Winnie P. has some ideas

Dear Gary, Bruce, Rosco and Janet: It’s so good to hear that the “Dumont Central Blogging Committee” is back on track and blogging again. In all my working years since Dumont, I have not been able to find a work/life balance that comes close to the one shared at Dumont -- on call 24/7, seemingly endless meetings of the collective (agendas were developed but there was no chair), last-minute text deliveries (by hand in those days) and editorial adjustments at the behest of “friendly” nocturnal print editors, deadline panic attacks, midnight swat teams, trips to the Toronto printers in the white econoline van (no seat belts required), on-site continuous training & learning, and (I almost forgot) no compensation for overtime.Shortly after James and Burko left Ottawa, Jane Harding, Liz Janzen, and I met in Toronto and drove up to Port Severn to visit Lesley Buresh and Bob (her significant other) who live 8 months out of the year on a lovely secluded Georgian Bay island that has been in Bob’s family for at least three generations. For two days in a cabin perched on the humped back of an ancient Precambrian rock (I’m attaching a pic) looking out over the grey turbulent waters of Lake Huron we ate some of the best of the remains from Lesley’s garden, drank some memorable reds and whites earmarked for the occasion and reminisced about the “glory days” of Dumont. As we weaved our way in and out of memories thinned by time we came up with a few questions and suggestions that might encourage more blogging before the 2011 celebrations.(I should interject here that we are eager to do most of the legwork required but will need some technical assistance and/or advice.)

Questions and suggestions:

Has anything been written about Dumont’s history (there is an excellent write-up of Between The Lines on the website but nothing on Dumont).

Is there a way to structure the current blog so that we can organize and solicit stories chronologically, i.e. leading up to Dumont, its first year of operation, its transitions (both political and physical) over the years from typesetting shop to publishing house to photography shop (Where is Brian Cyr?) to soup kitchen.

After reading some of the notes below, perhaps Steve Izma could suggest some dates, since (I believe) he was with Dumont the longest, i.e. 1971 – 1974 (The Early Years) 1974 – 1978 (Years of Transition) etc.

We were thinking too that a QUIZ might be FUN, i.e. where was the first Dumont Reunion held; name 1971’s fastest and most accurate typesetter; the Rolling Stones I can’t get no satisfaction suddenly made sense when and where; who wrote the following and on what occasion, “We hope this brings you down to earth, You’ve always been too flighty, With gratitude we greet the birth of young Hermaphrodite”.

Perhaps too if we don’t have a well-developed history of Dumont, the quiz might be used to supply some much-needed historical fact and colour.

As far as story-telling we were thinking of being as inclusive as possible, including oral and documented facts, stories and memories implicating Dumont directly or indirectly but asking individuals to submit dates, names and places with as much accuracy as possible – a kind of Dumont wikipedia.

How Input might be organized:

Before Dumont (Precursors)

Key collectives, communes, co-ops (Eby, Strange, King, Ahrens, Blue Springs, Sterling, etc.)

Radical Student Movement and Women’s Liberation caucus: their influences

Organization for Social Justice and Reconstruction: Where Winnie first met Lizzie, Randy and Wally and how we became sellers of aboriginal craft at the farmers’ market in downtown Kitchener

“On the Line” (collective free press) makes its debut and other related praxis

Day care at the campus centre: precursor to Klemmer & Married Student Residence daycare

The Early Years

Key players and founders – promoting the idea, selecting the location and the art of collecting building supplies (Eddie will be helpful here)

Midnight runs on campus (Do we dare share these stories)

First Compugraphic Computer, punch-hole tapes, and transition to phototypesetting

Photography: the first camera and long line of talented photographers

First contracts: the Chevron, Conestoga College, etc

Formalizing the “cooperative” (discussions as a collective and with Brian Iler)

One of three worker-owned and controlled typesetting shops in North America

Dumont becomes a CNTU affiliate, the proposal and debate

Early policy development on childcare and work accommodation (e.g. babysitting shifts)

Baking and Dinner Shifts

Workers’ logs and shift work

Mary Holmes’ curried chicken with apple

Steve Izma’s cookie batter

Dumont hot plate

Nickie’s and Winnie’s competitive angle

Jane’s claim to most creative galley identification system

Best shift team – the super seven (or was it five)

Best-priced breakfasts and draft beer

Last minute changes, deadline misfires

Federal support: Number of weeks necessary before UI and Opportunities for Youth grants

Cultural magazines like King Street Works

Years of Transition

We are going to need some help with this section from those Dumont Ducks that worked at Dumont after 1974.

This is also a project that can continue into the Reunion Celebration, making it possible for postings on site. However, we would like to do as much work online before the event so that people can get a feel for what we are trying to achieve and will be excited about adding their story to the Dumont Wikipedia.

Let us know what you think. This could be a lot of fun and in the end we may have a rather interesting living history of the ideals and politics that motivated a rather large group of individuals in a rather timely but very demanding social & political experiment.

Paranoia, or stupidity?...

As I was out for a stroll this morning around the shores of Wascana Lake with my sweetie Lisa Brownstone, she posed an interesting and provocative question:  "Have you ever tried to access your RCMP file through the Freedom of Information Act?"

Well, in fact I had not, though I do remember a number of discussions over the years with various friends, associates and comrades. I'm not sure if any of the rest of the old gang might have, though we all speculated that it would make for interesting and probably amusing reading. On the other hand, we all figured that even initiating the process to retrieve those files would most likely attract renewed attention from CSIS, the RCMP and other even more secretive government agencies.

There have been a number of events in our collective history that undoubtedly prompted some of these surveillance activities, from the Peterborough Examiner strike in 1968 and '69, the alleged assault on the American Consulate in Toronto on May 9th, 1970 during the Vietnam War protests, to the surprise launch of Canada's first cruise missile, hoisted aloft into the rotunda of the Saskatchewan legislature by 81 green helium-filled balloons on March 17th, 1983. And let us not forget some of the other social justice movements, such as the blockades at the peace camps at Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island in the mid-90s protesting the logging of old growth forests or the renewed anti-war protests prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In retrospect, there were hundreds of political and cultural opportunities to gather photographic documentation, wiretap evidence and informers' notes. Who knows what was real, what was paranoid speculation and what was just sloppily and inaccurately interpreted? Some of us may recall the 1970 national convention of Canadian University Press in Naramata where, with government agents lurking about, the legendary band Running Dog and his Electric Lackies, along with the Red Wobbly Chorus, opened their New Year's Eve concert with readings from Chairman Mao's little red book, in Swahili no less, to the tumultuous applause of the young journalists in attendance. What were they thinking?!?! How well did they dance? What did it all really mean?

I've often wondered what might be in Roddy's file. I'm sure he did too. Yes. there was a lot more to him than baseball. Without Roddy's sudden reappearance in Waterloo in the spring of 1969 with a case of fireworks under his arm, we would have had a much more difficult time celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike on May 19th with all the flair, colour and exhuberance that it deserved. And then of course, there was Roddy's critical role in helping to clear a path for demonstrators during the May 9th anti-war rally the following year in Toronto, when he moved a few poorly-placed garbage cans out of the way. I'll bet there's some great stuff in Roddy's file. We all miss him. Always a bit cantankerous and sometimes a pain in the ass, Roddy was a Dumont original, ready to work or play, but not so good when it came to the dishes. He was thoughtful, sometimes moody, he never would have called himself an anarchist, but had very personal perspectives on revolution and his critique of capitalism. There's gotta be some great little anecdotes in Roddy's file, both legitimate and outrageous fantasy.

We all have some interesting colour in our past. After all, we lived through some colourful times. Sober reflection is always useful, and instructive. Rosco mentioned a few months ago in this blog that perhaps we need to embellish some of those tales of our individual and collective adventures. I figure there's no need: others may have already done it on our behalf, and truth can certainly be stranger than fiction. Bring on the poets, and the story-tellers! And remember the words of that immortal sage John Lennon, "All you need is love!"

Recent events...

What with all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the almost unnoticed death last week of a very important person. Larry La Prise, the man who wrote “The Hokey Pokey”, died peacefully at home. He was 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in… and then the trouble started.

Workin' like a dog on the good ol' Dumont blog

Post-Thanksgiving adventures

Okay, so we're done with turkey leftovers, catching up with all kinds of folks all over the country, and lovin' that warm sunny fall which seems to be prevailing throughout most of our fair land. Many of you, no doubt, will have recently hosted Jimmy Allen and Larry Burko on their cross-country junket, accompanied by all kinds of stories and gossip. Some of us were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat at Brian Switzman's house in Toronto last Friday, picking up a bit of summer news, retirement tales and queries as to the current whereabouts of Fred Kemp.

In the midst of all this (and by the way, Fred has been found alive and well in Olympia, Washington; Elaine Switzman has a new grand-daughter; Mel's son Aaron is in Victoria and had Thanksgiving at Jimmy Allen's house; and Lizzie is finding that in retirement, she's just as busy as she ever was) there was much speculation and anticipation about next summer's Dumont reunion, and when we might expect the next official communique from the DUMOC consortium. Then we tried to remember who all was planning to attend.

Yes, and here we are having a little gathering of the Central Blogging Committee (CBC), which is often just an excuse for me and Bruce and Rosco to drink Cuban rum and feel productive and thoughtful, and sometimes Jan Stoody joins us on Skype, but misses out on the rum, which no doubt explains why she regularly turns up on my doorstep a few nights later, demanding wine. Jan couldn't make it tonight, as she's off sailing with her brother Chuck.

So, a new attempt to produce meaningful content, but then Bruce wrenches the laptop from my grasp (BRUCE WRITING HERE:  I did not "wrench the laptop"... it was passed to me and I was encouraged to add to this post), clicks on a new tab, and loses the whole thing (BRUCE WRITING HERE AGAIN:  Okay, I did screw it up, but Gary found it again right away...). This is collaborative editing at its finest! Fortunately, all has been retrieved (BWH: As I said!!!)  and we can now go celebrate with a joint (or something white and pointy (RJB: Chalk?)), but then who's got matches these days (or chalk?). Pour another shot of good ol' Havana Club...

I chat periodically with a number of folks who have signed on to become blog contributors here, but at this point, Phil is well ahead of the pack (Go Phil!). Lizzie says the lack of participation is because of summer, and now the Toronto election. Bernadine apparently had a hard time finding the Sign In button. John Dufort never has time, even in his new state of retirement. John Koop doesn't think he can make it to the reunion anyway, and the rest of us should all go visit him in Newfoundland (almost made it in July). Bruce is dithering on whether to ditch his PC and go completely Mac. Rosco is caught in a Google abyss and now he and Bruce are trying to make their way home on Google Earth. I wonder what Notes is up to this fine autumn evening?... probably watching a baseball game.

Some of you may perhaps have noticed that our monthly Dumont Photo Contest has missed a few months. Please do not adjust your displays, this photo deficiency is merely temporary, we're just not sure exactly where the archive has ended up. Keep watching this space!

Gary says (SORRY, BRUCE WRITING AGAIN) that he's found a small stash of colour slides of a 1975 Dumont Ducks baseball extravaganza and can hardly wait to scan and show (Ooops,,, I gave away the year, probably the first contest question after the hiatus.). I can hardly wait!