Cornwall Ontario – “Lest We Forget” is a very poignant phrase. It stirs up memories and feelings. We have sad thoughts of the Veterans who didn’t make it home from the wars and of the anguish of their families. We have grateful thoughts of the Veterans who did make it home. I remember my maternal Grandmother Louise Tardiff who was so happy that her four sons, Cecil, Art, Leonard and Omer all came home, as did my Dad, Richard “Dick” Herrington and my brother Sonny.
There are memories of cold windy and sometimes snowy days on Remembrance Day standing at the cenotaph as kids, listening to prayers and speakers. The schools used to take the classes to the Cenotaph when I was young. I always looked for my uncles and brother among the crowd. Later as a teen, our CCVS band played at the ceremonies. It was a bit chilly in our kilts. I remember seeing so many familiar people from our community, united to honour our Veterans, past and present. They wanted to be there for all the Veterans, our heroes.
My brother Sonny was a very young lad when he joined the Navy. My Mom didn’t even know that he and some other young guys had gone to Montreal to enlist.
It was something they felt they had to do. And they did it for our country; for all of us.
This photo of Sonny as a very young sailor hung in our home as long as I remembered when I was growing up.
My Mom always had it near her in later years in a nursing home. I inherited it when my Mom died n 1998.
Sonny left us for his heavenly home two years ago at the age of 91.
We, his family, miss him so much but are very grateful that we had him for many many wonderful years. We cherish his memory.
In the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour, we gather at the cenotaph and hear once again the words from Robert Laurence Binyon’s poem of 1914, “For The Fallen”:
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
…all of them.
Sidney Horovitz sent this wonderful photo of children in the Jewish Community in Cornwall in 1943:
Top row from the left: Eunice Shulman, Joan Horovitz, Evelyn Smokin, Barbara Horovitz and Avrona Miller.
Bottom row from the left: Cynthia Nyman, Joel Horovitz, Sidney Horovitz and Jack Miller.
Beautiful picture of adorable little children. I went to school with Cynthia and Sydney…..long time ago. Thanks, Sidney, for sharing it with us.
In the fall of 1958 several very brave Guide-Sea Rangers went Fall Camping at Charlottenburg Park, east of Cornwall. Frances Glass-Irwin remembers that Myrna Lalonde, Betty Lalonde, Liz Farlinger, Ann Tabram and another unidentified girl and Fran braved the cool fall air. Fran said they did it three times.
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She remembers her father driving her down to camp on a Saturday morning. The girls had prepared a pit fire prior to camping and covered it with plywood so they would know where it was. There were no floors in the tents. They had put tent pegs in the ground when it was still soft and marked the location with longer stakes. Fran had an old racoon coat of her Mother’s to cover her in her sleeping bag and the other girls had similar ones. They only spent one night out in a tent. They stored their wood in the bunkhouse where they could also use the kitchen. Must have been quite an adventure.
In the photo below are (Lt) Myrna Lalonde, Frances Glass-Irwin and Elizabeth Farlinger.
My Mom used to use the expression” bee line”, as in ” He made a bee line for the bus” and I wondered where it came from. According to the internet on the https:/www.phrases.org.uk/meanings web site, it was derived from bee’s behaviour. Apparently when a forger bee finds some nectar, it tells the other bees the nectar’s location using a “Waggle Dance”, which is quite a sophisticated way to communicate for an insect with a tiny brain.
The other bees can then make a ‘bee line’ to get some nectar. The article says that the dance is a short wiggling run with an angle denoting the direction of the flowers which hold the nectar source and also denotes the length of time it will take to get there. When we see a bee ‘wiggling’, we will know it is a busy time for the bees.
The Child Haven Newsletter is out and again, a joy to read. So many wonderful and interesting articles about the children and staff. Child Haven International was founded in 1985 by Dr. Nat Shah and Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino to help orphaned and destitute children and women in need of food, clothing, health care, and education, moral and emotional support. There are 10 projects in India, Bangladesh, Tibet in China and Nepal.
I love this picture of the two little boys, Robin (Lt) and Ridowan in the Bangladesh Home, who are caring for 3 tiny young sparrows that fell from their nest. Kind little guys to care about little fledgling birds.
Also in the newsletter are articles about smiling children having music lessons, playing, cooking and sewing. Some articles tell about grown up children from the home who are now in university studying for their careers, such as Sonam Dhondup of the Maitreya Home who is now enrolled in Delhi University studying Tourism Management.
Overseas Interns are being sought for a commitment of three to six months interning in India and Nepal. Please contact the CHI office in Maxville 613-527-2829 for information.
The newsletter can be seen on the internet at www.childhaven.ca.
Copies of Bonnie’s book: Bonnie and her 21 Children, by her longsuffering husband ( that would be Fred) are available online at www.bonnieand her 21children.com or at any CHI dinners.
The newsletters always close with a quote from Rabindranath Tagore :
“Let me light my lamp, says the star, And never debate if it will dispel the dark”.
Happy Happy 83rd Birthday to my brother Ron ( Satch) Herrington on Nov. 17th.
Here is a cute joke:
Meals On Wheels:
One day a cat dies of natural causes and goes to heaven. There he meets the Lord Himself. The Lord says to the cat “You’ve lived a good life and if there is any way I can make your stay here more enjoyable, please let me know”. The cat thinks for a moment and says, “Lord, all my life I lived with a poor family and had to sleep on the floor.” The Lord stops the cat and says, “Say no more.” And a wonderful fluffy pillow appears.
A few days later 6 mice are killed in a tragic farming accident and go to heaven. Again the Lord greets them with the same offer. The mice answer, “All our lives we have been chased. We have had to run from cats, dogs and even women with brooms. We are tired of running. Do you think we could have some roller skates so we wouldn’t have to run anymore?” The Lord says, “Say no more” and fits each of them with a beautiful pair of roller skates.
About a week later the Lord stops by to see the cat and finds him snoozing on the pillow. The Lord gently wakes the cat and asks him, “How have things been since you got here?” The cat stretches out, yawns and then replies, “It is wonderful here. Better that I could have imagined. And those Meals on Wheels you have been sending by are the best!!”
(Here is Tiger in his box on a warm cozy mat waiting for Meals on Wheels to go by, maybe. Hope none do!!!)
Have a good week, Dawn
Dawn your posts are wonderful and you sure bring back memories of the good Jewish families that once lived in Cornwall. I went to CCVS for a while with the Nyman girls and we purchased our shoes at their store. My husband shook hands with Mr. Nyman. Those were very good families Dawn. I sure love to see Tiger as well and Jamies pets. You bring back good memories Dawn the better days of Cornwa
I too have memories of marching with our CCVS band to the cenotaph on Remembrance Day – and usually on very cold days! Great pictures – I really enjoyed them.
– Myrna Plumley Watt
Jules: thank you very much. Glad you enjoy the columns.
Yes, Mr. Nyman was always very nice to his customers and to us kids who used to go into the store as was his sales clerk Mr. Harrington (Russ’s Dad).
Hi Dawn. The Nyman family were great people and that is one of the very few people that hubby spoke well about. Can you picture an Arab and a Jew getting along with one another and yes this can be done when politics and religion is set aside and behave like good people which the Nymans are excellent people. We miss them and when we thing of Cornwall those are the good people as well as yourself
CCVS had a great band as well as those who were cadets during the first year that I went there and after the cadets were no more. I didn’t stay very long at CCVS and I went to St. Mikes Academy and St. Lawrence in the French system. Mr. Nyman sold the best shoes in town.
Very good column. Loved the “Meals on
Wheels ” joke.
Thank you for your photos and lovely comments about the
Nyman Family. Our parents were very proud to be part of the Cornwall community!
Paula: Nice to hear from you. Thank you – glad you liked the article. All the best to you and Cynthia. Dawn