Although on the ‘older’ side of my life (or the ‘other’ side depending on where you are standing), I’m still too young to remember witnessing or participating in a traditional ‘old-style’ GUIGNOLÉE; but I can still remember learning by heart some verses of its original sing-along song when in primary school:

Bonjour le maître et la maîtresse,

Et tout le monde de la maison

Pour le dernier jour de l’année

La guignolée vous nous devez

La guignolée, la guignoloche,

Mettez du lard dedans nos poches!

‘Guignolée’ is somewhat an old-fashioned French word that is very seldom used and most only in referring to the pre-Christmas activity we all know about; it has no exact English translation, the closest being ‘food drive’. Guignolées are normally held in late November/early December, mostly in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; most often, it is managed by local social clubs and/or community organizations whose volunteers collect non-perishable foods and funds to help underprivileged families and individuals during the holiday season.

The ‘guignolée’ tradition originates in the founding of New France and its Christian roots: the very first guignolée in Quebec is said to have taken place in 1861 and organised by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. On Christmas eve and on New Year’s eve (St. Sylvestre), volunteers from the community traveled from house to house on horse-drawn carriages to collect food for the community’s needy; as they arrived, they rang a bell to announce their arrival and would launch  into their sing-along; favourites donations were pork shoulders which were often butchered especially for the holiday season gatherings and meals. ‘Courir la guignolée’ was at the same time a fun event for the ‘guignoleux’ who would have fun singing, joking, stopping in every household for a foot-warming next to the fireplace, a ‘throat-warming’ liquid compliments of the family and possibly a cruising opportunity for unmarried and available ladies and gents…

In our own area at large (Prescott-Russell and Argenteuil counties), few actual house-to-house guignolées are still taking place: the village of L’Orignal usually holds one, managed by the L’Orignal Volunteer Firefighters Association and the Knights of Columbus Conseil Saint-Jean-Baptiste, but for pandemic reasons, they resorted to drop-off areas for donations: L’Orignal Fire Hall and L’Orignal Food Bank; please check locally or on social media for specific details. Again this year, the Vankleek Hill Food Drive to help supply the village’s Food Bank will be held in association with Foodland in its parking lot. The village of Grenville decided to use a similar format : three depot centres have been set to received your donations : Campbell Centre (west), Bougie Centre (centre) and the Catholic church basement (east).  In Lachute, a ‘live’ traditional guignolée was held on the 20th of November and was a huge success: residents were asked to leave their donations outside their front door and ‘guignoleux’ went from house to house for no-contact pick-up; the event was organized and supervised by Le Centre d’entraide d’Argenteuil. At time of publication, we couldn’t confirm any other ‘authentic’ guignolée. Many communities, businesses and organizations are holding typical ‘food drives’ where you are invited to contribute, either in person or online, donating either products or funds, and share your wealth and generosity with a less fortunate neighbor. Check local papers, billboards, social media memos/postings, check with your friends,  co-workers, relatives as to where and how you can contribute. Thank you all!

A community movement and non-profit organization founded in 1984 in Quebec City by Jean-Marie De Koninck, a mathematician, professor at Laval University and sports analyst in swimming competition for CBC/Radio-Canada, OPERATION NEZ ROUGE/RED NOSE was originally created as a fundraising mean to finance the university’s swimming team; but it far exceeded his creator’s original expectations, bringing the participation of 45,000+ volunteers each year and offering its ride service to more than one million people since its start; it raises yearly more than one million Canadian dollars and re-distributes these donations to over 150 amateur sports organizations. Its service is offered in the province of Quebec, several other francophone countries, as well as other locations throughout Canada, using both the French or the English name as an identifier and trademark.

Who? What? Where? When? How? This year’s marks its 38^th annual campaign. If you are not familiar with the service because it is not offered in your area (which is the case for Eastern Ontario residents), here are a few specifics: the service is an escorting service (not to be mistaken for ‘escort’ service…) which is offered to anyone who feels incapacitated due to alcohol or drug consumption, sick or unwell, and consequently unable to drive a motor vehicle safely. An aggressive advertising campaign using all media forms reminds everyone of the availability of the service when necessary, service which is available during the Christmas season; this year’s service will run from November 26^th to December 31^st. The operating costs for the season are covered by sponsors, in Quebec’s case, les Caisses Desjardins and la Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

Volunteering is a sure way to spend an evening/night full of surprises, of awkward situations, of juicy anecdotes, all the while contributing at keeping our roads and fellowmen/women safe. Operation Red Nose thrives to offer its volunteers a rewarding experience while keeping everyone within the sanitary regulations imposed upon us all by Covid: wearing a mask, showing proof of vaccination and identification documents. The escort team consists of three volunteers: the ‘driver’ who uses his own car to drive the other two volunteers to the client’s location; the ‘designated driver’ drives the client home in his own car while the ‘navigator’ keeps the client entertained, collects donation and issues receipt.

Surprisingly, as listed on the official website operationnezrouge.com, only seven Canadian provinces/territories participate in the program; double the surprise, in Ontario, the only two regions who do are Quinte and Northumberland; triple the surprise, even our National Capital Ottawa discontinued its participation since 2016, although its benefits to a certain extent from the Gatineau service. In Eastern Ontario and more specifically our Hawkesbury/Champlain area, no service per se although our Quebec neighbors may extend their service here: the Saint-Jérôme district (450-432-6811) services Grenville, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge and other Argenteuil locations,  while the Vaudreuil-Dorion district services locations up to Pointe-Fortune and the QC-ON border (450-424-4011). Being able to put together a group of dedicated volunteers AND a qualified administration is always a challenge in these times of the year (Christmas holidays, snowy and icy roads, …) and is obviously the main reason this program doesn’t have a local branch.

Although it is ‘THE’ season for celebrations, the season for sharing gifts, handshakes, hugs, exotic foods and DRINKS… Who’s counting? Maybe you stopped counting, or never did keep count, or were in a state where you were unable to correlate numbers and intoxication… But the police will if they pull you over and crash your festivities. It can prove to be a very costly decision: why risk it? Call a relative, a friend, a taxi service (two reliable companies service Hawkesbury and area). And take care of your liver: you only have one!

« Allons à la rencontre de l’autre! » Tel était le thème de la rencontre ‘en présentiel’ (Wow, enfin!) du tout dernier ‘Café du Maire’ tenu à la salle de la Légion royale canadienne en après-midi, le samedi 13 novembre dernier; les ‘Cafés’ précédents ayant été tenus en mode virtuel via Zoom, il faisait bon enfin de voir et/ou revoir un événement public; un auditoire de quelques 70 personnes a répondu à l’appel avec enthousiasme.

Ce ‘Café’ célébrait ‘La semaine nationale de l’immigration francophone’;  du fait que la ville de Hawkesbury soit directement impliquée dans le programme ‘Communautés Francophones Accueillantes’ (CFA) au niveau provincial avec les villes de Sudbury et  Hamilton, cette activité cadrait également dans un programme triennal (2020-2023) parrainé par le ministère fédéral de l’Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté et auquel participent quatorze autres villes canadiennes.

Le communiqué de presse issu par le bureau de Madame le Maire souligne que ‘Tout nouvel arrivant doit relever plusieurs défis et qu’il devient essentiel aux citoyens d’intervenir afin de faciliter l’intégration de ces personnes et familles à leur nouveau milieu de vie et milieu de travail. Cette diversité insuffle un grand dynamisme à la communauté ‘accueillante’, une richesse culturelle, sociale et économique.’

Le facteur ‘FRANCOPHONIE’ demeure fondamental pour faciliter cette intégration et faire qu’elle soit la plus fluide, la plus douce et la plus épanouissante possible pour tous et toutes et en utilisant tous les outils d’intégration à leur portée : littérature, musique, sport, scolarisation, emploi.

Du Cameroun au Sénégal, en passant par l’Allemagne et Edmonton en Alberta, Muriel Mben vient de poser ses valises à Hawkesbury, Ontario. Titulaire d’une maîtrise en anthropologie et littérature et auteure du roman La fumée qui s’échappe du feu des marmites, elle nous a dressé un portrait de la littérature francophone africaine à travers l’implication des femmes et a offert une lecture publique du premier chapitre de son roman afin de mettre les lecteurs présents en appétit; d’ailleurs, plusieurs membres du club francophone de lecture de Hawkesbury étaient présents et s’en sont procuré copie avec plaisir. L’époux de Madame Mben, Urbain, l’a suivie au micro et a présenté un profil-type de l’émigrant-immigrant avec toutes les surprises (la neige et le froid), les essais-erreurs et les belles découvertes que cette décision implique; il semble d’ailleurs que leur choix familial de s’établir à Hawkesbury en permanence fasse partie de ces belles découvertes puisque c’est la décision qu’ils ont prise. Bienvenue!

Pour clore l’après-midi, les Crooneux, groupe local de chanteurs séniors, ont à leur tour fait la promotion de la francophonie par la chanson et ont ouvert leur spectacle en offrant à leur public la magnifique chanson d’Yves Duteil La langue de chez nous qui s’ouvre sur ces très belles paroles C’est une langue belle avec des mots superbes… La petite histoire de cette chanson raconte qu’Yves Duteil était en tournée au Canada et profitait de quelques jours de vacances chez son ami et mentor Félix Leclerc à l’Ile d’Orléans quand il en eut l’inspiration; de retour chez lui en France, il la composa et quelque temps plus tard, de retour chez Félix, il la lui chanta en grande première et Félix se mit à pleurer de la beauté des mots et de la mélodie. Les Crooneux ont ensuite gâté un public connaisseur des mélodies de Louvain, Aznavour, Bécaud et plusieurs autres de leurs coups d’cœur!

Bref, un bel après-midi, dans un climat d’ouverture à l’autre, à ce qu’il avait à dire, à raconter, à chanter, le tout en hommage à notre langue, le français.   Merci à Mesdames Paula Assaly et Lucie Titley d’avoir rendu le tout possible.

Photo courtoisie de Kpoti Wilson

Madame Muriel Mben fait lecture d’extraits de son nouveau roman La fumée qui s’échappe du feu des marmites lors du dernier ‘Café du Maire’.

Autumn is said to be the irreversible decline of the seasonal year, moving us toward cold and dark winter days and nights, yet it is far from miserable: unexpected warm days and blue skies, magnificent splashes of colors in nature, new scents in the air carried by flowers, bushes and trees reaching the end of their cycle, night and day playing tricks on our sleeping patterns and appetite with time-change… Although when surveyed, Canadians chose SUMMER hands-down as their favorite season (57%), they also state they love the fact that we live in a four-season environment and that each one has something special to offer…if, naturally, you are open to such offers as snow, raking leaves, icy sidewalks and snow tires…

On one of those typical autumn afternoon, let’s head east and (re-)discover Pointe-Fortune, Quebec, or is it Pointe-Fortune, Ontario??? In fact, as you will exit Highway 417 and get on the side-road leading to destination, you will realize that you are now on La Grande Montée Interprovinciale Road (its name is an obvious clue) which is the divide between Ontario’s Prescott-Russell Counties and Quebec’s Vaudreuil-Soulanges Counties; as you reach the end of the road and the Ottawa River, you will now be reaching Pointe-Fortune by Chemin des Outaouais Road; turn left and you will be entering Ontario, turn right and you are in Quebec. Maps consulted show that the land and inhabitants on the Ontario side constitute the ‘hamlet’ of Pointe-Fortune and fall under the East Hawkesbury/Chute-à-Blondeau postal address, while those on the Quebec side constitute the ‘municipality-village’ of Pointe-Fortune which has its own postal address. A stone border marker still stands on the property/land of the Macdonell-Williamson House indicating historically the separation between Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario) and Lower Canada (modern-day Quebec). Now that this is settled and that you know where you are, let’s discover and enjoy what it has to offer!

If you thought that Pointe-Fortune’s first explorers and inhabitants came here looking to get rich and build a fortune as the ambitious miners in gold-rush frenzy in Alaska and the Yukon did, you will be disappointed with the very simple source of the ‘fortune’ in its name: William FORTUNE and his son Joseph were the local surveyors who contributed  to survey La Seigneurie de Rigaud’s 1^st and 2^nd concession and divide it into the lots which have then become what is now Pointe-Fortune; it first wore the names of Petites Écores and then Petit Carillon; in 1880, it gained its independence from Rigaud and became ‘La municipalité du village de Pointe-Fortune’.

Historically, before the construction of the Carillon power dam in the 1960s and the floodings that reconfigured its geography, the Trans-Canada highway ran through the village and it was an important trading post and transportation hub for Indian tribes, ‘coureurs des bois’ (itinerant fur traders),  ‘draveurs’ (log drivers) and vacationers. Its ferry across the river to Carillon started servicing as far back as 1833 and is part of the village’s heritage; built in 1904, its catholic church, St-François-Xavier, was closed permanently in 2014. Starting in 1892, passenger trains servicing the Montreal to Ottawa line branched off from Rigaud to Pointe-Fortune and ran for almost fifty years; but as World War II dragged on and the need for steel for ammunition increasing, the service was cancelled, tracks were recuperated and its steel re-used for war needs.

Pointe-Fortune’s population stands at 580 (2016 Canada Census) which share 285 housing units; average age of population is above 44 of which seniors are the majority; 90% declared French as their first language. The village’s main tourist attractions are the Carillon power dam which is run by Hydro-Quebec although it is built in Ontario waters and land, and the heritage Macdonell-Williamson House, built by fur trader John Macdonell as a general store and port of call for steamboats traveling the Ottawa River from Lachine, QC to Ottawa; the house was later sold to and remained with the Williamson family until the 1960s when the Ontario Heritage Trust acquired it to save it from demolition; extensive architectural and archeological investigations are still taking place on the property.

A final point of interest, especially for French-Canadian boomers: a famous French-Canadian stand-up comic and TV personality from the 1960s, OLIVIER GUIMOND, had roots in the village as his father, Olivier père, owned a summer cottage in the village and would spend the summer season in town with his family; if you don’t know Olivier from the TV show he starred in, CRÉ BASILE, you certainly will recognize him from the 1965 advertising campaign by LABATT Brewery for its ‘50’ brand in  which he came up with the unforgettable expression ‘Lui, y connait ça!’ along with the ‘thumb-up’ sign. 2021 marks the 50^th anniversary of his death; the local park’s name along with a commemorative plaque honor his memory to residents and visitors.  Too bad that ZOOL’S, the local resto-bar offering renowned wood-oven pizzas, is now closed: you’ll have to bring a snack or picnic and lounge in the zen décor at the foot of the dam. Enjoy!

This is a very emotional war story I read a few years ago and kept in file until the moment I would like to read it again; I am sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of such poignant letters kept in special souvenir boxes in secret closets in a lot of local houses, those whose grandparents were involved in World Wars I or II or were part of Canadian Peacekeeping forces around the world; some of those letters were maybe very private in nature and were never shared, some other, like Officer Vivian Rosewarne’s letter, couldn’t be kept secret: Vivian’s mother must have been very proud of the values which his son lived by and unfortunately died by and wanted to share her feelings. Here is their story.

“An Airman’s Letter to his Mother”, written by Flying Officer Vivian William Noall Rosewarne to his mother was published in the The Times, Great Britain’s national newspaper, on June 18, 1940.

Rosewarne, the co-pilot, died with the other crew members in Belgium. On May 30, 1940, a force of 17 Wellington bombers from RAF Marham took off to provide close ground support to the British Force as they withdrew from the beaches of Dunkirk. The crew from RAF 38 Squadron took off from RAF Marham in their Wellington bomber (Aircraft R 3162) at 22:35, and crashed in a field outside Veurne, about 25 kilometres south of Ostend, Belgium.

The letter was found by Group Captain Claude Hilton Keith, Station Commander at RAF Marham, amongst Rosewarne’s possessions after the plane and its crew were reported missing and presumed killed. The letter had been left open in order for it to be checked by a censor before it was sent to the mother. ‘This letter was perhaps the most amazing one I have ever read: simple and direct in its wording, but splendid and uplifting in its outlook’ did he say. When sending it to Rosewarne’s mother, the Group Captain asked her whether she might give him authorization to publish it anonymously: ‘I felt its content might bring comfort to other mothers, and that everyone in our country may feel proud to read of the sentiments which support ‘an average airman’ in the execution of his arduous duties’, did he add to justify his request. The mother agreed and the letter was duly published in The Times.

According to letters from Rosewarne’s mother written in 1946 and 1947 after her visits to the site of her son’s death, the farmer, in whose field the bomber came down, told her that the plane circled the town twice before choosing the field to make a forced landing. Unfortunately the plane hit a tree and overturned, killing the crew. If the crew had bailed out, the plane might have landed on Veurne, but killing civilians. Mrs Rosewarne was given part of the propellers on which the Germans had written the statement “This flyer and crew died like heroes.” A notice of Rosewarne’s death was placed in The Times on December 23, 1940.

The letter caused quite a reaction. The Times printed it in pamphlet form almost immediately and sold over 470,000 copies within five months. The paper received over 10,000 letters requesting copies and it was reprinted at least three times. It was translated into a number of languages. On July 18 The Times reached agreement with publishing company Putnam & Co. Limited for the letter to be published in book form with drawings. The book was published in August. American and Canadian editions were published over the ensuing months and the book was sold across the world. It was also reproduced in card form for hanging in schools and public places. The BBC broadcast the letter on two occasions during 1940, in full on July 8 and extracts during its Children’s Hour programme. Most significantly, in 1941 it was turned into a short five minute film for showing in cinemas prior to the main feature. It was written and directed by Michael Powell and distributed by MGM. The film was shown widely in America as propaganda for the British war effort at a time when the U.S.A. was still a neutral country.

Finally, Frank Salisbury, the distinguished portrait painter, was commissioned to paint a posthumous portrait of Rosewarne in June 1940. The original painting is now in the possession of the RAF Museum at Hendon.

(source: News @ UK Archives)

Royal Air Force,

Marham,

April 1940            

Dearest Mother,

Though I feel no premonition at all, events are moving rapidly and I have instructed that this letter be forwarded to you should I fail to return from one of the raids that we shall shortly be called upon to undertake. You must hope on for a month, but at the end of that time you must accept the fact that I have handed my task over to the extremely capable hands of my comrades of the Royal Air Force, as so many splendid fellows have already done.

First, it will comfort you to know that my role in this war has been of the greatest importance. Our patrols far out over the North Sea have helped to keep the trade routes clear for our convoys and supply ships, and on one occasion our information was instrumental in saving the lives of the men in a crippled lighthouse relief ship. Though it will be difficult for you, you will disappoint me if you do not at least try to accept the facts dispassionately, for I shall have done my duty to the utmost of my ability. No man can do more, and no one calling himself a man could do less.

I have always admired your amazing courage in the face of continual setbacks; in the way you have given me as good an education and background as anyone in the country: and always kept up appearances without ever losing faith in the future. My death would not mean that your struggle has been in vain. Far from it. It means that your sacrifice is as great as mine. Those who serve England must expect nothing from her; we debase ourselves if we regard our country as merely a place in which to eat and sleep.

History resounds with illustrious names who have given all; yet their sacrifice has resulted in the British Empire where there is a measure of peace, justice and freedom for all, and where a higher standard of civilization has evolved, and is still evolving, than anywhere else. But this is not only concerning our own land. Today we are faced with the greatest organized challenge to Christianity and civilization that the world has ever seen, and I count myself lucky and honoured to be the right age and fully trained to throw my full weight into the scale. For this I have to thank you. Yet there is more work for you to do. The home front will still have to stand united for years after the war is won. For all that can be said against it, I still maintain that this war is a very good thing: every individual is having the chance to give and dare all for his principle like the martyrs of old. However long the time may be, one thing can never be altered – I shall have lived and died an Englishman. Nothing else matters one jot nor can anything ever change it.

You must not grieve for me, for if you really believe in religion and all that it entails that would be hypocrisy. I have no fear of death; only a queer elation … I would have it no other way. The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice. We are sent to this world to acquire a personality and a character to take with us that can never be taken from us. Those who just eat and sleep, prosper and procreate, are no better than animals if all their lives they are at peace.

I firmly believe that evil things are sent into the world to try us; they are sent deliberately by our Creator to test our mettle because He knows what is good for us. The Bible is full of cases where the easy way out has been discarded for moral principles.

I count myself fortunate in that I have seen the whole country and known men of every calling. But with the final test of war I consider my character fully developed. Thus at my early age my earthly mission is already fulfilled and I am prepared to die with just one regret: that I could not devote myself to making your declining years more happy by being with you; but you will live in peace and freedom and I shall have directly contributed to that, so here again my life will not have been in vain.

Your loving son,

Vivian

‘It is not tolerable, it is not possible that from so much death, so much ruin and sacrifice, so much heroism, a greater and better humanity shall not emerge’.   –General Charles de Gaulle

***

This poem, ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY, was originally written in French by famous poet Arthur Rimbaud at age 16 and later translated to English by Paul Schmidt; the young soldier’s injuries were most probably consequence of bayonet blows or bullets; Rimbaud may have witnessed such a dramatic scenery as France was then at war with Germany (Prussia).

Asleep In The Valley

A small green valley where a slow stream flows
And leaves long strands of silver on the bright grass;

from the mountaintop stream the sun’s rays;

they fill the hollow full of light.

A soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed,
A pillow made of fern beneath his head, asleep;

stretched in the heavy undergrowth,
Pale in his warm, green, sun-soaked bed.

His feet among the flowers, he sleeps.

His smile is like an infant’s – gentle, without guile.
Ah, Nature, keep him warm; he may catch cold.

The humming insects don’t disturb his rest;
He sleeps in sunlight, one hand on his breast, at peace.

In his side there are two red holes.

***

Blogs From The Canadian War Museum Archives…

Canada Goes To War, 1939

Canada declared war on Germany in September 1939. Britain’s declaration of war did not automatically commit Canada, as had been the case in 1914. But there was never serious doubt about Canada’s response: The government and people were united in support of Britain and France. After Parliament debated the matter, Canada declared war on Germany on September 10. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King promised that only volunteers would serve overseas. Canada was unprepared for war. The regular army of 4,500 men, augmented by 51,000 partly trained reservists, possessed virtually no modern equipment. The air force had fewer than 20 modern combat aircraft, while the navy’s combat potential consisted of only six destroyers, the smallest class of ocean-going warships. It was a modest beginning.

Everyday Life In Canada

The War Measures Act, invoked in 1939, empowered Ottawa to take whatever measures the government believed necessary for the successful prosecution of the war. The federal government carefully managed the flow of information and, in 1941, imposed strict wage and price controls. Beginning in 1942, it rationed many commodities, such as meat, sugar, coffee, gasoline, rubber and textiles. In addition to those in military service or working in war industries or agriculture, millions of Canadians contributed to the war effort by volunteering with organisations such as the Red Cross or participating in salvage campaigns, gathering everything from scrap metal to newsprint. Through it all, millions of Canadians, reading official casualty reports in the newspapers, worried daily about the fate of their friends and loved ones overseas.

The War Comes To Canada, 1942-1945

Canada declared war on Germany after German submarines sank more than 100 ships in Canadian and Newfoundland coastal waters. By May of 1942, German U-boats operated in the approaches to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. They had even penetrated the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River, where they sank more than 20 merchant vessels and warships, including one less than 300 kilometres from Quebec City. These losses prompted Ottawa to close the Gulf of St. Lawrence to ocean shipping. In 1944 and 1945, German submarines returned and sank Canadian warships just off Halifax harbour. Some Germans landed in Canada. In 1942, German submarines put ashore an agent in Gaspé, QC, and another near Saint John, NB; neither did any harm. In 1943, a landing party from a U-boat set up an automatic weather transmitting station in Labrador.

The Hawkesbury ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION, branch 472 George Vanier by its formal title, is located on Nelson St. in Hawkesbury; the impossible-to-miss clue that you are at the right place is the vintage kaki army jeep parked on its front lawn.

The branch received its official colors from then Governor General of Canada Lord Alexander on September 4, 1950, the first branch to ever receive its colors from a Governor General. Within an area of 100 kilometres in Ontario and Quebec, there are over 50 branches of the Royal Canadian Legion; in Canada, over 250,000 members belong to 1350 branches, reach across our vast country and abroad and connect us to our past, our present and our future, supporting and caring the men and women who have served or are currently serving in Canada forces around the world and locally as they did and still do during forest fires, floods and pandemics.

While on the premises last week in preparation for an upcoming event, we were happy to see that formal re-opening is already under way: the Crazy Legs dance group was preparing for a line-dancing class that afternoon! Darlene Sauvé, a member of the Legion’s administration, confirmed that musical performances had restarted as per pre-Covid routine and that public events were being booked; the Legion’s famous monthly Smoke-meat suppers are again available starting on Friday, November 29^th. On Saturday October 13^th, as part of Hawkesbury’s ‘Cafés du maire’, a celebration of ‘La semaine nationale de l’immigration francophone’ will be held with guest speaker Muriel Mben promoting her most recent novel ‘La fumée qui s’échappe du feu des marmites’, followed by a musical performance by ‘Les Crooneux’ celebrating French language artists and songs.

More On That Cute Little Army Jeep…

JEEP is today a registered trademark; the term dates back to the late 1930s and was originally used by US military to designate a half-ton truck; when a new quarter-ton manufactured by Willy’s-Overland was later brought into service, the company insisted that the name ‘jeep’ be applied to their product as well; so thus the name stuck and eventually became synonym of the ‘lighter’ truck. When the United States began production of the Willy’s-Overland quarter-ton 4X4 truck, Canada tested both the Willy’s and the Ford GP, and then chose to order 5,000 custom Willy’s MB jeeps and nicknamed it ‘the Blitzbuggy’. The company produced over 640,000 of its Jeep during the war: simple, tough, versatile, reliable: General Eisenhower listed the Jeep as one of the four decisive weapons in Allied victory, alongside the bazooka, the DC-3 airplane and the atom bomb. In those war years, Canada’s automotive production focused more on larger and heavier army vehicles. After World War II, many jeeps were disposed of or stored until re-used in the Korean War, mostly as personnel carriers on which stretchers could be fitted to be used as field ambulances; they could also be used to tow or transport light cargo. Then after, they became vintage items, a favorite for collectors on auction markets and specialized on-line resellers; and prices may be a bit hefty for ‘as is’ vehicles!

The Jeep design is a classic, perfect marriage of function and elegance; in 1951, the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA) displayed the Jeep as one of the best ones representing automotive design. Have a look at the packaging crate in which those vehicles were delivered (attached photo): smart use of every square inch of space! As per information on Hawkesbury’s Royal Canadian Legion Facebook site, the one displayed on their front lawn is ‘a 1953 Willys M38-A1 Army Jeep as used in the Korean War; it underwent a complete body restoration by Hawkesbury Branch member Jack Hume who put over 200 hours of time in the project’ and has become since a proud reminder of those sad days of war.

100^th Anniversary Of The Poppy!

It was in July 1921 that the Great War Veterans Association, which later became the Royal Canadian Legion, adopted the Poppy as the flower of Remembrance. It was Madame Anna Guérin, later christened ‘The Poppy Lady from France’ who had the original idea to adopt the distribution of the Poppy on Armistice Day as a way to raise money for Veterans’ needs and to remember those who had given their lives at war; since then, every year, from the last Friday of October to November 11^th, millions of Canadians wear a Poppy to honour Canada’s own Veterans: this is a local initiative conducted by local branches in cities, towns and communities. This year’s official campaign will be launched on Friday, October 29^th.  In recognition of the Poppy 100^th anniversary, one hundred pieces of digital Poppy artwork will be created and auctioned off to highest bidders.

To remember is to honour.

Ontario’s Provincial Parks are areas of land and water, large or small, natural or man-modified, designated by any of the provincial governments for the purposes of nature protection, recreation, tourism, historic preservation and education. With over 330 parks, covering more than eight-million hectares that attract almost nine-million visits each year, there is a lot to discover!  Provincial Parks are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks since its creation in 1972, although Provincial Parks have been in existence for over 125 years, starting with Algonquin Provincial Park which was created in 1893.

As residents of Prescott-Russell, we are so privileged to be serviced by a Provincial Park located within our geographical limits: whether for a short camping stay or for day-use of their beaches and trails, Voyageur Provincial Park can easily be reached by bike or motor vehicle or by boat.

Voyageur Provincial Park, originally known as Carillon Provincial Park, was created in 1966 after the construction of the Carillon dam/power station between 1959 and 1964 which resulted in the flooding of large areas along the shores of the Ottawa River, including part of what is now the park, raising the water level by 62 feet at Carillon and 9 feet at Hawkesbury/Grenville; the Long-Sault Rapids became an underwater current and the large flooded area was given the name of Lake Dollard des Ormeaux. The park is comprised of this flooded land and the unflooded remnants of open fields and woodlands. The park takes its name from the fur traders (‘Voyageurs’) who had to portage their fur and canoes around the once dangerous rapids of the Long-Sault in order to reach their trading post (today’s Macdonell-Williamson House in Pointe-Fortune). The ‘Voyageur’ appellation is also a reflection on the famous ‘Bataille du Long-Sault’ in which Dollard des Ormeaux, a few of his men and a group of friendly Hurons fought the Iroquois and all perished; they were eventually recognized as heroes for saving the French colony.

The park is comprised of 1464 hectares of land and opened officially in 1971; it is located in the township of East Hawkesbury and stretches from the villages of Chute-à-Blondeau to Pointe-Fortune along the Ottawa River. The dominant forest type is sugar maple and beech although many other varieties are also present. Its marketing strategy is oriented towards attracting urban populations within 100 kilometres to the east (Montreal/Laval), to the west (Ottawa), to the south (Cornwall/USA) and to the north (Laurentians). When created, the park’s goal was to provide, within the limits of the park’s environmental capacity, year-round recreational and educational activities for the people of Ontario and visitors to the province, focusing in the needs and interests of the large nearby urban populations.

(Source: Voyageur Provincial Park Management Plan 1992)

The Park offers over 400 campsites divided over 3 sites, offers 3 beach areas and picnic areas for campers and day-users, walking trails, convenience store and restaurant; the Park Management team also supervises the 10,000 acre Alfred Bog.  Plantagenet’s Jessup Falls Conservation Area (which we wrote about this summer) also used to belong to the provincial park group, but the ministry disassociated itself from smaller parks and it was transferred to the South Nation Authority in 1986 for 250$.

Considering the park’s popularity this summer, it obviously reached and surpassed its goals as it brought many visitors in our area to use our stores, small businesses, restaurants! And these visitors will spread the good news to their relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers… which will have a positive snowball effect for us all. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising technique in the world!

Small add-on note but quite an interesting discovery during my research:

DID YOU KNOW THAT…Ontario Parks recognizes the practice of scattering cremated remains of a loved one on both land and waters in some identified Provincial Parks? It is recommended to contact the Park Superintendent in advance to arrange a suitable and accessible location within the park, as some parks have a designated area.

If you were planning to take a few days or a few weeks away from the four walls and decor of your house, apartment or office this summer and planned an escape to nature, you had to be either foresighted or lucky: the online booking system of Ontario Parks overheated from the opening of the reservation season and through the summer by seasoned campers and first-timers unaware of all the tricks-of-the-trade and intricacies involved in booking the site you wanted in the park you had chosen on the dates you had selected. It was to be expected: throughout history, anytime we faced a war, a pandemic, a recession or major catastrophe, we tended to escape into nature to cleanse and cure our minds, to detox our body from the toxicity of confinement, lack of physical activity, Netflixing, Googling and Facebooking immoderately.

Ontario Parks reported that bookings made between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5 DOUBLED over the same time in 2020, while reaching a never before peak on March 1:  58,475 reservations were made for July and August, up from 29,504 the year before. Private campgrounds experienced the same surge. Bookings have increased because it is an extremely safe way to vacation during an outbreak: if you are RV-ing, you are using your own washroom, most sites are at least two metres apart, you can walk around without having to wear a mask. As in any other consumer product, higher demand created an availability problem, as it did for toilet paper, trampolines, fitness equipment and swimming pools at one point or another during the pandemic. On the other hand, when faced with a ‘non-available’ verdict for their first or second or third choice, campers were re-directed to lesser-known and popular sites and were pleasantly surprised! Here are a few of their comments.

My daughter, her partner and relatives had been regulars at Sandbanks Provincial Park and didn’t expect to be out-booked for their annual vacation; they were redirected to Long Point Provincial Park on lake Erie, one of the oldest in Ontario, running since 1921, which holds a great Google review rating of 4.5/5 stars: They were enchanted with their discovery and stay: kilometres of sandy beaches, warm waters, surprising sand dunes. Great overall vacation!

My son is a modest tent camper and experienced camping in New Brunswick on his way to P.E.I and Nova Scotia: ‘Suburbia! Everyone had same large-style campers, lined-up one against the others with no privacy…’

Joey, Vanessa and their two young girls are keen wild camping enthusiasts and Joey’s adapted minibus allows them to do so in isolated places. ‘I don’t feel comfortable in trendy crowded places; we were in Oka and at Sandbanks Provincial Park this summer and the crowds were just crazy! I enjoy best the silence of undisturbed nature, although my girls may not agree with me: they are both very active and social and would probably miss interacting with other kids on a crowded beach…’ comments Joey.

Amanda, Beckham and Minh on their part own a medium-size camper trailer and appreciate the coziness of air-conditioned and other amenities of the trailer; and overall, Amanda states that ‘It was wonderful to see many families creating memories with their children and enjoying the outdoors.’ She adds that ‘Campers have got more and more popular, very scarce if you were in a buying mood,  getting bigger and bigger…while the camping lot sizes have remained the same; camping used to be a more affordable way to travel, but due to its increased popularity, prices are rising: RVs, campsites, propane gas, …’ She finally says that the only hiccup in their camping plans was due to the provincial border being closed between Ontario and Quebec in May!

Considering camping’s popularity this summer, it obviously reached and surpassed its usual goals as it brought many visitors in our area considering our camping facilities and availability in Chute-à-Blondeau, Alfred, L’Orignal, …These visitors-campers used the services provided by our stores, our small businesses, our  restaurants! And they will spread the good news to their relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers… which will have a positive snowball effect for us all. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising technique in the world!

Stay tuned for next week’s report on VOYAGEUR PROVINCIAL PARK’S 50^th!

On June 3^rd, 2017, our community lost a great man: he was then in his late fifties, had reached his zenith years, ‘dans la fleur de l’âge’ as the French expression says.

‘J’aime la vie et l’amour me rendra meilleur’ were the last words to remember him from, printed on the souvenir bookmark from his funeral. RÉJEAN LAFRANCE was an authentic artist, in body and in soul, from his very first childhood years on the family farm in St. Eugene; ‘le bébé de la famille’ as he was nicknamed, he grew up in a large rural family where music was a routine activity of everyday life; when his older brothers were watching hockey on TV, he was sitting at the piano, as he probably was for every day of his life afterwards. To say that he was a ‘busy’ man would be redundant: teacher, composer, performer, choir director, all the while entertaining close friendships proved to be exhausting at times and occasionally wore him out to the point where he would skip meals or would forget the importance of a healthy nutrition: it was an essential factor in his case because Réjean was…diabetic, type-1, since age sixteen. He considered himself lucky that his eyesight and his hand-finger motor coordination were not affected; but he lost kidney function, had to go for dialysis a few times a week until finally, gift from heaven and his sister Liette, he was transplanted a new kidney on the occasion of his 50^th birthday! Réjean was able to extend his passionate life a few more years until passing away suddenly and leaving us to meet his Creator; and knowing the man that he was, he probably offered his talents and services as pianist and choir director for the choir of God’s angels! What a man! Cré Réjean!

Maybe because of good family genes or out of pure luck, Réjean was my first close and personal encounter with someone suffering from diabetes and the whole concept was quite vague in my mind; consequently, I did some research on the topic and the more I read, the more I became fascinated by this disease’s history and the whole process that lead to the discovery of insulin, which I now share.

Diabetes has been known since antiquity; its first noticeable symptoms were insatiable thirst and urination: within weeks, the patient would lose weight mass, and within months, enter coma and die; for centuries, no one had a clue about its causes, they could only be powerless witnesses to its irreversible consequences. Some Greek anatomists knew about the pancreas and suspected its involvement in the digestive system, but didn’t realize it was such an essential organ. Only in the 1800s’ did a German pathologist-surgeon establish that the pancreas has two functions: producing enzymes for the digestive systems and producing insulin.

This research was followed up in 1920 by Fred Banting, a small-town doctor from London, Ontario; working with a Toronto student named Charles Best, they experimented with dog pancreas and insulin injections and were successful to the point that diabetes symptoms disappeared; but the insulin needed purification to be side-effects free for humans: so they turned to a biochemist named James Collip to find a solution, which he did. Banting and associates began treating patients at the University of Toronto hospital in January 1922; within weeks, the results were miraculous. Word spread quickly and demand for insulin skyrocketed! By May 1924, diabetes was no longer a fatal disease; another one of man’s implacable enemies had been overcome. All of this was happening in an era not accustomed to medical miracles, dealing with polio, measles, rubella, an era that had just been struck by Spanish Flu; and yet, seemingly out of the blue, a clear Canadian serum was bringing people back from death. We could now redirect our efforts on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other unsolved diseases.

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the discovery of insulin; insulin is critical to the wellbeing of millions of diabetics around the world; for centuries, the world’s diabetics had been doomed to shortened and tragic lives filled with suffering; this discovery granted them a brighter future!

Here are some statistics that will help realize the seriousness of this global pandemic (Type 2 diabetes) which spreads like wild fire from industrialized to emerging countries like Asia, Africa and Latin America:

• According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, 80% of people with diabetes will die as a result of heart attack or stroke; diabetes is a contributing factor in the death of about 41,500 Canadians each year.
• From 2003 to 2019, statistics estimate the % of Canadians aged 12 and over reporting being diagnosed with diabetes at around 7.8%.
• In 2015, 3.4 million of Canadians (or 9.3% of Canada’s population) had a ‘diabetes’ status; projection was that numbers would reach 5 million by 2025
• Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation; it is recognized as the world’s fastest growing chronic condition.
• The average price of insulin in USA: $98.70, compared to $6.94 in Australia, $12.60 in Canada and $7.52 in Great Britain: so on average 8 times higher in USA than most comparable high-income nations.
• Type-2 diabetes, which is caused by both genetic and environmental factors, accounts for the vast majority of cases (90-95 out of 100 people); Canadians with diabetes’ lifespan is reduced by 5 to 15 years and will pay more than 3% of their income for prescribed medications, devices and supplies.
• Type-1 diabetes (or childhood/juvenile diabetes) is the most potent and chronic form: it afflicts 1 in 300 Canadian children.

‘HERO: a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming circumstances. INSULIN is not a cure, it’s a life support.’ -Christopher ‘Superman’ Reeves