Did You Know?

CAROL WILSON 

Did you know that Oshawa Public Libraries (OPL) can help you maintain your tablet, iPad, e-reader, smartphone, smart TV and even your car? Did you know that they can also guide you in learning about the latest tech toys? Have you been wondering how 3-D printers work? Then the OPL Speaker Series of workshops is for you. 

On Jan. 31st, a workshop, called Dynamic Devices, was held at OPL’s Delpark Homes Centre Branch. Library staff demon-strated how to read and listen to books, stream music, movies, documentaries and TV shows and how to read magazines on the popular personal devices that most of us use. Does your device seem to be smarter than you are? One-on-one tech help sessions are available to aid you in dispelling that myth and this help is free just by showing your library card. 

Do you have questions about maintaining your car? The Feb. 27th OPL presentation, Basic Auto Maintenance, can answer them. A former auto technician will give you an overview of services needed to keep your car running well. You will also discover what resources the library can offer to help you learn even more about your car. 

Do you want to become tech-savvy and impress your children or grandchildren? On Mar. 27th, the third workshop in the OPL Speaker Series, Tech Toys, can help you with that. Library staff will bring the latest tech toys such as ozobots and google cardboard for you to try. 

Each of these workshops is held at OPL Delpark Homes Centre Branch. Registration is only $2.00 per workshop. Check the OSCC55+ Winter Activity Guide for more information and get ready to impress everyone.

Blankets For Cats

MARJORIE SORELL 

How lucky are the small animals awaiting adoption at the Oshawa Animal Services location on Farewell Street. Before they leave for their forever homes, they can nestle into a hand-crochet blanket crafted by Susan Edwards. 

During the past three years, Susan has provided over 500 of these15”x 20” acrylic blankets. When a kitten, cat or small dog is adopted, the blanket goes with them making the transition easier. Susan has had feline friends all her life, and presently her work is supervised by “Mischief “”her 13 year old brown tabby. 

Susan has carried on this project after a request for blankets was initially posted three years ago in this Newsletter. 

Susan Edwards still crochets blankets for cats/kittens at the Humane Society. 

Whose Stories Do We Tell?

ZELDA ARMSTRONG 

You’ve heard it often in these pages – everyone has a story! But historically, whose stories are handed down? Whose stories count in the long reach of human history? What events are remembered – and why? We all know the answer to that. History is written by the winners, mostly men. The voices of ordinary people, especially women, are seldom remembered. However, those who attended the Ladies’ Lunch on January 27th at the Northview Branch were given an interesting insight into the story of working women in Oshawa. 

Amanda Robinson is a lecturer at Ontario Tech University. She used pictures from the Bouckley Collection, an extensive resource of photographs which chronicle Oshawa’s past, to illustrate the history of women’s work. Of course women have always worked, mostly in the home, on the land and as servants. A picture of scullery maids at Parkwood in the 1920’s with their superior, a butler, reminded us of this. However, the fight for women’s right to work in professions began in earnest in the early part of the twentieth century. Nursing and teaching presented respectable jobs in which women in stiff petticoats could earn a living and gain some independence. Nevertheless, to become a nurse one had to be a British subject of good moral character – and white! 

One photo showed a parade down Simcoe Street of veiled men in women’s dress, carrying suffragette signs. Were they marching in support of their female friends or were they mocking them? Although by the 1930’s women were starting to work in other jobs, the general policy was not to hire married women. Those who did get jobs earned much less than men and were placed on separate seniority lists. These policies persevered into the 1970’s, although women who worked at General Motors challenged stereotypes and were leaders of the suffragette movement. 

During World War II women took on many jobs previously reserved for men only, helping to turn out munitions, planes and tanks. When the war ended, however, Rosy the Riveter was pushed back to her home. Frustration and resentment set in and women of GM became important agents of change. Many readers will know of Beverly McCloskey, a feminist, union member and human rights advocate who became widely known for her fight to have the category of gender included as a discriminatory practice included in the Human Rights Code of Canada. 

This talk sparked discussions among the groups of women around the lunch tables who had their own stories of discrimination to tell. Be sure to check out the next Ladies’ Lunch to see what interesting talk is on the agenda! 

All You Need Is Love

CAROL WILSON 

Small Town Boy / Big Town Girl 

After finishing high school in 1961, 18-year-old Richard moved from the small town of Lockeport, NS to Toronto. 

One day after church, the minister’s daughter asked Richard if he would like to go on a blind date with her best friend, Helen. Richard agreed to go. He assumed that Helen would be nice but was doubly pleased to discover that she was also extraordinarily beautiful! They had a wonderful time bowling, which led to many more dates. Sometimes Richard would pick Helen up from her high school and they would spend time eating ice cream together at St. Clair Dairy on “The Danforth”. 

Richard and Helen became engaged at Christmas, 1962 and were married in May,1963. Richard jokingly refers to their first daughter, Debbie (who was born in 1967), as “Our Centennial Project”. Their second daughter, Lisa, followed in 1972 on Groundhog Day. Richard and Helen also have 3 beautiful grandchildren: Evan, Morgan and Jonah.

In 1978, the family decided to go to Disney World. They fell in love with Florida (they refer to it as “Heaven on Earth”) and since then have been back about 30 times! 

After retiring in 2008, Richard and Helen joined OSCC, became volunteers and have been (and still are) involved in many activities. Helen volunteered with the OSCC John St. Adult Day Programme and still enjoys arts and crafts. For several years, both Richard and Helen convened regular bingo games, first at OSCC Conant Branch and then at John St. Branch. For many years they have sold Pot of Gold tickets at John St. Branch. Richard can often be found in the John St. Branch pool room. He also loves to sing and was one of the founding members of The Sing-Sations singing group. He has since helped organize and is currently a member of The Originals singing group. Richard and Helen both say, “The OSCC has much to offer. Join today and you will be happy like we have been for the last 12 years!”. 

In May, Richard and Helen Williams will celebrate 57 years of marriage, proving that a small town boy and a big town girl can make it just fine – all you need is love. 

Can you imagine the number of love stories there are at OSCC55+? Do you have an interesting story about how you met your partner? Perhaps we can include it in a future issue. Please contact Jennifer Milligan at ext. 2832 for more information. 

Celebrating 50 Years of Fitness With Donna Davidson

BY JIM GRIEVE 

Donna Davidson has been teaching Chair Exercise, Fitness Light with Weights and Line Dance classes for 50 years at the OSCC55+ centre. Just before Christmas break the staff at the centre honoured Donna’s achievement of 50 years by presenting her with a cake at her Line Dance Advanced class. The class was very thrilled with the presentation and Donna gave them a break to share the cake with them. 

In the early years Donna taught line dancing, roller skating and played ladies fast ball and badminton. She also volunteered at various other groups around the region. 

Her career in fitness started at the Y.W.C.A. and lasted there for 38 years. She said she got interested in exercise classes in 1983 in order to get out of the house with her children. The Y.W.C.A. provided a day care program for children which accommodated her needs. Sheila Entwhistle was her instructor at the Y.W.C.A. and after several years of grooming Donna as an instructor Sheila convinced Donna to take over her instructor position. Sheila then started working at the OSCC55+ centre and in 1970 convinced Donna to teach classes there as well as at the Y.

Donna has been involved in many special events over the years. As President of the Line Dance Association she was responsible for bringing in line dancers from all around the Durham Region and Toronto to put on a show to raise money for the centre. She had her classes perform at Swing Into Summer events as well as other special events at the centre. 

She has received many awards over her career including the 2017 Medal of Appreciation from Colin Carrie MP, the Woman of Distinction Award, the Cleta Herman Award at the Y.W.C.A., the Ontario Fitness Council Recognition Award, and the Leadership Development Award for the United Way, to name a few. 

Donna provides her instructions and uses music to conduct the fitness classes. She also performs all of the exercises along with the class to demonstrate the proper technique. She allows all participants to perform to the best of their ability to meet the exercise requirements and politely corrects them when they are doing the exercises incorrectly. I know this for a fact as I have been corrected many times in her Chair Exercise class. Donna has a good sense of humour and is well liked by all of the members of her classes. 

Thanks, Donna, for your past work and wishing you many more years of instruction. 

Happy Chinese New Year

CAROL MITTLESTEAD 

Following the Chinese zodiac, the New Year began on January 25th, 2020 and will end on February 11, 2021. The Chinese use a lunar calendar, recording the move-ment of the moon in relation to the sun, whereas the Gregorian calendar used in most parts of the world is calculated accord-ing to the earth’s rotation around the sun. The result is that the lunar calendar is 20 to 50 days later than the Gregorian calendar. 

The Chinese zodiac follows a 12 year cycle, with each year represented by an animal. This is the Year of the Rat and the beginning of the cycle. Further, the ancient Chinese believed that the universe was composed of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, and that one element impacts a given year more than the others. For 2020, metal is the most influential element. This is therefore the Year of the Metal Rat. The rodent’s characteristics of strength, determination and perseverance should now be emphasized in individuals born in the Year of the Rat. 

As with Astrology signs, each Chinese zodiac animal has both good and less than admirable characteristics. Listed below are some famous Rats. You decide on their likability. 

Entertainers: Clark Gable, Glen Campbell, Mary Tyler Moore, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson 

Athletes: Jim Brown, Cal Ripken Jr., Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Le Bron James 

Politicians: Richard Nixon, George Herbert Walker Bush, Jimmy Carter, John McCain 

Royals: Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother), Prince Charles, Prince Harry 

Social Activists/Influencers: Rosa Parks (see our Black History article), David Suzuki, Mark Zuckerberg 

In 2020, Chinese New Year was officially celebrated for eight days between January 25th and February 8th. Gods, ancestors and relatives were honoured during this multi-day event. The casting out of the mythical monster Nian was also commemorated. In ancient times, Nian emerged from the sea at the end of the lunar year on New Year’s Eve. He went ashore and hunted down people and live-stock. Then it was discovered that the beast could be scared away by brightness, fire and loud cracking sounds. Nian is thus largely responsible for the use of the colour red and firecrackers during Chinese New Year’s celebrations. 

Happy Chinese New Year! Whatever your animal sign, may you be blessed by good cheer and good health. 

Ringing In 2020

CAROL WILSON

Live music, dancing, prizes, food, fellowship and fun were just some of the reasons why the 11th Ring In The New Year event was another resounding success for OSCC55+. The fact that there was a waiting list for tickets demonstrates how popular this event has become. The capacity crowd in the gym at Northview Community Centre partied one decade away and welcomed in another in true OSCC55+ style. The non-stop music and jokes of “Two For The Show” kept the dancing and laughter going for the entire evening. Many spot prizes were won. 

A big “Thank You!” to our evening’s sponsor Durham Medical and to Oshawa Credit Union, The Court at Brooklyn, Durham Medical, Harmony Hill Retirement Community, Armstrong Funeral Home, The Bartlett Senior Living, Bowmanville Creek Retirement Community, Seasons Retire-ment Communities, Chartwell Retirement Residences and Traditions of Durham Re-tirement Residence for donating the many beautiful prizes which were won at this event. 

Mark your calendar for the next Ring In The New Year party, and be sure to get your tickets early! 

Black History – A Canadian Perspective

CAROL MITTLESTEAD 

The story of Black Canadians and their contributions to the country were not always recognized. It was only in December 1995 that the House of Commons declared February as Black History Month. Black people, how-ever, have been in Canada since 1605! The first recorded individual is Mathieu Da Costa. While there are questions around how Da Costa knew the Mi’kmaq dialect, he is noted as acting as a translator between French explorers and the indigenous population of what is now Nova Scotia.

Largely due to the media and specifically the motion picture industry, the United States is far more boisterous than Canada in relaying its story of Black people. We do, however, have many famous – and infamous – facts that should be noted by all Canadians. A few are outlined below. 

In 1793, Lieutenant- Governor John Graves Simcoe of Upper Canada (now Ontario) began the process of abolishing slavery in Canada. At the same time, the southern United States was expanding slavery. The invention of the cotton gin dramatically increased the production of cotton and thus the demand for slaves to work in the cotton fields. Blacks thus came to view Canada as the Promised Land, and the Underground Railroad had its beginnings in the early 1800s. 

The Underground Railroad was a network of trails and safe houses that runaway slaves could follow into Canada. Inspired by the recent introduction of steam powered trains, the abolitionists who operated this escape route used rail terminology as code words and to cloak their movements. For example, Harriet Tubman is the most famous “conductor” or facilitator, guiding and travelling with people to ensure their safety. Until 1858, the “station” or safe house that she operated was in St. Catherines, Ontario.

While many Black Canadians can trace their ancestry to the Underground Railroad or other American/British (Canadian) events such as the American Revolution (largely responsible for the Black population in the Maritimes), the U.S. Civil War and the War of 1812, more recently immigration has been responsible for increasing the Black popula-tion in Canada. Most of these individuals have arrived from or can trace their roots to the Caribbean and Guyana (South America). 

Two Black Canadians that deserve special mention are Lincoln Alexander and Viola Desmond. Lincoln Alexander was a Canadian lawyer who became the first Black Member of Parliament in the House of Commons and went on to become the 24th and first Black Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1985-1991). Growing up in Toronto in the 1920s and 30s, he was the only Black student in his school and learned to navigate through racism to be a successful contributor to the country that he loved so much. In 1992 Alexander was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and in 1996 Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed him as chair of the Canadian Race Relations Board. Alexander was a staunch advocate of human rights until his death in 2012 at age 90. 

In 2018 Canada released a new ten dollar bill featuring Viola Desmond; she was also named a National Historic Person. Desmond, a beautician who owned and operated the successful Desmond School of Beauty Culture, was on business trip from Halifax to Sydney, Nova Scotia. Car trouble dictated an overnight stop in New Glasgow and Desmond decided to take in a show at the Roseland Theatre where she choose to sit in the whites-only section. Although bi-racial (black father and white mother), it was the Black community of Nova Scotia that had accepted Desmond’s parents and their ten children. She was a “born” civil rights activist, and when asked to leave the white-only area, she refused. This was in 1946 – 11 years before American Rosa Parks sat on a bus in the whites-only area! 

Desmond was convicted of a minor tax violation for the one cent tax difference between the seat she had paid for and the more expensive seat that she used. The fine was $20. With the assistance of the newly formed Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP), Desmond appealed charging assault for her forcible removal from the theatre, false arrest and over-night imprisonment, and malicious prosecution. While the appeal was dismissed by Nova Scotia’s Supreme Court, Desmond was successful in highlighting racial discrimina-tion in Canada. It was not until 2010 that Desmond was granted a posthumous pardon.

While this article only provides a brief historical overview and highlights just two heroes, hopefully you will agree that the contributions of Black Canadians to our national fabric need to be acknowledged. 

Creative Writing Across the Generations

CAROL MITTLESTEAD

“Perseverance, perseverance”. That was Brian Clabby’s message to a group of teens gathered at the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Library (OPL) on the evening of November 26th. Brian, an OSCC55+ member and an alumnus of the Creative Writing course and studio, was explaining the key ingredient needed to be a successful story teller. The teens were surprised by the amount of time and energy involved between the idea of a story and its finish. Numerous edits are generally required before an author is satisfied! In the case of Brian’s short story The Sling-shot, it was six or seven.

For just over a year, Caitlin Gauthier, a public services clerk at the Library, has guided twelve to seventeen year olds through the creative writing process. The Teen Writing Group meets the last Tuesday of every month. Caitlin often arranges for guest speakers to both educate and inspire these youth. Brian certainly met the criteria especially as he has a severe learning disability. He strives to encourage people to use creative writing as a means of overcom-ing whatever obstacles they may be facing in their lives.

Brian read aloud The Sling-shot; it received an honourable mention in the OSCC55+ 2019 Annual Writing Competition. He then explained that while the story is fiction, the characters and locale are based on real people and places from his childhood. The unusual sling shot with its carved wooden handle in the shape of a fish is very real! It is a prop that his in-structor brought to his OSCC55+ Creative Writing class as part of a 20 minute brain-storming exercise. You never know what will inspire you. Grab it and let the creative process begin! The teens acknowledged this good advice.

Brian was definitely a welcomed guest at the OPL Teen Writing Group!