wplf

AUTHOR R.D. LAWRENCE

R.D. LAWRENCE by BARNEY MOORHOUSE When I first met R.D. Lawrence in the mid 1980’s he had some 18 books to his credit. Mostly non-fiction out of door wildlife experiences. At the time he had a loyal international following. Like so many artists he was relatively unknown in Canada at that time. Now, there is […]

swan

OUTDOOR NEWS DIGEST #1

OUT of DOORS with BARNEY MOORHOUSE For Reproduction Rights Call Access 1.800.893.5777 F&W REGS Kudos to the MNRF for the 2019 Fishing and Hunting regulations. As advertised the layouts are new and improved with more accurate locational information, more detailed maps, improved photos and a larger font size to aid tired eyes while honing up […]

Pratt & Whitney

THE LAST FLIGHT

LAST FLIGHT  OF THE BOENG 720 Serendipity The Resident Wife (TRW) and I were in Trenton early May 9, 2012 on business and stopped in at a restaurant for breakfast. As I was about to order, a Hercules aircraft flew low overhead startling me. Almost spilled my coffee. “Say, if you’re interested, there’s a plane […]

Terry

MANTRACKER

THE REAL MANTRACKER The format for Mantracker, the Canadian reality television series, follows the KISS system of “Keep It Simply Successful.” In each episode, Terry Grant, aka The Real Mantracker, attempts to track and capture two “prey” who have 36 hours to escape capture and to cross the finish line. Neither Grant nor his “Sidekick”, […]

Mustangs

RANDY BIRD

RANDY BIRD – Equine Educator 2011 Randy Bird can’t remember a time when he wasn’t passionate about horses. He entered his first pony race at the Roseneath Fair when he was 10. He was barrel racing at 13 in the Western Games and a bull rider for 5 years on the Ontario rodeo circuit. By […]

conroy marsh

DUCK BANDING

DUCK BANDING on the CONROY MARSH A Scotch mist descended as I pulled out of the driveway at 5 p.m. to join an MNR crew for some nighttime duck banding on the Conroy Marsh. On the way to meet the team at Palmer Rapids torrential rains began to dampen my enthusiasm. Over supper at Our […]

QUEEN’S PARK

QUEEN’S PARK Queen’s Park is one of Toronto’s “pre-eminent parks.” In the late 1820s, the new King’s College, the Church of England’s institution of higher learning, acquired a large campus at the north central edge of Toronto. Soon the public began using the eastern part of the campus recreationally. In 1849, the non-denominational University of […]

Henry's horses

THE SHEENY MAN

THE SHEENY MAN A recent column written by Marlene Black (Landowner magazine) in which she talks about rags and the value of a penny triggered the following. During the early 1950’s the ice man, the bread man and the milk man used to deliver their products door to door by horse drawn wagon. Tinkers used […]

1. Cat

CATS

HANK BUNKER’S CAT RANCH PROVES UNSUCCESSFUL No matter the times – whether they be in a recession, depression or bountiful – there are always entrepreneurs charged with optimism seeking their fame and fortune. Hank Bunker was such a man. The following tale was published in the August 23, 1923  edition of The Bancroft Times. On […]

1. Manure Spreader 005

MITCH

Mitch Hepburn Elected at 37, Liberal leader Mitch Hepburn became the youngest Premier in Ontario in 1934. An onion farmer, he ruled during the depression into the WW2 years. Hepburn created a volunteer police force – “Hepburn’s Hussars” – known by some as “Sons of Mitches” – as strike breakers, a strategy that failed. During […]