January 31, 1966 was the day that Evelyn Pinhey first set eyes on Barry Viau… who, uncharacteristically, was dressed in a three-piece suit. Love at first sight is a cliché phrase. But for this young couple (Evelyn was a month shy of seventeen and Barry only three years older), it was exactly what happened. Just a little over a year after their chance encounter, the two wed. At the time, Barry worked in Rockcliffe with the Department of National Defense. However, when an opportunity opened up for a cartographer position with Energy, Mines & Resources, he jumped at it. For next twenty-five years or so, Barry applied the technical drawing skills he learned in high school and drew maps for a living.
January 14, 1975 was another key date in this couple’s life together. It was when they bought their dream home in the country from Cy and Louise Walker. The white and green clapboard structure at the eastern edge of the Dunvegan hamlet has had a long, proud history, passing from Angus Grant to Donald Gordon McKercher to Neil Malcom McQuaig to William McKinnon to Don Angus Gray to Ellen Pechie to Anna Arkinstall to the Walkers and, finally, the Viaus. Over the years, it has been home to a popular dance hall (more on this later), a steam powered sawmill and, more recently, Dunvegan’s post office. But most importantly, for the past 47 years, it was a home full of love. So, while indescribably sad for Evelyn, Chris and Sarah, it was comforting for this family that Barry drew his last breath there on Sunday, September 18, 2022 after a lengthy illness.
As computerization revolutionized map making and the days of hand-drawn cartography rapidly drew to close, Barry took early retirement. He and Evelyn had many exciting plans, but all were cut short when Barry had his first heart attack one month after putting the caps on his Staedtler pens for the last time. Over the next twenty-four years, he battled cardiac issues and recurring cancer until, exhausted, he died peacefully a little over a week ago. When Evelyn so generously spoke with me this past Monday, she reminisced that Barry, a professional cartographer, would always get lost when they took a road trip. “He simply couldn’t read a map,” Evelyn chuckled. My sincere condolences to Evelyn, Chris, Sarah and Kohl.
Suzy says it’s super!
Next week, Rosemary Chatterson’s Music & Mayhem troupe returns to Dunvegan to begin dress rehearsals for their 2022 Christmas revue, with all new sidesplitting skits and toe-tapping musical numbers. The plan calls for five performances: three evening shows and two Sunday matinees. This year’s fundraiser is in support of Beyond 21, a Cornwall-based charity that helps adults with developmental disabilities to identify their dreams and then learn the skills and connections they need to achieve them.
The M&M gang is back in its entirety and has been hard at work for months learning their new lines and rehearsing the musical numbers. I have yet to see it, but I ran into Jim Winchester (a.k.a. Suzy Snowflake) on the weekend, and he says the new production is terrific. I’ll have more details, as we get closer to opening night.
History made enjoyable
I won’t have room this week for a full report on the museum’s 1812 Living History weekend,September 25th and 26th. So we’ll start with a quick look at last Friday’s War of 1812 Education Day. After a two-year hiatus, this closed-door event for junior high school students kicked things off with a bang. I passed by on my way back from Ottawa and it was heart warming to see nearly 300 Grade 7 & 8 students from Glengarry District, Char-Lan, St. Finnans, Iona Academy and Terre des Jeunes fully engaged in learning about Canadian history.
Volunteer re-enactors had set up eighteen learning stations covering everything from battlefield surgery, education in 19th century Glengarry County, letter writing and penmanship to rope making, blacksmithing, heritage livestock and the importance of horses in 1812. Interestingly, an actual canon blast marked the end of each mini workshop and kept the groups moving from one station to the next.
Event organizer Jim Mullin and his team of historic re-enactment volunteers are to be congratulated for donating their time and participating in this important educational opportunity. Does it make it difference? “We’ve heard from numerous young people who attended this program as students,” Jim told me. “They’re not shy to let us know… how much they enjoyed it.” Sound like a ‘Yes’ to me.
World Communion day
I’m already over the limit, so I’ll have to cut this short. Rev. Jim Ferrier wanted me to mention that, this coming Sunday (October 2nd), Kenyon Presbyterian Church will once again observe World Communion Sunday. He invites you to join them (at 11 am) as they come together with Christians the world over to celebrate this Sacrament given by Christ to his Church.
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