Rhinoceros Party of Canada

Canadian Politics you gotta love it. We go from the sublime to the absolute ridiculous. The Rhino Party of Canada. Always had the best slogans and victory parties.
The Victory Party was always held the day before the Election. As a Government Employee I was not allowed to get involved in the mainstream political life at the time. So as the Rhino's had their National Office down the street at some tenement building. Went down to party. One of the idea's, I really liked was to dry up the St. Lawrence Seaway by burning logs in the River thus separating us from the United States and making it easier to get cheaper booze.

Tire Swing and Cigarettes-Life in Stephenville NFLD

We lived on Maxwell Street in StephenVille, NFLD. in the mid -to late 50's. In those days there was only about 30 miles of paved road in the whole province. Newfoundland had only just entered Canada as Great Britain got rid of her poor cousin.

It was a small and dingy 2 bedroom, kitchen and living room combination. It had a shared bathroom with the front unit. My dad put in the bath tub and the indoor plumbing as the place didn't even have running water when we moved in.

The roof leaked and the window sills let cold air in. The only thing that lived in the house before us I think were the roaches and mice. It was the 2nd house on the right side of the road and we lived next door to the Gallant family.

One of my best friends was Jackie Gallant who lived in the back unit while his grandfather lived in the front. Jackie was one of 7 or 8 kids in the family , I do not remember if he was the oldest or youngest. As it was about 50 years ago, when I first met him. I looked over the fence and he called me some name, I jumped over the fence and pounded him some good. We became best of mates.
Jackie's family were RC and went to the Catholic School on the main Street. While I went around the corner to the regular school.

We had a large dog named Toby, he was part Great Dane and part German Shepard. So he was rather large and lots of teeth and mean but liked kid's. We used to give him Dog Cookies, "Milk Bones" I think. As they were in different colours. My Mom and Dad figured Toby ate these rather fast and bought him a lot of boxes of these things. He was around 120 lbs. So he did eat a lot of food.

One morning, early around 6 a.m., Mom was by the door and heard children's voices outside in the front Hall. We had just let Toby out and put out a bowl of food (Gravy Train) and a bowl of milk Bones. She peered out the door and saw Jackie and his siblings outside eating the Dog's Cookies. She heard Jackie say to his brothers and sisters. " Mrs. Girard is real kind to us as she leaves these great cookies out each morning for us to eat and take to school. Mom really likes the green ones and I prefers the black ones." So the dog just lay ed there; while the neighbourhood kids filled their pockets and mouths with the dog's breakfast. She never stopped buying the cookies and the Gallant children always had cookies in the morning for school.

I was 8 years old when my parents bless them, bought me 2 cartons of "Buckingham Cigarettes" for my B'day. It might have been two packages; it could have been two boxes for all I know. They were trying to get me to stop smoking. I had to smoke that brand and I couldn't smoke their "Players" and I had to pay for my own.

I smoked for almost 30 plus years and was up to almost 4 packs a day when I quit. I was the envy of the Gang and I was the only kid in school that had a note from his Mother that gave me permission to smoke. In those days they were the worst and the strongest cigs. you could buy and cost 38 cents a package. I used to sell them for 5 cents each to the kids at school so I always had cigarettes and was the leader of the local gang, thanks to Mom and Dad.

Think of it an eight year old who could smoke in front of his parents and behind their backs and had a note at the Sweetlands Corner Store giving me permission to buy only "Buckingham's". Every time the school took the smokes from me, Mom would call them and I get them back with a promise not to smoke on school property or sell them to the kids on the premises. So I waited off the school grounds or went to the RC School where I wasn't a student and peddled my cigarettes.

Now, for the real reason for the story. The Tire Swing. Dad put up a tire swing in our back yard or side yard in an old maple tree. The fence divided the property between the Gallants and our house. As I mentioned earlier Jackie's, Grandfather lived in the front and didn't talk to his son who lived in the back. The local kids used to hang out at our place and play on the tire swing.

Jackie's grandfather always complained to Dad about the tree that it cast a shadow on his home. On night we heard an almighty crash and thought it was thunder so Dad went back to bed. He was snapped on home brew anyways as was per normal for him.

We woke up next morning and the entire tree was missing , stump and all; just a large hole in the ground and the tire swing and rope were left on the ground. The fence was broken down and the yard was all torn up.

In Mr. Gallant seniors yard was the tree all cut up into firewood. Dad was going to call the Mounties but as he had a "Still" in the garage and "Home Brew" in the baby's crib in my room on the go. I am the only child by the way.

They did some strange things to hide the illegal booze from the RCMP in those days. Dad, decided that bootlegging was more important than getting busted.

About a week later Jackie's dad and my father got together over a few drinks and stole the wood from the old man , we had enough fuel for the winter. Life was weird on Maxwell Street, but never a dull moment.

Minnesota Slim "The Pool Hall Sharkette"

There are many of you who are avid fans of Snooker/Billiards; who would of heard about the man called "Minnesota Fats'. His real name was I believe Ralph Markerone ( I probably spelled his name incorrectly, so for those of you I have offended 'Sorry".). He changed his name to "Minnesota Fats" after the movie with Paul Newman came out called the "Hustler". He was a real Hustler and showman and was a real character. I had the pleasure of playing him one summer in Wasaga Beach Ont. I lost a lot of money to Him and was brought down a peg or three but made me a better person because of the experience. ( I should say at the time it was called OakView Beach where we lived, there where 3 beach's that now make up the Provinical Park of Wasaga Beach "Brock,OakView, Wasaga").

At the OakView Beach Restaurant, Pool Hall and Convience Store that my Mother owned for a number of years in the mid to late 60's and early 70's.

That is another story, for another time. The real story is dedicated to my Mother who was affectionately known as "Minnesota Slim". The Who, How and Why she got that name.

In those days at the Beach it was a major hangout for various Biker gangs such as the "Vagabonds, Satan's Choice and Black Diamond Raiders". You used to be able to see several Hundred Bikers from the various Groups and a lot of wannabees on the main drag during the summer season. Reving their engines shouting at each other and fighting one another for turf and to be noticed how tough they were or thought .

There was a lot of property damage as well as injuries and a few deaths caused by all these different gangs trying to get control of the Wasaga Beach and area.

The Police Department at the beaCH was under funded and only 2 or 3 staff. They used to close up at 5 pm on weekdays and weren't open on the weekends , the OPP from Stayner took over in the evenings and the weekends. The Beach was a major tourist mecca. With one of the longest fresh water beaches in the Province of Ontario. Just 100 miles north of Toronto. It was full of Hotels and bars, Midway rides,go carts and etc. So it was a real haven for both the nice and not so nice. The sand dunes up at the end of the beach were notoroius for the various goings on. I was inviited by the Bikers to several parties there , with my connection to the Pool Hall. I saw a lot of stuff, I should have never have seen at my young age.


In the winter and off season just 1300 people called it home. On long weekends close to a 1,000,000 came and went to Wasaga Beach and Area.

I just wanted to give a little background for my story of "Minnesota Slim".

As I mentioned before She owned a Pool Hall and as the Beach attracted a lot of unsavory Characters ( including yours truly). On any given day it was not unusual to see 10 or 20 Bikes outside the Oakview Lunch. The OPP would often sit in their patrol cars up the road and watch. The Biker Gangs would often have their meetings at my Moms Place. they would call up or come in and book a weekend at the Oakview Lunch in advance.

She would close down the place to the general public so gangs could come and go and play pool and eat for the weekend and have their meetings. I must say because Mom treated them with respect, they treated her with respect and she never had any trouble. She warned them about no drugs allowed ,no weapons, they pay for everything they eat and drink and also clean up after them when they leave. It was ok to bring alcohol there as Mum liked to have a few beers.

She warned them she had a loaded 410 under the counter and would used it if they got rowdy or out of control. And wouldn't let them back again. They never caused us any trouble. As it was the only neutral place for them to hang out at the Beach. Sort of a mini Switzerland.

It was the Biker Gangs that named her "Minnesota Slim". She was about 5 foot 2 and 100 lbs at the most soaking wet. She had a wicked sense of humor and had dentures that never fitted right and they would fall out more often than not. She liked her beer and smoked like a chimney and swore like a trooper. She loved to play Pool with the guys esp. a couple of bikers named "Stretch" and "Tiny" . They were Road Captains or Club Presidents at the time and dwarfed Mum by several feet and 150 plus pounds. She used to cheat so bad, she add their points unto her score and then look them in the face daring them to say something about it.

As Marg ran the Pool Hall , She also ran the Bikers , whilst they were there. Down the road they could do what the wanted, when they left her premises.

Marg was well loved by these great brutes and when they got her laughing , her teeth would fall out on the table and it would but crank up the hooting and hollering even more. Cigarette stuck in her mouth and pool cue in hand with her skinny leg up on the table trying to make a shot. They always paid in full and gave her some pressie for the trouble and lifted her off the floor with their hugs.

There weren't always the same faces each time a meeting came around at the OakView Lunch, life was hard for them and attrition was high amongst the Bikers as their life style was not condoned by Mum or the citizens at large. She let sleeping dogs lay and they left her alone. We never had a break-in at the Beach as the place was under the dubious protection of the various Gangs. No one dared.

The business closed in 1972 or 73 and sold to someone else. I was over in the UK at the time, working somewhere and playing music both on stage and on the street. (that's another story for another day)

I got a bunch of flowers; years later and a card from them after my Mother passed away.To say how much they liked Marg and were sorry that she had gone. For she had a real positive effect on a lot of them for the good, it turned out.

My Cousin Lynn Johnston who writes the comics "For Better or Worse". Included a Strip in her cartoons on a lady who ran a pool hall. She asked me for permission as she was basing it loosely on Mum. So check it out.