing we can all agree on is that the night of September 6, Dudley George did lose his life. But what we need to do now is come together and make sure this never happens again.

A family history

My father was raised at the Stoney Point First Nation, which is now Ipperwash. When he moved here, he went into the armed forces. He and my mother were in the armed forces. When they came back they settled in Kettle Point and then moved to Sarnia.
In 1942, the government had come in and asked the people to surrender that piece of land so they could use it to make this army base. At that time the community members turned that down. Once they turned it down, the governments then enforced the War Measures Act, and they expropriated it through that. They came in and moved the families out of there in 1942. They just picked up their houses and moved them. This land was supposed to be given back after the war was over. That was part of what they were told. As you can see, 65 years later the land is still not in the hands of the First Nations people.
Part of that was they kept using excuses that they still weren’t done with it, that they needed it for training or for cadet camp every summer. Not really thinking too much about what was happening with the people that were originally from there, the governments looked and thought it would be cheaper to bring two bands together and put them on one piece of land. I don’t think they ever took into consideration the fact that we would grow, that our families would grow. To put them in one section of land, eventually we would start running out of land. And that’s what’s happening here.
They never looked at the growth of the First Nations people. They always took it as a declining race of people. They never looked into the future. We kind of know what their plan was but we don’t know whether they wrote down anywhere that they wanted the assimilation of the First Nations people.
Some of the people came back from the war and there was no homestead for them. They didn’t have email and the mailing system was very slow at that time. There was no communications system, especially if they were overseas. When they came home, there was no home for them. There was a fence and guards stopping them from going in. This is what our people went through.
They moved some of the houses. Some of them didn’t survive. We have one or two houses that are surviving. One is being lived in today and that’s my uncle’s house, which is partly my grandfather’s house from a long time ago. It has lots of additions on it, but the main part is still there.
On the northwest corner of the Stoney Point First Nation there was a piece of property that was surrendered to the province and that’s why the provincial government is involved in this along with the federal government. There’s that one little section in the corner. I know in 1937 there are reports from our council where the federal Indian agent had come in and said that the provincial government’s engineer had discovered remains in what was going to be the new provincial park. He asked him to come down and asked band council to pass a resolution and send it to Ottawa so they would fence off this area so they wouldn’t damage anything while they were doing construction on the park. It did go through that process, it made it through the federal government and went to the provincial government, but it was never done.

Moving home

I didn’t live here until I was 14 years old. I grew up on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation (in Sarnia). That’s where my mother was from and it was closer to my dad’s work. We moved back here and that’s when I started to live in this community.
Things happened to us pretty rapidly. We lived here not very long and our house burned. My family moved to the town of Forest, and that’s the house where my brother still lives. I never saw any difference between where I lived in Sarnia. The people were all pretty good, especially for us coming back into the community at such a late age. I started to get involved in a lot of stuff that was happening in the community, like minor sports and working with the community.
When we were married (Sam is married, has three children and five grandsons), we applied for a home (on the Kettle and Stoney Point nation) and this is where we built our home and raised our children. It’s where my kids all come back to and they call it home.
Growing up, I can remember Dudley with my brothers and sisters. I remember a lot of the Christmases and birthdays. Dudley himself was a person who liked to make people laugh. He liked to be around people. He would do things when he was asked to do things.
He was a handy fellow. He worked at jobs here and at the marina at Port Franks. He enjoyed that job very much. He liked to go out fishing. You see some photos where he’s ice fishing and out on a boat.
He helped around wherever he could. Mostly he liked being around people. He liked to joke around a lot. He’d just go around and visit. He helped our younger sisters a lot. He’d watch our nephews whenever they were involved in sports.
He liked to make sure he could make people smile. He wasn’t always like that, but that was the majority of the time.
Dudley lived in Forest most of the time. I have two brothers and a sister who live in Forest. I have another sister who lives in Port Franks. I have one brother in Kettle Point here and myself. Dudley hung around here and Forest and stayed around with my younger sister quite a bit.
Dudley worked along with this community and played some minor sports here as well. He kept connected with this community through family ties and that.
When they were protesting the former Ipperwash thing, they decided they were also going to get the park back. The park was where our grandfather had lived. There were burial grounds there that were never taken care of, and they felt at that time that it was another broken promise, so they decided they would protest there as well. That’s why they were in Ipperwash Park - because of the burial grounds that were never taken care of.
Dudley saw the opportunity to help out so he moved in there to lend support. Our father had passed away by then so Dudley was probably doing it to get the land back for them. They never had the opportunity to move back there.
That happened September 4. They waited until the park was closed and the campers were gone – they didn’t want to see anyone get hurt. As a result of it, my brother was shot and killed September 6. No one will ever forget that part.

Don’t give up the fight

In the beginning, all my brothers and sisters sat down in a room and realized there was going to be an estate that had to be done and there had to be somebody appointed to do all this stuff. At that point in time, my brothers and sisters appointed me to handle that. So that’s what I did. I became executor of the estate and as we asked questions we started to figure out whether we wanted to do something about it. Do we want to find out what happened? Was it necessary for him to die? We asked for an inquiry at that time. There were allegations that the premier was involved in it and had made these statements. We decided we needed to find out what really happened that night.
We started the process of looking for lawyers. Unfortunately, because it was a political case, they’d come back with things like ‘My neighbour’s an OPP officer, my family member’s an OPP.’ They just wouldn’t touch it. We ended up going to Toronto and found a lawyer named Delia Opekokew, who decided that she could help us on this case. Once we started and found there were no reports on this case and that we had to do all our own investigations, she said it was going to be a much larger case than we ever thought it would be and that at some point we would need a litigation lawyer. And that’s where Murray Klippenstein came in.
We started to dig, we filed a statement of claim in 1996, which got national coverage because of who we were mentioning in the claim, and that was the premier of Ontario, Mike Harris. It drew a lot of attention when we were starting to go through the civil court process.
We always said we would take a public inquiry instead of a civil suit and that if they would do that we would drop the civil suit. But that became a battle in the end, too. They fought us every which way. We didn’t want to fight with anyone. We just wanted answers and unfortunately it took a long time.
There’s a lot of work in there, a lot of sleepless nights, worrying about things because once we filed a statement of claim we got more motions to have names struck out of the statement of claim. We were going back and forth like that all the time. No one was really making a move until the court ordered that there was enough evidence there to keep the premier in the statement of claim. Once that happened, everybody followed suit. It took a long time.
When you’re at the inquiry you’re always working to make sure you don’t get left behind. You’re also working to keep ahead. You know where you’re going, you know who’s coming up the next day so you try to figure out what they’re going to say, and you have to be prepared if it goes this way or that way. It was a real thinking process for us and we were on the computers a lot. Even when we had legal counsel in Toronto, we were always on MSN, talking back and forth. It was a process that kept me involved very much. Sometimes I wouldn’t get home until 10 or 11 at night and be gone again at 7 o’clock in the morning.
It was very good to hear witnesses saying that they wouldn’t like to see anything like this happen again. They didn’t like being involved in stuff like that. The people that were there didn’t want to be there either.

Twelve years later, answers

I was satisfied with the inquiry report. It talked a lot about where we were going. The parties that were involved in this did get recommendations to take back and implement to change the way they do things. We need to make sure these recommendations get followed and that the report doesn’t sit on a shelf somewhere. What we want is that this never happens again to another person. That’s what this report has done.
The inquiry didn’t give any recommendations to help with any of the costs over the years. Me and my wife prepared ourselves for stuff like that. Sure, we had to sell some stuff and there were times when it was very, very tough on us. I have a lot of money tied up in this personally. It’s something where if you believe in what you’re doing and you have the support there when you’re doing it, then that part becomes a lot easier. We have a lot of bills now we have pay, but we’ll work out how we’re going to do it.
It cost a lot more than I imagined it would. I really didn’t think asking for someone to tell me what happened that night - to tell me whether or not it was really necessary that he died - I didn’t think it would be so costly and so timely just to try to get answers of that nature.

How Sam survived

My Chevelle (Sam is a Chevelle aficionado, and collects models as well as owning a classic car) is an interesting story because I had one other car that I had to sell in the beginning of this process because I needed money. Later on, my wife said, ‘You should buy yourself another car.’ I bought another car and when I started to fix it, I really didn’t have the time so my oldest brother Reggie did a lot of the work on it for me. He actually had to keep it for me for a while. Eventually we got it done and I have it in the garage.
We needed some kind of entertainment in our lives. We can’t always go and continuously do this type of work. Every now and then you have to give your mind a break. As soon as you get home, your phone starts ringing. I carry a cell phone. I have it on most of the time. That’s just a habit now. Before I needed it for decision making because my lawyers gave it all they had and they did a good job at it. You can see the results. But that’s why I have the car – to give me a change and relax a little bit.
My band supported me a lot in what I was trying to do, so when I needed to be gone or when I had time waiting for judge’s decision, I’d be “in the office.” (Sam was a youth worker for Family and Children’s Services for the band). Whenever I could be there I was there. Over the period of the inquiry, I was at the inquiry every day. That took all of my time at the time.
I haven’t even thought about (getting back to work) right now. I’m still pretty busy. People call me from all over right now – Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa. Their favourite question is how did I survive all of this. Well, I don’t know. That’s something I’ll have to sit down and figure out.
I counted on my elders quite a bit and they would keep track of me as well. Even the morning after the inquiry, they contacted me and said, ‘You need to do some stuff now. You need to get yourself up and look at getting yourself better.’ I did get run down pretty good in the end there. I did get sugar diabetes and that’s been a real battle. I’m now trying to get that settled down right now.
Not only because of my eating habits, but it’s also stress. There were days the blood pressure would go up and stress would go up. You couldn’t predict what your day would be like. You’re asking someone to tell the truth and you don’t know what’s going to come out.

A peaceful solution

To me, if someone would have sat us down in the beginning and said, ‘This is this person, this is that person. They’re responsible for this; they’re responsible for that.’ If we could have sat at a table and talked about that stuff in the beginning, we could have probably settled this soon after Dudley died. Unfortunately, they chose to take us down a different path. Because they took us down that path, it became very difficult and very costly for us. But we survived all of that and now we’re looking at a report and looking at getting it implemented.
It would help people if they came down and listened to some of the stories. Anybody can phone me or visit me any time. They can ask me questions if they want. They would learn that it wasn’t an easy way to go. In the system that you have to go and follow through, it sometimes becomes very harsh on you. They just don’t have any idea what it’s like.
People call you and tell you they have something that might be helpful to you. I always took that time to listen. I don’t care who it was that phoned me. I have people now calling me, ‘Can you help me with this? Can you help me with that?’ I try the best I can to help because people helped me.

What would Dudley think?

If he were alive to see this report, I think Dudley would say it was about time people started to listen to what we were saying. A lot of things that are in here are things he was standing up for. Burial grounds, treaty lands, a homeland. He was not only standing up for himself, but for his family, community and the First Nations people, saying ‘Somebody listen to us.’ That’s all we wanted – somebody to listen. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out that way. If you look at the recommendations, you’ll see where every little thing went wrong, who was involved, how things could have been done better. You see lots of those things in the report.
I would have rather had him around today. But one thing we do know is he did start something that night. He stood up for our rights, and he paid the ultimate price – he paid with his life.
When you look at it now, everything he was starting to do has come out in this book. I was allowed to do closing statements at the inquiry, and I said, ‘Now he can rest in peace.’ The work he started to do is now going to be divided up and given to the various parties and now it’s up to us to work together in a good way and make sure these recommendations are followed and implemented.
This is important not only to First Nations people, but to any person because we do have that right to speak up when we see something wrong. We don’t have to have that fear that if we do speak up that we will be put down the way he was. He was only speaking up.

We will start to forgive, but we can never forget the night of September 6.

Canada: land of opportunity

Jamaican Shirley Wright’s summer destination - southwestern Ontario - makes him a snowbird of a different feather

Forty-nine year old Kingston, Jamaica resident Shirley Wright has been coming to Canada every summer for the last 20 years to work at the Masfrankc farm, now the Strawberry Place (338 Elginfield Road, between Sylvan and Thedford - (519) 294-0070). Norm Masfrankc keeps bringing Shirley back for six-month terms: “Shirley works at the job as if it were his own. He’s very versatile. He’s a good gardener, carpenter. He can fix things; he’s mechanically motivated. He’s great in general to have around. If he can, he’ll motivate the other workers and keep them going. The main thing, he can be trusted.”

As told to Casey Lessard

I had never been on a plane or to Canada. We had a big storm in Jamaica the first year I was here in 1988 and I go home and my roof was blown off. It was a surprise. You got to put it back together because you need something to live in.
This was the first place I came. I didn’t know where I was going. At first, everything was strange. You’re going to a strange place where you don’t know anybody. Nobody tells you anything. You only see a contract sheet, which you sign that you will work for an individual. You don’t know the individual and the first time I came it was flue tobacco. From there we moved on to black tobacco and now it’s strawberries.
I came through a program that goes on in Jamaica. The government started it to try to help the poorer class of people. If you want it, you take it; if you don’t want it, you leave it. They put out a lot of cards and you take a test. They test your urine, your eyes; stuff like that. If you fail the test, then you can’t come.
I never even looked at the money. Most guys look at the money and say it’s really small. I never think of that. I never prepare myself to stick at a job in Jamaica – a handyman or carpenter – because I like to come back and be with Norm and Marg and especially Deb (their daughter). She built up my speed at work. I love to see her work.
Sometimes making a living in Jamaica is rough and sometimes it goes and comes. If I say I’m going to stick a job in Jamaica, then I can’t come here. It’s on and off. I will do something back there, but not long-term things. Then I come back.
When I’m there, I like to be by myself. I like to go fishing and be by myself. I enjoy that. Not go to dances or stuff like that.
I have (adult) children but I’m separated from my wife. I would come here every year and she felt lonely so she took off. I didn’t bother and kept going. I have kids with another girlfriend, but she died. They live in New York.
I like the boss. I love the family. They are there for me. If I do something wrong, they will say, Shirley, you’re wrong. I can see that. So I try to do the things that are necessary.
Norm told me that he would put me on to somewhere else when he retires. If he wants to do that, I would appreciate it and take it.
I don’t think I’m ready to retire. I don’t know yet. It’s a way back. I see a lot more work and getting a lot more experience.
The favourite thing about Canada: I like the people. I have a couple friends around, especially in Parkhill and Thedford. It’s a nice country, very clean and cool. I get along with the people. That’s the reason I like Canada.
Me and Norm, we have our little ride to Kettle Point. He shows me around the beach. I like the place. The only difference is the water is cold. In Jamaica, the water is a little bit different because it’s salt water. At midnight you can go in the water, but here you can’t do that.
I love Jamaica. It’s my homeland. It’s a warm country; you don’t have winter. It’s a nice country. But I like Canada because coming here, the first time and working, it granted me a lot of opportunities and experience.
I just want to come and work and when it’s time to go, I go. To live here, well, if the opportunity came, I’d take it.

A tale of two sons - Bryan Wiersma

Bryan and Mike Memorial Golf Tournament
Sand Hills Golf Resort
Saturday June 23
Register by calling: (519) 294-0516

Story by Casey Lessard

Bryan Wiersma

“I miss talking to him,” Anne Wiersma says. “I miss seeing him. I miss his hugs. Everything.”
Anne is talking about her son, Bryan, who died in 2002 after a four-month battle with cancer. Bryan, who had graduated from a landscaping course at Lambton College so he could work on golf courses, thought an allergy to grass was keeping his sinuses stuffed up.
“I said to him, ‘Bryan, maybe you should go see a doctor.’ He said, ‘No, it’s just my allergies.’ And it ended up when he finally did go, that he had a large tumour in his sinuses and it was a very aggressive lymphoma. This was the end of August.”
A new homeowner and only 23 years old, Bryan was helping build Riverbend golf course in Byron at the time. He sold his house and moved back with his parents so they could help take care of him.
“It was very hard,” says Peter Wiersma. “But we were prepared as a family to do whatever we had to do to see that Bryan became well again. I was retired at the time and Anne was going to work. We stayed by his side and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.”
“He had two chemo treatments that didn’t do anything,” Anne explains. “Then he went through a series of radiation treatments, which shrunk the tumour, but by this time the cancer had spread to the rest of his organs.”
“We could see that things were happening,” Peter says. “The appetite of a young man was no longer there. He would still go golfing with his friends and come home very tired.”
A good friend from high school, Mike Franjkovic, had just finished university and Bryan’s situation hit home; his girlfriend’s brother had died of cancer at 24.
“Bryan spent the last five days in the hospital just controlling the pain,” Anne says. “He was on so much medication I don’t think he knew we were there. Mike came in every morning and every evening during those days. Mike was a pallbearer, and a month later Mike was killed in a car accident.”
Bryan died December 5, 2002, three days after his 24th birthday and less than four months after his diagnosis. Mike died January 3, 2003 at the age of 23.
“That was a total shock,” Peter says. “We just couldn’t believe it; here was his good friend who had just started a new job and was by Bryan’s side during those last days. We just found it unbelievable that Mike passed away as quickly as it did happen.”
Soon after the second funeral in less than a month, Bryan and Mike’s friends came to their parents with a desire to do something to remember them. That’s when the tournament was conceived.
“Some people never seem to be able to deal with the death of a child,” Anne says. “But this way, we can see that something good happens for the community. I think it helps us deal with it.”
Profits go to a memorial fund at London Health Sciences Centre for cancer research, and to the medical centres in Strathroy and Parkhill. After five years of fundraising tournaments, Bryan’s spirit remains.
“Never at any time did Bryan give up,” Anne says. “Even though at the very end when they said there was nothing more they could do, he refused to believe that he was not going to fight it.”

A tale of two sons - Mike Franjkovic

Bryan and Mike Memorial Golf Tournament
Sand Hills Golf Resort
Saturday June 23
Register by calling: (519) 294-0516

Story by Casey Lessard

Mike Franjkovic

“There were three trucks,” Stan Franjkovic explains. “It was a slushy day; really bad weather. A lot of trucks on the road and one of them went by and splashed him on his windshield and he couldn’t see, lost control and went over into the other side. The other truck was following so close and hit him. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those freak accidents. If the other truck hadn’t been behind, he would have been calling asking me to come get him out of the ditch. That just didn’t happen.”
Instead, Stan received a call.
“I was here at the house. Mike had left about 10 minutes before I got up to go to work at seven o’clock in the morning. He just got dressed and went to work. I got a call about eight o’clock and it was his company saying ‘He’s not at work, has he left?’ That’s when I started thinking something is wrong. I tried to call his cell phone several times and couldn’t get through. Then I called the police and said, ‘Is there an accident on the road between here and St. Marys?’ They wouldn’t tell me anything. Then I really started to panic. I was just ready to start driving out to follow the path he took to work and I saw the policeman drive up. I knew something wasn’t right.”
Stan and Mike’s mom Lesley Hailstone had moved to North Middlesex to raise Mike and his twin sisters in a country setting.
“He was surrounded by nature and raised chickens and bunnies. He set up a stall and sold sweet corn.”
“He was always around if someone was in need because of a tragedy,” Stan says. “He had a lot of friends.”
At 23, Mike was set to be engaged later that year, and to get married the year after. His girlfriend’s brother died of Hodgkin’s disease, so he sympathized with the battle his friend Bryan Wiersma was fighting just before the two died one month apart.
“All their friends were spread out and came home twice in one month for sad occasions,” Lesley says. “They wanted to do something to remember the boys but in a happier setting. They decided on this golf tournament. It’s a win-win situation because there’s so much need in the community for fundraising.”
Julie McClinchey and Michelle Cocksworth got the tournament started and it’s now in its fifth year.
“You wonder what might have been,” Lesley says. “He was just getting started. We were really fortunate that he had moved back and was living at home for eight months prior to his death. It was nice to get to know him as a young man.”
Stan wishes something would be done to prevent another family suffering the pain of their loss.
“There’s no need for the trucks to go so fast on these country roads,” he says. “We found out from a reconstruction of the accident that they were traveling at 125 km/h in bad weather in January on a country road. Just recently neighbours of ours were killed, too.”
“You feel for the families and the upheaval that it causes,” Lesley adds. “We think of Mike all the time. Because he’s here. His spirit is here.”

(CTV - June 12 at 8 p.m.) Greg Gallello: “I want to put Grand Bend on the map”

Local businessman wants to be the next Canadian Idol

Oakwood Inn pub
June 1 & 2
9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Grand Bend native Greg Gallello owns and operates Little Gino’s, Yogen FrÜz, and Sam’s Playing Fields Batting Cages as well as performing live music in the area

Personal Style:
Really laid back. I grew up on the beach. My whole life has been about where the sand meets the water. Everything has been laid back, easygoing, good vibe.

Influences:
Musical influences would definitely be more modern. The Fray; they’re just throwing out hit after hit right now. It’s just a good feeling when I listen to their songs or when I play them myself. Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Coldplay. Serious influences would even be anything from The Beatles, Billy Joel, Elton John.

What people can expect:
I want people to come with high expectations. I play to the crowd, and my repertoire ranges. I have all different age groups that I play to, so from 19 to 60 or 70. I play everything from 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s to more modern. I like to see other people having a good time and paying attention.

Interview and photos by Casey Lessard

Who makes you want to sing?
Myself. I just love singing. I’m singing all day long. There’s no particular one person who makes me want to sing. I sing because it’s my life.

 

 

 

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What is your favourite music moment?
My newest favourite music moment was auditioning for Canadian Idol. Before that, I have a couple that have stayed in my mind and made me want to pursue music more. When I was 16, a friend of mine was in charge of Canada Day long weekend. We had around 40,000 to 45,000 people on the beach and I was asked to open up for the fireworks. Another one was hearing myself on the radio for the first time, on FM96. I was 19 at the time, and going out west after a summer here to pursue a music career. I called FM96 because I was driving out and thought it would be cool to go with someone. So I asked Jeff McArthur if he could do a shout out to anyone listening for anyone to go out West with me. He asked why I was doing that, and I told him I was a musician, a piano player, etc. He asked if I had a piano around. I said sure. He asked me to play Piano Man and I did a three-minute live piece on FM96 and asked if he could play it. I found out six months later that he kept it and was still playing it when I got back the next June every couple weeks.

Where do you like to spend your time?
On the beach. Being a businessman and running four businesses here in the summer, I don’t get down there that often, but when I do, that’s where I do a lot of my writing and my brainstorming. All my music comes from the beach. When I’m down there, everything just feels right.

When do you think you will achieve what you want?
I’ve already achieved almost everything I want to. Everything above what I’m doing now is just an added bonus. I like to get back what I put out, and I’ve been putting out so much with my music that it just feels right how everything is coming back for me. You can always hope for more, right?

Why did you start performing?
It was fun. I’ve always just had that in me to want to perform in front of people. It always felt good. Growing up with two sisters and a brother, I was the one that always wanted the most attention and found any way I could to get it. It started out banging pots and pans, and turned into different instruments and singing.

You can track Greg Gallello’s progress on Canadian Idol starting June 5 at 8:30 p.m. on CTV.

 

 

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“It’s a new day for me every day”

Teacher’s tenure equals half of Mt. Carmel school’s age

Story and Photos by Casey Lessard

“To come over the horizon on that highway, it’s just a great feeling. You’d think that would wear off after a while, but it hasn’t.”
Gloria Miotto Wilks is talking about her daily commute from north of London to Mt. Carmel, which she has made for the past 25 years. The senior staff member, Miotto Wilks has been a teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic school for half of the school’s life.
“[I feel] very young;” she says, laughing. “Younger than 50! It definitely makes you think about time and time passing. But I’ve always thought about it very positively and it’s been a super positive experience. I don’t look at it as an aging thing. I look at it as fun and learning.”
Staff and students are preparing for the school’s 50th anniversary this weekend, with a special mass Sunday at the church followed by an open house at the school. It will be a chance for past students and staff to reminisce and talk about their time at the school with other guests. The occasion brings back fond memories of Miotto Wilks’ first trip to the school. Her first class was a 5/6 split, and she came prepared.
“I had come from Toronto and had done my student teaching in a very difficult area,” she recalls. “There were a lot of racial issues in the early 80s, and it left a very bad experience at my last teaching post. I came here thinking I’d better come in here charged. I remember I put my long hair into a bun to look older and sort of strict, and when I walked into the classroom, I had one of the most fantastic classes I’ve ever had and even looking at them now, they’ve done wonderful things. I let my hair down the second day.”
Fast forward 25 years, and Miotto Wilks is still learning every day. Technology funded by the government has helped the process along.
“In the last five years I probably learned as much or more than I did in the previous 20. The government has given us lots of money and our board has tapped into that for literacy and numeracy. In the last five years, the philosophy of teaching has changed. We always did new things to a certain extent, but philosophically the growth has been more in the past five years.”
After starting out with Commodore computers, “We now have two smart boards, we have a computer lab, and each classroom is outfitted with two computers. If I had to say an area where I’d like to grow, that would be it. As computers were coming to the fore, I was busy with my kids at home and I’m not a technical person by nature. There definitely is a place for it. The kids type their homework and do a lot of their research on it.”
Even such basics as the 3Rs have changed.
“When you were a little kid, a math book had a lot of numbers on the page and a lot of it was skill building and facts. Now, there are a few numbers, but much more problem solving types of activities. I know for parents it was a big learning curve for them to figure out what the question was asking. I’ve even had that problem as a teacher. We’re making kids more cognizant of the fact that they’re thinking. Reading is thinking, so I’ll stop in the middle of a lesson and ask, What are you thinking about? What have you asked yourself while you’re reading? Also a lot of sharing of ideas; a lot of group work. It’s not quiet anymore.”
Miotto Wilks has taught Grades 3 to 8 and had a French homeroom for nine years. But unexpected moments have created the fondest memories.
“I remember I met a boy in the mall - I taught music and not that great; I play the guitar. This boy came and stopped me, he’s now 20 and he graduated from Fanshawe and he came and hugged me. He said, ‘Remember teaching us Simon and Garfunkel songs, that was so cool! Whenever I play those songs as a DJ I think of you.’”
And Miotto Wilks will never tire of seeing her students succeed.
“I was teaching Grade 7/8 at the time, a very bright class, and one gal was awesome and two years ago I got an invite from her parents. They had a little graduation party at their family farm and they really wanted me to come. So I did and she was thrilled that I came. She wrote me a beautiful thank you note with a picture of her as a doctor in it.”
So with her own success translating to her students, what will she do for an encore? Although Miotto Wilks doesn’t keep track of the exact number, she could retire within the next 5-7 years.
“I am not one to sit around and not do much, so the thought of retiring makes me feel sad. I need to be busy, so I might volunteer with the men’s mission. I don’t know if I’ll supply or not. I think once I’m finished I might be finished. Doing nothing is not a choice for me.
“I love coming here every day. People ask me, Are you tired of it? I say, No, it’s a new day for me every day.”

50th anniversary

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, Mt. Carmel
Sunday, June 3
11 a.m. - Celebratory mass
12:30 p.m. – Open house

Contact: Principal Mike Bruneel
(519) 237-3337
http://mtcarmel.hpcdsb.edu.on.ca/

Mass
- Guests from school board speaking and local, provincial and federal governments presenting certificates

Open house: School open for community members, past students and staff to look around and reminisce
- Food available
- DJ playing music from 50s
- Photos from the beginnings to now on display
- Silent auction to help offset event costs

“There’s a lot of buzz about the event in the community. Most of the response has been from past students who are looking forward to coming back to the school. We’re looking forward to having the whole community come out and celebrate the past, present and future of the school.” – Mike Bruneel

Band Profile: Cactus Jam

Grand Bend Legion
June 2
3-6 p.m.

Goderich-native Arlene Darndrough (keyboard and vocals) and Seaforth-native Kim Such (guitar and vocals).
Strip spoke with Arlene Darndrough.

Personal Style: We do just about everything. We just worked our repertoire up so we do almost everything except for current top 40. Once in a while, Kim will do a couple of those tunes. We do jazz, we do classics, we do country, whatever people ask for.

Influences: Anybody. We like all sorts of music. I can’t really say that there’s any because we take the CD of the song that we like and duplicate it. It’s just been experience in bands and trying to find something that everyone enjoys so we can do any venue we want and keep it affordable.

What people can expect: It’s entertaining and they can dance if they want. There’s humour.

Interview by Casey Lessard

Who got you started in music?
Arlene: Probably my father. He was a self taught singer and piano player. He played in nightclubs and he played Eddie Duchin style. Eddie Duchin was a famous piano player and he had a specific style. They actually made a movie about him, so he was as popular as Glen Miller.

What do you like about being a musician?
I like music or I wouldn’t be doing it. I just like any kind. The challenge is good and the end result is satisfying as well.

Where did you first perform?
It was with a big band and I don’t remember the name but it was at the Stork Club in Port Stanley. As Cactus Jam we’ve been together 15 years with different members coming and going; I’ve been the only constant but different people come and go.

When did you decide that this was something you would do all the time?
When it became obvious that people wanted to hear music they could dance to and have it still be affordable. These days DJs have taken over. But I’ve always wanted to be in a band. This seems to be what people want and we’ve kept with it.

Why do you think people still want live music?
It’s not so much the young generation. The older generation wants live music because they’re used to it. We’re affordable so we do a lot of backyard parties and special events. Some people prefer to see live music at work. Some bars we go to, the younger generation is receptive to it, but at weddings, you’ll almost never see a band now. That’s probably because a bigger band is not affordable. A lot of bands do it for pleasure more than for profit.

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Band Profile: Bob Finlay

Grand Bend Legion
May 19 3-6pm

Hometown: St. Thomas
Personal Style: Everything from early war tunes to East Coast Canada to Elvis, 50s, 60s, 70s. Canadian folk music. Audience participation.
Influences: My dad; high school teacher Frank Hurlehay; vocal coach and Caledonians accompanist Dr. Wayne Carroll
What people can expect: A fun, lively, entertaining high caliber afternoon.

Interview and photo by Casey Lessard

Who inspires you?
My dad. My dad’s passed now, but he got me into music. Andy Stewart, a huge Scottish entertainer. When I came to Canada, Gordon Lightfoot and the Guess Who. Then Neil Diamond and Elvis, the Eagles.

What makes you want to sing?
It’s my very being. I’ve been an entertainer since I was 15 years of age. It’s going on 38 years I’ve been playing Legions and around the world. There’s a deep internal drive. It’s a God-given talent that needs to be shared.

Where do you like to perform?
I perform many different ways. The Caledonians play stage shows; that’s the top professional level of what I do. I’ve played in Scotland, Vegas, Disneyworld, New York, East coast, West coast. But I also play Highland Games and I enjoy that. I also love Legions and war tunes because it gives people memories of times past. When people come in, they come from all walks of life, but they go out saying they had a good afternoon with Bob.

When do you find time for yourself?
I’m a therapeutic music recreationist at Regional Mental Health Care at St. Joseph’s in London. With that, I’ve done a lot of re-teaching musical instruments to clients who in turn go out and perform at seniors’ homes.

Why did you become a musician?
It’s my destiny. When I was a boy, our family would have get-togethers and music was always there. Everyone would pick up an instrument and then I took lessons. Eventually it’s all you do. Music is the very essence of who I am. It shows the minute I step on stage or when I talk to someone.

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Band Profile: Mike Fagan

Grand Bend Legion
May 26 3-6pm

Hometown: Originally from East Coast; currently London
Personal Style: All over the place. Started out playing classical; folk after school; session musician in L.A.; rock solo act in Canada.
Influences: Bob Dylan to Pink Floyd to Buddy Guy. Heavily influenced by jazz. I’m constantly studying that type of music.
What people can expect: At the Legion: Irish, older tunes, dance music from the swing era, 50s, 60s. At the clubs: Stone Temple Pilots, Tragically Hip, Black Sabbath, etc.

Interview and photo by Casey Lessard

Who blows your mind?
Miles Davis. What he did was took jazz and infused it with rock, which has become the focus of all musicians these days. Pink Floyd acknowledges that he was the inspiration for Dark Side of the Moon. I like Buddy Guy but that’s in my personal time.

What inspires you?
My kids; I have three. And my wife. My family is the source of the magic.

Where did you get your first big break?
When I was around 19 I was playing at the Kee to Bala (in Muskoka). I was the house band there and they asked me to open for a band called Max Webster (with lead singer Kim Mitchell). I had to walk on with just a guitar in front of this big crowd, and it actually went really well. That’s when I realized that I could make a go at it as a professional musician.

When is your favourite time of day?
Early morning, but I don’t see it very often in my line of work. I love the sunrise. The only time I see six or seven o’clock is when I’m on holiday, whereas most people try to avoid that when they’re on holiday.

Why do you do it?
I’m a musician. I don’t have a choice (laughs). It’s always called me and I just keep doing it. I decided a couple years ago to cut back on the traveling and have focused on teaching because I was away too much. So now I play three times a week, and I get a big kick out of teaching and watching the people I’m teaching on the verge of going pro.

Mike is working on a book called Campfire Guitar, which will be released in 4-6 months.

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