KAGAWONG – The hall in Park Centre was full on November 11th when Dianne Fraser, member of the Kagawong Cenotaph Board, led the crowd in the Remembrance Day ceremony, beginning with the National Anthem and prayers, the laying of the wreaths, the playing of The Last Post, followed by two minutes of silence and Reveille. These are the special elements of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the nation, but Kagawong had a guest, flanked by a film crew recording the entire event, which made their ceremony extra special. Because of this guest speaker and her topic, the service honoured the Manitoulin Women who Served, listing by name the Nursing Sisters of both World Wars, and from World War II the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division and the Canadian Women’s Army Corp.
The event’s program stated: “Remembering the brave women who served in the pursuit of peace. Today’s service remembers former Manitoulin resident Ethel Mulvany (1904 – 1992) who was taken as a civilian prisoner of war following the invasion by Japan in 1942, while serving with the Red Cross in Singapore.”
Dr. Suzanne Evans is the author of A Taste of Longing, which depicts Ethel Mulvany’s life and struggles, both the physical hardships she endured as a prisoner of war in the Changi jail in Singapore, as well as the psychological scars the war, and her bipolar illness inflicted. “I was very honoured when Rick Nelson (Chair of the Kagawong Cenotaph Board) called me up last year and invited me to come here. It was a delightful opportunity for me to revisit Manitoulin in a quieter season.” Dr. Evans said. She then went on to explain how she learned of Ethel Mulvany and how she came to write about her life.
“I was working at the War Museum in Ottawa, as a research fellow, and my mandate was to search out stories about Canadian women and war. I first came upon Ethel’s name when I discovered she had organized the creation of the Changi quilts, these are three internationally known quilts, works of art, really, that are called Red Cross Changi quilts. And they are held in archives in England and Australia.”
Dr. Evans felt if England and Australia knew about Ethel, she should write something up for the War Museum about Ms. Mulvany. In doing further research, Dr. Evans learned of the cookbook Ms. Mulvany had put together, gathering recipes of fellow inmates of the prison. In speaking to her neighbour about this interesting woman she was researching, she discovered her neighbour just happened to know two of Ms. Mulvany’s nieces, lived in Ottawa, where Dr. Evans also resides. This started a ball rolling which would take Dr. Evans on a 10-year journey throughout the world to collect all the information she could find on her subject.
Dr. Evans’ talk was captivating and informative, artifacts on display from the Pioneer Museum gave a heightened element to her words—photographs of Ms. Mulvany, old newspaper clippings, journals and the cookbook manuscripts written by the prisoners themselves, those who had been starving in the Changi prison.
Following the Remembrance Day service, everyone was invited downstairs for a potluck lunch and an opportunity to meet with Dr. Evans, where autographed copies of her book were on sale, reprinted copies of Ms. Mulvany’s cookbook were also available. Among the many treats to be had at the lunch, Kim Thompson Mayer, a member of the Kagawong Cenotaph Board, took it upon herself to bake some of the recipes from Ms. Mulvany’s cookbook.
Following the ceremony, Noura Kervorkian, producer and owner of Saaren Films, could be seen around and through the crowd, talking to anyone who knew or was familiar with Ms. Mulvany. Ms. Kervorkian’s film company is planning a feature length documentary on Ms. Mulvany based on Suzanne Evans’ book, A Taste of Longing.
If you have not had the opportunity to read A Taste of Longing, or to find a copy, the libraries on Manitoulin Island have it on their shelves. Print Shop Books at The Expositor Office in Little Current have the books for sale. Read the book before the film comes out, because it’s always interesting to compare the two.
by Margery Frisch
