On Friday, November 9th, a team of volunteers is hosting a fundraising gala at The Venue in downtown Peterborough in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which leads the global charge towards the discovery of a cure for this deadly, chronic disease.

“Cuisine for a Cure” will feature fine food, wonderful entertainment provided by local musician Melissa Payne, a keynote address by leading diabetes educator Joe Solowiejczyk (founder of A Mile in My Shoes), and a silent auction will greet guests.

This past September, the tragic reality of life with Type-1 Diabetes hit those in the community hard — re-affirming just how important it is to continue the quest to find a true cure.

On a warm Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a little girl named Sophia had a sleepover at a friend’s house.

One pictures a typical bit of fun and mischief for 10 year olds; maybe there were board games and movies, or more likely Snapchats and videos made upon mobile phones and iPads.

It was slightly less typical because Sophia was living with Type-1 diabetes, so there would have been extra blood tests for extra snacks in a bid to ensure glucose levels were balanced.

Her mother probably worried, and Sophia would have assured her all would be well — she should have fun like regular kids after all. She and her friend probably stayed up too late, giggling into the night until they finally fell asleep, comfortable in the simple innocence of the age.

But Sophia never woke up.

Her blood glucose levels dropped perilously low in the night, and the paralyzing fear anyone who cares for a person with Type-1 diabetes lives with every moment of every day exploded in harsh reality for this family.

My wife came across the horrible story the morning Sophia was found, as Sophia’s uncle went on social media in a bid to raise money for the medical bills that began mounting the instant she was found, unresponsive and barely breathing in a state of hypoglycemic shock.

By noon that day, CT scans were underway to see if her brain stem was affected. The next morning her uncle reported Sophia was still unresponsive, her brain stem was herniated, and her brain was swelling. Her kidneys weren’t functioning properly and she was getting worse.

Twenty-four hours later, there were no improvements.

“I am just shocked and stunned at what is happening,” her uncle wrote. “I just saw her like 2 months ago and she was doing great. She is an amazing girl and has so much potential. Please don’t take her away from us.”

By the evening of September 18th, two days after she was found at her friend’s house with the echoes of giggles still humming in the walls, doctors confirmed there was still no brain activity. The family clung to hope that one final test would suggest recovery was possible.

Sophia died on September 19th at 3:44 p.m.

“She will continue her legacy in everyone’s hearts that she touched,” her uncle wrote. “She is going to be truly missed by all those close and far. I will never forget her beautiful smile and her warm hugs.”

We’ve never met Sophia yet we will never forget her. In the early hours of every morning, long before dawn has broken, my wife or I will slip into my son’s room to check his breathing.

Sometimes we check his blood sugars if his numbers have been off that day, for the fear of severe hypoglycemia has been our truth since he was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes three years ago at the age of nine.

People who don’t understand the reality of this chronic disease toss jokes around flippantly but the reality is this: a Type-1 diagnosis is a sentence to a lifetime of constant balance between synthetic insulin doses and blood glucose levels.

There is no break from this ongoing cycle, and death lingers ever near.

Throughout the world, in developed countries with leading medical systems or lands where the disease is less understood, the risk and the reality is the same.

Progress is being made in the quest to cure this disease; of this I have no doubt, for even in the three years since my boy was diagnosed new hope has emerged, but much more needs to be done.

Sophia died on a Wednesday afternoon. The next morning when my wife told me, I hugged my son a little tighter cursing this dreadful disease under my breath.

Sophia is one name among many whose life was cut far too short and in whose honour we support this quest for a cure. Please visit www.cuisineforacure.ca to purchase your seats and support the efforts of JDRF and the people who struggle every day to manage Type-1 Diabetes.

Penguin Random House has announced that former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has written a new children’s book — and it will feature illustrations by Peterborough native Kathryn Durst.

“It’s called Hey Grandude!,” McCartney says in a video announcing the book. “I wanted to write it for grandparents everywhere, so it gives them something to read to the grandkids at bedtime.”

Durst, who now lives in Toronto, grew up in Peterborough and graduated in animation from Sheridan College. In her third year, she completed an internship at Pixar Animation Studios. In addition to her animation work and illustrations for children’s books such as Vlad, the World’s Worst Vampire and Float, Flutter and the forthcoming Life with My Family, Durst also plays the accordian and is a puppeteer.

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#Repost @puffinbooksuk with @get_repost ··· “I’ve written a new children’s picture book. It’s called Hey Grandude!… I wanted to write it for grandparents everywhere, so it gives them something to read to the grandkids at bedtime”. – Sir Paul McCartney • I’m really excited to finally be able to share the news that I will be illustrating a children’s book written by the legend – Paul McCartney!! Published in UK by Puffin Books and in the US by Penguin Random House. …. • Meet Grandude, an intrepid explorer and his four grandchildren who go on extraordinary adventures! • Hey Grandude! will publish next September but you can find out more and pre order in the link in the bio. .. Big thanks to my amazing agents at @brightagencyuk and @brightagencyus you guys are the bomb !! And thanks to @randomhousekids as well!!!

A post shared by kathryn durst (@kathryndurst) on Sep 27, 2018 at 5:55am PDT

“A Canadian girl,” McCartney says in the video, referring to Durst as he displays one of her illustrations. “As you can see, she’s brilliant.”

In the video, McCartney explains that his grandchildren started calling him “Grandude”, a riff on the Beatles song “Hey Jude” that McCartney wrote for Julian Lennon when his father John was divorcing Cynthia.

“Meet Grandude, an intrepid explorer grandfather, and his four grandkids,” reads the description of the book on the Penguin Random House UK website.

“With his magical colourful postcards, Grandude whisks his grandchildren off on incredible adventures. Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches… It’s a wild rollercoaster ride with a twist of magic, and a heartwarming family story, inspired by Paul’s own experiences of being a grandfather.”

VIDEO: Paul McCartney announces his picture book

In 2005, McCartney co-wrote the children’s book High in the Clouds, about a squirrel in search of a tropical animal sanctuary, with Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh.

For her part, Durst says she is “thrilled” to create the illustrations for Hey Grandude!.

“I just love adventure stories with a touch of magic,” Durst explains. “This story especially resonated with me because I have wonderful childhood memories of my dad taking my siblings and me on exciting adventures, just like Grandude does in the book.”

“I am very excited to be able to work with Paul McCartney on this project,” she says. “It has been such a treat to collaborate with such an inspiring and accomplished artist. We both want to make an exciting and beautiful book that kids will want to read again and again!”

The book will be available in Canada on September 5, 2019, published by Penguin Random House Canada, and can pre-ordered now (in hardcover or as an e-book) on amazon.ca.

Peterborough actress Kelaiah Guiel has the lead role in a new promotional video for an online mental health support service in Ontario.

The video is part of a campaign to raise awareness of www.bigwhitewall.ca, a digital mental health support service that launched this past June.

Available 24/7, the website is completely anonymous so you can express yourself freely and openly.

Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care commissioned Big White Wall — a UK company founded in 2007 by social entrepreneur Jen Hyatt — to offer its service to Ontario residents.

In the video, the 19-year-old Guiel portrays an art student or an artist who, while walking down a city street, notices a large white brick wall with a single message written in black marker: “Its scary what a smile can hide” (sic).

Using her own red marker, she writes “You don’t have to hide how you feel” beside it, and then leaves.

Either intentionally or accidentally, she leaves her kit of art supplies behind.

Other people then notice the messages on the wall and, using the markers and chalk from the kit she left behind, add their own messages to the wall.

Days or weeks later, she walks by the wall again and notices all the messages that people have added to the wall.

Her initial shock turns to tears of happiness, and the final scene shows the wall covered with messages with “You’re not alone” the largest message of all.

Guiel — who is the daughter of Terry Guiel, the executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area — began her acting career in 2015 at the age of 16, when she starred in an international BMW advertisement.

She has since worked on I’m On It (2015), Degrassi: The Next Class (2016), and has starred in leading roles including Rhiannon in Paranormal Witness (2016) and Jen in The Day Grunge Died (2017).

As for the video, it’s very effective at communicating the concept behind Big White Wall: a community where you can anonymously share your feelings and thoughts without stigma and receive the support of other members of the community.

VIDEO: Big White Wall starring Kelaiah Guiel

The Big White Wall website is intended for any Ontario resident over the age of 16 who is experiencing emotional distress, including anxiety, stress, feeling low, depression, feeling out of control, trauma, and more.

All of these may be triggered by life events such as the loss of a loved one, relationship breakdowns, employment related issues, financial crisis, sexuality, isolation, or alcohol- or drug-related problems.

Features of the website include “Talkabouts”, a forum where you can interact with a supportive community, and “Bricks”, a virtual canvas for you to creatively express yourself with words and images and then share them on “The Wall” for other members.

The Wall is moderated by clinically trained mental health professionals 24/7. The “Wall Guides” also provide additional support for members to ensure safety and anonymity, and monitor the website for members who express ideas of self-harm.

But Big White Wall is more than just a website to express your innermost feelings and read those of others.

Guided support is also available, including multi-week interactive group courses to help your manage stress and anxiety, cope with grief and loss, manage anger and negative thinking, and more. Each course is based on current evidence and guided by a team of health professionals.

There are also other resources, including assessment tests where you can measure things such as your depression and anxiety level.

The website is currently only available in English.

It’s free to register and use, but you have to re-confirm your membership every six months.

According to the company behind Big White Wall, which has been available in the U.K. since its launch and in the U.S. since 2016, 67 per cent of members report improved well-being from using the service, such as reduced isolation, improving coping skills, and improved emotional health.

For almost half of the members, Big White Wall was their first step in accessing mental health support outside of professional intervention, and was where they shared an issue for the very first time.

To register for Big White Wall in Ontario, visit www.bigwhitewall.ca.

On Sunday, September 30th, Cobourg’s Victoria Hall hosted a VIP launch gala for Armistice 18 — a two-month commemoration by the Town of Cobourg of the signing on November 11, 1918 of the armistice that ended fighting in World War I (WWI) between the Allies and Germany.

Historian and featured playwright Hugh Brewster was among the many people to address the crowd regarding the exciting things Armistice 18 has planned for the community.

Event attendees included Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Kim Rudd, Cobourg Deputy Mayor John Henderson, and Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson.

Guests were given a preview of scenes from two Armistice 18 theatrical productions (including the unique drama Last Day, Last Hour, set in the very room where it will be performed), an introduction to the exhibit of artist Charles Pachter (currently on display at the Art Gallery of Northumberland), and a general overview of everything else the Town of Cobourg has planned for visitors in the coming weeks.

“My goal is to get school kids to come here [to Armistice 18 events] they need to experience this,” says Last Day, Last Hour playwright Hugh Brewster.

Education and awareness are at the forefront of the initiative. A major goal of the program is to help new generations understand and appreciate the significance of Canada’s WWI soldiers and what was sacrificed in the name of freedom as we ramp up to November 11th, Remembrance Day 2018.

VIDEO: Armistice18 – Canada’s Largest Commemoration of the WWI Centennial

“You have to understand how the world totally shifted during 1914 to 1918,” Brewster explains.

“The modern age was jumpstarted by this horrible war and at a huge cost. Canada became a nation — there were many sacrifices including from Cobourg. Before we bid the 100th anniversary farewell, we’re doing the biggest thing in Canada for the commemoration of the Armistice.”

A Town Steeped In History, United In Remembrance

Cobourg is rightfully proud of the program its developed for the centennial and, with a rich historical connection to the Great War, it’s the perfect town to honour the lives of fallen Canadian soldiers.

“What began as something much smaller, quickly grew to become the largest armistice event in the country,” says Deputy Mayor John Henderson, referring to Armistice 18.

“Our council did not hesitate to put up $50,000 towards this. When you allow innovation in terms of the arts, culture and history, it’s amazing what can be done. It’s okay to make your community important with cultural events.

“I hope that people from other communities will come and experience Armistice 18 with the hope that they may also decide to focus on the unique historical aspects of their own towns.”

Theatre: Last Day, Last Hour – Canada’s Great War on Trial

One of the most unique experiences included in Armistice 18 will be Hugh Brewster’s play, Last Day, Last Hour – Canada’s Great War on Trial, about the 1928 libel suit brought forward by Sir Arthur Currie, Canada’s most illustrious general of WWI.

After a front-page editorial in the Port Hope Evening Guide in 1927 charged that Currie needlessly wasted lives by sending troops into battle on November 11, 1918, the last day of the great war, Currie sued the newspaper for libel.

Not only is this a newly penned play, but you can experience this historical exploration of the trial in the very courtroom where it all took place: the drama is staged in the Old Bailey Court Room at Victoria Hall where the Currie libel trial actually took place 90 years ago.

Dean Hustwick, Director of Community Services for the Town of Cobourg, explains how Brewster’s play was the launching point from which Armistice 18 grew:

“It all started with a discussion with Hugh Brewster about his play Last Day, Last Hour. Hugh was originally going to stage the play in Whitby, but the thought of having a reenactment of the trial that actually occurred in this building was very profound. It was one of Hugh’s dreams to see his play performed in this building.

“We also realized that we wanted to build a much bigger commemoration for Armistice so we brought in the Northumberland Players, council members, and we began creating opportunities and adding experiences more in line with the idea of a theatre festival.”

Art: Works by Charles Pachter at the Art Gallery of Northumberland

Gallery Director Olinda Casimiro will be showcasing the work of one of Canada’s leading contemporary artists, Charles Pachter, at the Art Gallery of Northumberland (AGN).

“The exhibit is called Lest We Forget: Commemorating the First World War,” Casimiro says. “The exhibition consists of 12 works of art and the gallery was thrilled to invite Charles Pachter to display his works here.”

Vibrant and colourful, Pachter uses flat colours to create bold, simplified images with his paintbrush — without infusing his war-themed paintings with the violence of war itself.

“I’m most interested in my work to reduce an idea to its simplest pure form,” Pachter says. “I’m into clarity, even an image that seems so simple can be very difficult to paint.”

Pachter, a historian himself, wanted to capture the First World War without focusing on the obvious violence of war itself. In one painting, a simple aircraft is flying high up in the sky on a field of blue — emblematic of the war, but very far from the trenches.

Paintings such as “The Healers”, “Tank Top” and “Cortege” will be on display at the AGN during Armistice 18. Pachter will be leading a discussion on his work at the gallery on Saturday, October 20th at 2 p.m.

Historical Exhibits: War Photographs and More

Canada’s Hundred Days is a remarkable exhibit of war photographs and one of the most interesting Armistice 18 anecdotes. The discovery of more than 40 panoramic photographs taken by Canada’s most prominent war photographer, William Rider-Rider, happened just months before Armistice 18 as set to kick off in late September.

“This exhibit is one of the centerpieces of Armistice 18,” says the Town of Cobourg’s Dean Hustwick.

“This photograph collection hasn’t been seen since the late eighties. Official war photographer William Rider-Rider’s photographs have been sealed up in a crate in the basement of this building since 1989 when they were last displayed. A month or two ago the crate was discovered and these remarkable photographs were found inside. All of these photos are from the National Archives.”

The Great War in Colour, sponsored by The Vimy Foundation, showcases colourized WWI photos that can be viewed at Victoria Hall or purchased as a book. If you find colourized war photos interesting, The Vimy Foundation is always looking for support to work with the National Film Board of Canada to create more colourized archival photos and film. If you would like to donate and support the Vimy Foundation, please visit www.vimyfoundation.ca.

Trench Art and Trench Life is a fascinating exhibit that showcases objects created and owned by WWI soldiers from the collection of Garnet Barber, the Royal Canadian Military Institute, and family archives.

How Can You Experience Armistice 18?

During the months of October and November, there are many events scheduled in Cobourg. Whether you are interested in seeing a play, hearing a speaker, or taking a self-guided walking tour, Armistice 18 has something that should appeal to everyone.

If you’re looking for something to do that is free and can be done at your own leisure, the Poppy Trail is a self-guided WWI walking tour in historic downtown Cobourg. You can obtain your free printed guide at Victoria Hall on weekends between October 14th and November 4th.

History and art exhibitions at Victoria Hall are ongoing from now until November 11th, and are open to the public Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 4pm. You can also attend a talk with Charles Pachter on Saturday, October 20th at 2 p.m. at the AGN.

The Armistice 18 Speakers Series includes esteemed war historian Jack Grandstein on October 14th, Canadian War Museum historian Tim Cook on October 21st, and popular historical writer Charlotte Gray on November 4th.

Theatrical productions include Mary’s Wedding at the Firehall Theatre, The Stars On Her Shoulders at Victoria Hall, and Last Day, Last Hour, also at Victoria Hall.

For dates and ticket availability, please contact the Victoria Hall box office by phone 1-855-372-2210 or online at www.concerthallatvictoriahall.com. The Concert Hall at Victoria Hall is located at 55 King Street West in the heart of downtown Cobourg. Ask the box office about theatre/speaker packages while booking your theatre tickets.

Armistice 18 runs in Cobourg from now until November 11th. To learn more and plan your itinerary, please visit www.armistice18.ca.

Port Hope’s first railway station is on its way to becoming a creative hub for the community.

Critical Mass, the not-for-profit arts organization in Port Hope that’s leading the transformation of the “Little Station House”, invited VIA Rail employees to paint the interior of the former railway station during Ontario Culture Days this past weekend (September 29 and 30).

Currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, VIA Rail has launched its “40 sustainable actions in 40 Canadian communities” initiative, where employees work closely with members of communities from coast to coast.

In addition to the volunteer painters, local businesses — including Kingsmill Kitchens and Baths, Benjamin Moore, and Olympus Burger — donated supplies and food for the volunteer painting effort.

Critical Mass is partnering with the building’s current owner, Architectural Conservancy Ontario Port Hope (ACO), to lease the former railway station and transform it into a creative community art space for exhibitions, workshops, and more.

Although the early history of the Little Station House is unknown, the small one-story building was built in the mid 1850s, with its frame construction, diagonal match board cladding, and low-pitched gable roof typical of a 19th-century railway station.

One theory is that the station was originally a whistle stop for the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway Company. Another theory holds that it was the original railway station for the Grand Trunk Railway in Port Hope.

When the former Grand Trunk Railway Station was built in 1856, the building was moved east and became a baggage shed. After it was no longer needed, the building was donated to a railroad employee and moved to his private property.

The municipality of Port Hope recognized the building for its heritage value in 1980.

Later acquired by ACO, the building needed to be moved or else it would be demolished as part of the Port Hope Area Initiative to relocate historic low-level radioactive waste. ACO approached the municipality to approve permanently relocating the Little Station House to Lent Lane, the original location of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway’s waiting room for passengers from the downtown hotels to board the train.

The building was moved in June 2018, with the cost of relocation and a new foundation funded by ACO, the Port Hope Area Initiative, and the municipality.

For Critical Mass, the moving of the Little Station House has sparked an interesting and timely reflection around the idea of migration, and how the theme of migration has played a role, both past and present, in the shaping of Port Hope’s identity.

The organization will explore contemporary visual art interpretations of migration and shared dialogue through a series of artist-led workshops, installations and exhibits, and through social connections and art happenings at and around the little station.

For more information on Critical Mass, visit criticalmassart.com. For updates on the transformation of the Little Station House, follow the organization on Instagram @criticalmassart.