It was with great sadness that I received the news of the death of Robin Flockton last week. It’s true that Robin never lived in Dunvegan. He and his wife Flip and their two children moved to the 1st of Kenyon fulltime in June of 1976. Over 40 years later, when their two girls were grown and gone, the couple downsized to Alexandria, bypassing our fair hamlet once again. Nevertheless, Robin, and Flip for that matter, were and are honourary Dunveganites for their support of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum and the Dunvegan Recreation Association, respectively. It was Robin who spearheaded the popular Glengarry Wood Fair & Auction in 2008, built two treadle pole lathe replicas for the museum and gave wood turning demonstrations at events like the Harvest Fall Festival.
Robin Flockton was a man of boundless energy. It was a large part of what made him tick. From his time at Royal Military College Sandhurst and his early career with The Royal Welch Fusiliers to his transition to civilian life and the eventual incorporation of his own business, Robin gave it his all. And when he did eventually retire, it appears he missed the memo that explained retirement was the stage of life intended for rest and relaxation.
Every time we would meet, he would update me on the “project” he was just starting, or in the middle of, or had recently completed. His entire retirement was a series of plans, programs, ventures and causes that he would devote himself to tirelessly, and then move on. And many of us are beneficiaries of his volunteer largesse.
Just a partial list of his endeavours includes: his beloved Cooking Club; SD&G Certified Forest Owners; the Glengarry Historical Society; Encore Education; the Glengarry Memorial Hospital Foundation; the Glengarry Memorial Hospital Board of Directors; the Glengarry County Archives; the Senior’s Symposium in Alexandria; researching, writing and e-publishing Glengarry and the First World War; the Royal Canadian Legion; and certification as an independent witness for the Dying With Dignity group. A month or so ago, with the autobiography he wrote for his four granddaughters off to the printer, he announced to me that he had an exciting new project in mind: digitizing Royce MacGillivray’s Dictionary of Glengarry Biography and making it available to one and all on the Glengarry Historical Society’s web site. Sadly, it is a plan that he will never see come to fruition. I only hope it doesn’t wither on the vine.
Robin was also a card-carrying iconoclast, but not in the sense of “a destroyer of images used in religious worship.” He was more of a critic, a skeptic, a questioner, a nonconformist and a dissenter. As one of the few conservatives in a county that, for the most part, has voted Liberal since God wore short pants, Robin would delight in bearding the lion at cocktail parties and other social gatherings by openly confronting progressive sacred cows like “settled” science, climate alarmism, and the self-flagellation of political correctness, wokeness and cancel culture. That was one of the foundations of our friendship: our common perspective on these and other issues. When we gathered out of the storm, we knew we were safe to express ourselves freely, without fear of being censured by the Twitterverse. Robin, you will be missed.
Welcome to Ottamont?
It was only a matter of time. Nevertheless, it was disappointing to see a ‘For Sale’ sign pop up in front of Thom Pritchard and Lisa Chapman’s square log home on County Road 24, about three-quarters of a mile west of the Dunvegan crossroads. The property is part of the east half of Lot 28, Kenyon Concession 9. Thom purchased it from Sharon Schwartz in 1988, who had in turn bought it from Joan Owen seven years before that. As those who were around at the time will remember, the log house was originally much closer to the road. I believe it was Ms. Schwartz who had it moved to its present location and placed on a poured cement foundation with a full basement.
When Thom moved here from Westmount, he was an extremely talented commercial artist and we collaborated for years on a raft of corporate communication and direct marketing projects. However, when desktop publishing changed the entire nature of our industry, Thom chose to reinvent himself. He decided to open a furniture restoration and refinishing business that grew to the point where he had to convert the log garage on the property to a workshop.
But that is now all in the past. Like most of us in the wrinkle zone, myself included, age is starting to be a real factor. Thom and Lisa have decided to simplify their lives by downsizing, and one can’t blame them. When I asked Lisa about the move, she summed up the situation succinctly. “It’s time,” she said. Nevertheless, their many neighbours and friends in and around Dunvegan will miss the couple. Those who know her will agree that Lisa lives on the sunny side of life. Thank goodness, because Thom has elevated being a loveable curmudgeon to the range of an art form.
Naturally, I wish Thom and Lisa all the best in their new home, wherever that will be. However, it’s a shame to see two more long-time residents disappear into the sunset. Dunvegan has long since passed the point where it functions as a cohesive neighbourhood. It has slowly become a collection of strangers from Ottawa and Montreal who labour under the delusion that country life is all about anonymity. As one lifelong Dunveganite said to me the other day, “I hardly know anybody here anymore.” But who can tell. Perhaps at some point in the not too distant future, the newcomers will band together and lobby Council to change Dunvegan’s name to “Ottamont”… or for a more Western feel, “Montotta.” Rolls off the tongue, n’est-ce pas?
Church unlocks doors
Interim moderator, Rev. Jim Ferrier of Kenyon Presbyterian Church tells me that in-person worship services will resume this coming Sunday, July 4th. Be aware, though, that the standard Covid protocols that we have all learned to hate with a passion will be in effect. You must wear a mask at all times; maintain a six-foot space between yourself and your neighbour; use hand sanitizer; and register in the contact tracing book at the front entrance. The in-person service in Dunvegan starts at 11 AM. I know that Rev. Jim will be relieved to see people in the pews once more. “We’ve been apart from one another for a long period of time,” he wrote me in an email. “…we look forward to welcoming everyone back and coming together for worship.”
Museum OPEN, sort of
Jennifer Black, curator of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum tells me that, as of today, June 30th, the museum will be a whole lot more open than it has been for twenty long months. Granted, during the off-season months, the logatorium in the heart of our hamlet was dormant. However, it will be a welcome change to see visitors returning to Dunvegan’s historical gem. Yes, there will be restrictions. Masks, social distancing and no licking the doorknobs. But most of us have passed our obedience training. For more details on what events are coming up in July, August and September, please go to the museum’s web site: GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca. And while you’re there, why not download a copy of this year’s self-guided Glengarry Historical Driving Tour? It’s yours for just $12.
Postscript…
Although said in the barest of whispers, Happy Canada Day
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