A Thorny Rose
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ALMAGUIN NEWS, Wednesday, November 21, 2007 — Page 13 PHOTO BY LAUREL CAMPBELL PAST GLORIES: Norval Rose proudly shows off a bicentennial certificate signed by then-Ontario Minister of Agriculture Dennis Timbrell, presented to him for his efforts on behalf of northern farmers. As the founding president of the local Federation of Agriculture, Rose was known as being outspoken and radical in his efforts to increase farm incomes. PIONEER PROFILES A thorny Rose Continued from Page 1 out a Farm Credit loan for $10,000 and he recalled. “I went in as the Teamsters’ “We were doing well getting our treasurer Bob Nixon. He said there had “We never had much milk, but we they kept hounding me as if I owed new steward and asked for $4 an hour. message across,” said Rose, “we just to be a tax angle in there somewhere. had seven or eight cattle in the barn. them a million dollars. A lot of help for I figured we were still only babies in should have been a lot more militant Typical politician,” Rose said with a All people had to do was use their farmers that was,” he said, “so I went the union and had to crawl before we and farming would be in a better place laugh. heads a little bit and plan ahead and to the bank which was glad to lend could walk, but they still refused me. than it is today.” Rose claims that at his peak as a despite everything, things could have me $10,000 and I paid Farm Credit In fact, they fired me. All it took was It was during a visit to Rose’s farm by beverage producer he could run off a been better, but few in the community off. You’d think I’d borrowed his own one phone call to the Teamsters, and Ontario Agriculture Minister Riddell, bottle in eight minutes. did that,” he said. money, the way that loan bothered the an hour later I was rehired and we that one of Rose’s other hobbies came “That’s faster than you could drink Rose remembers “wading through Farm Credit manager so much.” got our $4. I ran into a guy I worked to light. Among his many talents, Rose it,” he said. Some of his product snow in the winter and flooded creeks Having made the decision to go with coming out of the grocery store has been known in the past to make once made its way to a cattle sale in in the spring, to get to school. I was farming in 1947, Rose married in just after that and he pointed to his his own liquid refreshment. South River, “and it was the best sale in school to Grade 8, which is about 1949. loaded grocery cart and told me he “You can make beverages from they ever had,” he said. “They were a level with Grade 2 now, and I never “I think the happiest memories never would have been able to feed almost anything,” he said, “but corn bidding like bastards. I lent the still learned very much. I left school as soon of my life are the day I got married his family if I hadn’t stood up for the and wheat are the best, and you should to someone, and I never got it back. as I could reach the plow handles,” he and when the children were born,” employees. They would have starved always use brown sugar. I told Riddell I’d love to have it now, not to use, said, “and I couldn’t even read.” he said. Rose has five children, three on $1.95 an hour. That made me feel that farming was so bad, we had to live I’m past that, but to hang in my back Lack of formal education wasn’t sons and two daughters, “and 10 or 11 really good. I never thought much of on partridge heads and moonshine room as a souvenir.” about to keep Rose down. “I forced grandchildren, I tried to count them the job, but it was something I had to and if things didn’t get better I’d have to With such a colourful past, it’s little myself to learn to read, because either up the other day, but I got mixed do when things on the farm got tough open my farm home as a whorehouse wonder that Rose’s upcoming court you learned or you never made it up,” he said, “And I have two great- in the late 1960s.” and sell moonshine from a roadside date has put a twinkle back in his eye. in life,” he said. “I was a big boxing grandchildren.” So it was easy for Rose, when stand. Jack Riddell (who had sampled “If you want something bad enough, fan back then and my brothers and He and his wife separated in 1969 hearing from other area farmers in Rose’s product during the visit) was and it’s for the good, and you’ve done I would pack our mitts and fight one with the two oldest boys remaining on 1980 that they were facing bankruptcy, pretty quick though, and he said your research, then you should go after another,” he remembers. “I wanted the farm with their father. to declare it was time to do something he’d take that idea back to provincial it,” he said. to read about sports in the Family Rose took an active role in about it. Determined to react to the Herald and I had to sit and sound supporting his Chisholm community, situation and not sit back as he had out the letters until they made words. driving a township truck and snow seen his parents do in the depression, Back then, no one cared if you were plow, and helping to build roads and “I decided we better get a union going,” WEST END educated. It was a strange time in the bridges. he said. 1930s and early 40s.” “Back when we were putting these Ontario has three general farm WEST END With a sense of purpose and logic bridges in, the farmer closest to the organizations that act as lobbies for beyond his years, Rose left home at bridge work would supply all the agriculture, the National Farmers’ MOTORS 13 to help his family by working in rigging and in return he would get Union (NFU), the Christian Farmers the lumber camps. At 17 he went 50 cents an hour. When we built the Federation of Ontario and the Ontario to western Canada on a harvesters bridge over the creek down the road, Federation of Agriculture (OFA). YEAR MAKE/MODEL KM PRICE excursion, a yearly ritual for young I worked on the crew for $4 a day “We didn’t figure the Christians $ Ontario farm boys. and you were expected to bring your would want us, and we thought the 2007 . Jeep Commander, loaded . 25,000 . 31,995 “My parents bawled me out for that, own tools,” said Rose. “I was working OFA was pretty wimpy so we asked 2007 . PT Cruiser . 24,000 . $17,995 telling me there was lots of work to be one day when my axe dropped in the for a NFU representative to come $ done at home. I left with $10 in my creek. When I couldn’t get it back from and speak to us. But the NFU didn’t 2006 . Subaru Legacy, loaded . 36,000 . 18,995 pocket and when I was waiting for the the shore, I took off all my clothes have enough money to bring a rep up $ train, I felt so bad about my folks that and jumped in the water to get it. I here, so we settled for the OFA. The 2006 . Ram 2500 Diesel Mega Cab . 51,000 . 42,888 if the train heading back home had just about froze and it took me quite night they came to the Sportsplex (in 2006 . Grand Caravan . 22,000 . $22,495 of come in first, I think I would have a while to find it and the township Powassan) we had over 200 people taken it. I worried about my parents foreman docked my pay for the time I and sold 75 memberships, the most 2006 . Malibu, auto, air . 15,000 . $15,995 the whole time I was out west,” he was looking for it. That’s how close the they’d ever sold at one meeting,” Rose $ said. township was for money in those days, said. 2006 . PT Cruiser Convertible. 9,000 . 22,988 Later that year, Rose attempted but I wasn’t about to lose my axe. It Elected as the local federation’s first 2006 . Chrysler 300 Touring . 25,000 . $23,488 to join the Royal Canadian Mounted cost me a lot of money back then.” president, Rose soon made a name Police (RCMP), “and I got the same Rose also shared his expertise in for himself and the local OFA, which 2006 . Sebring . 26,000 . $15,995 lecture about lots of work that beaver control with the township, an was immediately branded as radical $ needed to be done around here,” he issue that haunts Chisholm council to in its suggested approaches to fixing 2005. Dodge SX 2.0 . 78,000 . 10,995 remembers. “My parents wouldn’t this day. the woes of farmers. When subsidized 2005 . Caravan . 92,000 . $13,995 support my trying to move ahead and “I trapped 55 in one year,” he said, Irish beef was coming into Canada I had no money for clothes.