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Volume 129, Issue No. 42

The voice of the Pontiac since 1883

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

1 dollar

The caricature man of Coulonge

In 1971, John Cullen received a package in the mail. It was postmarked by the House of Commons. I didnt know what it was in the mail. I thought it was a ticket from the House of JULIELEE STITT Commons because I Equity Reporter was driving a cement FORT COULONGE Oct. 17, 2012 truck at the time and my wife, when she she saw it, said, What did you do now? Cullen recalls with a laugh. It turns out all that he had done was impress the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, John Deifenbaker, who had discovered his ink sketches of several Ottawa, ON, landmarks. He sent me a picture of him and his wife holding one of my pen and inks of the Rideau Canal in the mail, said Cullen. Impressing Canadas top diplomat isnt an easy feat and for Cullen, who now resides in Fort Coulonge, where he continues to make a living as a caricature artist, it was a career that included many ups and downs. The Pontiac resident was born in Ottawa and grew up in Lebreton Flats, before his family moved to a house on Cooper Street in the citys downtown. He was a typical boy of the times, he says. He can recall sneaking out of his house and borrowing his parents car to go play his guitar with friends. Cullens father, Bert, worked for Coca Cola in the sign department. Aside from inheriting his musical talents, Cullen would also take after his father when it came to drawing and designing images and lettering. Sadly, his father would never see Cullens work. He lost his eyes, he went blind working (at Coca Cola). The chemicals were affecting the retina inside the eye. The cones inside his eye started to blossom out so he lost forward vision in six months and then peripheral. He went blind within the year, said Cullen. The eldest of five children, Cullen dropped out of Ottawa Tech where he had been studying commercial arts, printing and electrical studies. Then Coca Cola decided to take care of Bert, my dad, by giving us $75 a month. A shame. We couldnt do hardly anything with $75, said Cullen who then went to work to help support the family. Cullen would hold several jobs over the years. The first saw him preparing cars for sale at an Ottawa dealership, before being approached by a gentleman named Art Lezaire. Lezaire was famous at the shops that lined Bank and Sparks Streets for his window displays and he wanted Cullen to apprentice with him. He was one of the best window decorators in the city and he wanted to train me, so I went with him to learn how to

Julielee Stitt, THE EQUITY

John Cullen will sit for hours at a time working on ink sketches at his Fort Coulonge studio.

put drapery up, decorate the mannequins and do showcard lettering. Thats where I picked up a lot of texture, mixture of colours and how to blend. I only did it for about eight months and then my dad said I should get serious, said Cullen. Taking his fathers advice, Cullen then went to work, designing images for companies. I designed my first (image on a) carton of milk at 15, said Cullen. The artist can remember the uproar and confusion that occurred when Sealtest decided they would put their milk in a carton. And they had to explain to people how to open the damn thing up, so they had this character that looked like the governor general and I used their character on the back to show you how to open it and pour it, said the artist. Please see DRAWING page two

Upgrades offer more at park in Waltham

Three years of hard work paid off for members of the Waltham Recreation Association (RA) JULIELEE STITT on Saturday Equity Reporter afternoon, as WALTHAM Oct. 13, 2012 local youth celebrated the introduction of a new play structure at Paul Ryan Park. Members of the RA have been trying to introduce new play options at the park since 2010, by holding various community fundraisers, requesting financial support from local entrepreneurs and applying for grants. In late September, volunteers were able to assemble a new $25,000 play structure and on Saturday afternoon, local families gathered at the park to celebrate their accomplishment with an official ribbon cutting. It feels really great, said RA President Ann Romain on the accomplishment, as local youth ran past. We just knew our park needed upgrades and everyone has come together really well. This town has just been great to support us. Waltham Coun. Patrick Morin emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony and called the day an exciting time for the small municipality. In small villages we don't have the income, our budgets are very limited and so we have to deal with a lot of grant applications. From experience, weve noticed that if the community itself doesnt have volunteers, then the grants dont come. Now we have the base, said Morin, referring to the RA committee. Its very positive for Waltham, he added. Previous to the installment of the new play structure, youth played on a smaller plastic play station or used the swing set. This ones better, said Anthony Turner about the new play structure as he and a friend spun around on the 360 spin. According to Romain, plans for developing the park wont stop at a new play structure. Eventually we want to put up a multi-use sports court so there can be a rink to use all year long, it would be paved and were also hoping to get a building in here with some bathrooms, she said. Please see PARK page three

New bridge for Xmas

Some residents in Thorne are expressing concerns over what they see as a dangerous alternate route, established by the Ministre des Transports du Qubec (MTQ) on Himmelman Road. Traffic that would ordinarily travJULIELEE STITT Equity Reporter el on Bryson Road, which has THORNE Oct. 17, 2012 been under construction since Sept. 19, is now being rerouted onto Himmelman Road. According to Bob Binder who lives on Bryson Road, Himmelman Road cannot handle being a thoroughfare. Himmelman Road between Bryson Road and Schwartz Road is a single path, curvy and hilly, says Binder. Binder lives with his wife on Bryson Road and has been using the detour. According to the resident, two school buses have also been using the alternate route. The other day when we were leaving for Shawville, going through the detour, we met a school bus coming and it wasnt going fast we managed to pass by each other but its a dangerous situation, he says. Amanda Porter lives on Himmelman Road and says that while the construction hasnt had a major impact on her family, it has led them to allow for more time to travel. We meet a lot more cars on a narrow road and it means being extra careful ... because not everyone is familiar with going that narrow way and we take some extra time to get to the places that were going to, she says. Please see BRIDGE page two

Julielee Stitt, THE EQUITY

Kids help cut the ribbon to officially open the new play structures at Paul Ryan Park in Waltham.