(Rock Ranger during ECMA 2002 - photo: Murdock Smith)

I rang in the New Year with Rock Ranger, Slowcoaster and Carlo Spinazzola at Bunker’s. The show had been sold out for days and everyone was in the mood to party. After stops at a couple of parties along the way, we made it to the bar where people were lined up in the cold all the way up the stairs, waiting for the chance to buy their way in, just in case tickets were returned at the last minute or the place was even slightly under capacity. Slowcoaster was playing when we arrived and they did the big countdown around twelve fifteen (you can’t interrupt Slowcoaster singer Steven MacDougall in the middle of one of his songs, even if it is to celebrate the odometer of modern civilization rolling over – it’s still just an arbitrary measure, whereas music being made in a roomful of people is real and right now and undeniable. But I digress.). Of course Rock Ranger Jay provided another countdown some three hours later for those who had missed the first one and got at least as much response. And so ended 2001, an interesting year to say the least.

Here at the publishing empire that is What’s Goin On magazine, 2001 marked our sixth year in “business”. Of all the events that shook the world and our community in 2001, that’s the one that stands out in my mind. It certainly is shocking to see new pictures of the New York City skyline or to think that coal will be imported from America to generate electricity for Cape Bretoners, but the shock fades, people get used to it and life goes on. That WGO has managed to survive since the mid-nineties on little more than a handful of dedicated volunteers and the unflinching support of its true believers almost seems like a miracle, but people get used to it and expect that it will always be there and life goes on. If 2001 teaches us nothing else I hope it makes each and every one of us realize that we can take nothing for granted. And it is in that context that I say thanks to you all who have worked so hard and done so much, often at such sacrifice, to keep WGO going this year. It renews my faith in the strength and spirit of this community. Let’s all work together in 2002 to make things even better around here because if you’re reading the writing on the wall, you know things are gonna get worse before they get better. They always do.

RELATED POSTS:

1. Carlo Spinazzola – Walk
2. EDITORIAL 02/14/02 (“What’s goin on goes online”)
3. Pipeline – December 13, 2001

("According to wikipedia, kilts were around in the 16c." Pictured: A private and corporal of a Highland Regiment, circa 1744 - Source: Image scanned from Clans and Tartans - Collins Pocket Reference George Way of Plean and Romilly Squire, Harper Collins, Glasgow 1995 ISBN 0-00-470810-5.)

What is in the water in Antigonish and Cape Breton that reduces a professor to lower himself to public name calling of an individual who just happens to have a different point of view from him (along with hundreds more people)? (Mr. Wallace is no slouch and has a high background in History, let’s hope he does not take legal action.)

This professor could start a fight in an empty house or so it seems.

What is the big problem with those who wish to step out in style in their kilts, and look quite handsome doing so, that irks the poor man so badly? Why I believe I saw a picture of Lewis MacKinnon in a kilt!! Why does he have a hate on for little girls dancing the Highland Fling? Shame, shame.

I know Gaelic speaking people who love to put on the tartan and their grandchildren are highland dancers!! And good for them I say.

Gaelic is a language we are all proud to hold to as part of our ancestry but it only takes in “part” of the Scottish culture of the old country. Now known as Scotland.

If you wish to wear a kilt, great! If you can speak a bit of the Gaelic wonderful! If you can sing in Gaelic glorious! But don’t put down people who do not. (Verrrrrrrry, very bad manners.)

According to Wikipedia kilts were around in the 16c. Before that the Romans made mention of the attire of the Celts and how wild the women were. Whoo Hoooo….

But if this is the type of person who teaches at our Universities it is time we (the Scottish Community as a whole) stopped all donations to whatever institute he represents.

I ask the board of the Gaelic College to continue to teach a high quality of piping and dance to students. Then if they wish to take up some other version, let them do so but for goodness sake teach them properly first. You don’t teach a hockey player the wrong way first.

Keep the flag waving Mr. Wallace, we might lose the Gaelic one day in the distant future, but we will never loose our Scottishness.

Oh, am I allowed to say that word….?? Maybe it’s a new word…..

I descend from, Stewarts, Lamonts (double), MacFarlands, Campbell and Farquharson and proud of it! And I can cuss in Gaelic.

That’s my 75 year old opinion…..

Jean MacKaracher – Watson

RELATED POSTS:

1. Letter to the editor: The end of an era at the Gaelic College
2. Letter to the editor: St.F.X. Celtic Studies lecturer weighs in on “End of an Era…”
3. Letter to the editor: Ciad Mile Failte

“One hundred thousand welcomes” is the Gaelic phrase that we were taught when I was 9 years old, my first summer of 6 years at the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s along with my sisters, my three daughters, and hundreds of my Highland Dance students.

Needless to say, I was shocked to read in Sunday’s Chronicle Herald about eliminating Highland Dance and Bagpiping. As a member of the “MacDonald Hundred Pipe Band” that was one of the many Pipe Bands Opening the Canso Causeway, in 1955, I cannot believe that the new administration thinks they can raise the profile of this institution by eliminating the core curriculum that was successful for 73 years.

My grandfather, John C. MacMillan one of the first founding board members of the College along with many other local businessmen worked very diligently to build this fine institution and bring the culture of Scotland to “New Scotland” – Nova Scotia for 73 years. That mainly includes the Gaelic Language, Highland Dancing and Piping.

Having been a board member in the 1980s, I recommended that Stepdancing be brought to the curriculum when Leonard Jones was the Executive Director as this is one discipline that is included in some of the Highland and National Dances of Scotland. Within a few months the new administration feels they can take this Legacy away? Do they not realize that the popularity of the College is mainly due to the former students who are now Dance and Piping Teachers all over the world (my 3 daughters and 10 former students included) and they promote the college and send their students there for Workshops and/or Competitions. The Pipe Band is a former World Champion of Piping!

Let us not let this happen. The Gaelic College which we know and cherish must carry on with the basis on which it was founded.

Kay Batherson (former student, teacher and Board Member of Gaelic College)

RELATED POSTS:

1. Letter to the editor: The end of an era at the Gaelic College
2. Letter to the editor: Gaelic College responds to “End of an Era at the Gaelic College”
3. Letter to the editor: “What’s in the water…?”

A luchd-stiùraidh na Còlaisde Gàidhlige, is a chairdean còire,

Ged a bhithinn deònach an litir uile seo a sgrìobhadh anns a’ Ghàidhlig, tha fhios nach tuig móran a tha an sàs anns an deasbad seo a’ chànain a tha aig teas-meadhan a’ ghnothaich, agus is mór am beud.

For several days now, I have heard and seen impassioned discussions, in person and “virtually” (on the internet), about Kelly MacArthur’s grievances that “Highland Dance”, the Great Highland Bagpipe, and Pipeband Drumming will be discontinued at the Gaelic College in preference to Gaelic-centred curriculum. I note that many of these comments are coming from people who seem to have little knowledge about Scottish Highland tradition and Gaelic culture, and an imperfect understanding of the historical context and cultural background on these matters. I wish that I could respond to an official comment from the College’s directors, rather than Ms MacArthur’s allegations, but I do not wish to remain silent as the debate rages. As premature as my comments may be, then, I would like to weigh in on what I can infer about the matter as a Gaelic speaker, activist, and scholar of Gaelic Studies, and as a participant in several different folk traditions, not least Gaelic. I will not delve into too much detail on the scholarship, but simply refer to the books and articles written by myself and others which can be obtained by the interested reader.

I feel that the way in which these decisions are framed and explained is extremely important: claims of “authenticity” and “tradition” are extremely contentious and divisive; different people have invested themselves in various kinds of traditions for different reasons and can easily feel betrayed or belittled when their investments are downplayed by others. Performers and participants do not always have an informed understanding of the historical development of music and dance traditions and the relationships between the different agents in such developments, and are seldom provided with reliable information and opportunities to learn about their formation. This debate provides such an opportunity. Few people outside the Gaelic-speaking community now seem aware of the long, problematic relationship between its founder (Reverend A.W.R. MacKenzie) and the local community (although this story is well told in the unpublished 1997 Master’s thesis by Jonathan Dembling, Joe Jimmy Alec Visits the Mod and Escapes Unscathed: The Nova Scotia Gaelic Revivals.). Jonathan MacKinnon was employed from the start to maintain some degree of Gaelic in its initial phases, but it is easily demonstrable that many of the art forms introduced and promoted by the College were alien to the local Gaelic community and not quickly embraced by them. The College soon abandoned its commitment to Gaelic (until its recent revival). “Highland dancing” and bagpipe bands were imported from 20th-century Scotland, having evolved in urban, anglophone environments during the second half of the nineteenth century, well after most of the Gaelic immigrants had left. So, it is incontrovertible that the music and dance forms promoted by the College did not, on the whole, resemble the traditions brought by the original Highland immigrants and practiced in the local communities.

And yet, all tradition was invented, or introduced, by someone at sometime – the key questions, I think, are: How does the community respond to the innovation? How do they adapt and transform it to suit their own aesthetic parameters and cultural needs? How does the innovation interact with other aspects of tradition, weakening or reinforcing them? Does the innovation get embraced and integrated because it genuinely enriches the rest of tradition, or because the society is so compromised and desperate for external validation that it accepts whatever is expected of it?

I have recently been developing research on the history of Scottish Gaelic music and dance,
expanding upon the dance scholarship of the Fletts and George Emmerson by utilizing previously ignored Gaelic sources. Much of this work can be found in my recent book Warriors of the Word: The World of the Scottish Highlands, although I have many new sources in a forthcoming article entitled “‘Dannsair air ùrlar-déile thu’: Gaelic evidence about dance from the mid-17th to late-18th century Highlands.” I would be glad to present any of my findings for any interested audience(s).

The interesting thing is that most of the elements now considered “traditional” in Gaelic
tradition – the fiddle, step-dancing, and the dance music – were fairly late introductions which
were initially resisted by some of the Highland élite. The fiddle, for example, only entered
Highland Scotland from continental Europe in the second half of the seventeenth century; stepdance derives from the high-dances introduced by French, or French-trained, dancing masters in the second half of the eighteenth century – so, in other words, these “essential” aspects of tradition were still fairly new when Highland immigrants came to Nova Scotia.

As is also well known (and explained by the Fletts and Emmerson), these formally choreographed high-dances took two different lines of evolution: in Scotland, they were developed by formal institutions, especially Scottish regiments and Highland Games, into “Highland Dance”; in Atlantic Canada (and not just Cape Breton!), the formal choreography was eventually broken down into basic footwork which became an individual and improvisational art form, which we generally now refer to as “Step-dance.”

It is well established in modern scholarship that nineteenth-century Scotland was rife with the “invention of tradition”, from “ancient” clan tartans to Highland Games. Highland Games were
invented by the British élite in the early nineteenth century to promote a narrow, romanticized role for Gaels as loyal soldiers of the Empire. As a central spectacle in this invented tradition, “Highland Dance” became increasingly co-opted by Highland Games as an athletic competition dissociated from Gaelic culture; it was entirely divested from Gaeldom by the 1920s, when a specific institution with formal rules was devised to allow it to become an international competitive sport. Choreographies were standardized and fossilized, in the name of international competitions, and the dance style came to have little or no place as a vernacular form of communal Gaelic folklife (a problem which continues into the present). It is now dominated by young girls who perform primarily at competitions or occasional formal events. Step-dance, on the other hand, was performed by people of all ages to the songs and music played by and for their own Gaelic-speaking communities. It would be naive to think that a competitive spirit could not also accompany such performances of agility and skill (Smàladh na Coinnle was one such competition), but they were not unduly impacted by excessive external forces.

It can easily be surmised, however, that they were influenced by the music and dance trends
around them – I am certain, for example, that some moves were incorporated into step-dance from the international dance craze known as “The Charleston”. And I expect that Gaels were influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the dance styles of their Francophone and First Nations neighbours.

The point I wish to make here is that step-dance is not somehow inherently “more Gaelic” in its
essence than “Highland Dance” – it simply went through a phase of being embraced and performed by a Gaelic-speaking community. There is no inherent reason why that did not or could not happen to “Highland Dance” as well, given the right conditions. In fact, we could say that about any other expressive art forms: hip-hop, tango, Bulgarian round dances, etc. It is merely by their being adopted by and integrated within the wider body of Gaelic tradition that they become Gaelic art forms.

One of the real issues as I see it is that Gaelic tradition has been mortally compromised by the dominant anglophone culture and that there is a desperate lack of formal institutions to aid in sustaining and developing Gaelic traditions from the inside, and educating people about them. The best example to date of which I am aware is the Traditional Music degree at the RSAMD [Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance, known now as Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - ed.], just over a decade old now. It is a shame that nothing equivalent exists in Canada, given the wealth of tradition which existed a short while back, although it seems as though CBU is making strides towards that.

If it is the aim of the Gaelic College to refocus its efforts by prioritizing the core of Highland tradition – the Gaelic language and song tradition – then I applaud the courage and foresight of such a decision. Other aspects of tradition can be added as the extensions to that core, which is what actually happened in historical and cultural terms. There is no other institution doing so in North America, and this is a time when such efforts are desperately needed to turn the tide in Gaelic’s favour. If instruments and dance are to be added, then they should be vernacular forms that are compatible with and integrated into that core – whatever they are.

There is no inherent reason why Highland Dance could not be included in a full program, and I have long wondered what the dance form might look like if it were readopted by Gaels as a vernacular expression of the entire community. There are two complexities that I can foresee in allowing Highland Dance to continue in a re-Gaelicized Gaelic College, however: first, terminology would need to be found in Gaelic and, a check that dances were matched to tunes with Gaelic words; second, and more serious a challenge, Highland Dance has become dominated by people and ideas from outside the Gaelic community with many basic misunderstandings of Gaelic music and dance traditions, especially the contested nature of Highland Dance itself, and may be difficult to educate them from the myths and misrepresentations that have long surrounded the Games in general.

In the end, there are many different places all around the world where the standardized, institutionalized aspects of what is now commonly known as “Highland” music and dance traditions are taught and learnt; there are workshops for these things from California to PEI. There is only one last remaining vestige of a Gaelic-speaking community in North America and it has its own vernacular forms of music and dance which have evolved and endured over the last several generations. They should be valued enough to have their own place in the Scottish Gaelic repertoire, without being squeezed out by artificial pressures antithetical to the cultural standards of the local community.

Tha mi a’ guidhe gach soirbheas agus beannachd dhuibh anns an t-suidheachadh achrannach
seo, agus tha mi an dùil gun toir seo uile fàs air dìleib phrìseil na Gàidhlig.
Is mise le meas

Dr Michael Newton
Roinn na Ceiltis / Department of Celtic Studies
Oilthigh Naoimh Fransaidh Xavier / St Francis Xavier University

RELATED POSTS:

1. Letter to the editor: The end of an era at the Gaelic College
2. Letter to the editor: Ciad Mile Failte
3. 20th annual Féis an Eilein celebrates Gaelic language, culture, and history August 16 – 21

I am appalled at the article in yesterday’s (12/11/11) Herald and truly believe that those in charge of Cape Breton’s Gaelic College have no idea or understanding of the true meaning of the word “Culture”. Any intelligent person knows that culture, by definition, alludes to the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievements regarded collectively and is not defined by language alone. While language is a part of a culture it is not and cannot be the sole definitive of a country’s or civilization’s culture! The word ‘arts’ alone refers to music, dance, language, writing, painting, sculpture and other forms of human and intellectual expression which the humans within those civilizations use to express their inner feelings and emotions. One cannot have a culture based solely upon language or any one aspect of culture. Any organization expressing that language is the only thing that defines culture is lacking in intellectual understanding of what determines culture and should definitely not be in charge of such a fine intellectual institution as St. Ann’s.

Sincerely,

Daniel G. Campbell
169 Summit Crescent
Upper Tantallon, NS
B3Z 1P9
(902) 826-7856
danielgcampbell@eastlink.ca

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(A postcard image of the Gaelic College Pipe Band, circa 1950-'60s - photo: C. Dobson; publisher: C. & G. Macleod Ltd, Sydney, N.S.)

As Chair of the Board of Governors of the Gaelic College Foundation, I am writing this letter in
response to a recent article posted both in print and social media titled “The End of an Era at the Gaelic College”. We wish to assure the public that there are no plans to cancel and/or phase out any programs currently being offered at the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts.

The Gaelic College is a learning institution that was founded in 1938 by A.W.R. MacKenzie as a school devoted to the study and preservation of the Gaelic language and Celtic arts and culture. We will celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2013 at the Gaelic College and, as a board, we are proud of the institution.

As an organization, we have had a year of transition at the College with the addition of new board members and a new administration. It has also been an exciting time for the College as we develop more interactive programming and hands on experiences for our visitors. The year has been extremely busy and now is the time for reflection and planning for the future.

The board of directors and management will be spending time in planning sessions early in the new year. Therefore, we can assure you that there are no plans to cancel and/or phase out any programs being offered. In fact, we are re-establishing the pipe band at the College that has not been active for a number of years.

We hope that readers will visit the website where all courses and disciplines are listed and scheduled for 2012.

For more information, please contact:
Maureen Carroll, Chair
Gaelic College Foundation
1-902-444-3108
Maureen@mcarrollconsulting.ca

Rodney MacDonald, CEO
Gaelic College Foundation
1-902-295-3411
ceo@gaeliccollege.edu

RELATED POSTS:

1. Letter to the editor: Ciad Mile Failte
2. Letter to the editor: The end of an era at the Gaelic College
3. Letter to the editor: Cultural Faux Pas (12/13/11)

In an era when family values, morals, tradition and culture are questioned daily by popular media and outside exposure, it is shocking to see yet another important event for the youth of our community being cut. The annual Gaelic College Highland Dance Competition is one of the longest standing Highland Dance competitions in Canada. For this reason alone, it is a very important part of the history of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Canada. It is also important to our Cape Breton dancers as an event for these locals to perform for their families and their community without, once again, having to leave the Island. This competition attracts dancers from all over Canada, many of which have relatives in Cape Breton, and plan their summer vacations around the competition.

This past Fall, the Gaelic College elected a new administration which included a new Executive Director and Director of Education. Under this administration, there will be a change in focus at the College, moving more towards the Gaelic language and only ‘non’ competitive studies. There will no longer be study in the Great Highland Bagpipe (only Cape Breton style piping), no Pipeband Drumming, etc. Eventually, they hope to fade out one of the College’s longest standing areas of study, Highland Dance.

The Gaelic College began in 1938 as a Gaelic institution, at a time when Gaelic was a central part of Cape Breton communities–spoken at home and in school. Years later, Highland Dance and Bagpiping were added to the curriculum due to their ties with the language, culture and music, and they have continued through its history. Step Dance and Fiddle were not added to the program until many years later–the early ’80s. I have no issue with a Gaelic focus, I think it’s wonderful. My Dad’s family is from Inverness and spoke Gaelic in their home, and my daughter is studying Gaelic Song at the Gaelic College. My issue is with the disregard for other longstanding areas of study. If, back in the day, Gaelic College administration felt Highland Dance had strong enough ties to be one of the first evolving areas of study, why does the new administration feel it cannot be part of this tradition? Yes, the fiddle and step dance have been a large part of this culture, especially renewed in the past 20+ years, however, they were not original disciplines of study at the Gaelic College back when the Gaelic was center stage, yet Highland Dance was.

In early days, they also ran an annual Gaelic Mod that hosted competitions in Gaelic Song and Story, Highland Dance, and Pipebands. Through the years, the Mod has sadly become extinct, following along with so many events that have been lost to our Island. The Highland Dance Competition, however, has continued to run successfully since its inception. Due to the dedication and loyalty I have felt towards this event, the College’s traditions, and the local dancers, I have continued to organize this for the past 20 years with the support of the previous administrations and community volunteers. I run this purely on a volunteer basis, with no association as is the norm with other competitions.

So why would the Gaelic College pull this event? Their answer, aside from their new non-competitive view, is they don’t feel Highland Dance is connected in any way to the Gaelic Culture!!! I asked where they are getting their history and beliefs, and it was simply stated they just knew these things from being around the Gaelic lifestyle. This is very interesting. Certainly the dancing has changed over time, but it should still have a place in the culture, so it doesn’t get completely lost. Quoting a friend who has his Masters in Ethnochoreology (Traditional Dance Studies): “Both strands of the dance tradition (Highland & Step) should co-habit as they support and inform each other. Highland Flings have been danced to puirt a beul (mouth music) in Scotland for the past 50-60 years”…as have they been danced at the Gaelic College through mouth music in my younger years, and currently with my own students.

Healthy competition for youth has been a reason why many of these Celtic traditions have lasted through a time where media promotes a much more elaborate sense of living for youth. Competition allows young people to set goals, strive for improvement and share their skills with others. Isn’t this what our Gaelic/Cape Breton culture is about: families actually spending time together at community events full of tradition, culture and values? Not to mention the money that goes back in to our community’s economy when 100-200 dancers and their families spend the weekend dancing in Cape Breton (staying at our hotels, buying our gas, eating at our restaurants, shopping at our stores). I think maybe the administration may want to consider attending such an event before deciding its fate.

This is a disappointing loss to Highland Dance, which is a unique art form in many areas around the world. It is a great loss to our history and culture on the Island and within the Province, where Highland Dance competitions and Highland Games have been decreasing annually due to monetary reasons. Why can’t the Gaelic College pursue its ideals with the Gaelic Language, while still allowing the school portion of the institution to teach other just as relevant sectors of the culture? How is it that suddenly a few people get to decide what is a relevant part of tradition at the Gaelic College? If Highland Dance was relevant enough to be a starting new discipline way back in early Gaelic College days, why is it suddenly “not part of the culture”?

If our own Island, an Island that survives on our Celtic culture through tourism, and the Gaelic College, an institution promising to promote the local culture within our community, does not support Highland Dance… then who exactly will?

The Gaelic College is run overall by a Board of Governors. This Board makes all final decisions regarding the Gaelic College. If you would like to support the continuation of Highland Dance and the Dance Competition at the Gaelic College, please send any letters of support along to the Board Chairperson: Maureen Carroll maureen@mcarrollconsulting.ca.

Kelly MacAuthur
kelly@macarthurdance.com

Kelly MacArthur is the Director of the MacArthur School of Dance. She has been teaching Highland & Step Dance at the Gaelic College for the past 23 years. Kelly is the organizer of the GC Highland Dance Competition.

RELATED POSTS:

1. Letter to the editor: Ciad Mile Failte
2. Letter to the editor: Gaelic College responds to “End of an Era at the Gaelic College”
3. Letter to the editor: Cultural Faux Pas (12/13/11)

(Sir Elton John at Centre 200 in Sydney Tuesday night - photo: Wanda Earhart)

Tickets went on sale on one of my weeks of vacation and I remember setting a plan to make an attempt while knowing the odds were not on my side. On the morning of the sale I became part of a tag team of three approaches to ticket buying, each with the intent on securing three tickets and keeping each other updated on the progress throughout the morning. I was planted at my PC, connected to FaceBook, email and headphones connected to radio station so as to keep up on ‘how many tickets were left’. What had started out as a calm endeavor, had now turned into a battle of wills, as we justified this crazy situation by saying, yes it would be worth it and we don’t care if the seat is so far away that we can’t even see him, we’ll be in a building listening to Elton John, and that’s all that mattered, a once in a lifetime chance! Throughout the morning I came pretty close, actually having tickets twice all the way to that second before confirmation when I would be bumped once more out of the queue. SOLD OUT.

I was surprised by my own acceptance of the defeat, reminding myself of the numbers of people spending a morning in July in pursuit along with me. And for the next 8 weeks I had to drive through the lights at Ashby each and every morning, seeing an almost life sized Elton and two peace signs waving at me as I passed that bus shelter. And I’d think about the lucky people who had tickets and console myself that it was not the end of the world that I wouldn’t be there.

And then, on that 8th week, the unthinkable happened. We get a call from friends who said they were given two tickets to Elton John, would we like to have them? WOULD WE LIKE TO HAVE THEM?? It was 3 days before the show and though they didn’t have them in their hands they were almost certain that by the evening of the show they would be ours. With just the slightest possibility that it might fall through, I dared not share my inner excitement with a soul (a “little” bit like it must be for those who win the lottery but keep it hush hush until they collect) lest I be reduced back to publicly settling for Elton’s morning wave with commuters.

It was at 5:30 on Tuesday that we get confirmation that we are going to see Elton John and the rest of the evening is certainly one to mark off the bucket list, no matter what your age. From the moment we entered Centre 200 you could breathe in the excitement, which multiplied by thousands as each fan took their seat. The crowd was as diverse as any I have ever seen. Folks dressed up in their finest, and those taking the more casual route in shorts and sandals. There were senior citizens on the arms of boomers, and pre-teens tagging along after parents; boas and giant glasses with flashing lights, and cardboard placards adorned with Elton messages. The crowd represented five decades of music with individual memories spanning several generations—quite a remarkable distinction.

The show was an emotional roller coaster as each song brought you back to a place whose memory came to life with the words and melody. Who can recall “Crocodile Rock” at a school dance, or chanting “B-b-b-b-b-b-b-Benny and the Jets”, or believing “Your Song” really was…yours; singing to Daniel in the car; or learning about Marilyn through “Candle in the Wind”; getting Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for Christmas. He spoke of the origins of the hits, paid tribute to mentors and applauded the work of local Aids activists. His appreciation for the loyalty of fans was evident, as he made sure to acknowledge each and every section of the crowd. His humility and respect for his audience was outstanding. He’s a true class act and there’s no mystery why he has been at the centre of the business for most of his life.

The concert was amazing and such a compliment to the island as a host community for such an event. A spectacular night that I and over six thousand others will never forget….and I think Elton will have very fond memories of the warm welcome he received from the world’s greatest little island as well. It was a different drive past Ashby this morning, there was Elton, arms in the air and it was one of those “I can’t believe this all happened” moments, and one that I will treasure for a very long time to come.

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That institution would eventually evolve, with Morgan as one of the prime movers of that change, into the present day Cape Breton University.

Dr. Robert Morgan passed away at his home surrounded by family and friends in Sydney this past Saturday, June 4, 2011, after a battle with cancer that never darkened his genial and positive character.

Bob Morgan was born in Windsor, Ontario, on October 23, 1938. While completing his master’s degree at Queen’s University, he met his future wife, Barbara “Babs” McKinnon, the first love of his life who introduced him to his second great love, Cape Breton Island.

Along with teaching countless students over a career that spanned five decades, Morgan helped found The Old Sydney Society, was senior historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, and director of the Beaton Institute archives.

He was a tireless and cheerful promoter of every aspect of Cape Breton heritage and culture. One person who knew him said that you could not spend five minutes in Bob’s company without learning some fascinating and enlightening fact about his adopted home you had never heard before.

He wrote numerous books about the island’s history and culture including a history of the struggle for a university in Cape Breton in the book called Perseverance, and Early Cape Breton — From Founding to Famine that featured his major essays, talks and conversations. In 2008 and 2009, he published the two-volume Rise Again! (Breton Books) which was the first full-scale telling of the story of Cape Breton Island in 150 years. While his research was deep and authoritative, Morgan’s writing style was deliberately free of the jargon of his discipline and accessible to the non-academic reader.

And, besides Cape Breton’s history, Morgan was a treasury of knowledge on another passion of his life, gardening.

Morgan leaves behind sister, Rosemarie (Melvin, deceased) Davis of Gladwin, Michigan; and brother, Herbert ‘Bert’’ (Sandra) of LaSalle, Ontario; and nieces and nephews.

Morgan was predeceased by his wife Barbara, and will be buried beside her in Inverness.

His legacy as educator, historian, raconteur, and keeper and advocate of Cape Breton cultural memory will continue.

Cremation has taken place, and after the visitation held at T. W. Curry Parkview Chapel, George Street, Sydney, (2-4 and 7-9 p.m., Monday, June 6), and a funeral Mass celebrated in St. Anthony Daniel Church (Alexandra Street, Sydney) by Fr. Donald MacGillivary at 11 am, Tuesday, June 7, burial will take place in Inverness Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the Old Sydney Historical Society. Online condolences can be sent to TWCurry.com.

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There have been plenty of bad ideas put in place around these parts over the years that have had a lasting impact on the local community: putting the university out on the highway in the middle of nowhere rather than in a downtown core; pumping raw sewage and toxic waste directly into the downtown harbour where people used to swim only two generations ago; covering up all the buildings in downtown Sydney with vinyl siding in an attempt at economic revitalization. These things seem to happen without anybody questioning them. And once they’re implemented, we are left to deal with the consequences.

So what if someone came up with a good idea that, if acted upon, would have a lasting, positive impact on our community? I admit it sounds pretty far-fetched, and sometimes I have to wonder if we would even recognize a good idea if one came along. Luckily, sometimes we don’t have to recognize it for ourselves. All we have to do is listen to some of the most recognized figures in Cape Breton culture—Mary Morrison and Martin MacKinnon.

“Well, it’s RRSP time again, dear,” says Mary Morrison in a video by Darcy Campbell of Shot on Site Media that’s been making the rounds on the social media circuit. Eking out an existence in the arts and culture world of Cape Breton Island hasn’t really given me much opportunity to think about Registered Retirement Savings Plans. But since Mary Morrison was talking about it, I decided it might be worth looking into.

The way RRSPs work is you put some money in an account somewhere, that money stays there for a specified amount of time (i.e. for your retirement), and the amount of money you put in is deducted from your income which lowers the amount of income tax you have to pay. Or as my accountant friend puts it, “…they give you a tax break now and an income in the future”.

In the video, Mary and Martin MacKinnon are talking about buying into a local RRSP plan managed by New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. through New Dawn Holdings Ltd. According to their website, “New Dawn Holdings Ltd. raises capital through a provincial Equity Tax Credit program called a Community Economic Development Investment Fund (CEDIF). This fund provides community development organizations the ability to raise their own funds. Money raised by New Dawn Holdings Ltd. is loaned to New Dawn Enterprises. This loan, in turn, provides New Dawn Enterprises with capital to grow its existing companies, to launch new businesses and to advance its community building initiatives. Ensuring that young people gain skills to improve their lives, the elderly get the care they deserve and hundreds of others are able to live better lives in their community.” Or as Martin MacKinnon puts it: “What you pay in Cape Breton will stay in Cape Breton.”

Despite the wide-held belief that there’s no money in Cape Breton, Cape Bretoners invest a hundred million dollars in RRSPs every year. More than 98% of that money is invested off-island. Now I can’t help thinking what an impact a hundred million dollar investment would make on Cape Breton Island. But time is getting short. RRSPs must be bought by the end of the tax year which is March 1, which means you’ve got until Monday to take advantage of this opportunity. By doing so, you are not only investing in your future, but also in the future economic development of Cape Breton Island. Plus you get a 35% non-refundable provincial income tax credit.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Visit New Dawn Holdings website for details and small print.

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