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The children of the double cohort head to school
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by Michael Erskine
ONTARIO---Across the province, every little college town and
university city, has been bracing for the onslaught of the 'double
cohort,' the combination of the first year of students graduating
from high school at Grade 12, and the last class of Grade 13 OACs to
leave our high schools.
Terry and Judy Land's daughters, Caroline and Mary, are part of the
double cohort, as are Richard and Jessica Clark, the children of Jack
and Betsy Clark, of Gore Bay. They have had somewhat different
experiences from their interactions with the double cohort.
For the Land family, everything was fine up until Mary received her
final acceptance letter to Nipissing University, where Mary is going
to study teaching.
"I was supposed to be getting a single room in residence," said Mary
Land, as she was just finishing up unpacking in her somewhat cramp
new quarters in student residence in North Bay. "They took in
something like 1,100 first year students this year, compared to 500
last year."
The result was not enough spaces in the residences to accommodate all
of the students that Nipissing had accepted.
"They took a number of single rooms and turned them into doubles,"
said Mr. Land. "It is just that, a single room with two dressers, two
desks and a couple of bunk beds."
The accommodations are not what Mary had been led to expect.
"They told the students who they contacted in July apparently," said
Mary Land. "But nobody told me." She had accepted in June.
Still, with the added stress of a cramped room, Ms. Land is quite
excited about embarking on her scholastic career.
Mr. Land is also philosophical about the situation.
"She has to go out into the hall to change her mind," he chuckled.
But if this is the worst challenge his child has to face in life, he
will be more than content. Some parents and students held back this
year out of concern for the impact of the double cohort, but
overcoming adversity is all part of life, and Mr. Land said he felt
confident in his daughter's abilities.
His daughter Caroline is attending University of Toronto's Victoria
College, where she will study History and English.
"We have one going to one of the largest schools in the province and
one going to one of the smallest schools. Nipissing really dropped
the ball on this one though," he said. "The University of Toronto
realized they would be facing these problems early on and they went
out and bought a hotel."
After the double cohort and its echoes have passed into history, the
university will be able to either sell the property or hold onto it,
as suits its needs.
For Jack and Betsy Clark's children, everything has gone smoothly.
Both of their children are going to large southern institutions.
"Richard is going to Waterloo and Jessica is at Queen's University in
Kingston," said Mr. Clark.
He admits to having had some misgivings about the double cohort,
centered primarily on admission to the school of their choice. But
now that they have settled into their residence, his concerns have
faded to naught.
Jessica Clark said she was a little disappointed in not getting into
her first choice, McMaster University, which raised its admission
requirements from 88 to 93 in response to the double cohort, but that
she is looking forward to beginning her studies in Life Sciences with
an eye to a medical career.
Nipissing's greatest asset touted to attract students has been its
small class sizes, a situation they claim will not be significantly
affected by the double cohort.
"I don't know yet," said Ms. Land, who starts her first class next
week and is now a little skeptical about the university's claims. "I
am not putting too much stock into what they say until I see it for
myself," she said.
Four years ago, the Expositor completed a four-part series on the new
curriculum, just then being introduce into the school system.
Caroline Land, who was then in Grade 10, noted that her sister Mary
was carrying home a lot more homework than she had the previous year.
Although there were dire predictions as to the affects the double
cohort would have on students, at first blush everyone seems to be
coping well. As to how studies will be affected by the crush, as Ms.
Land points out, it is as yet too soon to tell.
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Workshop shares protocols for head veterans
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by Michael Erskine
M'CHIGEENG---As the rising sun sent the last of the early
morning
mists into retreat, a small group of Three Fires Confederacy
warriors
gathered in a circle beneath the arbour at the M'Chigeeng Pow
Wow
grounds to wrestle with the challenge facing veterans across all
of
Turtle Island. The steady advance of time is reducing their
ranks,
placing more and more responsibility on the shoulders of the
dwindling few who remain.
The decision has been made to pass some of the responsibilities
of
head veteran, or his stand-in, the Tailfeather, to the sons of
veterans. To that end, the veterans held their learning circle
to
pass on the protocols and etiquette of head veteran.
The title of head veteran is more than just an honorific, he not
only
represents the members of the community who protected the
country and
our homes during Pow Wows, but maintains a contact with an
age-old
tradition that dates back to before contact.
"In the old days, the members of the community who protected the
country would be stationed outside of the Pow Wow grounds, with
a
clear view of the surrounding countryside," said Eddie King, a
Vietnam War veteran and Odawa spiritual leader. "They would
protect
the community so they could have their gathering."
If the warriors saw that it was safe to gather, they would
signal to
the grounds, using a mirror board reflecting sunlight or a fire
from
a hilltop vantage point. The head veteran would then blow the
Eagle
Whistle, signaling it was safe to bring in the staffs.
The head veteran still blows the Eagle Whistle at the start of
each
Pow Wow, signaling that it is safe to bring in the staffs.
The protection of the staffs is paramount in the duties of a
Head
Veteran, said Mr. King.
Those posing a threat were not always from a foreign country,
especially in the past 100 years.
Up until 1963 in the United States, and 1965 in Canada, the
traditional practices of the First Nations were illegal. Mr.
King
himself was placed in jail for taking part in a pipe ceremony.
Even after the final restrictions were lifted, up until 1973 and
beyond, traditional practitioners remained suspicious.
"We were uncertain as to whether or not it was just a ruse, to
bring
us out from the underground," said Mr. King. "For many years,
even
gathering as we are today here, would have been enough. We could
be
placed in jail. We still did not trust the governments."
The staffs were not brought into the arena during those Pow Wows
held
in the early days, after the restrictions were lifted.
"They started to use the battle flags of their respective
countries,"
said Mr. King. "They used the flags in lieu of the staffs."
The staffs began to make an appearance at Pow Wows after 1973,
of the
exact date Mr. King was uncertain, as it happened while he was
serving in the marines.
"It was kind of gradual," he noted. "They didn't bring in the
society staffs."
There is currently discussion going on as to whether the flags
should
continue to stand in for the staffs, now that they are again
being
openly displayed.
"Your role as head veteran is only while the staffs are in the
arena," said Mr. King. But while the staffs are there, the Head
Veteran's word is law.
Each staff carrier should offer tobacco to the head veteran, and
ask
if they can bring the staff in. When the head veteran consents,
he is
assuming responsibility for that respective staff and its
protection
while in the arena.
The head veteran should remain near the staffs, within easy call
at
least, and if that is not possible, he should appoint a
Tailfeather,
someone who will take his place temporarily.
For those who carry in the staff, the responsibility does not
end
with the posting of the staff, for the staffs must be carried
away
from danger, in 'Retreat,' should they become threatened from
any
quarter, including inclement weather.
"Keep an eye on the sky," said Mr. King. "If you see a
thunderstorm
coming, have a retreat song played and remove the staffs to
safety,
otherwise you may be doing it in the rain," he chuckled.
There are three types of Pow Wow, Mr. King explained. A
traditional
Pow Wow, such as the one held in M'Chigeeng last weekend where
all
tribes and peoples are invited into the community; the society
Pow
Wow, attendance at which is generally limited to the community
itself, a spiritual gathering where ceremonies can be held
without
fear of giving offense to outsiders whose traditions may be
different; and the competitive Pow Wows.
In preparation for the circle gathering on the protocols and
etiquette of the Head Veteran, Mr. King was in contact with such
august Elders as John Churchill, a Pipe Carrier of the Nebraska
Ojibwe, George Allen Jr., of the Kansas Pottawatami, and Eddie
Kehoe,
a Head Veteran of the Odawa, to ensure there was consensus on
the
basics of the rituals, protocols and etiquette that were to be
imparted in the circle.
While Mr. King did most of the speaking during the circle, a
number
of other veterans and Elders were in attendance and he often
deferred
to them for confirmation and support. Where he is quoted as
speaking,
his words were clearly supported by those others in attendance,
sometimes they interjected examples of their own to illustrate
and
reinforce what he was saying.
It was in conversation with Mr. Churchhill, that an issue was
identified that was causing some consternation amongst those who
carried the traditional knowledge.
"A lot of people are trying to reconnect with their identity,
with
being Native," said Mr. King. "They go to all of these different
Pow
Wows, that follow a set pattern and maybe they are going to too
many."
By going to too many Pow Wows, some are tiring of the redundancy
in
the way things are done.
"They want to change the routine," said Mr. King. "So we are
beginning to see a lot of different things coming in."
But the forms, protocols and etiquette of the Pow Wow were
created
for a purpose, after a great deal of soul searching, and in
order to
try and preserve that purpose, they reached by consensus
recently to
try and establish the set routine here on Manitoulin.
While there are many slight variations of how things are done,
the
roots of the modern Pow Wow were established in 1912, at the
beginning of the 20th century. It was during that period of time
when
the United States government tried to gather all of the First
Nations
together in what was then known as the Oklahoma Indian
Territories,
that the 289 tribes that were gathered there, set the
foundations of
the Intertribal Pow Wow.
The protocols of the Pow Wow were developed, so as not to offer
offense or insult to any of the Nations.
"Even the word for this gathering place, the 'arena,' was
debated at
great length," said Mr. King. For example, the use of the word
circle
would have been offensive to the sacred teachings of the Lakota.
For
other groups the suggested 'plaza' would have been anathema.
After much searching, the word arena was borrowed from a term
used by
cowboys in the rodeo.
"That word was not offensive to anyone," he said.
Within the arena, no anger, violence or insult should be
offered, and
it is one of the key elements of the job of head veteran, that
the
staffs be shielded from such behaviour. To do so without
engaging in
any of the above can require a great deal of ingenuity on the
part of
the head veteran.
"Use your imagination," said Mr. King.
When the staffs are brought into the arena, each should all be
posted, if possible.
"It was the consensus that a dancing staff is too hard to keep
track
of," he said.
A dancing staff could also be offensive to the Kiawa, those of
Blackleggin country, he added.
There are exceptions, for example Henri Eshkibock's staff, which
he
uses for healing during the course of the Pow Wow dancing. His
staff
was designated as a veteran's staff by an Elder, due to Mr.
Eshkibock's siblings currently serving in the Middle East.
Although
it is preferred that all staffs be posted, Mr. Eshkibock asked
during
the circle that no offense be taken from his decision to
continue
dancing with the staff, as he offers none.
The prevention of offense or insult to anyone is a key element
in the
job of the Head Veteran. Consensus, harmony and peace are the
watchwords that should guide his actions and words.
"Use your imagination," said Mr. King. "Even if it is right out
of left field."
Native humour can truly be a powerful medicine.
If a Head Veteran travels off of the Island, into communities
like
Toronto or the far North, the different traditions and
variations
might seem to pose a serious challenge to this duty, but it is
not as
difficult as it would at first seem.
"Go to the arena director," said Mr. King. "Ask them, how do you
want
to do it? Usually they will say, I don't know. You do it. Then
you
just go with what you know."
While the position of head veteran is an important honour, with
deep
responsibilities, it is important to remember not to draw
attention
to oneself.
"You are doing honour to the community," said Mr. King. "Duty.
They
drummed three words into our heads in boot camp. Duty. Honour.
Country. We now replace 'country,' with community, but it
remains the
same."
The head veteran should remain in quiet authority.
Credibility is an important facet of a Head Veteran's arsenal of
tools with which to fulfill his duties, and it must be
protected.
"If you don't know the answer to a question, don't make up a
story,"
said Mr. King. "Don't start telling them that there was a 'bolt
of
lightening that came from the sky one day,' kind of deal. Just
say I
don't know, but I will try to find out for you. There is no
shame in
not having all of the answers."
If a head veteran does find himself in the position of having
given
offense, apologize.
"Just say, 'I didn't know,'" said Mr. King. "There is no shame."
There are 13 moons in a year, and so there are 13 staffs. Should
the
number of staffs exceed 13, then simply start another row.
"The POW/MIA staff should be posted at the western entrance,"
said
Mr. King. "If there is no POW staff, then use the flag if there
is
one."
The POW staff is incomplete, and will remain so until all the
POW and
the missing in actions are accounted for, he noted in an aside.
The
loss of sailors in the ocean and in the mud of Flanders and
jungles
of Asia assure it is very unlikely that the staff will ever be
completed.
"If you look closely at the staff, you will see it has a split
in it.
That is deliberate," said Mr. King. "It symbolizes the split in
our
people. Four feathers going up, the rest going down. As a nation
we
are not complete."
The split also serves to remind people of how horrific war can
be,
how it can split communities.
The behaviour of a head veteran should be always be above
reproach.
"I have seen a lot of head veterans never be asked again,
because of
their actions," said Mr. King. "Your behaviour is going to be
noted,
not only inside the arena, but outside as well."
By living a good life, by setting an example, the head veteran
leads
people down the best path.
"It is contagious," said Mr. King.
"It doesn't matter how many people I reach," said S'Chi'ma (a
veteran
who said he preferred his 'Indian' name be used, rather than his
Christian name, Angus Pontiac), as he related a story of one
woman
who gave up drinking after meeting him. It was years later that
she
came up to him and told him her story and how his example had
affected her. "I said keep up the good work," he chuckled.
Within the arena, a head veteran must keep order and harmony.
"You can actually stop a Pow Wow," said Mr. King. "You have that
authority.
If a head veteran cannot quickly remove the disunity from the
arena,
then the staffs must be removed and the Pow Wow stopped.
"Have the Flag Song sung, and retreat from the arena," said Mr.
King.
There should be no fire arms brought within the arena. Should
police
officers need to speak to someone within the arena, the head
veteran
should bring them out.
"There is very rarely any resistance," said Mr. King, who
teaches the
cultural awareness program for the RCMP and OPP police forces.
"Sometimes it has to be, and usually it is not a problem.
S'Chi'ma has only seen it happen once in his many years serving
as a
Head Veteran.
As to the protocols of a fallen eagle feather or a fallen staff
within the arena, the powers of a head veteran can be severe.
When an eagle feather falls, most likely the arena director will
move
to stand over it.
"Put tobacco on it," said Mr. King. "Four traditional dancers
will
dance around it, and the host drum will sing an honour song.
After
the dance, they will step back. Take your hand, and rub the
dirt."
The rubbing of the dirt is an age-old tradition amongst the
Nations,
and symbolizes the act of rubbing the blood of the fallen into
Mother
Earth, mixing their blood into the earth.
"Remember those who have fallen, and are still falling, in Iraq
and
Afghanistan,"
Once the ceremonies over the fallen feather are concluded, the
person
who lost the feather, if they are known, should be taken over to
the
side.
"Never shame anyone inside the arena," said Mr. King.
Nor should a Head Veteran ever talk down to anyone.
"Don't start sermonizing, don't lecture," agreed S'Chi'ma.
The Head Veteran should learn the history of the fallen eagle
feather.
"At this point you have the power to take that dancer's entire
regalia," said Mr. King. "You can ban them from dancing for the
rest
of their life."
But such severity is reserved for the most heinous and
unrepentant of
actions, and whatever the action is, the person being spoken to
should be taken to a place outside of the arena for the talk. It
is
in the conversation which follows, after all the facts are known
that
a decision on the proper course of action should be taken.
"There is a lot of honour associated with an eagle feather,"
said Mr.
King. "You don't want to take away from that honour."
If it is a young person, a person who has not really earned the
feather, Mr. King suggested the feather should be taken to the
dancer's parents, and they entrusted with its keeping until the
dancer is old enough to understand its importance.
"Sometimes people don't want to claim the feather," said Mr.
King. In
such a case it is an 'unwritten' protocol to give it to the Pow
Wow
committee in the community where it fell. "That establishes a
history
for the feather, a good history."
When the staffs are set in place, if they have a stand, the head
veteran should ensure the stand is solid.
If the staffs are posted, then the Head Veteran should go around
to
each and check that they are secure during the course of the
day.
"Watch how they are tied," cautioned Mr. King. "Little fingers
like
to pull slip knots."
If a staff falls, the dancing should be stopped, and tobacco
offered.
The staff should be carried out, head first, boxed by four
staffs. If
four staffs are not available, then four traditional dancers may
stand in.
After that, the Pow Wow can continue, but the staffs are not
there.
The details are up to the Head Veteran's discretion.
Should a death occur IN the arena, the Pow Wow stops. In some
cases
annual Pow Wows have never restarted from such an event.
Although the responsibilities and duty of a Head Veteran are
serious
matters, there are a couple of other things that the Head
Veteran
must keep in focus.
One thing is that a Head Veteran is never alone.
"When you are taking on these responsibilities, remember that
you are
not alone," said Mr. King. "It is not right that all of these
responsibilities should fall on two people, that is why we are
taking
this step (of expanding the Head Veteran eligibility to sons of
veterans)."
And the other is to keep a strong sense of why the Pow Wow
exists in
the first place.
"Always keep in mind that it should be fun," said Mr. King. "Do
anything in your power to help promote that. Sweat lodges,
ceremonies
in the community, those are all very serious stuff, but remember
our
people are a fun-loving lot. They are gathering to enjoy and
celebrate the peace and harmony of the Pow Wow. They are here to
have
fun."
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|
Final cut approaches for Manitoulin Wild hopefuls |
by Michael Erskine
MANITOULIN---Hockey lovers rejoice! By September 12, 2003, you
can be sitting in on an important piece of Manitoulin Hockey
history, as
that is the day the Manitoulin Wild are scheduled to take to the
ice
in their home opener against the Northern Michigan Black Bears.
For those who haven't heard, the Manitoulin Wild are
Manitoulin's
Northern Ontario Junior 'A' Hockey League team that are setting
to
take hockey on the Island to a whole new dimension.
You might even be able to see these young lads take to the ice
even
before the season opener, as there are tentative plans for an
exhibition game against the Sudbury Northern Wolves on Friday,
September 5.
It has been a long road for General Manger Larry Leblanc, whose
work
organizing the Manitoulin Wild's first season is fast nearing
fruition. As of last weekend, only four slots still remained
open on
the team, and a number of the filled slots have some fine young
local
talent whose names will be familiar to local hockey fans across
the
Island.
"Yes, we have some local lads, but we also have some fine talent
from
all across the North," said Mr. Leblanc. "We deliberately set
out to
attract Northern talent. Pretty much all of our talent is from
the
North. We have two guys from Petawawa, but they have an aunt and
uncle who live here, and we have a great young man from Keswick,
whose grandparents live in South Bay."
The object of setting up a Manitoulin Junior A franchise was
more to
help promote local hockey talent than anything else.
"If someone is hoping to get rich off of being a partner in this
franchise, we think maybe they should look elsewhere," laughed
co-owner Alex Kowal. "That isn't what we are all about. We are
hoping
to just break-even."
Although the 700 seats and 100 standing room tickets will never
make
the owners of the Manitoulin Wild rich, they certainly offer a
great
opportunity for local fans to see some of the best up-and-coming
talent in the province.
They also offer people an opportunity to become a part of the
establishment of a Junior A team here by buying season's
tickets. At
$150, and a great tax break, the investment in Manitoulin Island
hockey is an opportunity that really is too good for a fan to
pass
up. Students can get on board for the season for a mere $130
investment, considering there will be 24 regular season games,
not to
mention a couple of exhibition outings as well.
Local businesses can also do a lot to help get the franchise
established here, noted Mr. Leblanc.
"We have a lot of advertising opportunities," he said. "We have
space
both inside the ice area, on the rink boards, wall space in the
lobby
and in the arena itself, there are lots of opportunities for
business
to help us while promoting themselves. It will be a great
partnership."
Anyone interested in learning more about how business can get
involved are invited to contact either Mr. Leblanc or Mr. Kowal.
There will be a wide range of Manitoulin Wild merchandise as
well,
and Sherri Debassige is currently researching what items are the
most
favoured by junior A hockey fans.
The before and during game breaks will not be downtime either,
as
Dana Biernecki is lining up entertainment to amuse the stands
when
the ice is empty.
"Dana really has a good mind for that sort of thing," said Mr.
Leblanc.
Local musician and teacher Peter Nelson is recruiting local
musical
talents to showcase during the game days as well.
Brenda Francis will be lining up volunteers to sell 50/50
tickets,
and the jackpots will likely be quite large.
Larry Killens is throwing in his considerable organizational
talents
to handle security, and he is arranging work schedules to meet
the
team's needs.
Discussions with the Little Current Lions are underway to set up
a
licensed venue upstairs for those who like a brew with their
hockey,
with profits helping to benefit both organizations.
"Don't forget Lynn Corbiere helped to design our logo," said Mr.
Leblanc, who noted that a large number of volunteers have
stepped
forward to help makethis endeavor a success. "Walter Manitowabi
and
Duke Peltier have really helped out with the scouting process as
well," he added.
"We can use all the help we can get," said Mr. Leblanc. "Most
importantly having the fans come out and support us, after all
it is
for them and our young players that we are doing this."
As the day the Manitoulin Wild takes to the ice draws near,
excitement is beginning to build.
"I think this is really great for our young players and the fans
in
general," said Whitefish River First Nation Chief Franklin
Paibomsai.
"They now have a place they can move up the ladder without
having to
go so far from home."
Currently signed are Matt George, of Richmond Hill, a goaltender
late
of the Lindsey Muskies; Todd Fox, of Wikwemikong, defence, late
of
the Manitoulin Panthers; Jared Wood, hailing from Atikokan,
forward,
coming from the Thunder Bay Kings AAA Midget; Nathan Hookimaw,
travelled from Moose Factory, forward, is from the Kirkland Lake
AAA
Midgets; Arron Assinewai, a Sucker Creek lad who plays forward,
comes
from the Espanola Screaming Eagles; Jody Biederman, also of
Moose
Factory, and a forward, is late of the Kirkland Lake AAA
Midgets;
Chris Bond, forward/defence, hails from Petawawa, and the Ottawa
AAA
Midgets as is Tony Holden, forward/defence; Samual House,
defence,
comes from James Bay and the Cree Nation; Mike Moote, forward,
is
from Keswick and the Georgina Ice Jr. C; Corey Meatawabin,
defence,
also comes from Moose Factory and late of the Kirkland Lake AAA
Midget; Eric Marineau, a defenceman from Hearst played for the
Hearst
Elans; Eldon Cheechoo, forward, comes from Moose Factory and the
Kirkland Lake AAA; Larry Moniz is a forward from Mindemoya and
the
Sudbury AAA Midget, and Scott Taylor, defence, hails from
Constance
Lake and Kapuskasing's AAA Midget; Steve Zwarich, a forward, is
from
the Valley, Hanmer to be precise, and the Espanola Screaming
Eagles
while Josh Bigras is from the other end of the valley, Valley
East
and also coming from the Espanola Screaming Eagles fills out
those
names submitted by press time.
For hockey fans, seeing Junior A level talent without having to
travel off-Island will be quite a bonus as well. With the kind
of
talent Manitoulin produces, it won't be long until people will
be
saying: "Him? I saw him when he played Junior A, I knew right
off he
was going to be big."
Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like Mr. Leblanc, Mr.
Kowal
and their partners, it could be you.
|
|
Lily Lake |
by Jim Moodie
MELDRUM BAY--About five kilometres shy of Meldrum Bay,
Manitoulin's
westernmost community, a sign appears on the south side of
Highway
540 saying "Lily Lake Road." Few people venture down this
unprepossessing byway, and the ones who do might somewhat
reasonably
expect to find a pond choked with lily pads, or, alternatively,
a
lake chock-a-block with cottages.
Neither is the case. The water lilies for which this idyllic
lake was
presumably named are few and far between, and cottages are
practically nonexistent.
It boggles the mind, really, how such a scenic, inviting spot
could
remain so pristine and unpopulated. There is just one camp on
the
entire lake, and you won't even see it unless you know where to
begin
looking; it's hidden behind a thick screen of trees.
This camp, used primarily for hunting, was established by
Pauline
Smith of Gore Bay and her late husband Fred in the 1940s. "My
husband
and his brother learned about the land from Slim Golden (a
lawyer on
Manitoulin, now deceased), and we had the camp built out of
material
that came from the old skating rink here in Gore Bay," recalls
Mrs.
Smith. The late Alf Turner of Gore Bay "built it in his yard,"
she
remembers, and then they trucked the structure over to Lily
Lake.
Now 87, Mrs. Smith no longer joins the hunting parties at Lily
Lake,
as she did on occasion in the past, but she still visits the
camp,
particularly at Thanksgiving. "It's become a tradition to be
there at
that time," she says.
Prior to her husband's death, the Smiths passed the property on
to
Mrs. Smith's niece and her husband, Lynn and Len Doucette.
"They've
put a little deck on the building, so it's quite nice as far as
hunt
camps go," notes Mrs. Smith.
The rest of the shoreline of Lily Lake is essentially
undisturbed,
except for the odd "quad road" that comes down to the water's
edge,
and could be mistaken, from a distance, for a deer trail.
Kingfishers
swoop along the thickly wooded banks, and terns wheel above the
open
water.
Larger critters have also been known to frequent Lily Lake. John
McRae, whose family has owned the two islands in the lake since
the
early 1930s (daughter Shelagh McRae is the current owner),
recalls
coming to Lily Lake as a boy and "hearing the wolves howling
across
the lake."
More recently, Mr. McRae's son-in-law, Dr. Hamilton, encountered
a
bear swimming in the lake while he was paddling a canoe. "By
mutual
consent I think they decided to go different ways," says Mr.
McRae.
At one time, Mr. McRae's father, W.F. McRae, a crown attorney in
Gore
Bay, owned most of the property surrounding Lily Lake, which he
used
for timbering. When he sold the property to the Ontario Pulp and
Paper Company, "he kept the islands," says the son, "because I
enjoyed them so much."
As a boy, Mr. McRae cherished the time he spent at Lily Lake
with his
father, fishing for bass and exploring the shoreline. The family
never built a cottage on the islands, or on the mainland, but
would
stay in an old farmhouse near its shores. "We used to call it
the old
Armstrong house," Mr. McRae recalls.
There were several Armstrongs who inhabited the Lily Lake area.
Ivan
Trick, formerly a harbourmaster in Meldrum Bay, says that Joe
Armstrong, a bachelor, used to farm at the corner where the Lily
Lake
Road begins, and his brother Jackson, whom everyone called
"Manny,"
also lived nearby. Mrs. Smith recalls meeting Joe Armstrong in
her
youth. "He would be walking along the road, and we would pick
him
up," she says, adding that "he always chewed tobacco, and would
be
carrying a can to spit in."
She remembers the lifelong bachelor as bit of a character,
somewhat
scruffy in appearance, but also as a likable individual. "He
lived
there (near Lily Lake) all his life, until near the end he went
down
to the States. There were some Americans who used to come up and
stay
with him, and the story was that he went down there and
bartended for
them," Mrs. Smith relates, adding with a chuckle that he would
have
had to improve his wardrobe for this new occupation.
There was yet another Armstrong, named Lawrence, "who lived back
in
the bush and was something of a hermit," according to Mrs.
Smith. "My
husband Fred taught him to drive."
The Armstrong clan inhabited a settlement that was referred to
as
"the Burnt Land," a string of about 10 farms situated on land
near
Lily Lake that had been burnt over. Mrs. Smith says that "years
ago,
you could still see the burnt stumps."
Dale Van Every of Meldrum Bay points out that "there was a
school
there at the Burnt Land, S.S. #2 Dawson. The building is still
there
on the north side of the highway." He recalls when the first
children
from the Burnt Land community were bussed into Meldrum Bay to go
to
school, in the mid 1940s, because their school had been closed.
Mr. Van Every also remembers some of those children walking into
Meldrum Bay--about a 5 kilometre walk--and assumes children from
Meldrum Bay would have "walked out to Lily Lake as well."
Going out to Lily Lake as a boy was, for Mr. Van Every, "the
highlight of the summer." His family would visit the lake at
least
once each summer and "have a picnic at the landing," he recalls.
The landing is still there, and a fine place to picnic. A
volunteer
cuts the grass and empties the trash can, and shade can be found
beneath a tree near the shoreline.
On a recent weekend, Tom and Glorianne Swihart, formerly of
Mindemoya
and now residents of Michigan, could be found relaxing and
cooling
off at the picnic spot with children Sam and Amanda and their
cousins
Jeremy and Kristin.
"We call this the warmest lake on Manitoulin," Mrs. Swihart
said, as
son Sam skipped stones and daughter Amanda went for a dip.
Lily Lake is, indeed, warm, particularly near the landing, where
the
water remains quite shallow. It's pretty shallow overall, maybe
10-12
feet on average, and 25 feet at its deepest, according to
longtime
Lily Lake visitor and fisherman Doug Steele.
Mr. Steele, now 73, began frequenting Lily Lake as a toddler.
"My
father, Wilbert Steele, had a camp at the southwest corner of
the
lake in the 1920s," he says. While his father sold the property
in
the 1930s, the son has continued to "fish there off and on for
most
of my life. It's a great lake, one of the clearest and deepest
around
here (ie., near Meldrum Bay)," he remarks.
The lake, says Mr. Steele, boasts a good number of bass, as well
as
pike and pickerel, the occasional rock bass and sunfish, and
also
suckers.
Mr. McRae says the fishing was "fantastic" when he was a boy. At
that
time, in the 1930s, "the bass were so hungry they'd go straight
for a
feathered hook, and you didn't even have to be trolling, you'd
just
drop a line." The bass might not be as hungry as they were then,
but
Lily Lake remains "a great lake," says Mr. McRae, "and it's
still got
some good fishing spots."
It's also got a great beach, located on the south shore. Which
means
you have to have a boat, or be a particularly powerful swimmer,
to
get there.
But it might be worth the trip, not only for the beach, but for
an
additional reason--according to Mr. McRae and Mrs. Smith, you
can
hike overland from the south end of the lake to Greene Harbour,
a bay
on the south shore of the Island that used to feature a quarry.
This quarry (long defunct now and partially grown over) predates
the
massive Lafarge quarry on the extreme west end of the Island.
Mrs.
Smith believes that it supplied the stone used "to build the
locks at
Sault Ste. Marie."
The hike from Lily Lake to Greene Harbour doesn't take long,
says
Mrs. Smith, or it didn't used to, at any rate, when there was a
discernible trail. It might be tougher going now, she admits.
There is, on the other hand, a road that leads most of the way
there,
located just west of Lily Lake, Mrs. Smith points out.
But before you go looking for the "quarry road," why not try
turning
off at Lily Lake Road. It's a short trip to the water, and you
won't
be disappointed.
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