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Garry Harding
12 years ago

My first day in my teaching career and who should I meet in the Espanola High School, one blond athletic character with an Australian accent by nane of Kevin Piper. I sensed then that this meeting was going to lead me down a path which I only would know in the next two years. I have infinite memories, the Sunday night we were drinking beer downstairs at the Curling club at about midnight with the Chairman of the School Board sitting across from us. I said to him that i guiess we should not be there at that time. He replied that he wished there were more teachers there. The next morning a parent phoned him to complain that her daughter, home for lunch, complained that Kevin reeked of beer. Asked if he was conducting his English class in appropriate manner, yes she replied, His response, "What's the problem?" and hung up. I was with Kevin when we first saw Colleen across a table of school books (it was a pd day) and a special one as we had to go to Sudbury for it. I have never seen anybody light up like Kevin did in that moment. Like a bull in a China shop, he knew immediately that this was the girl for him and the rest is history. I talked Kevin into going to England with me the first summer in Espanola, and what was the first thing we did besides phoning Will Roberts, Kevin's Welsh teaching buddy, and there we stayed for the summer in Swisscottage, and the second thing we did was walk all over London, he was fit, I sure was not, and the third thing was catching the train to Leeds for the Australian Test Cricket match. I knew absolutely nothing about Cricket, hence began my unsolicited education in Cricket from a first rate teacher. Kevin was able to arrange a meeting with Brian Booth while we were there. I wore out a pair of shoes, lost my dad's camera, and ended up back in Espanola sharing an apartment in Bud Rose's basement with him. I have never known a man who I admired more other than my Dad. To me, he was my brother, my personal teacher in the arts, in travel, in life. Garry Harding Markham Ontario

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Kathleen Riches
13 years ago

1. Make sure your housemate invites his way too groovy dad. 2. Party all night long with the old fella, the most interesting story teller there 3. (in the days when driving a little tipsy was legal) Send the old fella off home in his car. 4. When old fella comes back to party and tells us his car is stolen that "he is dreamin" and to "go have another look" silly old codger!!. 5. When old fella insists his car is not where he left it nor anywhere else he maybe parked it without recalling, send housemates out to check and find said "stolen car" 6. When no car in sight at all and full realisation car had indeed been stolen - call coppers. WHOOOOOOOOHHHHH Party revelers all cleaned house, sprayed air freshener, mopped and threw empties and rubbish out, then LEFT all before Police arrived. GOOD JOB KEVIN - Hope you get reunited with that trusty wagon for a nice long journey home

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The Age
13 years ago

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