Monthly Archives: June 2019

Hedley, People

Graham Gore Was A Force in the Community

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Graham & Myrtle Gore at our Hedley home June 6, 2019

Graham Gore has been a pastor for much of the second half of his 80 years. The first half was quite unlike that of most pastors and it has influenced his approach to life and to his spiritual calling. In a conversation in our home, just prior to his retirement in mid-June he said, “Before becoming a pastor, I worked for an automotive dealership in the parts department. I drank too much and developed into an alcoholic. I smoked 2 to 3 packs a day. It wasn’t an uplifting lifestyle and my first marriage ended in divorce.”

Alcohol and tobacco ruled his life for many years, but they lost their power over him in one day. “It happened when I came to Jesus,” he said. Holding a cup of Linda’s coffee he emphasized, “I’m not a a recovered alcoholic. I’m a delivered alcoholic.” His previous neighbour across the street sometimes called Graham over for a beer. If he had the time, Graham would accept the invitation, but he always refused a second one. “I have no desire for more,” he said. He considered the one beer a common ground with his Harley riding neighbour.

After the divorce, Graham married Myrtle. He found God, studied for the ministry and became a pastor. Four years before settling in Hedley, they bought a camperized Greyhound bus and joined a traveling evangelism team holding meetings across Canada. When their home on wheels was demolished in an accident August 2002, they bought a home in Hedley.

“Prior to the evangelism team, I had pastored in two places and I was weary,” he said. “I didn’t want to attend church here, but I went because Myrtle wanted to go.” He was soon asked to pastor the local church and was surprised to discover the experience invigorated him spiritually.

Graham Gore in front of the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department fire truck.

Graham was willing to give time and energy to the greater community. When the fire department needed members with a licence endorsement to drive the fire truck, Graham agreed to join. Endowed with leadership ability, people came to trust him. “I was asked to become manager of the fire department and I agreed to do it for one year,” he said. “I found it enjoyable and carried on until about a year ago. I worked hard to raise the level of professionalism and to stay within the budget.”

Myrtle Gore at the front door of her home.

In church, Myrtle played the piano and organ and was generous with smiles, hugs and welcoming words. Although she was never in the forefront in the community, Graham deeply values her inner strength and resolve. “Myrtle teaches me to be more gracious,” he said. “She is a tremendous encouragement to me and often gives me the incentive when I don’t feel like doing something.”

I have at times heard Graham described as “pastor to the community.” For Linda and me an early experience with his ministry style came when our car was totaled by an impatient driver on Highway 3. We had been in his church a few times but didn’t know him well. He showed up at the crash site and said, “I’ll deliver you and your things to your home. Tomorrow I’ll take you to Penticton to arrange for a vehicle.” He cheerfully followed through on this the next day but refused any compensation, even for gas.

When I wanted to shovel his driveway in winter he said, “No, don’t do that. I want to hire a young fellow to do that.” It was his way of encouraging a young man who had known mostly failure and rejection.

As a community we have come to depend on Graham for marriages and celebrations of life. He has conducted the Hedley Improvement District elections. For many years, he has been the M.C. at Remembrance Day ceremonies. When someone needed a ride to Penticton for a medical appointment, Graham has said many times, “I’ll do it.” He enthusiastically supported a yearly church bottle drive to send Hedley kids to Camp Tulahead. He often said, “We never turn anyone away.”

Graham Gore, on his 4-legged wooden stool, close to the congregation.

To be close to the congregation, Graham long ago relegated the church pulpit to an obscure corner in another room. His only financial compensation has been a modest annual honorarium. “My caring for the community is motivated by my love for God and for people,” he said. “Being a pastor here has been very fulfilling. Myrtle and I are really going to miss Hedley.”

Inspiration

Iconic Penticton Vees Drawing Donated to Hospital

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Ivan McLelland, still intrigued by the dynamics that brought about the unlikely victory of the Penticton Vees in 1955.

As a boy my young imagination was stirred by the Penticton Vees when they clobbered the Soviets vaunted “Big Red Machine” 5-0 to win the World Hockey Championship in 1955. For me and many Canadians, there was a sense of mystique about the Vees. They were not a powerhouse team like the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens.

In the view of many heavyweights in the hockey world, in fact, they were little more than an unproven ragtag collection of players that really should not have won the Allan Cup. Certainly they should not have been the team sent to represent Canada in Germany. At that time I could not yet know that one day I would meet and become friends with Ivan McLelland, the Vees sensational goalie.

In 1951 when the team was being assembled, Ivan was sent down from the Vancouver Canucks training camp and became the first player to don a Vees uniform. “To persuade me to join the team, Canuck GM Coley Hall asked if I liked girls,” Ivan recalled over lunch in our home last week. “I said I did and he told me Penticton had great beaches and it was the only place in Canada where I’d see girls in two piece bathing suits. That made it an easy decision.” He was only 20 and most of the other players were older. “Off the ice we weren’t a very together team. We were an untamed lot,” Ivan said. “There were plenty of arguments.”

Andy O’Brien, a Montreal sports writer at the time said, “These boys have no rules. Stories about them are like a bottomless cup of coffee.”

“The players knew about my superstition,” Ivan said. “When we started winning, I wouldn’t change my underwear or socks, no matter how sweaty and smelly they got. In Germany some of the sportswriters didn’t think we should be there. They trashed us repeatedly. After we won the cup Kevin asked me for my sweaty socks. Without anyone knowing it, he threw them into the cup, then poured several bottles of champagne into it and invited the offending sportswriters to indulge. They praised the drink lavishly until someone discovered the socks in the bottom. Kevin relished the revenge.”

Ivan McLelland, goalie for the 1955 Penticton Vees.

It was coach Grant Warwick who held the Vees together and molded them into a Cinderella team. Very likely he reminded them of the hockey saying, “If you win here, you’ll walk together the rest of your lives.” For Ivan these words became especially true. He developed tight relationships with several players and has endeavoured to ensure Canada does not forget this motley crew of unlikely winners.

Since retiring as head of Neilson Chocolate’s western Canada division, Ivan has spoken to hundreds of audiences about the Vees. Many of these renditions have been in schools. Sometimes he invites students to slip his championship ring on their finger. He encourages them to believe they too can achieve seemingly impossible goals.

I asked Ivan why, at age 88, he continues to tell the story of the Vees. “I enjoy doing it,” he said, “and I want to keep them, the players, alive.”

That was a long time ago and there are less than a handful of Vees still living today. On September 26, 2008, at the final Vees game in the Memorial Arena, Ivan and fellow original Vees, Ernie Rucks and Kevin Conway, were honoured. The latter two have since passed away. Fortunately, well known Okanagan artist Glenn Clark created a charcoal drawing of the three men together. Of the original Vees, other than Ivan, only Doug Kilburn, now living in Spokane, Washington and in poor health, is left.

When Ivan was asked to donate the original charcoal drawing to the David Kampe Tower of the Penticton Regional Hospital, he agreed. Wanting Canadians to remember and be inspired by the Vees’ achievement, he stipulated that it be hung in a prominent place. Also, that his departed wife, Faye, be named along with himself as a donor. David Kampe, an ardent hockey fan and a force in the building of the Tower, supported this decision. The original drawing now hangs on the wall of the second floor, opposite the elevator. A large print of the drawing will be auctioned off at the annual Penticton and Friends Golf Tournament in July, to support work with dementia patients.

Thanks to the passion of Ivan McLelland, the saga of the Penticton Vees will not be forgotten.

Community, Hedley

Hedley Makers Come Out Of The Closet

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Some of Karen Cummings creations.

The “Makers of Hedley” are going to let us in on their secret lives this weekend. They’re coming out of the closet in a very public way. Talking with a few of them last week, I sensed their excitement at finally finding the courage to cease hiding a vital aspect of who they are. The “Makers” are talented, but in most cases, unsung amateur artists.

Karen Cummings has a bold vision for shining a light on the work of these creative individuals. An artist herself and an organizer with marketing skills, she and fellow artist, Penny Escott, have put together a Makers Tour that is a first in Hedley.

“Often people have difficulty admitting they are artists,” Karen said. “They fear rejection. That’s why we’re calling ourselves Makers.” The term does lower the expectation level and is apparently comfortable for those participating. This weekend, June 8 and 9,  they will open their homes, studios and workshops to the public.

Maura Halliday & her son Dusty are Makers of Hedley.

Linda and I chatted with several Makers recently and found they are an eclectic collection of individuals practising diverse art forms. Maura Halliday, a pretty brunette silversmith, is a young mother. Before she and her husband moved to Hedley last fall, Maura worked in the movie industry specializing in prosthetic sculpting, painting and air brushing. “I love stones and silver,” she said, holding a display featuring intricate jewelry. “All my creations are handmade. My son Dusty is a year and a half and he wants to get his little fingers into the materials I work with. That’s unhandy so I work at it only when he’s sleeping.” She looks forward to meeting people and chatting with them.

Karen emphasized this will be a fun event. “It’s very much about meeting the artist. We want people to come and get to know us. The tour is free. There will be items for sale but you don’t have to buy anything, just come and enjoy.”

Tap Nevalainen holds a truck he made with wood.

Tap Nevalainen, once a builder of high rise structures, will display an intriguing array of wood creations. His fully loaded logging truck invariably draws my attention in his workshop. There are also a couple of other trucks, plus very authentic appearing bird houses, candle holders and barbeque scrapers. “I like to challenge myself by making something different,” he said. “Working with wood is fulfilling.”

Karen Cummings loves vivid colours.

Karen’s medium is fabric and she loves splashes of colour. The creations adorning her walls seem to challenge the viewer to ponder their meaning, but for her that isn’t what they’re about. “The important thing,” she said, “is does it make you happy.”

Eva Burnham, in her kitchen, ready to make fudge using her grandmother’s recipe.

Eva’s medium is quite distinct from the others on the tour. “I’ve been making fudge since my kids were young,” she said. “I got the recipe from my grandma. She watched me making a batch one day and offered to show me a simpler method. I’ve used her ingredients and process since then.” Her varieties include Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Orange and Ginger, White Chocolate Cranberry and Lemon. “The fudge is mouth watering yummy,” she said with bubbly enthusiasm. “It’s addictive.”

“By seeing the creation and talking about it,” Karen believes, “ our life gets bigger. That makes us more inclusive. We come to realize not everyone is like us. As we become bigger, we can appreciate what is not familiar.” She paused a moment, then added, “there’s so much lousy stuff happening in the world. Seeing creative works can give us a more positive perspective.”

The tour will feature productions of 10 Makers, each site being identified by the presence of a pink flamingo. A map can be obtained at the Country Market and the Hedley Museum. Lunch consisting of a gourmet sandwich can be purchased at the Country Market. The Museum’s Tea Room will serve its highly acclaimed lemon and apple pies, and also coffee. Free tickets will be offered for 2 draws for $100.00 gift baskets. Visitors can enter the draw at every site, for a total of 10 chances. Sunday morning from 8 to 10 the Seniors’ Centre will serve it’s popular $5.00 Pancake Breakfast. Doors for the Makers Tour will be open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The Makers Tour will provide an opportunity to dialogue with some pretty innovative thinkers and view what they have been creating behind closed doors. It may even inspire some timid souls to believe they too can create something that will bring enjoyment to others.