Thomas Leduc

Everyone has a connection to Sudbury. I am now convinced of this. Recently I attended the Governor General’s Literary Awards in Ottawa. The beginning of the trip was a bit stressful. My tuxedo did not arrive on time. I had to have it shipped to Ottawa the day of the event, only to find it didn’t come close to fitting. I ended up buying a tuxedo and having it tailored while I ate lunch. In the end I was tight for time, but it all worked out. 

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The drive to Ottawa was great. The roads were clear and the trees were dusted with snow. It was like driving through a post card. I listened to some short stories by Ernest Hemingway that I checked out from the library. I followed the stories up with the new Amelia Curran album http://ameliacurran.com/. It was like perfectly cooked wild meat followed by a well balanced red wine. A nice break from the craziness of this time of year. 

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 I took a taxi from the hotel Rideau Hall, leaving early so I would have time to look around. Traffic and construction made me late. I arrived just as everyone was heading into the great hall. I was seated beside the curator for Parliament’s library. She was quite nice and explained who everyone was and how the evening was going to proceed.

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The presentations started with a speech from the Governor General. The speech was short and spoke to the importance of literature. Each winner was announced along with his or her publicist. The publicists said a few words, then introduced the corresponding winners. Speeches were short and sweet and some quite touching. I was amazed at how many young people won this year http://ggbooks.canadacouncil.ca/.  It was both humbling and inspiring. It all lasted about an hour. Afterwards we went into a large room that was painted like a circus tent, where servers offered us hors d’oeuvres. The hors d’oeuvres were both intimidating and delicious. I didn’t ask what they were; sometimes it’s better not to know and just experience.

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 Glass of wine in hand, I took a quick tour of some of the rooms. There were large paintings from the 1970s by Alberta-born artist William Kurelek. They depict the story of Ukrainian immigrants coming to Canada http://kurelek.ca/gallery. They were amazing. On the ceiling was a painting of young boys looking down a well. This is to symbolize future generations looking down on the visitors and the friendships that develop here.                                                               

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This is where I met Michael, a young man from Little Current who had attended Laurentian University. Michael is a speech writer for the Governor General David Johnston, http://www.gg.ca/index.aspx . Michael is also a bit of a poet, so I offered him my card and invited him to read at the library’s open mic next time he’s in town. He offered to introduce me to the Governor General who, I was informed, was born in Sudbury and raised in Sault Ste. Marie. However, I didn't get to meet him because when he went by, he was leaving for the night.                 

                                            

Eventually hunger took over and I headed for the buffet. The main course was bison and green pea risotto. It was quite good. There was many types of fish, some of which were good, although, if someone offers you pizza with sea bass on it, I suggest you politely decline.

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When I went to sit down and eat, all the tables were taken. I managed to find a little table at the back where a couple were sitting alone. I asked if I could join them and thankfully they said yes. The couple turned out to be Philippe Zeller, the ambassador from France, and his wife. It turns out the Zellers’ grandson’s girlfriend was born and raised in Sudbury. Ambassador Zeller said he was planning a trip to Sudbury to learn more about our mining community and how his country can get more involved in this type of resource industry. I told him I worked for a mine and mill supply company, Wajax Industrial, and he had many questions for me. I was happy to oblige. I spoke to our many outstanding schools and our unique manufacturing sector.

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After dinner, Rideau Hall was opened for a special tour. We were able to walk about the residence on our own. A tour guide was stationed outside each room to answer questions. The library was my favorite room; it had a collection of all the winners of the GGs awards. I was told that many of the speech writers liked to come in and find inspiration from this collection.

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On the tour I bumped into some of the winners and exchanged a few quick remarks. Most of the winners were surrounded by family and friends. I did get a nod of hello from Thomas King http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_King_(novelist) , as he passed me in the hallway. He’s a very tall, passionate man, and his presence filled the narrow hallway, so much so that I had to press against the wall as he went by.

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At the end of the tour we visited the gardens. Here I saw something really cool: small plastic dinosaurs dressed in knitted wool sweaters. They had been placed there by the Governor General’s grandchildren.

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 This is where I met Jane Eaton Hamilton. She offered to take my picture and email it to me, which was nice because I forgot my camera at the hotel. Jane is a two-time winner of the CBC Short Story Prize among numerous other prizes for poetry and fiction. Check her out at her website http://janeeatonhamilton.wordpress.com/about/. 

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I met up with Jane later and we shared contact information. She was very pleasant and easy to get along with, very down to earth. I think she got a kick out of the fact I had no idea who she was. Jane was the only one I met who didn’t have a connection to Sudbury, but the way I see it and hope she does too, she has one now.

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On the way home, before I knew who Jane was, I wrote a poem about meeting her and the whole GGs awards experience. 

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Tom Leduc

Greater Sudbury