A Common Goal
The anecdote “Speaking Gretzky”
in Funny Stu (February-March
2019) reminded me of a similar
incident in St. John’s in the 1980s.
My students from Trent Universi-
ty were on an exchange program,
and one day they became curious
about a Russian boat anchored at
the waterfront. The Cold War was
still on and a sailor was posted
at the head of the gangplank. We
approached, hoping for a tour of
the boat. Unable to understand us,
he signalled for us to stay where we
were. After a few minutes, we were
led to a room and invited to sit
down. Tea was brought in and the
captain entered, doing his best to
welcome us, even though he spoke
no English. After a few minutes of
silence, I ventured to pronounce
the name “Gretzky.” That broke
the ice and with smiles all around
we were immediately regaled with
the names of the contemporary
Russian hockey stars. Regrettably,
the conversation could proceed no
further, but that visit was a high-
light of the day.
Fred Helleiner, Brighton, Ont.
THEME PICFACEBOOK CHALLENGE
GREEN
Sean Donnelly of Sarnia, Ont., submitted this serene shot
to our “Green“ Theme Pics Challenge. These chairs look as
though they’re just waiting for someone to have a seat and
enjoy the gorgeous view looking out on Lake Huron! To see
more great Theme Pic photos and learn what the next
“theme” is, head to our Facebook page!HAVE YOUR SAY. Is there a story or feature you’d like to
comment on? Anything you’d like to see more or less of
in each issue? Your opinion is important to us, so drop us
a line at ourcanada.ca or see page 64 for our address.DAVID B. SANDERS
Born in Welland, Ont., Dave has
been practicing internal medicine in
Strathroy, Ont., for the past 35 years.
He and the love of his life, Pam, have
been happily married for 39 years.
They are the proud parents of two
grown sons, Michael and Robert. Dave says his “addic-
tions” include golf—he’s played in all ten provinces—
as well as photography and golden retrievers. He’s also
a trivia bu who was Jeopardy champion in 1995!
In this issue, Dave recounts a memorable trip he and
his son Rob took to Nova Scotia in the summer of 2013;
read all about their experiences in Dave’s Our Travels
piece on page 20.
PETER WYATT
A retired United Church minister,
Peter has served rural and urban
congregations in Alberta and
Ontario, on the General Council of
the United Church, and, as principal,
at Emmanuel College of the
University of Toronto. Currently he is editor of the
theological journal Touchstone, and immediate past
president of the Zurbrigg family reunion, an annual
event celebrating his family’s cultural heritage. Read
all about their fascinating history in this issue’s
Coming to Canada piece on page 30. Peter is married
to the Rev. Joan (Parsons) Wyatt with whom he has
four children and six grandchildren.5