The Packet
Righting wrongs. Jarring logjam. Explosive information.
Thank you to Lynn Gehl for sharing her personal family story of “the genocide of colonial Canada” in her piece “Fighting for Recognition” (December 2017-January 2018). It is painful to read.
That the government of Canada took such closed- minded, bigoted measures against people who had served in their own Canadian army as “dutiful and decorated soldiers” is unimaginably cruel. Can a decorated soldier really be “without legitimate identity or culture”?
As a Canadian, I am embarrassed and ashamed. My government has much to do to address and to make amends for such atrocities as these. Ardythe McMaster Rossendale, Manitoba
Jarring logjam
Your lumberjack story (“Timber!” October- November 2017) struck a chord with this reader.
My father, Duncan A. MacLean (1894–1971), headed west from Cape Breton at the age of 15 in the hope of earning enough to fund his ambition of becoming a minister.
He was tall (6’ 2”) and strong, so he was undaunted by the prospect of the dangerous work of the lumberjack.
He had many stories to tell us, but the one that resonated was his near brush with death.
On this occasion, he was “riding the logs,” jumping from one to another and breaking up the jams that occurred with some regularity. This time he fell and found himself joining the logs rushing down the river. He knew he was in danger of drowning or being crushed by the timber that was hurtling around him. Death seemed imminent.
He somehow managed to raise his head and saw, ahead of him, an outcropping of land with a tree leaning over the water. With a mighty heave, he was able to grab a branch and pull himself out of the river. Eventually, he recovered enough to climb the tree and make his way to safety. This dramatic story brought me up short. The thought that my four sisters and I might never have existed was mind-blowing. I looked around at my precious family and wondered if life was really that chancy. Katheryn Broughton Thornhill, Ontario
Explosive information
I very much enjoyed the FebruaryMarch 2018 issue of Canada’s History.
I particularly appreciated the “Radio Queens” article because it provided information about Kate Aitken and her cookbook. I have copied the information and inserted it in the copy of the cookbook that my mother had bought many years ago and which is now in my collection of yesteryear items. I appreciate the information. Reg Smith Ottawa During the fur trade era, outposts regularly received “packets” of correspondence. Email your comments to editors@CanadasHistory.ca or write to Canada’s History, Bryce Hall Main Floor, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9 Canada.