Barris Beat

Pre-Remembrance forgetfulness

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Landing craft from the troopship circle en route to Normandy beaches – June 6, 1944.

The conversation began much the way many of my chats with men of a certain age do. I got his birth date. The man told me he was born in January 1923. He quickly pointed out he’ll be 91 in the New Year.

Next, I asked about where he’d grown up and because he’d lived through the Second World War, where he’d served. He explained he’d been with the East Yorkshire Regiment on D-Day as part of the Operation Overlord invasion force.

I asked Geoff Leeming if he would be our honorary veteran at the Uxbridge Oilies Remembrance Tournament on Nov. 9 at the arena.

“Fine,” he said, “but you know I didn’t serve in the Canadian Army. It was the British Army.”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” I said. “You’re a veteran in my books.”

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Barris Beat

Closest to the premiers

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A few weeks ago, as I showered, shaved and made my way to work, CBC Radio’s local Toronto morning show invited audience comment. Host Matt Galloway wondered: “Where do Torontonians go, to find absolute silence?”

In a matter of a few seconds, I had an answer and texted it to him: “Sealed inside the rare books section at the Robarts Library, right down to the white gloves so your hands don’t rustle pages.”

I hadn’t thought about Ontario’s 17th premier in a long time. But when Galloway posed the question, I quickly remembered research I had conducted back in the early 1970s. I needed to find excerpts from particularly rare books and the only source was the then brand new John P. Robarts Research Library at the University of Toronto. By coincidence, this past week, I’ve been reading my colleague Steve Paikin’s new book, “Paikin and the Premiers.” Among other things, Paikin reminded me that Premier Robarts gave this province much more than a quiet research library.

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Events

Durham Genealogical Society invites Barris for Great Escape talk

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Ted Barris has spoken to the Durham Genealogical Society before. But on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, Barris returns, to talk about and present visuals from his brand new book, The Great Escape: A Canadian Story. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster movie The Great Escape, (with Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, etc.). But as Ted will demonstrate drawing from his book, the most famous WWII POW breakout was not a story of British heroes and Yankee know-how. The Great Escape was very much a story of Canadian leadership and courage. It’s more exciting than the Hollywood movie. And it’s all true!. As always, he will have copies of his books for sale and autographing.

When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 5, 2013.

Where: Oshawa Public Library, corner of Bagot and Centre streets, Oshawa, Ontario

Contact: Joyce Lintner, 905-728-5686, jlintner@sympatico.ca

Events

Uxbridge Legion Remembrance features Barris talk on Great Escape

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Ted Barris returns to Uxbridge branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, to speak to the Remembrance banquet. On Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, he’ll offer a short talk about and present visuals from his brand new book, The Great Escape: A Canadian Story. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster movie The Great Escape, (with Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, etc.). But as Ted will demonstrate drawing from his book, the most famous WWII POW breakout was not a story of British heroes and Yankee know-how. The Great Escape was very much a story of Canadian leadership and courage. It’s more exciting than the Hollywood movie. And it’s all true!. As always, he will have copies of his books for sale and autographing.

When: 6 p.m.., Saturday, November 9, 2013.

Where: Royal Canadian Legion, Br. 170, 109 Franklin Street, Uxbridge, Ontario.

Contact: Barb Hughes, 905-852-7046.

Barris Beat

Taking their marbles home

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Photo courtesy parentdish.co.uk

What’s with these guys? This week, Stephen Harper, the leader of the largest dominion in the 64-year-old, 53-member Commonwealth – covering a quarter of the world’s total land mass and including a third of the world’s total population – told fellow members he’d decided not to attend the upcoming meeting of the community in Sri Lanka. He said he wasn’t happy with the human rights record of the host nation’s president. So, in a desire to protect what he felt are the values of Canadians, he’s decided not to show up. It was the prime ministerial equivalent of a schoolyard child’s pout:

“Nya, nya, na-nya nya!”

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Barris Beat

Gifts of a fill-in mom

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There’s generally at least one of these in every neighbourhood. This person is most often extremely well grounded in the community or has lived there for years. People next door or down the block all feel they could trust this individual with their mother or their kids. I had a proxy parent like this. Only I didn’t realize I needed her as a surrogate until I was a young adult.

I knew her as “Ma Ross.”

Dick and Betty Ross met on the dance floor at the Palais Royale during the Second World War.

Actually her name was Betty Ross. She was born Helen Elizabeth Watson on July 11, 1920, in Toronto. When she was four, her father died. So, she was raised by a caring brother. Betty came of age during the Second World War, fell in love with an RCAF Spitfire pilot – when they danced on terrace of the Palais Royale on a night in 1940 – and waited for her beau, Richard Ross, to come home safely from the air war overseas. In the 1950s, I met Betty through her son, David, who’d become my closest friend in elementary school in Agincourt, Ont. But that’s not when she became my fill-in mom.

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Barris Beat

The face of writing

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WCDR volunteers at the “Word on the Street” booth last Sunday afternoon in Toronto”s Queen’s Park Circle. (l-r) Ted Barris, Deepam Wadds, Donna Thompson & Adele Simmons.

The man approached us with plenty of confidence. He seemed self-assured, but had an inquisitive look on his face too. He pulled out a pen and paper ready to make some notes about who we were. One of us at our booth, on Wellesley Street in Toronto, asked him the burning question of the day:

“Are you a writer?”

“Sure am, “ he said. “I’m a poet. Have been all my life.”

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Barris Beat

Going off half-cocked

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I remember it like yesterday. Students in my broadcasting class seemed particularly rowdy that morning. They didn’t appear to want to calm down to take in the lecture. I’d had an unusually difficult commute to the campus. I began the prerequisite attendance check, couldn’t get the students to respond and came to a name on the attendance list I sensed had been a regular absentee. She bore the brunt of my frustration.

“You know, you should pay more attention when I call your name,” I said to the young woman. “If you paid more attention, perhaps your grades would be better.”

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Barris Beat

Getting my heart back

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Even a decade ago, heart specialists would have to cut open a cardiac patient in order to see the inside of a beating human heart. Ultra-sound has changed all that.

Throughout the day, following my operation, I was restless. In fact, that night – last Friday – I couldn’t sleep in the hospital ward where I was recovering. Coincidentally, however, the Registered Nurse on the night shift had a few minutes to spare as she recorded my blood pressure and heartbeat, so she stopped for conversation. We talked about her birthplace – East Africa – and how she’d come to Canada in search of a career. Eventually, I asked her what her name was.

“Meseret,” she said. “It means foundation. My father chose it because it was a strong name.”

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Events

Barris brings Great Escape saga to Lunch at the Legion

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Last year’s Lunch at the Legion event was so well received, Ted’s been invited back. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013, he’s back to talk about and present visuals from his brand new book, The Great Escape: A Canadian Story. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hollywood blockbuster movie The Great Escape, (with Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, etc.). But as Ted will demonstrate drawing from his book, the most famous WWII POW breakout was not a story of British heroes and Yankee know-how. The Great Escape was very much a story of Canadian leadership and courage. It’s more exciting than the Hollywood movie. And it’s all true!. As always, he will have copies of his books for sale and autographing.

When: Noon, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013.

Where: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 170, 109 Franklin St., Uxbridge, Ontario.

Contact: Pam Noble, 905-852-9747, pamela.noble@uxlib.com