Wayne Bjorgan was a kid from Leamington, arriving wet behind the ears, to Barrie’s media in the early 60’s. A single, swinging kind of guy, he was the news ‘anchor’ for CKBB Radio and CKVR Television, housed together up on Little’s Hill. You can imagine, this golden-voiced young guy, zipping around town in his red…
I called my mom this morning. I tried to reach her before her ride picked her up for her Alzheimers Day Program. I wanted her to know how important she is. It’s Tuesday. March 8. That’s when I write this column, as a rule. My mom was a fairly typical 50’s mom… looked to dad…
This city needs a concentrated, coordinated Shop Local campaign. It needs its birth to begin with the City’s Economic Development offices, be embraced by Tourism Barrie and the Downtown Business Improvement Board, the Golden Mile, all the Mall Merchants associations, BIN Management and Aerarium who are landlords to so many, the Chamber of Commerce, the…
Each of us, sitting and thinking about Ken Peck last week, had specific memories. Ken died February 12 after several months of physical struggle. He was 91. Of the several hundred people giving thought to Ken, I suspect we were unified in one thought… here was a man whose twinkle was the sum of his…
It’s a pattern, I guess. I’m thinking back to when we were loading up a half ton pickup truck with all of our possessions (yes, they all fit, one trip) to make the drive from Kingston to Barrie. It was Dec 27, 1970. My first husband had found employment with Val and Ralph Snelgrove’s TV…
You hear entrepreneurs say this all the time. Work hard! Play hard! In fact, its a phrase assigned to many successful people.
Alas, for many it really means work hard, work hard, work hard, work hard. Take a holiday in the south somewhere and work hard while youre there.
To my way of thinking, work hard, play hard starts at your daytimer. Whether its a paper version or an electronic version, outlook or daytimer, it begins right there.
What helps is to think of yourself having just six months left in your life. Six definitive months. What are the things you would want to achieve during those final six months? Write them down.
Robert Thompson is an important link between you and I, thrift stores and the developing world, countries with so much poverty that daily necessities like clothes are financially out of reach. Nice place to be, especially if you can make your living at it. Let me back up a minute before introducing Robert and his…
In his mid-30’s, Bob McCreary stood on a bleak March day inside a damp gathering room at Toronto’s Riverdale Crematorium. His childhood best friend, David, from Deep River, ON, was in a simple coffin at the room’s centre. His friend’s young children, about 6 and 7 were sitting with their mother. A few family and…
Most of you won’t be able to imagine this… 1946: Barrie’s population 10,153. Water laps the train tracks which hug the buildings in downtown Barrie. No Lakeshore Dr or any parks. Carley’s and Delaney’s marinas rent rowboats for a season for $8. A 14 foot wooden boat, finished with several coats of marine varnish cost…
For several years now I’ve been developing a bucket list… those important things I want to do between work-life and final address change. Joining a book club was up near the top. So is catching up the kids photo albums… honestly, they’ve spent the last half of their lives as jpegs, but that’s another column….