Local legends share views

February 4, 2016

Host Barb Shaw draws old radio memories out of Nan McGhee, as Joey Shulman and Tim Baragar tune in. TONY PEARSON Special to This Week
By Tony Pearson

Memories came flooding back last week at the latest ‘Croft talk, as did indignation.

The theme was “community legends.” Host Barb Shaw invited three local legends to share news and views. First Joey Shulman, theatre “impresario” of Bancroft fame, as well as long-time promoter of Maynooth, updated everyone on what’s coming up in that area. Among the highlights is a demonstration of ecumenism, when Shulman will stage a Jewish Passover “Seder” (commemorative meal) at the Maynooth United Church in March.

Then Nan McGhee shared stories of her days at CJNH community radio, including snow plow rescues during snowstorms. She described the time as “the community talking to each other,” and sharing experiences – such as being served milkweed pods on Spode china in Coe Hill, and getting questioned by the OPP about the event.

Next came local funeral director Tim Baragar, who has recently stirred up a hornet’s nest with his efforts to effect changes to the province’s new estate assessment tax. Among other burdens imposed at a time of grieving, he noted that the new regulations force an executor to come up with a detailed and documented list of assets and their values within 90 days of being officially given the task of handling the estate – which he believes is a ludicrously short period. His social media site outlining the injustice of this new obligation has already received more than 200,000 hits, and the protest continues to grow.

When asked about being labelled a “legend,” Shulman admitted that he thought he was when he first came to the area after success in the Toronto theatre. But he then stated that Maynooth quickly imbued him with a sense of “humble-ocity.” “It didn’t take long to learn,” he reported, “that up here, people don’t care what you were – just what you are.”

‘Croft Talks will continue next month.