Published in the April 2025 issue of the Middlesex Banner.
Orval Shaw, a name that once echoed through over 40 cities, towns and countryside of Ontario, was more than just a petty criminal. He was a symbol of defiance, a master of evasion, and a figure who captured the public’s imagination. I have drawn his story from historical accounts and newspaper reports, revealing the life of the man known as the “Skunk’s Misery Bandit.”
I first found out about Orval while researching other local history topics in the area of Hespeler, Ontario where I lived. During my research Orval’s name turned up several times as he was in Guelph, Hespeler, Idylwild and Puslinch during his escapades.
I was amazed that nobody had researched his life previously. One of the main challenges was finding out more about Orval’s private life and the lack of photos of him. I was lucky to find a distant relative of Orval’s’ who supported my work.
Eventually I decided to do comprehensive research of Orval, and I am very pleased with the book that came out of that research.
On April 5, 2025, Carrie Jeffery conducted a workshop on capturing oral histories. We had members of our community, visiting members of other heritage groups, and members of our own historical society in attendance. The engaging and interactive talk was followed by an informative presentation that showcased the various aspects of modern record-keeping that are now accessible for ancestral storytelling. Left to right: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam. Mary Simpson, the president of our historical society, also presented.
L-R: Donna Lynam, David Campbell, Carrie Jeffery, Susan McWilliam.
Imagine for a moment the mystery of your history.
By Carrie Jeffery. Published in the March 2025 issue of Middlesex Banner’s ‘Archive Alley’
Personal storytelling can be both fun and provide new perspectives on how we came to be. These stories can challenge our understanding of the past and give a voice to people who are often left out of traditional historical records: the everyday people that played a role not just in our own lives but also in the communities we live in that they helped shape.
With the help of today’s technology, we can translate an afternoon visit with our elders into a published collection of stories that honour their lives and their place in history.
They get to relive their younger days while we either transcribe them ourselves or even utilize voice memo software to transcribe them for us automatically!
In doing this now while this aging generation is still here, we are able to ask questions like “What year would that have been?” and “Why did you do things that way?” before it’s too late. We can learn about the passions and values they may have held that were similar to our own and what shaped their career or other interests. We can witness and capture the changes that have occurred in just one or two generations.
A great new contemporary play. Eight members attended the June 7th Strathroy performance at the developing Wright Centre. We were pleased to meet members of the Board of Directors. Let’s support this wonderful project to bring a performing arts centre to downtown Strathroy. – Mary Simpson, Pres, G&DHS.
Mary Simpson: We love Len’s plays – he writes plays about us. Plays about southwestern Ontario. Plays about our people and culture. Len Cuthbert wrote 2023’s Lawrence Station & 2024’s Snapshots)
This is a play for all those who love flying…. For those who love looking down at the earth from a few meters or thousands of metres above the earth’s surface. Let’s meet the four characters. There are six performances to choose from.
Did you know that there are between 12,000 and 14,000 aircraft in the air at one time?
I was on one of them at the end of March break, in the very back seat, waiting to land at Toronto Pearson during very turbulent weather. It was so rough, that as we were on the final approach, (in the same type of aircraft as the Delta flight that rolled over in a crash at Pearson recently), I had a strong feeling that the pilot would choose to abort the landing. Sure enough, the engines spooled up and the pilot conducted a missed approach, and off we went. When this happens, it’s a busy scene in the cockpit with cleaning the aircraft up (flaps, spoilers, gear, and anything else that’s sticking out) changing charts, frequencies and plans to head into a new approach pattern. It’s hard to tell all that’s going on in the back seat, so after we arrived home, I went to a website where you can watch all active flights all over the world. There, you can look up your most recent flight and see the route with all flight details like speed and altitude. I found our flight and discovered that the pilot opted to change runways in the process which resulted in a perfect landing. Go here and watch some serious live aircraft activity. https://www.flightradar24.com/
Come take flight with these four unique characters as they surprise you with the unexpected experiences of life that make it hard to keep the blue side up.
Mick, a young pilot/aircraft mechanic of a small airport in Welland also acts as the airport manager in exchange for living space above the hangar, where he is guardian of his 13 year old sister left in his care by his deceased parents. He understands aircraft, but not so much raising a teen sister.
Dee-J just turned 13 and is growing up in an apartment above an airport hangar while her classmates have normal lives in normal homes. But what is normal? She’s an adventurous teen who loves to fly.
Jade was abandoned by her mother as a child and grew up in the foster system. She is friends with Mick and Dee-J and occasionally helps Mick with raising Dee-J. But Mick and Jade operate completely differently making their relationship interesting. She also works part time for Mick while taking classes at college.
Delilah is everyone’s friend and Jade’s college roommate. She’s compassionate and caring and wouldn’t have experienced half the adventures if it weren’t for her controlling and needy friend Jade.
Part 1: Peter McArthur, the hardest question and the “horrible, horrible” war
By Stephanie McDonald, December 2024
It’s a question from a child no parent is equipped to answer: Should I go to war? It was what Daniel, eldest son of Mabel and Peter McArthur, asked of his father in the early years of the First World War.
Even as prolific a writer as Peter McArthur was, one can imagine how the man dubbed the “Sage of Ekfrid” struggled to find the right words to share with his son. His response reveals both his wish for his child to come to his own decision as well as the urge to protect and keep him safe.
Peter penned his answer to Dan’s question in a letter on January 25, 1916, a year and a half into the war:
On December 5, 2024, the Mary Webb Centre in Highgate organized an Afternoon With Authors book sale as a fundraiser to restore the beautiful stained glass dome.
The Mary Webb Centre came to life in 2010 when a group of people in the Highgate area saw an opportunity where the wrecking ball threatened to demolish the 100 year old United Church. The vision was to create community centre, art gallery and concert hall and now in 2024, 14 years later, the 250 seat venue is a “must-play” address for renowned as well as up-and-coming musicians from across Canada and for local performers too.
