Despite rumours to the contrary, I have not been forever banished from the back pages of the Glengarry News. Yet, at least. Last week’s missing column was entirely my fault. I wrote it while in Toronto and, the moment after I hit the send button, I left for a series of meetings. Unfortunately, my outgoing mail didn’t make it through the ether. My apologies to the News(who had to scramble to make up for the missing content) and to you, my loyal readers.
A microfilm future
And speaking of loyal readers, I received an e-mail from Ken McEwen last week in response to my appeal for Dunvegan Orange Lodge memorabilia. It turns out that it was his brother-in-law, Angus John MacLeod, who removed the second story of the hall. “AJ did all the removal in his usual fashion,” Mr. McEwen wrote, “working single-handed.” Mr. McEwen is also sending along two photos of the interior of the hall taken November 2nd, 1957 at the occasion of his and his wife Chris’s wedding dinner. Robert Campbell also dropped off items from his late mother’s extensive scrapbook collection. I am grateful to both these gentlemen for their contributions. However, I need much more grist for my mill if I am to reach my goal of publishing a booklet celebrating the history of Dunvegan’s 100 year-old hall.
Mr. McEwen also brought another “snapshot” of Dunvegan’s past to my attention. As Mr. McEwen recalls, sometime in the late 40s, Russell Dewar, a Maxville native and journalist for the Standard Freeholder in Cornwall, wrote an article about Dunvegan businesses circa the mid 1850s. It was based on an interview Dewar had with Norman Kenneth MacLeod, a former resident of the Dunvegan area. Luckily, the Glengarry Archives in Alexandria has copies of the Standard Freeholder up to and including 1949 on microfilm. So I’m going to try to track down Russell Dewar’s historical account. I also hope to visit the National Archives on another microfilm expedition. This time I’ll be looking for the Schedule 6 census study of businesses and factories that the Federal government did in the early 1870s, including those in eastern Ontario hamlets. I’m hopeful that the Dunvegan region was among the Kenyon survey results.
You missed a great one
Not surprisingly, the major risk with holding a outdoor carnival in the winter is the weather. Most years, the Dunvegan event is blessed with moderate temperatures and even sunny skies. And when the snow does fall, it’s the Norman Rockwell fluffy-flakes variety. Last Saturday, though, was just a bit over the edge for many potential carnival goers. Which was too bad. It was actually a perfect day. The net result was that, while attendance was down a bit, all those who did make it out seemed to have a barrel of fun.
The foundation of events like these is the dedication of the volunteers who make it all happen. That’s why I like to take a few column inches to thank them… starting with the Pancake Breakfast organisers, Kim Raymond and Vivian Franklin. They, in turn, wanted me to acknowledge our long-time trio of chefs: Greg Byers, Dennis Ranger and Bob Linney and their hard-working assistants, Louise Quenneville and Vivian Franklin. Sarah Jane Raymond and new DRA recruit Kayla MacGillivray handled floor and door duty and were joined by Mona André at clean up time.
Laurie Maus, Anne Bertrand, Mona Andre, Marlie Tilker, Heather and Evan McIntosh and Bruce and Lynn MacGillivray had the greasy task of cooking cases of bacon and sausages. Ani Ahrens, Heather Raymond, Sandra MacPherson, Erica Burgess, Ann Stewart, Lynda Fraser and Eileen Franklin provided baked goods. Kim Raymond contributed homemade beans and the DRA’s signature pancake mix. And Caleb Raymond and AJ Hay set up the tables and chairs.
Ben Williams also wanted to recognize the folks who helped him with the outdoor carnival activities. In the days leading up to the carnival, Jeremy Falles, Bruce MacGillivray and Jim Tilker all contributed greatly. Bruce returned on Carnival day to tend the outdoor fire pit. And Mona André, Laurie Maus, Lynn MacGillivray, Flip Flockton, Jean Williams, Alyson Graham and Karine Speuhler helped Terry Sweitzer serve soup, coffee and hot chocolate to hordes of happy families who dropped in to warm up and refuel. People ask why we open our home year after year. The answer is simple. It’s been a privilege to watch Dunvegan’s circle of life as youngsters who came here 30 or more years ago return with their children in tow.
Free psychotherapy
Last Wednesday was Bell “Let’s Talk” day, but I wanted to extend the conversation and bring an exciting new development to your attention: Ontario’s “Increasing Access to Structured Psychotherapy” (IASP) program.
IASP provides short-term, face-to-face Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for adults experiencing depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And the good news for families and their loved ones is that the service is free. Which I believe is a first for a Canadian health care system.
For those of you unfamiliar with the technique, CBT is problem-focused and goal-oriented. It helps people change how they react to troubling thoughts or situations by developing coping tools and techniques that promote their strengths, enhance recovery and improve their quality of life. The Ontario IASP program offers up to twelve sessions. Now this may not sound like many, but research suggests that motivated clients can begin to see improvement after just one or two consultations.
All therapists in this program are health care professionals (social workers, nurses, psychologists, etc.) who have undertaken intensive CBT training. And clinical psychologists with expertise in CBT closely supervise them.
To access the program, a physician or nurse practitioner must refer the person taking the therapy. Your family doctor most likely knows about the program and has the IASP referral form on his or her office’s computer system. If not, insist that they find out about it.
In Eastern Ontario the IASP program is led by The Royal Ottawa and is delivered in this region in collaboration with the hospitals in Hawkesbury and Cornwall. If you think you or someone you know might benefit from free CBT counseling, I urge you talk with your family physician or nurse practitioner. I know that therapists are available in Hawkesbury, Cornwall and Ottawa (including ones who are bilingual)… and the wait times aren’t too long. Yet.
Dreams of Maxville
Dunvegan’s most senior citizen, Annabelle Hartrick, is now residing at The Palace in Alexandria. Mrs. Hartrick suffered a stroke last year and, in the intervening months, has been under the care of the Hawkesbury General hospital and the Glengarry Memorial hospital. All things considered, Mrs. Hartrick has made an amazing recovery. I’m told she’s still as sharp as a tack. While she and her family have nothing but good things to say about the Palace, Mrs. Hartrick would very much like to join her friends at the Maxville Manor. Here’s hoping she gets her wish.
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