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The
Jets:
How Far Have They
Come?
How Far Will They Go?
By
Scott Taylor
TAMPA
The Winnipeg Jets will need a miracle to make the playoffs
in the National Hockey Leagues Eastern Conference this
spring but regardless, the 2011-12 season can only be considered
a rousing success.
The new
kids in town filled the building every night for 41 regular
season games and all the pre-season games. Even other teams
noticed.
The
one thing I saw in Winnipeg this year was that every single
seat was being used, said Jimmy Devellano, the executive
vice-president of the Detroit Red Wings. Even in the
most popular buildings in the league Chicago, New York,
Boston, Calgary, Vancouver, Detroit, there are some empty
seats. The one thing I noticed every time I watched a Jets
game is that every seat was full.
And that,
in a nutshell is what defined Winnipeg Jets hockey. It had
nothing to do with the fact that the Jets took a run at the
playoffs at least, for a while and then they faded
late. It had little to do with the emergence of Evander Kane
and Zach Bogosian, the improvement of goalie Ondrej Pavelec
or the fans love affair with Dustin Byfuglien and the
GST Line (Tanner Glass, Tim Stapleton and Chris Thorburn).
None of that told the story of Winnipeg Jets hockey.
Instead,
in this season of The Big Return, it was all about
the people who bought the tickets and used them for every
single game. MTS Centre was packed and the mythical 7th
Man not only made an impression with Jets players and
management, but also with players, coaches and executives
throughout the National Hockey League.
When the
Jets arrived from Atlanta on May 31, 2011, True North Sports
and Entertainment laid out its plan for ticket sales. That
plan worked to perfection and season tickets were sold out
in 17 minutes or about the same amount of time it takes
to explain to friends from out of town how you get Buff-lin
out of Byfuglien.
The return
of the Jets after a 15-year absence was embraced by a city
that was almost desperate to have the best hockey league in
the world admit it was wrong in 1996 and come back, hat in
hand, to the hockey centre of Canada.
From the
day the team left, there was plenty of talk about the viability
of the NHL as a business entity in a city of barely 700,000.
Most economists believed the fans would respond, but few felt
the corporate community could afford the huge leap in sponsorship
costs from the days of the American Hockey Leagues Manitoba
Moose.
As it
turned out, the bean counters had nothing to fear: The boards,
the game day magazine, the power ring, the spaces behind the
benches, the television and radio packages, even things like
the sponsorship of the 50/50 draw and the ice level itself,
sold out in weeks.
As well,
the folks at True North Sports and Entertainment run an extremely
efficient (some might say, tight) operation and the team has
one of the lowest payrolls in the NHL. Of course, that might
be reflected in the fact the team has never been very good.
Remember, this years team was simply the Winnipeg version
of the Atlanta Thrashers, a franchise that has now made the
playoffs only once in 13 seasons.
On the
ice, the young Jets showed flashes of brilliance, but for
the most part, they were terribly inconsistent and had virtually
no chance away from MTS Centre. Coming down to the final week
of the season when they still had a mathematical chance to
reach the post-season, the Jets were 23-12-4 at home and just
12-21-4 on the road. They were eight points out of the final
playoff spot with only six games to play.
The real
issue with the Jets home-and-away record is best illustrated
by the numbers put up by goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. In 34
games at home, Pavelec allowed 78 goals for a 2.37 goals against
average and a .921 save percentage. Meanwhile, in 30 games
away from Winnipeg, he allowed 98 goals for a goals against
average of 3.42 and a save percentage of just .894.
Its
likely, when the season ends, the Jets will finish somewhere
between 10th and 12th in the Eastern Conference. With the
development of young players such as Pavelec (24), Evander
Kane (20), Zach Bogosian (21), Blake Wheeler (25) and Alexander
Burmistrov (20), the Jets should have a bright future, but
the reality is this: The team cant make the playoffs,
hasnt made the playoffs once in the last five years
and showed no signs this year of improving dramatically enough
to make the playoffs next year.
At the
NHL draft in June, the Jets need to select wisely and probably
make some trades. They have seven players -- Jim Slater, Tanner
Glass, Kyle Wellwood, Tim Stapleton, Randy Jones, Mark Flood
and Chris Mason -- who will become unrestricted free agents
on July 1 (players who can sign with any team in the NHL and
the Jets will get nothing in return), and they obviously must
do something to improve for next season if they intend to
reach the post-season. They must re-sign Glass, Stapleton
and Slater or theyll lose the only grit and checking
toughness that they possess.
Right
now, the Jets could use three things:
1. A big
scorer, obviously, but thats not an easy thing to acquire.
Making trades is both an art AND a science and big ones dont
just happen over a glass of cognac at the NHL draft. We are
not naive enough to believe these types of trades are made
easily. You have to give to get and the asking price just
might be too much. But the Jets leading scorer is Wheeler
with 17 goals and 43 assists and their leading goal scorer
is Evander Kane with 29. Only three Jets have scored 20 goals.
With only 205 goals this season, the Jets are one of the lowest
scoring teams in the East. Somehow, they must find a scorer.
2. A true
tough guy. The Jets dont always open up enough space
for the guys who can put the puck in the net. Theyre
also at a point where they need Chris Thorburn, Jim Slater
and Mark Stuart to fight for them. Yes, yes, we all want fighting
eliminated from hockey, blah, blah, blah, but the fact is,
fighting has not been eliminated and the Jets dont have
a guy who can stop a player like Shawn Thornton of the Bruins
from running their goalies and pounding the crap out of defensemen
they need in the lineup. They also need a guy who can drop
the gloves on the road, win a fight without getting hurt,
not hurt the teams skill level by being in the box for
five minutes and give the club a pick-me-up.
3. Depth.
Two injuries and this team cant recover. The Pittsburgh
Penguins have the personnel to stay in the hunt without stars
such as Sidney Crosby or Kris Letang. The Jets lose Dustin
Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian and its downhill all the
way.
In fairness,
the Jets are quite strong on defense. In fact, the defensive
group is not only the deepest part of the team, but perhaps
the two top prospects in the organization are defensemen:
Zach Redmond and Paul Postma. They are both skilled, offensive
minded defensemen who played in the AHL all-star game this
year.
Meanwhile,
the Jets can certainly afford to make a few moves and try
to get better at the draft. Its not like they dont
have money or salary cap room. After all, the salary cap is
$64 million and the Jets payroll is currently at $53 million.
And make
no mistake; the Jets are making money hand over fist. While
sitting in the press box in Tampa between a group of NHL executives
earlier this month, an official-looking list from the National
Hockey League was passed around.
It was
a list of the NHLs gate receipts, ticket sales and ticket
prices through Feb. 29, 2012. It confirmed everything Jets
fans have known since the season opener against Montreal back
on Oct. 9.
The Jets
are 13th overall in NHL receipts per game even though Winnipegs
rink is the smallest in the NHL at 15,004. Winnipeg makes
$1.24 million per game. According to the NHL, last year in
Atlanta, the Thrashers made $331,000 per game.
The Jets
also had the seventh most expensive ticket in the NHL in average
price at $76.41 per seat.
When the
team arrived in Winnipeg from Atlanta at the start of the
2011-12 season, Cheveldayoff and company made it clear that
the new organization would be patient. They would not do anything
rash and would build with youth and draft picks. After all,
they have five years of sold-out buildings and they know their
fans will also be patient and wait for them to build a legitimate
contender.
Trouble
is no one is absolutely certain how long the honeymoon will
last. Jets tickets are not inexpensive and Winnipeg fans are
among the most knowledgeable in North America. Those savvy
fans, the ones who are shelling out big prices for seats in
the building, will, at some point demand that their favorite
team to compete for a title.
Although
Cheveldayoff has some time to build a winner, not even he
knows exactly how much time he has.
(Read
more in the Apr
3 - Apr 26/2012 issue of Senior Scope)

Celebrate
and Party Like its 2012!
Register
today for the 2012 Manitoba Lotteries 55 PLUS GAMES and get
ready to have a ball with hundreds of people from all across
Manitoba, who will come together June 12 to 14 in Arborg for
this annual event, which has been hosted in a variety of Manitoba
communities since 1983. Manitoba Lotteries is the title sponsor
for the 55 Plus Games for the fourth consecutive year with
the province of Manitoba contributing financial support to
the Active Living Coalition for Older Adults in Manitoba (ALCOA-MB),
who are leading this years event along with the Arborg
Host Committee and the 55 Plus Games Committee.
The Manitoba
Lotteries 55 Plus Games are open to Manitobans who are 55
or older by December 31, 2012. If you are 55 years of age
or older you can participate in a variety of age-friendly
events at locations in and around Arborg including slo-pitch
softball, floor curling, floor shuffleboard, snooker, 5-Pin
bowling, carpet bowling, and self-pacing events such as predict-your-time
walk/run. There are also a number of brain health
events including whist, bridge, cribbage, scrabble and many
categories within the Arts & Crafts event.
Rounding off the events in which you can participate are swimming,
9 and 18 hole golf, darts, horseshoes and several activity
and age categories within the track event.
There
is something for anyone 55 years of age or older who likes
to have fun, likes to be around other friendly people and
strives to maintain their health and well-being. The 55 PLUS
GAMES will also include a variety of social events and entertainment
to contribute to the memorable experience of this festival
of age-friendly fun and games.
Most of
the Manitoba Lotteries 55 Plus Games events will be held June
12 14, 2012 in Arborg; however the following events
require participation in a regional qualifying event: 5-Pin
bowling, contract bridge, cribbage and whist.
ALCOA-MB
is thrilled to be the lead organization because the 55 PLUS
GAMES provide a golden opportunity to promote healthy active
aging, to remind people about the importance of regular physical,
social and intellectual activity and to encourage all Manitobans
to never stop learning and participating in life!, said
Fred Bieber, Chair of ALCOA-MB. There are so many good
people we are joining hands with to make these Games the best
they can be. These Games would not be possible without the
wonderful support from key partner organizations including
the Manitoba Association of Senior Centres, the Arborg Host
Committee and many
volunteers throughout the province. Every 55 PLUS GAMES participant
and their supporters make friends for life, create lasting
memories, and send a very positive message about healthy active
aging to their friends, neighbours and family.
Something
New to the Games
Sample something different!
Anyone
participating in the 2012 Manitoba Lotteries 55 PLUS GAMES
will be treated to a taste of some new activities
through free demonstrations and introductions to activities
such as Pickleball, described as something between
badminton and tennis, where the net is lower, you use a paddle
instead of a racquet and the soft dimpled game ball allows
an age-friendlier bounce that you can reach.
You will
also have an opportunity to try out a new activity to Manitoba
that is starting to catch on its called Nordic
Pole Walking. This is an all-season walking activity that
can be done year-round on a variety of surface conditions
its good for sidewalks as well as trails. Its
especially good for active older adults because it improves
stability, mobility and posture and takes the strain off knee,
hips and ankles. It also improves confidence as it helps walkers
maintain balance and prevent falls. You simply have to give
it a try and see how you feel about walking with poles.
Zumba
Gold, another showcase activity of the 55 PLUS GAMES, will
help you get more than your toes tapping. Zumba Gold takes
the popular Latin-dance inspired workout of Zumba and makes
it accessible for older adults, beginners or anyone needing
modifications in their exercise routine. Zumba Gold builds
cardiovascular health by challenging the heart and working
the muscles of the hips, legs and arms with dance moves.
Beyond
the Games is a new component that will feature free
lifelong learning seminars on healthy active aging, open to
all participants, supporters and visitors to Arborg during
the Manitoba Lotteries 55 PLUS GAMES, June 12 14, 2012.
This is being made possible through the Lifelong Learning
program of the Extended Education at University of Manitoba,
which provides older adults with educational opportunities
to expand personal knowledge in a relaxed learning environment.
Dont
Wait Participate!
Register Today!
Register
for the 2012 Manitoba Lotteries 55 Plus Games today! Try something
new or reconnect with an activity that interests you. And,
of course, encourage your friends to join the fun and games
as well!
For a
complete listing of the opportunities to participate in the
2012 Manitoba Lotteries 55 Plus Games or more information
please contact Karyn Heidrick, the ALCOA-MB - 55 Plus Games
Coordinator at manitoba55plusgames@gmail.com,
phone: 261-9257 or toll-free: 1-855-261-9257.
Visit the ALCOA-MB website at www.alcoamb.org for further
Manitoba Lotteries 55 Plus Games information and notices of
related events and activities.
(Read
more in the Apr
3 - Apr 26/2012 issue of Senior Scope)
Spotlight
feature:
JOHN CARTWRIGHT
BOOM!
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|
John
Cartwright
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It was
a noise that penetrated, muscle, sinew and bone, instantly
followed by a dull whirring sound. The sound was not at all
like in the movies as the airplane spun to earth just above
Violets head. She ran all the harder now, with her baby
boy wrapped in her arms close tight to her chest. A flash
of flame that lit up the October evening sky burst from the
downed plane, then debris lifted back into the air followed
by high pitched hisses that seemed to be all around. Violet
screamed as a piece of hot metal shrapnel from the exploding
enemy airplane tore through her left knee. She eased the baby
to the ground as she crumbled without a sound; she began to
lose consciousness. Within seconds the noise snatched her
back from the pain and she was able to focus again. Grabbing
her baby and running as best she could she made it to the
air-raid shelter with her precious bundle. A neighbour relieved
her of the baby and an air-raid warden gently tended her wound.
The shrapnel had penetrated the knee splintering bone as it
slid to one side and exited beneath the knee cap. For the
rest of her life, following several operations, Violet May
Cartwright would always walk with a fixed knee joint with
no bend in her leg.
That was
how grandma had described John Cartwrights first real
life experience in which he was involved but did not remember
any of it because he was that bundle Violet, his mother, was
protecting. John, who now lives in Inwood, Manitoba, says
the first memory he could claim as his own was at the age
of about three. Feeling very ill, he was lying on Grandma
Fowls bed which was against the living room wall, while
four generations of the family huddled under the roof of number
10 George Street, in Whitechurch, which was in the county
of Shropshire, England. After the trauma of the war, any illness
tended to be of small account, and the family, without being
neglectful, were paying little attention to John.
Some seventeen
members of his family died in the second-world war including
Johns father. As was common then, families herded together
for safety and to share what little they had. They needed
the support of each other during those trying times while
the menfolk were away at the war. They accepted, in a crazy
sort of way, that some of their men, and indeed some of the
women on the home front, would not return and all while they
waited for that final word
something they feared, but
they waited anyway.
Postwar,
food and money were scarce for everyone, remembers John, although
we were very poor we did not feel singled out; it was hard
times for most folks. Many years later, my sister Gloria had
described in some detail to my new and lovely Canadian wife
Leslie, how we had argued over an egg that was to be shared
by four of us, an event I had completely forgotten about.
John does remember with great affection his grandma and particularly
his grandfather. The Four-fors Grandfather had eventually
called them. Forego set the troubled parts of your
life to one side as best you can if only for a few seconds
at a time. Forbear be patient and occupy your time
with other matters as often as you can by doing things you
like to do no matter how trivial they might seem in such difficult
times. Forgive tell yourself as often as you can that
the troubling matters surrounding you cannot overcome you
and the individual or thing that is causing the
problem deserves better than your hate. Forget eventually
you will have no time for the troubled thoughts be it something
someone did, the war around you, or the lack of food.
When it
came to food, much of it was rationed and rationing continued
for several years while the country was struggling to climb
over the rubble and devastation of the wartime years. We
had very little of anything but I do remember eating Corn
Flakes three times a day for two weeks. To this day I cant
tolerate the smell of them John reflects, but without
any hint of regret. I wore only soft canvas pumps and
no coat in all weathers, just a small ill-fitting jacket.
Wet or cold did not seem to bother us as kids. At home
there were three generations of his family living together
in a two bedroom house with more relatives living next door
and across the street they somehow felt safer. As tough
as some might say it was, there was the unspoken promise of
renewal; more than that we had survived. Wet or otherwise,
no coat, shoes or breakfast didnt seem to matter a great
deal, we spent our days outside and had fun, recalls
John. I have difficulty understanding how a problematic
early life is factored in to excuse bad behaviour, an excuse
I read or hear about often these days. John smiled and
said. Boy does that make me sound like an old crust.
If anything
developed from those experiences John believes it was determination.
I saw some of my friends and peers being moulded willingly
into a box that read know your place or recognize
your betters and be respectful of them or dont
talk back just do as youre told which, when translated,
meant to many, Just stay where you are, make no effort
to improve your position in life as if somehow, someone had
pre-determined life for you. This thinking was considered
wise council then and perhaps very Victorian but most of all
it was safe
and after such devastation who could blame
them for wanting to be safe. Most were destined to become
labourers, garbage collectors, secretaries or to go into service,
as one of Johns three sisters did, which meant being
a maid for some upper class family in a large house who could
afford servants. There was little else to do. Rubble from
the bombs that had been falling for years had to be moved.
Cattle killed by stray bullets or blown to bits by bombs had
to be husbanded back to reliable stock levels, homes to be
built and poisoned fields made to grow crops again.
School
for John was one mile away. Dressed only in soccer shorts
and a small jacket with canvas pumps on his feet, or later
a pair of rubber boots known as wellies after the Duke of
Wellington who originated the idea of rubber boots, he ran
to school each morning, consumed the hot, two course meal
he was provided free by the government as one of only six
in his class who qualified for the free meal program. After
eating, he could be seen running the mile back home in time
for a drink of water, check on his ailing motheralways
referred to as Mamand then run once again the mile back
to school in time for classes, then run the mile home again
at the end of the school day. All the time he was running,
he was dreaming how he might find a pathway out of that pre-destined
box everyone around him seemed happy to accept.
John did
not want to shirk any responsibility to do his part helping
the recovery efforts after the war but to blindly accept some
pre-destined benign future did not sit well. To do his part
as was expected of everyone he volunteered at the cattle market
in the farming town of Whitechurch, washing cattle trucks
with chemical disinfectant or scrubbing animal stalls to belay
any infectious potential as the local farmers worked at re-establishing
their stocks. All the while I knew there had to be something
I could do that would show me just one rung at a time to climb
out of this box we were all expected to fit into; I also knew
there were others wishing the same thing. Little did I know
my sisters who were all older than myself and had accepted
menial appointments were at the same time mapping out their
own upward mobility. Coping, for many folks, during the war
and for some years after meant just that, cope and hope.
John had developed a different philosophy
do what is
necessary to help recover from the war but all the while be
on the lookout for ways to improve self.
Although
it was not part of any design the daily four mile running
to and from school eventually placed him as a contender in
the tri-county sports. Though his short stature made him an
unlikely track athlete he won several competitions each time,
gaining credibility among his peers. Although at first snubbed
due to his poor appearance he joined the local boys,
choir and discovered he loved singingsomething he would
continue for the rest of his life. Track and field sometimes
brought him a little money for the family and he put himself
to the test trying new things as often as an opportunity presented
itself if only to say he tried. This included trying his hand
at boxing but he recognized there were some limits to the
challenges he had set himself. As an example, he tells me,
After winning several bouts and moving up as a contender
for the county amateur boxing championship title, I had only
been Knocked out once and it was not a KO but one of those
brief dizzy spells from a good hit. I didnt go down
but as we were fighting under amateur rules that was it, bout
over. However, when I came up against the county champ, within
the first minute I could tell he was taking his time to figure
me out. By the second round I decided to go in as fast and
as hard as I could. Well he knocked me out cold. A few more
fights and I was KOd again. Thats when I decided
this was not a career I was yearning for. The boxing was just
a bit of a lark to get a few shillings for the family under
the heading of expenses and gain a bit of a lift in my peer
group, so I quit; I was almost done with school anyway and
would have to make some decisions about the future.
When John
left school at just fifteen years of age, which was usual
back then, he had been a prefect, an appointment usually given
to students who had demonstrated some leadership responsibility.
However small, this was a clear move in the direction he hoped
for. With no father to guide him, a crippled mother, and no
such thing as guidance councillors, John would have to search
for a meaningful opportunity for himself. He discovered a
new programme being introduced just a month before he left
school. The war had produced a shortage of health care personnel
and John had a fascination for the human body. In fact, he
had won a science fair event building a full size skeleton
from papier mache, and taken two or three first aid courses.
He did not have the required pre-entry credentials, but here
was a back door into the heath profession, by becoming what
was to be called a cadet nurse a new designation
before becoming a student nurse. The programme admitted potential
student nurses; who might otherwise have been lost to some
other workforce. If accepted, the programme paid for college
to gain the credentials needed to enter nursing school. In
return, and additional to your college hours, you worked 36
hours in a hospital doing anything from cutting meat in the
hospital store to cleaning floors or delivering bandages and
pharmacy supplies. Seen as menial, perhaps, but it was a pathway
to a profession and exactly what he had been looking for.
John was accepted, went to college and became the first student
in the programme to gain an exemption from the part-one State
Nursing examination and a star student at The Cranage Hall
Hospital in Cheshire. He had found the niche he was looking
for
health care service.
Eventually
he decided to take a three year speciality course in what
was then called Mental Subnormality and he became a registered
nurse within that field. After gaining his degree, he studied
special or unusual cases he encountered with enthusiasm and
began to write a series of pamphlets called For the
Nurse meanwhile taking as many additional courses as
was possible to fit in to his new life. Several promotions
followed and he eventually gained a second degree, having
moved to the Todmorden Hospital in Yorkshire, where he Studied
Doman Delacato Physiotherapy. It seemed impossible, but John
also found time to play music in a band, something he had
started at fifteen as one of his tryout experiments. But
that is almost another life, he says. One that
gained me proximity with some of the best known musicians
in the world, and I am very grateful.
Moving
to Leybourne Grange Hospital in Kent, he ran the hydro therapy
unit; the most modern in the country at the time and deputized
as head of a surgical ward at the same time. With a fistful
of other courses and certificate in psychology under his belt,
he eventually moved to Canada and took further post graduate
studies at the Brandon Mental Health Centre. This was followed
by studying Psychology at the University of Manitoba, and
Counselling at the University of Winnipeg where he briefly
taught, and was a guest instructor. Back at the Brandon Mental
Health Centre and at Selkirk Mental Health Centre, Johns
next move was into the Provincial Correctional Services where
he established the health care programme and was given the
remit to have input to all of the provincial Prisons health
care services and given the title of Director of Health Care
Services, as designated by the incumbent director of Correctional
services Doug Lawrence. He was able to train Correctional
staff throughout the province in First Aid and CPR and also
trained medical students at the University of Manitoba becoming,
at one point, the chair of the Education committee for the
Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation. .
John Cartwright
found himself in demand and began providing lectures and training
in several provinces as the Manitoba Correctional health services
became more of a benchmark for other jurisdictions. Some of
his peers and a couple of his superiors failed to appreciate
that his positioning was in fact a credit to the whole service
and he decided on a change accepting a position at headquarters
where he, with his co-worker, Monty, wrote policy papers,
procedures, protocols and prepared government documents. From
that position, he became one of the front men to negotiate
the return of the Milner Ridge Armed Forces Base to the province
and turning it into a prison. He taught the first officers
assigned to that facility and was instrumental in establishing
the first Correctional Officers course at the Red River College
receiving a commendation for his work.
After
a bout of illness John wanted to get back into Health Care
full time so he left the Correctional Services and went into
private practice opening the Interlake Community Health Services
in Selkirk and concentrating on Phyto-Therapeautic Treatments,
relatively new to Canada at the time, but gaining considerable
momentum in the UK. This is as close to natural as one
can get, John explains, but it must be clearly
defined as not being your typical health food store product.
I lasted for five years accepting more and more referrals
from physicians but I was a terrible businessman. If someone
couldnt pay me I could not send them away so I was not
making any money and had a wife and two children to support.
We closed the place down and I accepted a position with the
National Health Services in England. Based in Kent, I was
titled, the Prison and Community Addictions Liaison officer
consultant to Her Majesties Prisons (HMP) in Kent. That was
a huge mouthful of a title as well as a big responsibility.
I was serving Five large prisons in addition to the community
work and training I was required to deliver.
John designed
the first full treatment drug programme in a prison in the
UK at HMP Swaleside on Sheppy Island a medium/maximum security
facility. He also developed a peer Counselling programme training
prisoners as counsellors and able to gain accreditation for
the training. I used mostly lifers, who in England serve
life rather than twenty five years. The first ten or so were
such a remarkable group and an asset to the whole programme.
From this came national recognition and media coverage. John
was being invited to lecture around the country and at the
school of medicine and with his newly developed and published
Total Suicide Management prevention model (TSM) he was invited
as one of the key speakers to the fourth international conference
on mental health in London attended by hundreds of representatives
from across Europe and beyond.
It
was time to settle
I had Graves disease which is a thyroid
condition and I needed to slow down some. At fifty five,
John retired for good from the Health profession. He went
back to his music roots, and tying in his writing experience,
he began to write musical reviews that were produced. He had
been acting with the Prairie Players in Portage la Prairie
when they were first established and had participated in a
few other productions in the UK. I felt comfortable
I could put something together and was surprised when my first
musical play produced in a large theatre in Kent sold out
for the four days. More was to follow and John eventually
was to Direct as well as Write plays. This led him to eventually
directing in Londons famous West End
Europes Broadway.
Wanting
to return to Canada, John and his family headed for Prince
Edward Island where they lived for six years, returning to
Manitoba about five years ago. His last play, See Alice,
was produced at the Prairie Theatre Exchange. Since his return
almost five years ago, he has produced a number of shows and
put together a band for his own enjoyment called Thistle,
which plays every week at the Fox and Hounds Tavern in St.
James, Winnipeg. The show is called the Pig n
Thistle Show (Jugs, Jars and Jollies) playing a blend
of sing-along old time songs, some more modern renditions,
and plenty of four-part harmonies. We were hired for four
weeks, that was extended for another week, leading up to the
Christmas holidays in 2011. I received a call just after the
holidays asking us to come back and just keep on going until
at least the spring, so that is where you can find us every
Thursday at 8.30 pm. We encourage anyone who can play an instrument
or sing to come and join us or just sit back and have fun.
John Cartwrights
musical history is so compact and busy, its almost another
life and another story, as is his theatre experience. One
is left not only to wonder how he fit everything in, but also
what on earth will he do next
and one cant help
but feel
that might be yet another story.
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