Friday Morning Coffee Club annual golf tournament successful with surprise winner

The Winners

The Friday Morning Coffee Club held its third annual successful golf tournament at the Elizabeth Lake Lodge with a surprise winner.

Ed Saffin brought his grandson Tom along to play in the tournament - and he not only notched four holes in one over the 36 holes, but emerged as the winner of the Ron McFarland Trophy as the winner, with lowest overall score.

The foursome who emerged victorious in the tournament included Jim Roberts, Joel Vinge, Antoine Beurskens and Dennis Burton.

They will be presented with the Peter Davidson Memorial Trophy in a ceremony at a later date. Tom will also be presented with the Ron McFarland Trophy at that time.

Tom

The Friday Morning Coffee Club has been meeting regularly for four years now.

MJ, Tom, Ed Saffin

Joining Ed and Tom on the losing team were Ken Wellington and yours truly, who despite our best efforts, and some holes in one, could not pull off a victory.

Ken

Ken did get a hole in one

However, it was another great time with plenty of laughs for all of us, and thanks to the folks at Elizabeth Lake Lodge for having us.

Antoine

Thanks to Jim Roberts and Joel Vinge for putting it all together. Photos by Joel

Joel Vinge shares special meaning of 1937 Ford

Joel Vinge, a founding member of the Friday Morning Coffee Club and well-known Cranbrook entertainer, volunteer andsinger in choirs, and other groups, shared photos of the 1937 Ford which has a special meaning for him.

Joel tells us the story: "Last week the three of us (the car - 1937 Ford, my identical twin Dave Sindholt and me) all born in 1937 got together to take these pictures. 

"The car, owned by brother, Dave Carter, of one of our neighbours, Louise, was visiting from Whiterock.

"Dave Sindholt was born in Ontario the same day I was born at Sec. 12, Tp. 47 Rnge. 19, W2nd, Saskatchewan. Oldness does have some perks!

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

How about that dashboard!!!

PS... If any readers have memories or stories/pics about old cars, please feel free to contaact me... My email is mj.morris@live.ca and I am on Facebook.

FRIDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB CELEBRATES WITH BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JIM ROBERTS ON HIS 70th

Jim Roberts turned 70 recently and the Friday Morning Coffee Club celebrated the occasion by holding a birthday party for him at its regular weekly gathering.

Led by Joel, FMCC delivered a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Jim as he marks 'three score years and ten".

Jim, who wears many hats -- the rancher, the warden -- but most of all, great friend to us all, is a founding member of FMCC, and even though it was his birthday party, he was called upon to bring the plates, forks and napkins.

Joel did his best to keep it a secret but it didn't work!

Jim is seen here with his talking/walking stick, part of our "Finding Your Good Stick" series. Jim promises to tell the fascinating story of his good stick.

Jim, the warden, in deep conversation with Joel on affairs of the church

Part of a warden's duties include making sure the Christmas tree is standing straight

And finally, Jim the rancher, preparing breakfast for FMCC members with Chef Justin

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM AND ALL THE BEST!!!!!

Bill Groves shares good stick along with retail career travels

Bill Groves, a long time friend who lives in Chapleau says he liked my  " Good Stick " story, thanks Bill, and decided to share his own as well as a bit of history from his career in the retail business. Good stuff Bill, and as always thanks!  MJM

 By Bill Groves

I have always had a good stick ( since moving back to Chapleau in 1976 ! A couple of pictures are included.

Having semi retired from my retail life,  21 Places in 21  years in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta,  training , managing stores , then on the road as district manager  in B.C. and Alberta. Eventually I opened our own two new stores in Kamloops B.C.and ran those for nearly four years. Barbara, my wife  ran one and I ran the other one in two different shopping centres at each end of the city then sold them to the Stedman Company and retired back to Ontario as my parents had serious health problems .

Barbara (Bowland) Groves

Stedmans heard I was back in Ontario and contacted me to see if I would help out an old friend , the store manager in Cochrane Ont while he was recuperating from  a heart operation. I said ok . I ended up staying for six months ! Now it was January and I wasn't sure what I was going to work at so I offered to manage the Stedman Store In Chapleau Ont as I had just heard they had transferred the manager and had no immediate replacement.

The deal must be that they leave me in Chapleau until my kids had finished school . They agreed ! I maybe mention here that Chapleau is Barbara's home town and that's why I accepted this position.

So goes the story ! Here it is 2016 having run the store for the company for ten years then purchasing the business and the building . Ran it as Groves Department Store for twenty years and we have now been re-retired for eleven years after leasing my building to another retailer !

Back to the good stick. Sorry for the reminiscing rant ! I use a walking pole rather than a cane type stick as I find it comforting to walk with and to hunt with especially on uneven trails , bush roads etc. When hunting I use it as a hunting stick as you can see it has a short branch sticking out at waist height and one at shoulder height for resting and aiming my rifle when sitting or standing.  It is also pronged and sharp at the tip for protection from animals, snakes and unfriendly dogs !

I have made a number of cane types which my wife uses and enjoys for the steadiness it provides her while following me on these hikes on the bush trails around town and out at the cottage.

The first part of this is quite off topic but somewhere in your and my friend relationship you had asked me for a story about us so I added a bit of it here.

Thanks for inviting me to participate in your good stick / good friends stories

Bill Groves

From blueberry picking to finding good stick (first version)

Premier Bill Davis, MJM, Clare Hoy, Willy Memegos (white hat)

Here is my original good stick story published in 2010..Years ago, when I was still living in Chapleau, my favorite place for a walk in the bush, some may call it the forest, but not me, was on the road leading to the Memegos property. I first started going there with Grandpa Hunt as a child to pick blueberries and continued until I left Chapleau over 26 years ago.

I did take a walk there with Michael McMullen, my cousin, and Ian Macdonald, my friend, when were were home for the Chapleau High School Reunion in 2012.

For my walks I would leave from our home on Grey Street, go over the "Indian Bridge" across the "back river" (Nebskwashi River) and head off along the roads. On one particular day I recall that I had been trudging along for about three hours going here and there, and was now heading toward the Memegos family's land. My good friend, the late Willy Memegos had given me permission to walk on their land any time, and I will tell you more about that kindness later.

As I walked along the road, coming towards me was a man who I had often seen go by my house, but I did not know him. As he approached, he said, "Where is your good stick?", stopping to explain that he always carried a "good stick" with him. He moved it from hand to hand, he told me and it served to strengthen his arms and upper body.

"Maybe some day you will find a good stick too," he said smiling, and off he went, adding, "Maybe you will also see the wolf. It's auburn. Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you." I never saw the man again, or the wolf.

Shortly thereafter I came across a stick and picked it up. It wasn't as sturdy or straight as the one the man was carrying, but crooked as it was I had found my good stick. My good stick became my travelling companion helping me cross a beaver dam and walk along the edge of a pond. When I became tired I leaned on it and took a rest, and when I stumbled it helped me keep my balance, and aided me as I climbed a hill.

My good stick was very powerful indeed, and long after I lost it I thought that if that old piece of wood from a dead tree could have been so much help to me as I wandered along, giving me confidence to surmount minor obstacles, maybe the man I met on the road meant much more with his comments than maybe I would find a good stick and even see the wolf that would not harm me some day.

Let me return to my friend Willy Memegos and his family for a moment. Shortly after I became reeve (mayor) of Chapleau, we needed a new township public works superintendent and were not satisfied with the applications we had received. Councillors Ernie Gilbert and Dr G.E. Young suggested to me that we ask Willy if he would like the job. Willy had not applied but when we asked if he would like it with the option that he could return to the position he had at any time, he accepted. Let me just add that Willy's brothers Adam and Baptiste also worked for the municipality, and bar none, Baptiste was the best grader operator anywhere! And Willy never returned to his old job!

Until I left office in 1980, Willy would come to chat with me every day that I was at the Town Hall/Civic Centre, and gave me the benefit of his wisdom and guidance on all manner and sorts of things. Willy was a man of few words but he was always right on.

An example. Willy convinced me and council agreed to let the township public works department assume responsibility for the installation of the water and sewer services to the "new' Chapleau General Hospital on Broomhead Road. One day Willy came into my office and said I had to stop construction according to the engineer's drawings because they were wrong. A change must be made. This led to a flurry of phone calls between us and the engineer's office, and it turned out that Willy was right and the engineer wrong! When I asked him how he knew, he replied simply, "I have a good eye."

When Ontario Premier Bill Davis visited Chapleau in 1975, Willy took us on tour of the new hospital site.

Willy and his brothers worked on the original installation of the sewer system in Chapleau back about 1949!!!

The Memegos family also watched out for Grandpa Hunt who was well into his seventies and still picking blueberries.

I met Willy as I walked along to the road towards his land one day, and asked his permission to walk on it. "You can walk on my land any day," he replied. When I would reach the crook in the road I would always think of Robert Frost's poem 'The Road Not Taken' and realize that so often I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference in my life.

But people like Willy, and so many others that I have met along the way over the years, became "the good stick" and made the journey easier. May each of you find your Good Stick!

I am so indebted to Willy's nieces, Anita and Johanne, for kindly agreeing that I may refer to their uncle and family. Thank you.

Friday Morning Coffee Club launches series of 'good stick' stories

Friday Morning Coffee Club, aka FMCC, launched its 'good stick' project with members bringing their own personal examples to the regular session on Feb.19.

Somehow, at least to me, it seems that the man I met on the bush road near my home in Chapleau on July 28, 1980, who commented that maybe some day I would find a good stick like he had, meant much more than I thought I did.

After receiving my own good stick recently from my lifelong friend Harry 'Butch' Pellow, of course I had to bring it to a FMCC meeting, and suddenly others were sharing their personal experiences with me. 

In fact Gerry Warner was the first to launch our 'Good Stick' series with a fascinating look at his travels with a stick he has had for 40 years. Here is the link to it: http://themainstreeter.blogspot.com/2016/02/theres-no-friend-like-good-stick-by.html

Gerry Warner

One thing leads to another, as it usually does, and we now hope to have a series of personal stories on finding your good stick, and the role it plays in our lives. Members are working on their stories now and they will be published on this blog and a Facebook page.

If you would like to participate, please just email me at mj.morris@live.ca

Good sticks on the table

Over the years I have written several stories based on my own good stick experience, and even included reference to it at an ecumenical service in which I participated at the 90th anniversary reunion of Chapleau High School in 2012. I expressed the hope that everyone would find their own good stick.

In the letter accompanying my stick Butch wrote: "As our frailties become more evident, we need to be mindful of every step going forward -- be reminded of your friend many years ago who explained the "good stick theory."  

For a guy who loves metaphor, it took me about 30 years to grasp the implied comparison between a piece of wood that was very helpful and powerful in helping me as I walked along a  bush road and my friends who have also been there with me and for me -- most particularly Harry 'Butch' Pellow. I have been most blessed. Thanks Butch for being the "good stick" so often over the past 70 years or so.

As FMCC members share their stories, it takes me back to a speech I heard by Ray Bradbury, who commented that he was born "a collector of metaphors. Metaphors are the centre of life."

Brian shows his "good stick"

Most assuredly I agree, as I look forward to the metaphors from my friends in FMCC, and any who choose to share their good stick stories.

I would just add that the man on bush road, while expressing the hope that I would find my good stick, added that maybe I would also see the auburn wolf, but not to be afraid. It would not hurt me. I will leave interpretations of that metaphor to you my friends.

Here is link to recent version of it:http://themainstreeter.blogspot.com/2016/02/discovering-meaning-behind-good-stick.html

Last but not least. thanks to Joel for making sure everyone brought their good stick, arranging and doing photography, and being a great 'good stick' to all of us in FMCC.Can't wait to hear your good stick story Joel... He tells us it comes from Maine.

Discovering the meaning behind the 'good stick'

Perhaps  the man I met on the bush road at Chapleau some 30 years ago who told me "Maybe some day you will find a good stick too", meant much more than I thought he did.

As I walked along the road, coming towards me was a man who I had often seen go by my house, but I did not know him. As he approached, he said, "Where is your good stick?", stopping to explain that he always carried a "good stick" with him. He moved it from hand to hand, he told me and it served to strengthen his arms and upper body.

"Maybe some day you will find a good stick too," he said.

As I walked along the road, coming towards me was a man who I had often seen go by my house, but I did not know him. As he approached, he said, "Wher smiling, and off he went, adding, "Maybe you will also see the wolf. It's auburn. Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you." I never saw the man again, or the wolf.... (or so I thought)

I had written a story about finding the good stick some years ago, and even spoke about it at the 90th anniversary reunion of Chapleau High School in 2012. I hadn't thought about it much recently, until I received huge box from my lifelong friend Harry 'Butch' Pellow. Upon opening it. Butch had sent me a walking stick.

Butch and MJM circa 1947

But, it was the enclosed letter that made me fully realize the metaphor of the "good stick". He wrote that it was sent with best wishes "as you carry it". 

He added: "As our frailties become more evident, we need to be mindful of every step going forward -- be reminded of your friend many years ago who explained the "good stick theory."  I get the message my friend.

Butch and Brigitte Pellow 2015

By the way, the bush road was actually a logging road built originally by Edgar Pellow, Butch's uncle circa 1930.

Let me go back to my story about the good stick, and I hope I don't mangle metaphors too badly in so doing. "Shortly thereafter I came across a stick and picked it up. It wasn't as sturdy or straight as the one the man was carrying, but crooked as it was I had found my good stick. My good stick became my travelling companion helping me cross a beaver dam and walk along the edge of a pond. When I became tired I leaned on it and took a rest, and when I stumbled it helped me keep my balance, and aided me as I climbed a hill.

"My good stick was very powerful indeed, and long after I lost it I thought that if that old piece of wood from a dead tree could have been so much help to me as I wandered along, giving me confidence to surmount minor obstacles, maybe the man I met on the road meant much more with his comments than maybe I would find a good stick and even see the wolf that would not harm me some day."

For a guy like me who loves metaphor, it took me about 30 years to grasp the implied comparison between a piece of wood that was very helpful and powerful in helping me as I walked along life's road and my friends who have also been there with me and for me -- most particularly Harry 'Butch' Pellow. I have been most blessed.

Thanks Butch for being the "good stick" so often over the past 70 years or so.

I was so excited with my discovery that I was going to use it as a framework for a review of 2015 which was a truly amazing one for me, as my friends, aka "good sticks" made possible. 

Back David, Jim, MJ, Ed, Brian, Joel, Antoine Seated, Dennis, Mark. Ron

However, the Friday Morning Coffee Club, aka FMCC, was meeting and of course, I had to bring my good stick to our weekly session. It is just on three years now since FMCC was launched quite unintentionally.. 

I started having coffee at Starbucks in the newly opened, now closed Target store, was joined by Joel Vinge, then Jim Roberts, and the rest is history.If everyone shows, we now have 20 members. There is no agenda. We meet for fellowship, many laughs for an hour with all the "good sticks" who have become good friends.

We celebrate birthdays and other special occasions, and have played golf and had breakfasts at Rocky View Ranch.

Without mixing metaphors any further, let me leave you with a quote from Stephen Grellet as I head out carrying my good stick:  “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

PS  I am not even going to try and deal with the wolf metaphor now!!!