The late Roger Leslie Williamson of Baltics Corners may not have been rich in the conventional sense, with matching Tesla roadsters in the drive and the latest Festool gadgets in his workshop. But ‘Mac’, as he was known, was blessed with a heaping measure of loyalfriends and close acquaintances. This was abundantly clear last Saturday when they gathered from near and far at the Dunvegan Recreation hall to commemorate his life. Their vehicles lined both sides of County Road 24 for a goodly stretch; I don’t think I’ve seen so many Quebec licence plates at the hall since someone from ‘la belle province’ rented the venue for their unusual medieval-themed wedding reception.
In a touching service MC’ed by Bonnie Laing, those closest to Mac spoke from their hearts as to how this gentle, generous soul had an effect on their lives. To be honest, Terry and I arrived a few minutes late and missed Ryan Cancilla’s opening remarks. But we did catch the remainder of the touching program of recollections that included the love of Mac’s life, Brenda Kennedy, his bother, niece, cousin and friends (both in person and via email).
For me though, the presentation that best caught the spirit of this unique individual came when the microphone was thrown open to the audience and Greg Byers, a former Dunvegan resident, stepped on to the stage. He wanted to share a very brief story about Mac’s generous nature and his willingness to help anyone in need. When Greg moved into the rather (at the time) rustic house across from the red brick Manse, a deal was struck whereby Greg would add his home renovation waste to the refuse in Mac’s trailer, they would haul it to the municipal dump and Greg would cover the fees. Before Greg had a chance to deliver the punch line, though, I overheard someone ahead of us in the standing room ‘seats’ say under his breath, “and Mac probably came back with more stuff than they took.” Greg went on to recount that his most memorable moment occurred when he and Mac stopped for lunch at Christine’s in Alexandria on their way home. The blue-plate special that day was spaghetti and meat balls, and Mac enjoyed it so much that, when the waitress returned to inquire if he was done, Mac asked for a second helping. Greg admitted was astounded. He had never before, or since, witnessed anyone ask for ‘seconds’ in a restaurant. But Mac being Mac, heno doubt assumed that, since the place had a real family vibe, family rules applied. To Greg’samazement, the waitress brought Mac a second helping.
While the above story — quite rightly — suggests a charming naiveness on Mac’s part, I think it also reflects his thorough understanding of foodservice economics… a skill I’m sure he earned after years in the restaurant business. He knew full well that a pasta-based meal like spaghetti had sufficient profit margin to run to a second helping… without penalizing the owner too adversely.
Read, white and red
Every once in a while, an item in this column sparks enough interest that readers write, email, call or even visit to elaborate on the topic. Not only do I welcome the input, it’s also nice to know somebody out there is reading this bumf.
Earlier this month, I wrote about Dunvegan’s tenuous connection with our national flag: Judge John Matheson, whose great grandparents, Alexander and Flora Matheson, emigrated from Scotland and settled on Lot 19 Con. 9 (Kenyon), the farm that former Dunvegan rural mail carriers Ev and the late Bev MacQueen owned on Skye Road. Judge Matheson (at the time, MP for Leeds, Ontario) sat on the National Flag Committee back in the early 60s and was instrumental in its decision to recommend the red and white design that featured bars and stylized red maple leaf.
First to comment was Peter Jack from south of Maxville. He told me about Joan O’Malley, Canada’s equivalent to Betsy Ross, the 18th century American patriotic seamstress who is alleged to have sewn the first ‘Stars & Stripes” flag. Apparently, late Friday afternoon,November 6, 1964, Prime Minister Pearson requested prototypes of the three flag designsshortlisted by Matheson’s committee delivered to 24 Sussex Drive ASAP. He wanted to fly them at the PM’s official Harrington Lake get-away that weekend.
Ken Donovan, a manager with the federal civil service, was tasked with the request. The normal supplier couldn’t handle the rush order, so Donovan asked his daughter, JoanO’Malley, for help. Joan owned a sewing machine and from 7:00 pm Friday to midnight was able to put together two copies of each design. The six flags were delivered to Sussex Drive in the early hours of the morning and were raised at Harrington Lake at daybreak.Unfortunately, the prototype flags disappeared after their debut.
What is Peter Jack’s connection to this story? Joan’s father was a ‘home boy’… one of the over 100,000 British children who were relocated to Canada, from the 1870s to the 1930s.Peter is a member of the Ontario East British Home Child Family association.
Two other readers shared fond memories of Judge John Matheson and we will touch on these next week. Unfortunately, I have been limited to 900 words these days… and, to paraphrase folk singers Brewer & Shipley, I’m already one stroke over the line.
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