By Petra Wall
George and his wife Lynda have a comfortable life in Little Current. “This is my happy place. I have lived in other locations but have always come back and been happiest here.” Two small canine guards, Lily and Mickey, announce their presence with enthusiastic barking as we settle into the living room. Lynda soon excuses herself and heads out to the neighbour’s, Tim Hortons. She returns with a delectable selection of tasty muffins, which are accompanied by a hot cup of tea. We are grateful. George begins to share his story. “I have a summary here of some of my early years and some photos you might like.”
“I was honoured that Jean Brown recommended me for this story,” George offers as introduction. “My paternal great-grandparents are David and Sarah (Lynch) Williamson, who lived in the Mindemoya area. My paternal grandparents, Jim and Lottie (Vincer) Williamson lived in Tehkummah. Both died in 1956. My dad Earl, born in 1907, had seven brothers: Harry, Russ, Bruce, Don, Chester, Owen and Howard. Dad ran a service station and restaurant for much of his life. In the summer of 1932, he was a wheelsman on the ‘Kagawong,’ running along the ‘turkey trail’ from Owen Sound to all the scheduled stops on the Island and beyond. The two other boats owned by Owen Sound Transportation were the Normac and the Manitoulin. Dad also built a 28-ft wooden boat to get to clients needing service in Rattlesnake Harbour or Tobermory.”
“On my mother’s side of the family, great grandparents are Charles and Jeanette (Chambers) Moody. Grandparents are William Luscombe and Sybella (Moody). My mother Jennie’s siblings are Winnie, Bessie, Hazel, Dora, Flora, Lloyd and Clifford.” Both of George’s parents, Earl ‘Tinker’ and Velma Jeanette ‘Jenny’ (Luscombe) Williamson operated a White Rose Service station and restaurant in Tehkummah. “Dad ran the garage and mother, the restaurant. In 1956 my parents moved to Sault Ste. Marie. I was born soon after on November 26, 1957. Dad was 50. I had two older sisters, Joan and Betty.”
“Dad found work with Dominion Bridge and S.D. Adams for the first seven years. He was a mechanic who also made deliveries. Joanne Russell was my neighbour and playmate, along with nephew Chris Doggett, who was like a brother. For fun, I used to go down to the waterfront and watch the bridge construction or visit the zoo at Bellevue Park.”
“I remember dad showing me how to paint when I was five. ‘Open the paint can with a screwdriver, stir with a stick, dip the brush into the paint, remove the excess, and paint along the grain…back and forth.’ One day I decided to paint the porch and I thought it would be a clever idea to paint the windows too. We didn’t really need to look out the back anyway. I remember a lot of yelling but not really what was said, except ‘Holy Gall.’”
“We always had a 14-ft runabout with a Mercury Super-10 motor which I drove at an early age. I learned to love the water, boating and fishing. In 1964, we moved to Naughton, just west of Sudbury. I was in Grade 2. Dad had his own service station and restaurant again, ‘Williamson’s White Rose.’ Dad was a good mechanic and very creative, making his own tools for specific jobs. He also did plumbing and welding, thus earning the nickname ‘Tinker.’ At 10, I pumped gas and watched him fix cars but I never had the same passion for the art that he did. The gas station became a place where teens met and showed off their cars. It reminded me of the movie, ‘American Graffiti.’”
“My brother-in-law Clair (Dusty) Doggett moved to Naughton as well. Dusty played a 12-string guitar. I loved the sound of that guitar and aspired to play like him and his buds. I remember thinking they really enjoyed playing. Betty and Dusty’s son Chris was four years younger, and he was more like a brother too. Howie Ross, a few years older, would give me tips on playing guitar. That was so important to me. When you are young, your world is small. Watching musicians play as a band was thrilling for me. I got my first guitar at age 10 and by the time I was 13 I could play songs.”
“Other relatives in Naughton were cousins Sheila and Ken Sagle and their children, Elaine, Blair and Gary. They were close to my age. Cousins Florence and Gib Pyette and their children Rodney and Anita, also Cal and Edith Pyette with daughter Barb were all living in the same area. It was a good time for family get-togethers. We came to Manitoulin most weekends and stayed with relatives or rented a cottage at Hutchinson’s Cabins in Sandfield.”
“I was 11 when Dad bought Burt Watson’s 24-ft. wooden boat that always sat at the dock. Dad taught me to take it out and dock it before I was 13. About a year later, my parents retired and were looking forward to moving back to Manitoulin. Dad wanted casual work on the Island. Relocating during your teens can be a challenge, so I stayed in Naughton but I was glad to spend my summers on Manitoulin.”
“Bill Towers, who worked for the Sault Star, managed Watson’s Camp on Lake Manitou. He needed someone to be on site. My parents took on the job of running the camp. They moved into the house for the summer, managing the five cabins and trailer park from early May to Thanksgiving weekend. Dad could be a ‘tinker’ again, doing many jobs that needed his expertise. It was a happy time. I ran errands, handled garbage, cut wood, cleaned the out-house, cut grass, and launched boats. I also learned how to paint a boat, jack up a cabin to fix the foundation, and fix the carburetor on the car. Best of all, I learned about good work ethics.”
“Art Watson’s daughters, Lou and Noreen, were the owners now. The previous manager, Goldwyn Duxbury had included sheep and horses at the camp, but we found they added too much work so we asked them to sell the animals. Cabins were $20 a night. Cedar slabs for firewood from Smeltzer’s were three dollars a truck load. We started a camping site on four acres by putting in power with three hydro poles for $1,500. We just took short term rentals. People could choose where to park for four dollars a night, five dollars with hydro. We didn’t have a dumping site for sewage, but I collected the garbage.”
“When the ferry came in, people would see the Watson’s Camp sign and a few would arrive, often from the late ferry. Most didn’t need a reservation. One of us was always up until ten at night to receive them. I met a lot of good people there, many repeat visitors. One was ‘Shorty’ of Adventure Construction in Sudbury. He was a good fisherman and always got his limit. Jim Cu would bring his ‘65-miles-per-hour’ speed boat. When he took his brother Elwood, who was built like a tank, water skiing, the boat would nearly stall. Jim offered to sell me his boat for $2,500 but I was broke.” Sadly, about that time, George’s dad was involved in a serious car accident. He had several broken ribs and was bed-ridden for a whil
“In my last year of high school, I was able to join a well-established wedding band out of Espanola. The leader was trumpet player George Yusko, who was a music teacher at Lively District Secondary School. He was a good teacher; he taught us the importance of timing in music during band practice. He had us booked solid every weekend for the couple of years we played, usually for weddings. I had to buy a velvet three-piece suit, blue shirts and ties.”
“In 1975, our band was playing in various locations starting with Elliot Lake. We played songs by the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, The Platters, Herb Alpert and Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO). The Bird Dance was popular. I played rhythm guitar, Garry Piche played lead, John Lachance was on the drums and Benny Benoit on the bass. It involved a lot of driving and late nights, but I wouldn’t trade those days for anything. I was 17 and girls in Elliot Lake High School were asking for my autograph.”
“My first car was a 1973 Grand Torino. It replaced my dad’s 1965 Pontiac Laurentian. In April of 1976, I left Manitoulin and worked for Sudbury Tire and Auto Electric for three dollars an hour. I would go back to Watson’s Camp every chance I got. Still playing weekly in the band, I was making decent money with both jobs. I bought a 16-ft. runabout with a 100-hp motor. I absolutely loved this sport, thanks to my early exposure to the lake.” About this time, George married and started his family.
George spent three years changing car tires. Truck, industrial, farm and almost every other tire that needed changing were soon included. “Truck tires with lock rings and tubes were about half of the tires that we worked on, the others being tubeless tires. Earthmover tires were fun to change. Late in 1979, I started retreading truck tires. It was fast-paced, dirty, repetitive work but the money was double what I was making before.”
“I wanted to learn more about navigation, so I took the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron evening course in the fall of 1979. I wound up instructing the same course later and became assistant training officer. Training Officer Ed Laurin was a regional police officer in Sudbury in the Marine Division. I took over that role two years later. In 1981, my father unexpectedly died of a heart attack. It left a big gap in our family.”
“Ten years later, I replaced my 20-ft sailboat with a 22-foot Sun Bridge cruiser. The berth below allowed me to enjoy our beautiful North Channel more comfortably. I recall with trepidation the day a sudden storm with driving rain and eight-foot waves arose on the channel. I tipped the boat up high against the waves. The engine hatch opened but I made it to Smith Bay before the engine was flooded.”
After retreading tires for several years for various companies, George became a plant manager in Mississauga in 2004. “I was part of the development of the entire technical part of building, West-End Tread System, from the ground up and was proud of the upgrades we achieved. Unfortunately, this wholesale company failed in the very competitive market of Southern Ontario. I soon became more involved with safety issues. I had always dabbled in safety before, either as a representative or a trainer of programs like WHIMIS. At Kal Tire in Mississauga, I became an in-house forklift trainer. The plant produced up to 350 tires a day. I also did plant organizing, warranty work, scrap analysis for fleets and problem solving before taking on the foreman role.”
“When family issues halted my career in Mississauga, I took a lesser production worker position for Kal Tire in Sudbury. I had to prioritize the well-being of my children. Sometimes family is more important than a career.” In the mid 1990s, George and his wife were divorced. After George met Lynda, in 2011, he backed off some of his volunteer work so they could spend more time together. “We both had been married before and we wanted to start fresh and move back to Manitoulin. Lynda, an RPN, found work in the Little Current Medical Clinic when we moved to the Island in May of 2014. We married on July 21, 2014, at Soldier Park in Little Current.”
“With my specialized tire retreading work, living on the Island had not been an option before.” Lynda encouraged George to take the PSW course at Everest College in Sudbury. When the college closed, George signed up for the same course at Cambrian College in September of 2015. George passed with flying colours and considered continuing to nursing but felt he should start earning a wage. He began 12-hour shifts at the Centennial Manor and the Manitoulin Lodge and soon realized this work required a lot of cross-training.
In 2016, he moved to home care in Wiikwemkoong and found this work more gratifying. “I didn’t have so many routines to master and there was no weekend work. Now, that I’m comfortable in my role, I would like to be a northern Ontario Personal Support Workers’ Association (OPSWA) voice since the differences between northern and southern Ontario are significant. We hope to get more input from the local employers and the PSW workers themselves. OPSWA has about 10,000 members.”
“I continued to take Canadian Power and Sail (CPS) Squadron boating courses and continued volunteering as an instructor.” George took the certified instructor course along with marine maintenance, seamanship power, advanced piloting, junior navigation and navigating by the stars for ocean sailing. George was a member of the executive bridge of the Sudbury and Hamilton Squadrons. He subsequently held assistant training officer, training officer, executive officer, and membership officer positions in these squadrons. Currently, he is a CPS Life Member, earned after 20 years of volunteer work. “I am very proud of the good work I had the opportunity to do, and I miss many of the friends I met there.”
“The last few years I am honoured that I have had the opportunity to play music in Little Current, raising money for the local Food Bank. We play Friday nights all summer in the Soldier Park across from the Anchor Inn. This year we made $2,400 in donations. I have met many people who say that they enjoy the casual atmosphere and listening to music while walking the docks. Some people waltz and a few kids dance also. Guest singers are welcome. We are always ready to back up someone who has summoned enough courage to sing. Volunteering can be very rewarding.”
“Over the years, I have connected with well-known Islanders, Jeff Pyette, Debbie Robinson, Reg White, The Dewar brothers, Daryl, Harold, and Lyle. I have played with Doug and Norm Hore, Peter Tilson, Gord Greenough, Hal Love and a few more. I have also played with the The Islanders. Working full time has meant missing many of those gigs to keep up with the workload, but I genuinely enjoyed the times I did play. Lately I have started playing once a week, with Tom Beamish and young Cole Hughson. Our connection is music, not age. I remembered being helped when I was a young lad and I really do enjoy assisting when I can, and have a lot of fun at the same time.”
“I am a father of three amazing children. Malinda, Curtis and Cassidy. Malinda lives in Collingwood with husband Justin. She has interests in interior design and is mother to my three grandkids, Briar and twins Adara and Cullen. My son Curtis and new daughter-in-law Miranda live in Ottawa. Lastly, daughter Cassidy lives in Sturgeon Falls with her fiancé Jean Ives. Cassidy works as an occupational/physiotherapist assistant. My sisters are Joan and Betty: Joan lives in an assisted living complex in Lively and Betty lives near the new police station in Little Current.”
What are your interests today? “I am starting as a new councillor for The Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) after the election in October. I am looking forward to that. Hobbies? Photography and videography were interests, despite a busy family life in the mid 1990s. Taking wedding videos and editing them was fun. I still dabble in that today.”
Collections? “I built car models and monsters as a kid. Hero? My musical hero was Glen Campbell.” Projects currently? “I joined a research committee with Noojmowin Teg. This includes interviewing community members that have two or more chronic conditions to see what might be missing in their treatments.”
Concerns? “Inflation and pensions not being enough for people to survive.”
Strengths? “Helping people, music, and retreading tires. I like to think I am a responsible person. When I take on a project, I like to see it through.” Areas of growth? “Working on council will be new for me.”
First impressions when meeting Lynda? “She is a pretty lady, supportive of my music and I was impressed with her demeanor. I woke up to the fact that life can be good again.”
Is there anything you would change if you could go back in time? “I would have gone into health care earlier and would perhaps have become a nurse.”
People who inspired you? “George Yusko, Howie and Ronnie Ross for music and my welding teacher, in Lively, Mr. Fricker. My dad inspired me with his boating knowledge, his passion, and his hard-work ethic.”
“I’ve been to Florida where it’s hot and humid and I’ve been to Vancouver. City people tend to be in a rush, and they’re more distant, just to stay safe perhaps. Nothing is so important; it must be done now. Both places were nice to see but living here, we have it all: beauty, good weather and lots of water for boating. We don’t feel the need to travel. Lynda and I skipped a honeymoon but we feel we are always on a honeymoon here in our vacation land. We can enjoy a simpler life: driving the back roads, exploring the shorelines, and taking in the many sites, coves, and bays that I visit when boating. We like the kind people, the casual atmosphere, the slower pace. Here on the Island, many people wave; I always wave back. On the other hand, I don’t want too many people to find our beautiful Island quickly. I hope to preserve the current ambience, hoping it will never change. We are blessed to live in a beautiful place with such deep family roots.”
