You can take the boy out of Duncan, but you can never take the Duncan out of the boy.
Or something like that.
The strapping young lad to the right, the one with the epic mullet (eat your heart out, Jaromir Jagr) and era-correct adult action star ’stache, has returned to his old stomping grounds. For a short spell, anyway.
Half a lifetime ago, the mulleted young fellow left the Citizen for the world of daily newspapers. As you may be aware, jobs at many Canadian dailies are being hacked and slashed at a rate that would frighten Jason Voorhees.
One of those positions was mine.
Initially, I assumed I would be without work for the first time since Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy was charting.
The plan was simple — lie around binge-watching old episodes of The Rockford Files and crank out job applications.
Fortunately, the fine folks at Black Press saw fit to keep me aboard, in a regional capacity.
That role, for the time being, includes helping out the talented crew here at the Citizen.
I was excited about the opportunity for a variety of reasons.
First, I can keep paying my mortgage and meet the ravenous eating demands of my teenage son. Second, newspapers of this size are the ones that will continue to flourish and produce outstanding journalism that resonates in smaller communities.
Third, current publisher Shirley Skolos was one of my all-time favourite co-workers, so I knew the gig would be fun.
And finally, it’s a chance to get reacquainted with the place I’ll always consider home.
For the last week or so, it has felt like Richard Dreyfuss is narrating my own personal movie (everyone read the next passage in their best Dreyfuss voice...)
“Even though I hadn’t lived in the Cowichan Valley for nearly a quarter-century, the memories kept flooding back.”
Now, I haven’t been a world away for much of that time, but so much has changed I might as well have been living on the moon.
Virtually all of my visits home included a drive down the back roads to the Maple Bay area to visit family — or trips to either Mr. Mikes or the Doghouse for meals with said family members.
That’s about it. In and out.
Why is there a gaping hole where The Galaxy should be? I didn’t visit the ‘Lixy’ that often, though we did enjoy stopping by on our way back from Victoria to watch the dustups in the parking lot after closing time.
I spent my teen years living on Ortona Street. Who’s the genius who changed it to Ortona Road? Why?
The list of questions is endless and I look forward to answering all of them. I plan to walk all through the downtown, though with knees so bad Bobby Orr feels sorry for me, it may take a few trips.
Just driving around is fascinating, with Mr. Dreyfuss narrating the entire way.
“Now here’s where they had the old Odeon Theatre. It was here that my Dad took me to see my first restricted movie, Jaws. When the head popped out of the boat underwater, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I never again got scared by movies like I did when I was nine. Geez, does anyone?”
Is it like that for everyone that grew up here but has seen the gradual change?
Even my drive out of town on Monday was an endless series of flashbacks.
I went up Government Street. I peered down at Centennial Park (is it still called that?), and there I was, playing tennis with my giant, old, green Prince tennis racquet.
Looked up the hill to where I assume Khowhemun Elementary school still sits, and remembered how in one class, if our coats weren’t hung up properly in the cloakroom, you risked getting your hands whipped with a yardstick. Good times.
Every street I drove by, it was like “hey, I wonder if so-and-so’s parents still live there?”
“Sure seems odd without Bruce’s Grocery. A 7-Eleven, really? Which person on the city staff has a bizarre roundabout fetish? Look at all these apartments. Wonder if the Oak still has their big hockey pool? Man, I remember playing Asteroids at the old arcade. Didn’t McQuinn’s used to be where that haircut place is? What’s the deal with these roundabouts? Look at all the soccer fields. Mt. Prevost is a French immersion school now? Wonder whatever happened to Mr. Rodman? Wow, look at those ball fields. Nice setup. Another roundabout. Seriously?”
And on and on.
Change is a great thing. An important thing. I’ve had enough experience with NIMBYists and folks who believe progress is a cuss word. They can definitely hold a community back.
That said, nostalgia can also be fun.
The Great Reconnection Tour of 2016 aside, there’s also work to be done here. I’m very interested in hearing your stories, past and present. Tell me what you think of this paper — why it’s good and what might be done better.
How do you consume your local news? Do we meet those needs on all platforms in a timely fashion? Do you have your own tale to tell? Know of anyone else who should make headlines? Should mullets make a comeback?
Just let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.
It’s great to be home.