Roy Bonisteel (1930–2013)

I had the pleasure of being raised by a public-television network and one of the most profound shows that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ever had was called "Man Alive." That show was hosted by a thoughtful and considerate individual by the name of Roy Bonisteel. His in-depth reporting and analysis may have been over my young mind at the time, but some of the ideas he presented did stick with me. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times when I was at journalism school at Loyalist College in Belleville, Canada where I became a big fan of his writing.
Sadly, Roy Bonisteel passed away recently at the age of 83.

Page 13 Introduction

It seems to me the telling of tales is essential if we want to make this a better world for future generations.
In a society obsessed with self-indulgence and waste I like to recall a time when thrift and hard work were their own rewards. As our cities become choked with garbage and our air thick with smog, it's important to remember a time of sparkling streams and healthy forests. In an age when we assign our elderly to institutions or to "granny flats" in the backyard next to the dog house, I think of old aunts who shared their wisdom and love in the family home. In a country where the GNP is our symbol for success, the BMW our sign of social status and where banks have replaced cathedrals as our tallest buildings, I like to tell stories of people of humble means who were rich in spirit.
When I first read Dickens, I used to wonder what he meant when he wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." Now that I am older I understand, because the lines fit every age. Yet, I can't help but feel there is a special challenge for all of us today, especially our youth. We have the opportunity, the knowledge and the resources to make things better and to create the kind of society that Dickens or my parents or myself as a young farm boy could only imagine. We lack nothing . . . except the will

There was a Time . . . is a memoir of Bonisteel return to his roots in the Bay of Quinte region of Ontario. Seven generations of his family lived in the historic area and in 1971 he decided to move his family back to the area.

my complete review… (plus d'informations)

Rating: 3* of five

The Book Report: The memoir of a seventh-generation Canadian farm boy turned journalist and TV presenter, [There Was A Time...] is a seasonally organized set of memories of his youth in a bygone, simple time overlaid with his later-life return, plus family, to the area and style of his past...of course, nothing stays the same, but the changes bring as many memories as the similarities do.

My Review: Based on a year's worth of columns commissioned by the (USA residents, stifle your snickers at this name) Kingston Whig-Standard, this lovely, elegiac writing about a boyhood in a time long gone feels more like the 19th than the 20th century. I loved reading it.

What makes me rather sad is that, even though it was published 21 years ago, it was impossible to find in the USA even then. I got my copy because I worked at Bantam Doubleday Dell then, and it was left out in the hall by an editor who got it from the Canadians as part of an attempt to interest her in publishing it, and a few Paul Quarrington novels (also scarfed up by yours truly), which was a complete non-starter. “Who cares?” came the response to my query about why the books were in front of her office. “Canada...booorrriiinnng!”

It's an attitude all too common among us here in the USA. Canada? Uh...yeah...and...? It's short-sighted, it's wrong-headed, and it's demonstrably annoying to the Canadians. It's also persistent. Were I Canadian (which, given a Romney victory in November 2012, I will be), I'd be grateful for this attitude. Sort of like the old Lovecraftian hymn, “PRAISE CTHULHU! He hasn't noticed you yet.”… (plus d'informations)