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Margaret Atwood excerpt featured in Temiscaming centennial book

More than 140 submissions in 311-page book celebrating 100th anniversary, proceeds of sales to charities this fall
temiscaming centennial book
The Temiscaming centennial book of memories is available at Ross Electric Home Hardware for $24.95 or on Amazon.ca under Souveniers de Temiscaming.

Iconic Canadian author Margaret Atwood and more than 140 people with roots or memories from Temiscaming, Quebec are featured in a centennial tribute publication on sale now.

The 311-page book is available at Ross Electric Home Hardware for $24.95 or on Amazon.ca under Souveniers de Temiscaming, with proceeds going to local charities this fall. Almost 300 have been purchased so far on the way to a target of 1,000 sales, said editor Gary Pickering.

As well as submissions from residents, former community members and visitors, leaders from every level of government contributed to the project. There’s also one referencing life in a previous pandemic with some comparison to COVID-19.

Special acknowledgement was given to Atwood who wrote about Temiscaming in one of her essays collected in the book, Moving Targets: Writing with Intent.

“A grateful note of appreciation to Margaret Atwood, renowned Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist and so much more. She was raised in Quebec, northern Ontario and Toronto,” the book offers. “She has crafted more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, critical essays and graphic novels; her acclaimed work has been published in more than forty-five countries around the world.

“In her collection of essays, “Moving Targets: Writing with Intent”, Margaret Atwood fondly recalls a visit to Temiscaming, where she was able to achieve one of her youthful goals, sliding down a sawdust mountain!

“Enjoy this excerpt of her personal remembrances, which she has graciously permitted us to include, and which we are thrilled to incorporate in this anthology of Temiscaming memories.

Of particular interest to you, the reader, may be her mention of the iconic fountain which just happens to be on our cover!”

“The Venetian fountain was donated to the town in 1930 by CB Thorne, then manager of the Témiscaming mill. Imported from Italy, this bronze collector's item once adorned the courtyard of an old Roman aristocrat. It is the work of a Tuscan artist.

“A quintessential landmark of Témiscaming, it remains one of the few things in town that has stayed the same throughout the years. Hopefully, it will remain intact for the next hundred.”

The following are brief excerpts of just a few of the 144 submissions in the book, which include stories presented as either English or French with some in both languages, reflecting on some of the diversity in the community.

Larry Aiken: My grandfather was a Bugler and then part of an entertainment group for the troops in WWI. When he played the piano, it was usually a party waiting to happen, which is my fondest memory of my time with my grandparents.

It was the spontaneous gatherings at their home where people would dance and sing all their favourite songs and most of all, laugh, together. I even remember family friend, George Dupont, pulling up in his police cruiser during the party.

Some may have thought that he was coming to settle things down but no, he dropped by to greet people, and join in a song or two. My fondest memory was a community where people knew and cared for each other, and my grandparents whose love made Temiskaming just a magical place to be.

Karen Almquist: Temiscaming, in the days when I was a wee young lass, was the prettiest border town ever - oh the memories I shan’t forget! It was so full of life! The sporting events were numerous, competitive and fun, i.e., ladies’ softball league, bowling, golf, tennis, swimming, skiing, skating, curling and the list goes on. Always something to do back in the 50’s and 60’s, with a Recreation Director to boot!

The walk with friends to the swimming pool in the little park behind the old hospital was enchanting and the trail from there which led us to the waterfront and the boardwalk was lovely. I particularly remember with fondness the walks up the old golf club road where we picked blueberries on warm summer days and ate them all before getting home.

Our hockey team “ROYALS” was an entertaining favourite, i.e., the Lemieux brothers, the Kellys, the Joneses, etc., played hard to no end and brought the whole town together to cheer them on. There was never a day when one would say or even think of uttering the words, “I am bored”.

Christiane Desjardins: I remember growing up on Riordon Avenue back in the 40’s, a family of 7 kids, the middle child of Simone and Magloire Desjardins, living next door to Mr. Ted Dwyer’s family, who lived next door to Johnny Coyle’s family.

These are my fondest memories of my childhood. Oh, how I felt cherished and loved, living in this tiny two-bedroom house, surrounded by parents, sisters and brothers. And a neighbourhood that I can still remember like it was yesterday.

Playing ballon captif in the front street, skipping rope, bat the can, tag, hide-and-seek, from morning ‘til the mill whistle blew and we had to go home for lunch or supper.

Gordon Robinson: I am 88 years old and I am now living through the pandemic of 2020. Living in quarantine is nothing new to my generation and these are my memories of quarantine as a little boy growing up in Temiscaming.

Back in 1938-39, I was six or seven and my family, Mom, Dad and my two brothers, moved from Waltham, Quebec to Temiscaming, as my father had gotten work at the mill. We lived in what were called the black shacks, row houses covered in tar paper, located behind where Lynn’s Garage would eventually be located.

I remember the Jolie family, the McKuen family and others. Across the street were Benoit’s Grocery and Hurtubise’s Meat Market. When we weren’t in school, we spent all our time playing outside, running around the neighbourhood with our many friends, until virus season hit.

I don’t remember the order of the diseases but, pre-vaccine, we had measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, chicken pox and whatever highly contagious disease went through the building. Mrs. Buckler was the community health nurse, and she would visit the families.

We all ended up in quarantine for long periods of time. The apartments would all have a quarantine sign on the door and the sign got changed from disease to disease. The only person allowed to leave the apartment was the person working, which in this case was my father.

I hated having to be stuck in the house and we couldn’t go out and play. Each disease was transmitted from one brother to the next and then to all the kids in the building. We didn’t have a radio or anything else to distract us. I just remember the misery of it.

Even if I didn’t have one of the diseases, there was always someone in the family with it, so I couldn’t leave. The blinds were always drawn, and we were dosed with castor oil, the cure-all for everything.

Eighty years later, during this quarantine, I am grateful to be in my comfortable home with a big yard, Netflix, computer, books and no more castor oil!

 

Dave Dale is a Local Journalism Reporter with BayToday.ca. LJI is funded by the Government of Canada.

 


Dave Dale

About the Author: Dave Dale

Dave Dale is a veteran journalist who has been writing about Northern Ontario issues for more than three decades.
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