GAZETTE - Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre
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GAZETTE $1.00
I nspiring A dults to S tay A ctive and S tay I nvolved
2212 13TH STREET NW, CALGARY, AB YYCSENIORS.COM JUNE 2021
Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 JUNE 2021
2 2 1 2 1 3 t h S T R E E T N W C A L G A R Y A B T 2 M 4 P 7 | 4 0 3 . 2 8 9 . 4 7 8 0 | W W W. Y Y C S E N I O R S . C O M
what’s inside
From the Desk of the Executive Director 3
A Word From Your President 4
Team Information 5
Donors & Sponsors/Pantry Information 6
Lift Fundraising Campaign 7
Tea and Conversation 8
Boutique Update 9
Centre Resources 10
Senior Centre Resource Centre 11
Volunteer of the Month 12
Seniors Week Message 13
Calgary herald Article 14-15
Crossword Puzzle 16
Book Club Review 17
Ward 4 Candidate 18
Join us to Stay Active and Stay Involved!
Check out our website at
yycseniors.com
for a list of activities.
DIGITAL EDITION
MAY 2021
available online at
www.yycseniors.com
2 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021
from the desk
of the Executive Director
Hi all!! To all Seniors in Calgary, we celebrate you and all your
contributions during Seniors week, June 1-7 and to all fathers
out there, Happy Father’s Day.
Time is moving so fast. We (the staff), have a lot of work to do.
Classes for the fall session are being worked on. The prep work
for the move has started. The excitement is building to be in our
new home.
Please read your eblasts, the Website and like us on Facebook
as there will also be updates there as well. Stay connected for
all that is happening from now till we move.
We have some events planned, all COVID dependent of course.
June and July – stay tuned for a parking lot party. We plan on doing a BBQ with dogs and ice
cream. Very simple. Cost will be $15.00/person. Will have some entertainment. By appointment
only, in order to ensure we follow the restrictions. Bring a lawn chair and visit friends and staff. We
will update you on the new home.
June – we will be advertising all the items for sale from the centre for you and your families to have
first dibs. Again stay connected through the website and our Facebook page.
July will be spent with the centre closed for packing.
Phones will be answered throughout the entire time we are closed. The exception will be the last
few days of July and the first week of August, till we get our phones hooked up. There will be a
number you can reach us at for emergencies only.
Food will still be available by appointment only, as has been all along. The last week of July and
most of August there will be no frozen meals available as the staff need time to get set up in our
new home.
The first two weeks of September will be the meet and greets and our Marketing Committee is
planning a very Special Event for our Grand Opening. We are anxious to get things back to
normal. Let’s hope let’s hope September will finally be that fresh start!! Miss you all!!
Jeannette
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021
a word GPS trackers can locate dementia patients who
wander; sensors that keep track of how active we
are; personal robots to track sleep patterns, heart
from your President rates and location.
Bill Kurtze And, wearable smart technology, like smartwatches,
allow us to monitor health, track fitness levels, or
The Future is Here automatically contact emergency services.
People normally exist in Telehealth went from a nice-to-have service to a
the present, but keep an necessity in 2020. Retirees are reluctant to risk their
eye on the future. Nearly health by sitting in a waiting room with others during
every decision we make is a pandemic. Telehealth became a safer, faster and
based on some more convenient option. Health care providers now
prediction, either offer online Telehealth visits that meet AHS
consciously or otherwise, requirements and are easy to use. Going forward,
and this is as true for Telehealth is poised to become more user-friendly
retirees as for any other and more widely adopted. More importantly, it may
part of the population. lead to more retirees being evaluated sooner, at the
Particularly because of the first sign of symptoms.
challenges inherent in the
natural aging process, it becomes increasingly For some years now, retirees have been moving to a
important for us to predict and anticipate how things wellness lifestyle (witness the popularity of
might change and whether these are things we want to Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre core
work with or actively avoid. programs) and we only see this becoming more
pervasive. Reference a 2019 survey by the
Today, it looks more and more like retiree living will International Council on Active Aging, where 60% of
mean staying connected by other means. Zoom respondents said their retirement will be based on a
meetings, virtual tours, virtual Happy Hours, and video wellness lifestyle. It’s also easy to see this including
chats with friends and family have become standard programs such as:
operating procedure during the pandemic. Irrespective
of COVID, I believe this trend will continue. Education and lifelong learning
Exercise (both in person and online)
Virtual tours are also becoming more widespread. Health education and disease management
It’s easy to visit art galleries and museums from any Food and nutrition education and preparation
location connected to the internet. Pre-recorded video Intergenerational programs linking youth and older
tours and 360° virtual tours allow us to “walk through”, adults
for example, the Louvre in Paris. Google maps allow
us not only to view our community or street but also The future of retiree living looks bright as we become
our house. And that’s just the beginning. New more and more accustomed to the technology that is
technologies are making life easier, safer and more playing a leading role in how we manage our lives. It
engaging for retirees. also bodes well for organizations such as
Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre whose focus
Voice assistants such as the Amazon Echo (aka Alexa) will continue to be both on wellness and on assisting
and Google Home help us remember daily schedules, retirees to make the transition to a more
take medicines, or visit doctors. technologically sophisticated world. What the future
will be in a decade remains a mystery but, rest
Virtual reality systems now offer more immersive assured, your Activity Centre will be with you every
community tours, travel experiences (especially for step of the way.
those who are no longer able to travel), and And, as always…
reminiscent therapy (to take a trip down memory lane,
back to the places we used to live). Stay Active and Stay Involved
Bill Kurtze
4 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021
meet our team
N
F O R M AT I O CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
IN
M B E RSHIP e m bershi
p
ME e M
ssociat BILL KURTZE
Full / A / year President
$30.00 r
b e r s hip Yea 21
Mem
e ce m ber 20 PAT PITSEL
-D Past President
u a r y 1, 2021
Jan
MARLENE MONILAWS
Vice President
DOROTHY DYER
Secretary
GILLIAN LINES
Treasurer
Directors
BEV CUMMING
LYNN GREIG
CELIA BARRINGTON
OFFICE HOURS MUYIDEEN ELEGBEDE
RAEL KALLEY
Monday to Friday
SHARON DUN
OFFICE HOURS
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM STAFF
REGISTRATIONS JEANNETTE PROVO Executive Director
10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM JADE NIELSEN Executive Assistant
TRISH WEATHERUP Fund Development/
Marketing Coordinator
BOUTIQUE RICHARD MA Volunteer Coordinator/
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Office Administrator
DEBBIE NAY T&C/Volunteer
Wednesday -Thursday - Friday
Coordinator
Exclusive viewing by appointment only AMAN GILL Bookkeeper
Call 403 289-4780 to book your session MATT LUCY Janitor
KITCHEN
TEMPORARILY CLOSED
FROZEN MEALS CAN BE ORDERED
lunchestogo@yycseniors.com
403 289-4780
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021
Special Thanks to all of our Donors and Sponsors.
To discuss the various ways in which you can support our Centre please contact
Trish Weatherup at 403-289-4780, ext. #201 or fundandmarketing@yycsenior.com.
Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre welcomes food and donations for our pantry. The COVID-19
pandemic has been tumultuous and has created an uncertain time for so many, and especially for
those who have food insecurity. Now more than ever, our community and our most vulnerable
neighbours need our help. This is why, during COVID-19, we are providing nutritional meals at a cost of
$7.00 per meal. We are happy to offer this service and hope that the money save through this
service will give you one less bill to have to worry about. Your kind donations of food will be gratefully
received each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by Debbie Nay. Please call ahead to let her know you
are coming. She can be reached at 403 289-4780 ext. 206. Cash donations are welcome anytime.
We are happy to be part of the Good Food Box program through Calgary’s
Community Kitchen. Boxes filled with an array of fresh fruit and vegetables
are available to all members at a cost of:
$25/20 lbs., $30/30 lbs. and $35/40 lbs.
Order your Good Food Box through Richard Ma, 403 289-4780, ext. #200.
6 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021
lift fundraising campaign
As you will have heard by now, we are moving to a new location!
How exciting to start a new chapter in the story of Confederation Park 55+! One of our
priorities is to ensure our programs are accessible to all members and thus our fundraiser
for the wheelchair lift.
You will have received a letter by now telling you all about it.You will also be receiving a
call from one of our Board of directors just to connect with you and answer any questions
you may have about the Centre.
Thank you so much to those who have donated to date. Your generous contributions are
greatly appreciated and will help make the lift a reality.
Celia Barrington,
Co-Chair, Fund Development Committee
campaign progress to date
Many thanks to those who have generously donated to the lift
campaign so far. We appreciate your generous hearts. Watch
for updates on the progress of the campaign. We’re thrilled to
report the latest total.
* number reflective of amount raised as
of May 27th
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021
tea & conversation
A Message from our T & C Coordinator, Debbie Nay
THE PANTRY
To date the Pantry has helped over 1,200 folks with nutritious,
delicious food. Thank you all for your generous donations of food and
cash. It is so wonderful to witness so many acts of kindness in such
troubled times. Your donations have been such a welcome gift and are
so appreciated. All cash donations are greatly appreciated and
donations of $20.00 or more are eligible for a tax receipt. We are
always in need of fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, and jams. Please
note, we do not accept expired food items. If you, or anyone you
know would like to support the pantry or may benefit from this service,
please reach out to us @ 403-289-4780.
The Pantry has become a welcome, well received program at Confederation Park 55+. The most
common comments we are receiving from our friends are:
“Thank you. You are all angels from heaven”.
“God Bless you all”. “I can’t find enough words to thank you”.
“It was like Christmas Eve in 1936 when someone dropped off a hamper of food for my family in the
midst of the Depression”.
“What a wonderful, warm service to offer seniors like myself”.
“Thank you, very, very much, for giving me peace of mind and a healthy diet. I won’t forget this
kindness”
TAKEAWAY MEAL PROGRAM
Not only do we try to provide delicious, nutritional meals, we hope this program will reduce the burden
of having to travel to and from the grocery store and remove some financial burden, giving you a few
extra bucks to spend on other things.
We respect the challenges that many of our members and friends face at this difficult time and hope
this service is of benefit to you. Rest assured, all personal information you provide is confidential. For
more information, please contact Debbie Nay, T&C Coordinator.
Watch your email for updates on the T&C Program. As you know COVID
restrictions are constantly changing. We pride ourselves in keeping you all as
safe as possible with the information we have available. Rest assured, we will
all be together again soon. Until then, take good care of each other. Please be
kind as we are all doing the best we can.
8 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021
BOUTIQUE
Thank you all for your kind words and donations to our beautiful Boutique. We accept gently used
clothing donations on Fridays by appointment only please.
Currently, we are only accepting the following:
Gently used clothing
Purses
Shoes/boots
Ties
Scarves
Coats
Jewellery
We can only accept new undergarments with the store tag still attached. We are NOT accepting any
household items at this time.
BOUTIQUE POP UP Sale
Don’t miss our Summer Shorts and Tops event. For the entire month of June, all Summer Shorts and
Tops are ½ price. There are wonderful bargains to be had.
Appointments are necessary for the following reasons:
We must comply with current COVID 19 restrictions.
We can contact you after the fact if in error, a family treasure is left
behind or If you have included items in the bag that we are unable
to use, such as household items.
We are offering exclusive shopping and/or viewing times,
Wednesday-Friday, by appointment only. Call Debbie to arrange
your shopping times.
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021
centre services
COMMISSIONER OF OATHS
Jeannette Provo, Executive Director for Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre
Please call 403.289.4780 Ext. 202 Services by appointment only.
MCPHAIL HARDING LAWYER - MEMBERS ONLY - Pending until further notice
PODIATRIST - MEMBERS ONLY - Pending until further notice
ADVERTISE
WITH US!
2 0 2 1
A D V E R T I S I N G R A T E S
SIZE COST
FULL PAGE $100
1/2 INSIDE PAGE $50
1/4 INSIDE PAGE $25
E-BLASTS (4 WEEKS) $400
Printed in black and white
Submission deadline is the 20th
of every month
Submit to: ea@yycseniors.com
File format accepted: JOG, GIF,
PNG, PDF, WORD or EXCEL
Editing and layout at an
additional charge rate of
$25/hour
10 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021seniors centres contact list
Centre Address & Phone Executive Known For
Director/CEO/Coordinator
Bow Cliff 3375 Spruce Drive SW John Yannitsos Art & Music
Seniors 403-246-0390 John@bowclifffseniors.org Weekly Luncheons
Good 2609 19 Ave SW Tom Gillespie Community Garden
Companions 50 403-249-6991 tomggc50plus@gmail.com Online Fitness &Wellness
Plus Programs
Bowness 6422 – 35 Ave. NW Christine Barlow Community Sunday
Seniors Centre 403-286-4488 info@bownessseniorcscentre.com Brunch
Card making/crafts
Calgary Chinese 111 Riverfront AVE. SW Liza Chan All services for Chinese
Elderly Citizens 403-269-6122 403-269-6122 ext 230 Seniors
Association Liza.chan@cceca.ca Advocacy
CCECA
Confederation 2213 – 13 St. NW Jeannette Provo Tea & Conversation
Park 55+ 403-289-4780 ed@yycseniors.com Pantry & Frozen Meals
Activity Centre Online Fitness and Art
Classes
Parkdale Nifty 3512 – 5 Ave NW Michael Stellmach Art classes & Art sale
50’s 403-283-0620 mstellmach@pdnf.org Bridge
West Hillhurst 1940 – 6 Ave NW Carole Saviak Day trips (own bus)
Go-Getters (inside WHCA) gogetters@telus.net Bingo
403-283-3720
Greater Forest 3425 -26 Ave SE Jenna Jepson Home Maintenance
Lawn / Albert 403-272-4661 jenna@gfls.org Program (housekeeping,
Park snow removal & lawn
care)
Agency partnerships
Ogden House 2102 -69 Ave SE Renata Michalski Language training
55+ 403-279-2003 renata@ogden50plus.org Happy hour / meal
Kerby Centre 1133-7 Avenue SW Larry Mathieson Being the largest centre
403-265-0661 larrym@kerbycentre.com in Calgary
Oakridge Virtual Programs
Seniors Assoc. 403-801-7254 info@oakridgeseniors.ca
SENIORS CENTRES CONTACT LIST
Note: All Centres are membership-based, and annual membership fee is reasonable. All provide activities at
a low cost. In addition to the activities they are “known for”, all Centres offer social and exercise and health
and wellness activities, classes, drop-ins, Tea & Conversation, meals, clubs, gathering place for connections,
crafts, trips, bingo, etc. Check their website for the full monthly calendar.
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021volunteer for the month of June
We would like to recognize Susan Ink for her 7+ years of volunteering
at Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre. Susan’s volunteer work is
deeply appreciated and has not gone unnoticed.
Thank you Susan for generously sharing your time and energy with us!
And giving us a helping hand when we need it. The work you do Susan
to support the Centre, is deeply appreciated.
a message from a community partner
the emotional impact of pet loss: invitation to participate in
a focus group
Pet loss is a traumatic experience for many seniors. Yet, there is limited understanding of the
resources and supports available to seniors dealing with the death of a pet. To further understand
this vital issue, I invite you to participate in a focus group (small discussion group). The goal of
the session is to gain the senior’s perspective on supports available and unavailable. The session
will take approximately 90 minutes, and we will meet via Zoom. Each participant receives a gift
card for their participation.
If you are interested in participating, please email training@pawsitivematch.org or telephone
Marianne at 403-708-9639 for additional details.
12 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021Seniors’ Week 2021
A Message From The Minister of Seniors and Housing
Each year, Seniors’ Week is declared in the first week of June. Seniors’ Week 2021 is June 7-13 and
will be kicked off with a provincial launch event co-hosted by Seniors Outreach Program Society on June
7. The Provincial Launch event will take place virtually for the first time and Albertans from all across the
province can attend to join together to celebrate seniors and to ensure they feel valued by friends, loved
ones, and all Albertans.
Throughout Seniors’ Week, hundreds of events (virtual and possibly in-person celebrations,
dependent on public health restrictions) will take place across the province. Albertans of all ages can
attend an event, catch up with the seniors in their lives, or thank those who have made a difference in
their community. Seniors’ Week is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate seniors and their
enormous contributions to our families, communities and our province. Seniors have provided a lifetime
of service to their families, friends and neighbors, and helped build Alberta into the great province it is
today.
The Government of Alberta offers an online Events Calendar that can be used to post or view special
events for seniors. Please visit the Seniors’ Week website for more information, to download the poster,
and to find a tip sheet on how to celebrate seniors safely in your community!
June 7 – 13, 2021
Seniors’ Week
For ideas on how to recognize and celebrate
seniors while keeping everyone safe, visit:
https://www.alberta.ca/seniors-week.aspx
Share your stories and videos using #abseniors
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021We need a national shift to ensure Canadians age with ‘zest and dignity’
Below is an article published May 22, 2021 in the Calgary Herald, written by a group of retired leaders with
previous experience in health and public services.
The impact of COVID-19 has been tragic for seniors should be supported in a home setting as long as
and their families. Deaths in long-term care possible. This means providing seniors with more
facilities have been staggering. The pandemic has autonomy, respect and dignity and ensuring
also exposed many broader issues beyond LTC high-quality health care when it is required.
facilities that affect our ability to lead fulfilling and
dignified lives in our senior years. These have been We propose five pillars upon which to build this new
well articulated by Drummond and Sinclair, future:
Estabrooks (the Royal Society Report),
Mackenzie (Seniors Advocate, B.C.) and in Andre Enable measures to increase financial security for
Picard’s recent book, Neglected No More. seniors;
The majority of seniors do not want to be in LTC Foster socialization and active living for seniors —
facilities but sadly often find themselves with no meaningful activities that add purpose to their lives;
other choice. Financial inability to access services at
home often pushes seniors into LTC facilities. Yet this Incentivize individuals and community organizations
makes little sense as a recent Canadian Medical to provide social supports to seniors in their homes;
Association report estimates the cost of caring is
about 40 per cent lower in home care than in LTC Make neighbourhood and housing options available
facilities ($95 versus $150 per day). Much of the to suit the individual needs of seniors;
support for seniors in their homes is provided by
family members and other unpaid caregivers and Ensure quality person-centred care that maintains
this is not sustainable. Demands on LTC facilities will zest and dignity in both home settings and LTC
increase unless we take action now. facilities.
The authors of this article represent a group of To make this big shift, commitment is needed from
retired leaders from health and public services. We our political leaders and each of us. People 40 to 70
are advocating for a big shift to alter the course of years old have an opportunity now to forge a new
aging that focuses on well-being and not just health future for their senior years.
care.
The challenges around aging and elder care are
Where do we start? We believe starting with seniors’ complex. Most significant is how society supports
feelings on aging — loss of control, personal value, seniors even before they require care. How we
loneliness and defeatism. Actions are needed to respond will avert or significantly delay admissions to
enable seniors to retain autonomy, respect, dignity LTC facilities.
and a zest for life.
We support using the Canada Pension Plan to create
We believe the current aging journey is badly out of financial security by adding a new elder-care benefit,
line with the expectations of Canadians: the vast building on work done by Prof. Carolyn Tuohy at the
majority of seniors want to stay in their homes but University of Toronto. We also support increased
most don’t think it will be possible to do so; between investments by governments to make the big shift.
20-50 per cent of seniors in LTC facilities could be at
home if supports were available; and Canada spends The importance of building a culture of mutual
about 80 per cent of its resources on elder care on respect and support at the community level to
LTC facilities versus 20 per cent on community- foster services that enable seniors to live in their own
based services. The pattern is reversed in countries homes cannot be overemphasized. This is where the
that have more positive experiences for seniors. most effective interventions can occur that directly
A new future for aging in Canada could result in a impact the daily lives of seniors as shown in recent
much better quality of life for seniors and lesser cost studies of NORCS, naturally occurring retirement
growth for governments if services were aligned to communities. These models have seniors identify
the choices preferred by Canadians. their needs and build mutual support arrangements.
This big shift will require concerted efforts by all Much has been said by others for several years
levels of government. A new future for aging must about the need for expanded home care. Home-care
be anchored on a fundamental principle that seniors programs are presently very restricted in terms of
14 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021hours of care and scope of services, largely focused We believe the tragic impact of the pandemic on
on specific medical needs. Services are usually seniors and their families provides a window of
rigidly scheduled and often provided by different care opportunity. Let us not put all the responsibility for
workers, thereby affording little opportunity to build an making these changes on governments and
ongoing supportive relationship with the client. politicians. Each of us has a role to play as it is
citizens and communities at large that shape the
In a new future for aging, we envisage support agenda for our political leaders. We need to advocate
services that go beyond health care and therefore we by making our elected officials aware of our support
do not see expanding the Canada Health Act as the for a big shift and sharing our experiences with
solution. senior’s issues. Let’s not waste this precious
opportunity. The time for action is now to make the
We believe a future of zest and dignity for aging big shift to add zest and dignity to aging in Canada.
requires new national legislation, a “Canada
Aging Act,” such as now being pursued in Don Philippon is professor emeritus at the University of Alberta,
Australia, which would set out a national former deputy minister of health in Alberta, former vice-president
framework to: of the Capital Health Authority and founding co-chair of the
Canadian Health Leadership Network.
1. Assert the federal government’s commitment to
reshaping the future of aging in Canada and in Alex McPherson is professor emeritus at the University of
establishing national standards; Alberta and former deputy minister of hospitals and medical
care in Alberta, former president of the Alberta and Canadian
2. Embed key principles such as supporting seniors Medical Associations, former deputy commissioner of the
in their homes as long as possible to Premier’s Commission on Future of Health Care in Alberta and
enable greater autonomy, respect and dignity; former president of Biomira Inc.
3. Recognize the five pillars to support a new future Ken Fyke is former deputy minister of health in British
for aging as outlined above; Columbia and Saskatchewan, former commissioner for
Commission of Medicare in Saskatchewan, former president
4. Create a new avenue for targeted funding to the of the Capital Health Region in British Columbia and founding
provinces and territories with accountability chair of Canadian Blood Services.
mechanisms;
Marg Johnson is a former president of Royal Alexandra Hospital
5. Identify processes for collaboration with the in Edmonton and former chair of the Health Disciplines Board.
provinces and territories to plan and implement new
initiatives on standards, performance targets, Don Juzwishin is former executive director of the Health Council
outcome measures, accountability (possibly under of Canada, editor-in-chief of the Healthcare Management Forum
the oversight of the federal/provincial/territorial and Work package lead for Age-Well.
committee on seniors).
Wayne McKendrick is former assistant deputy minister of
In summary, we see the need for a big shift in Alberta Health and former operational vice-president for
priorities and policies to create a new future for Extendicare (Canada).
aging that supports seniors in their homes. We
recognize that many of these directions have been Ken Mark is a former senior manager at Deloitte Business
talked about for over two decades and governments Development and owner of a private health consulting business.
will argue they are moving in that direction. Much
work has already been done to identify changes that Axel Meisen is a former president of Memorial University,
are needed. Some new initiatives are underway in Newfoundland and Labrador, former dean of applied science at
provinces and territories and the recent federal the University of British Columbia and continues to be involved
budget has added others, LTC standards and the Age in a wide range of consulting projects related to energy
Well at Home Initiative. But progress is too slow to development.
meet the demographic changes occurring in Canada.
We need to make the big shift now! Linda Miller is a former deputy minister of health in Alberta,
former leader in the development of electronic provincial health
The immediate challenge is to create the will among records and former strategic consultant with Deloitte Canada.
governments, political parties, families, community
organizations, academics, advocacy groups and Rick Roger is a former president of Vancouver Island Health,
citizens at large to make the big shift to forge this Capital Health, Victoria and Vancouver/Richmond Health and
new future. former vice-chair of WorkSafe BC.
All are members of the Schurman Cogitators Circle.
yycseniors.com Charitable Registration # 13217 1638 RR0001 June 2021word search 16 2212 13 St NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4P7 403-289-4780 June 2021
confederation park 55+ book club review
In May, our book club tackled Alan Doyle’s book, “Where I
Belong”. Alan is the lead singer of the Canadian band Great Big
Sea. This is a humorous and captivating musical memoir about
growing up in the tiny fishing village of Petty Harbour,
Newfoundland.
Alan Doyle paints a vivid and heartwarming portrait of a curious
young lad born into the small coastal fishing community of Petty
Harbour, Newfoundland, and destined to become a great
musician who carried the musical tradition of generations before him
and brought his unique sound to the world. He tells of a childhood
in the 1970’s surrounded by larger-than-life characters who made
an impression on his music; of his first job on the wharf cutting out
cod tongues for fishermen; of growing up in a family of five in a
two-bedroom house with a bucket as a toilet, yet lacking nothing;
of learning at his father’s knee how to sing the story of a song and
learning from his mother how to simply “be good”; and finally, of how
everything he learned as a kid prepared him for that moment when
he became part of Great Big Sea and what would be the greatest musical adventure of his life.
Filled with the lore and traditions of the East Coast and told in a voice that is at once captivating
and refreshingly candid, this is a narrative journey about small-town life, curiosity and creative
fulfillment, and finally, about leaving everything you know behind only to learn that no matter where
you go, home will always be with you.
The stories are interesting. Funny and witty. Alan shows that while he is not a polished writer, he
can write a good story; it is so heartwarming you come away with a good feeling of love and
nurturing, growing up in the Doyle family, unlike some authors from Newfoundland who depict a
very gloomy picture.
This book is a hilarious string of stories about growing up in a Newfoundland fishing town. We tried
to pick a “best part” but there are too many. Our Book Club loved this book. We gave it an eight
out of 10 rating. We found at times that the book was a little out of order and at times a little too
technical around the topic of music. However, this only served to illustrate Alan’s musical
brilliance. We each enjoyed this wonderful tale of growing up, learning to ‘be good’ and question
the world around you. Showing how much money in your pockets does not shape a person, but
how the people and places around you do. About a boy with a lot of questions and a good heart,
going from a small town to exploring the world around him. We would recommend this read. It is a
feel good book about a legendary Canadian. Submitted by Mary Comyn
Next month we will be discussing,
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.
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