Interim moderator Jim Ferrier invites all those who so wish to join him and the parishioners of Kenyon Presbyterian Church in Dunvegan this Sunday to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Worship and Communion will be at 9:30 am. As you enter the stone kirk, pause a moment to reflect on a similar summer Sunday nearly 175 years ago. To the south, would have been the original church fashioned from hand-hewn cedar logs and roofed with shingles of pine split with a froe and maul. And where you are standing now would have been a sun-dappled grove of trees. Here’s a short excerpt from Historical Sketch of Kenyon Presbyterian Church, Dunvegan by the Rev. Donald N. MacMillan.
“… (L)et us picture the communion season: the English services in the church and the Gaelic, in the grove near the location of the present manse because the Log Church would not hold the crowd… the ministers standing in the tent; the people sitting on logs and benches among the trees; the sweet and yet strong singing as the voices blended with nature’s music of the rustle of the leaves; the powerful evangelistic sermons; … and the deep feeling that Christ Himself was present blessing the communicants.”
You’re welcome, Canada
Yes, I know that Dominion… sorry… Canada Day is past, and that this item should have appeared last week’s column. That it didn’t is my fault. Elizabeth Bracken kindly sent the idea to me in plenty of time. In her email, she posed the question: What is the connection between our Canadian flag and the Dunvegan graveyard? Answer: John Matheson, MP (Leeds). Hewas buried there in 2013 at age 96, beneath the stately white marble monument that’s close to the graveyard fence, just north of the Log Church cairn.
In 1964, Mr. Matheson sat on the 15-member National Flag Committee. And it was thanks to his persuasive skills that the committee, on October 22nd, was able reach a consensus on which design, from the thousands of that had been submitted, emerged victorious. Matheson— who was fascinated with heraldry — was an enthusiastic supporter of the flag proposed by George Stanley, Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston. Stanley’s design was inspired by the College’s flag. However, in place of the RMC’s heraldic crest in the middle white field, Stanley added a single, stylized red maple leaf. Clean. Simple. Iconic.
The Matheson family’s connection to Dunvegan was a strong one. John Ross Matheson’s great grandparents, Alexander and Flora, emigrated from Scotland with their four eldest children and settled on Lot 19 Con. 9 (Kenyon) even before receiving the patent from the Crown in 1868.
Their great grandson, the Honourable John Ross Matheson, served in WWII (where he was seriously wounded), graduated from Queens and practiced law in Brockville. In 1962, he was elected as the member of parliament for Leeds County in Lester B. Pearson’s Liberal government and in 1964, given his love of the heraldic arts, was asked by Pearson to serve of the flag selection committee. Mr. Matheson went on to play a key role in the founding of the Order of Canada and served as a judge.
According to a 2013 Toronto Sun article, when asked how he felt on the day the new Canadian flag was first raised, Mr. Matheson said, “Damn proud. Every time I see that flag, I feel damn proud.” I shudder to think where we’d be as a nation today, if either of the other two shortlisted designs, both ghastly, had won the day.
Clay takes the reins
I knew it was inevitable. Nevertheless, I was a bit sad when I received a brief email last week from Lindsey Howes to the members of the museum’s Fall Festival committee announcing that she was officially stepping down as Chair. However, on a positive note, she did confirm that Clay MacWhiter has agreed to take her place. Which is great news.
Regular readers may remember first meeting Clay in this column when I talked about the three spontaneous pop-up musical performances I enjoyed at the 2018 Fall Festival. I wrote, “First was a lanky lad by the name of Clay MacWhirter who could coax the most amazing tunes from an old squeezebox. Far smaller than the typical accordion of polka-playing fame, the humble instrument sang sweetly in Clay’s hands.” Since then Clay has become increasingly involved in the museum… both with event coordination and special projects like bringing the GPM’s windmill water pump back online. A young man with a love of local history, Clay is an admirable choice to take the reins from Lindsey’s hands. PS: Thank you again, Lindsey. You did a tremendous job.
Classical music alert
It’s official. Ottawa pianist Nicholas Deek will be returning to Dunvegan in August to perform at the 2022 “Classical Music Under the Stars” event at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. He is still fine-tuning the program for this year’s concert. As soon as it is finalized, I will let you know. This year’s nocturnal serenade will take place on Thursday, August 18th starting at 7:30. In a few weeks, I’ll have all the details about where and how classical music lovers can obtain their tickets… plus news of a possible surprise twist to this year’s event.
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