Special thanks (again) to Bill “Mole” Thomson and his brother Richard for the pdf. Download the document for offline reading. The text is searchable.
This is a follow-on to the Spring 1973 Bulletin which you can read by clicking here.
The New Boy Brigades. This bulletin yields the best narrative I’ve read about the two New Boy brigades in September 1973. My brigade, led by Steve Weatherbe, paddled wet for over two weeks, but the Canadian National Film Board got great footage. The other brigade, led by Peter Jackson, beat our brigade home by what seemed to be a whole week. I heard that there was even a mutiny on that trip, which might have made a great film. But I digress.
Lake Winnipeg Rules Us All. The gales of September on Lake Winnipeg made all of our lives interesting. It was impossible to get dry and stay dry. Dan Hopkins, Claude Lafontaine, Jan Vardy, Gary Gildert, Andrew Bedson, and David Barrit all have something to say about the experience in the Bulletin. Vardy identified the paddlers (galley slaves) in our canoe – myself, Vardy, the infamous Paul Nordahl, and Hugo “I’m going to chuck myself into the path of the first oncoming car” (this may not be the exact quote, I may be paraphrasing) Marx.
Great writing and validation that somebody else besides me remembers going through the swamp. The thought of Harry Kleinhaus’ ass getting pinched by the John West‘s stern in every Lake Winnipeg wave trough makes my heart flutter and helps me fall asleep at night. That must have been quite a ride. I mean it was a ride from where I was paddling, but steering it or being in the bow must have been a much different perspective.
Spring Canoe Trips. A list of other trips done that Spring, with very familiar names. There’s a great summary, including names (hello, Evan Geoffroy!) of the paddlers on theAlbany River and the North Saskatchewan trips.
Grape Picking. When I met Cesar Chavez a few years later, he likely had no idea I knew how to use a serpette. The Bulletin covers the Saint John’s trip to Beaujolais country. Confirmation that they worked us six days a week picking grapes for five weeks. That’s six days a week, minimum 10-hour days – 300 hours – I learned how to pick grapes the following year on the next trip. These hours spent hunched over should count towards my pension! Maybe something from the French government. Picking grapes taught me a whole bunch about working on a farm and being a labo(u)rer.
Charlie’s Passing. I never met Charlie – he passed right before I showed up living on Rural Route #2. Toughest School in Canada devotes an entire chapter to Charlie, the St. John’s Gourmet. There’s a great tribute to the man who kept so many fed. So many eggs fried.
Behold, the The St. John’s Bulletin – Fall 1973. You can read it online or download it and read it offline. If you see any errors, reload the page. Happy reading!
New Boy. Great read and well written. Author? I couldn’t help but think the “hanger ons” in the story, National Film Board steersman Marrin Canill and Michael Scott, if they were to be contacted today, what their memories and perspective of those fall days in 1973 were. These guys put themselves into the thick of it to get ‘the story’.
(Another of their works that drew me in.)
https://www.nfb.ca/film/whistling_smith/