{"id":21233,"date":"2022-05-31T19:52:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T23:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=21233"},"modified":"2022-08-30T18:29:15","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T22:29:15","slug":"episode-592-ten-marriage-licences-have-disappeared-alan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=21233","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 592 “TEN MARRIAGE LICENCES HAVE DISAPPEARED, ALAN’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EPISODE 592 :   \u201cTen marriage licences have disappeared, alan!”<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch\\may 31, 20022<\/div>\n

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\"Great<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE GREAT SEAL OF ONTARIO\u2026SOLID SILVER<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
My first big job.   Why should you be interested in this story?  Well, maybe it will<\/div>\n
trigger thoughts of your first job.  Or maybe it will be so self serving that you<\/div>\n
will be disgusted with this 582nd Episode in my Covid 19 diary.  I will try<\/div>\n
to be self deprecating and hopefully avoid self inflating arrogance.   Credit to authors <\/div>\n
of I Whistle  a Happy Tune.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
MY FIRST BIG TIME JOB<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlan, how woulld you like a summer job?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd everyday job?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, a very important job.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow come?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cVic Couling phoned and says there is an opening at Queen\u2019s Park for an office boy.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIn a Park\u2026.ad office boy in  park.  Sounds weird.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThe job is in the Ontario Parliament building in Queen\u2019s Park.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo sunshine there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI already told Vi Couling you would take the job.\u201d<\/div>\n
“Can I get tp Queen\u2019s Park on my bike, mom?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou can try\u2026long way though.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\"Ontario<\/div>\n
IN 1953, RJ CUDNEY\u2019S OFFICE WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DOORWAY TO <\/div>\n
THE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS.  MY LITTLE OFFICE WAS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF<\/div>\n
THAT GRAND OPENING.  MADE ME FEEL IMPORTANT.<\/div>\n

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I was 13 years old. Just finished Grade 8 at Runnymede Public School and heading<\/div>\n
for Grade 9 at Humberside.  Just a kid.   My job that summer was very important.<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlan, you will be handling the Great Seal of Ontario.  Pressing the seal on important documents\u2026<\/div>\n
And pressing seals on Ontario marriage licenses.  And you will press the hot wax seal on all Letters Patent<\/div>\n
and in addition all letters of congratulation for senior citizens.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\"Great<\/div>\n
The Great seal of Ontario\u2026solid silver, large as a tea plate<\/div>\n

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Holy Samoley, I thought, this is big time.  My boss was R.J. Cudney, then Deputy Provincial<\/div>\n
Secretary for the Government of Ontario.  A very reserved, impeccably dressed, dignified, and <\/div>\n
super busy man.  His office was on the left side of the Parl\u2019t Bjuildings.  My tiny office was on<\/div>\n
the right.  Smack dab in the heart of Queen\u2019s Park.<\/div>\n

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I found a stick of the sealing wax I used on Letters {agent\u2026.and special notes to my grandmother Freeman on the Fifth Line of Erin Twp.<\/div>\n

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Wax seals cracked wth age unless quickly framed.<\/div>\n

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The seal used on marriage licenses.  Hard to forget that seal.<\/div>\n

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Took the job seriously.  Handling the Great Seal of Ontario was a serious task.  No one got<\/div>\n
married that summer of 1953 without me pressing the Seal in their marriage licence.<\/div>\n
No company got incorporated without me weaving a deep blue ribbon in the top left corner<\/div>\n
and then dropping hot red wax and pressing a tiny seal on the ribbons.   Really fancy job which<\/div>\n
I took very seriously.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
  I also did some blank documents with the seals<\/div>\n
on them which I mailed often to my grandmother and grandfather<\/div>\n
on their farm.  Grandma loved getting these illicit documents.  \u201cThe mail man thinks we are<\/div>\n
very important people when he saw the blue ribbon inside the <\/div>\n
envelope from Queen\u2019s Park.\u201d<\/div>\n

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GETTING DOORED ON ST. GEORGE STREET\u2026NOT PLEASANT.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And each day it would take me an hour to cycle from West Toronto to my new office<\/div>\n
Found a bunch of side streets with less rush hour traffic.  Never late.  Tried to be<\/div>\n
dependable.  I felt very  important.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
St . George Street could not be avoided, unfortunately. Especially during 5 pm rush hour.   Dangerous<\/div>\n
because no one expected a 13 year old boy on a Humber Sports three geared racer to<\/div>\n
be driving along in the gutter.   What if someone opened the passenger door?   Well, someone did.<\/div>\n
A woman.  The half open door was like a guillotine.   I was \u2018doored\u2019.  My left shoulder<\/div>\n
took the impact as I tumbled under the car.   The woman said, \u201cAre you hurt?\u201d Bravely and falsely<\/div>\n
I said. \u201cNo, I will be OK.\u201d  Not the truth.  My left arm was just not right..  The door had severed my<\/div>\n
clavicle.  The woman did not care, really,.  She asked the question with no real concern<\/div>\n
 and got away. Same with the driver\u2026I was a delay. The traffic resumed. And I had to face<\/div>\n
the problem of getting home with a broken clavicle\u2026one armed.What to do?  The music from the<\/div>\n
King and I,  Hollywood movie with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brinner helped a lot.  I hummed and<\/div>\n
sang:<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhenever I feel afraid<\/div>\n
I hold my head erect<\/div>\n
And whistle a happy tune<\/div>\n
So no one will suspect<\/div>\n
I\u2019m afraid\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If only I could get home.  Mom would know what to do.  Hoped no hospital involved . <\/div>\n
But first I had to get home.  My bike was a bit wobbly into the bargain.  Mom got Dr. Greenaway to<\/div>\n
harness me in a sling.  \u201cBroken but not dislocated.  Be fine in a few weeks.\u201d Recovery Took less time<\/div>\n
than that because riding the streetcar to Queen\u2019s Park was a bit of nightmare.    Crowded<\/div>\n
at rush hours.  Cheek to jowl.   Worse, it was leg to leg.  One man pressed so tightly to me<\/div>\n
that it felt like his hand was in my pocket.  Stop. \u201cHis hand is in my pocket\u2019\u201d  What to do about it.<\/div>\n
If dad was with the pervert would get a quick fist to the jaw.  Or worse.  But I was alone and 13<\/div>\n
years old.  My first contact with a pervert.  So I just jumped off the street car and caught the next.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
In spite of being doored, it seemed safer on my bike than in a crowded street car.<\/div>\n

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\"What<\/div>\n
TTC rush hour crowd on Toronto subway in 1953\u2026same thing on street cars<\/div>\n

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THE MISSING MARRIAGE LICENCES<\/div>\n

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I Think my arm, was still in a sling when Mr Cudney, called RJ behind his back, called me to<\/div>\n
his office one morning.  One of my duties was to fill his water thermos each day.  The office<\/div>\n
was big and dark with leather covered chairs and couches.  <\/div>\n

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I thought he wanted to look at my arm.   But I was wrong.<\/div>\n

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\u201cSit down, Alan, I would like to ask you a serious question.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyes sir.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThere are ten marriage licences missing.  These are serious documents.  Did you<\/div>\n
by chance mislay them?<\/div>\n
\u201cNo sir, I did not.\u201d  Did RJ know I had sent blank notes to grandma with the great seal?<\/div>\n
\u201cTell me how  you handle  marriage licences.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThey come in batches of 250 which I keep at my desk.  When I need more I get<\/div>\n
them from the Queen\u2019s Printer office.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cEach is numbered?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you look at the numbers?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSo you would not notice a discrepancy.?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo sir, never thought about it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI believe you son, but had to ask.  I think the error was made in the numbering<\/div>\n
system.  A blip\u2026skipped ten.  \u201c<\/div>\n
(RJ looked at me\u2026with a little guilt in his eyes.)<\/div>\n
\u201cI heard about your arm.  Would it not be safer on the streetcar?\u201d<\/div>\n
(I kept my mouth shut.  Did not tell RJ about the pervert\u2019s hand in my pocket.}<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cLater in the summer, I would like you to protect the Great Seal of Ontario at the CNE, Alan.<\/div>\n
It will be a night job from 10 pm to 6 AM. \u201c<\/div>\n
(I was flattered.  From suspicion to trust in one conversation.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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\"CNE<\/div>\n
In 1953 the CNE grounds were packed with people.  From midnight to 6 a.m. there was no one around except a wandering<\/div>\n
security guard.<\/div>\n

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\u201cMom, the night job is really nice.  I am the only person in the government<\/div>\n
building except for the security man.  In the centre they keep live examples of Ontario<\/div>\n
wild life.  and huge water tanks with live  fish\u2026.big ones\u2026Northern Pike and Lake Trout<\/div>\n
all full-size.  And one booth has an electric train with advertising on the cars.  I am allowed<\/div>\n
to test it . (At least I think so).  But the best part mom are the rats.  I hide behind a pillar and count<\/div>\n
to fifty, then pop my head around the pillar.  Rats!  coloured\u2026brown, black and beige.  They see <\/div>\n
me and dive into the holes in the open courtyard.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201dWhat about protecting the Great Seal Ontario.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlways keep my eye on it.  Solid silver.  Heavy.\u201d<\/div>\n

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END\u2026summer of 1953.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What would a 13 year old boy want with ten marriage licences>?<\/div>\n

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I wonder how many Ontario corporations know their letters patent were sealed by a 13 year old boy?<\/div>\n
I wonder how many people married in the summer of 1953 know their marriage licence was made official<\/div>\n
by  13 year boy ?<\/div>\n
I wonder now many people know that the Great Seal of Ontario was guarded by a 13 year old boy?<\/div>\n
I wonder what happened to those ten missing marriage licences?  Useless because they were  never sealed.<\/div>\n
I wonder if the woman who \u2018doored\u2019 me felt guilty\u2026or was it my own fault.<\/div>\n
I wonder why that pervert wanted to put his hand in my pocket.  Shudder!<\/div>\n
I wonder how many 13 year old boys or girls ever were so trusted.<\/div>\n

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POST SCRPT<\/div>\n

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Lyrics<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Whenever I feel afraid<\/span>
I hold my head erect<\/span>
And whistle a happy tune<\/span>
So no one will suspect I’m afraid<\/span><\/div>\n
While shivering in my shoes<\/span>
I strike a careless pose<\/span>
And whistle a happy tune<\/span>
And no one ever knows I’m afraid<\/span><\/div>\n
The result of this deception<\/span>
Is very strange to tell<\/span>
For when I fool the people<\/span>
I fear I fool myself as well<\/span><\/div>\n
I whistle a happy tune<\/span>
And every single time<\/span>
The happiness in the tune<\/span>
Convinces me that I’m not afraid<\/span><\/div>\n
Make believe you’re brave<\/span>
And the trick will take you far<\/span>
You may be as brave<\/span>
As you make believe you are<\/span><\/div>\n
You may be as brave<\/span>
As you make believe you are<\/span><\/div>\n
While shivering in my shoes<\/span>
I strike a careless pose<\/span>
And whistle a happy tune<\/span>
And no one ever knows I’m afraid<\/span><\/div>\n
The result of this deception<\/span>
Is very strange to tell<\/span>
For when I fool the people<\/span>
I fear I fool myself as well<\/span><\/div>\n
I whistle a happy tune<\/span>
And every single time<\/span>
The happiness in the tune<\/span>
Convinces me that I’m not afraid<\/span><\/div>\n
Make believe you’re brave<\/span>
And the trick will take you far<\/span>
You may be as brave<\/span>
As you make believe you are<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Source: Musixmatch<\/a><\/div>\n
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Songwriters: Oscar Hammerstein Ii \/ Richard Rodgers<\/div>\n
I Whistle a Happy Tune lyrics \u00a9 Williamson Music<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 592 :   \u201cTen marriage licences have disappeared, alan!” alan skeoch\\may 31, 20022 THE GREAT SEAL OF ONTARIO\u2026SOLID SILVER My first big job.   Why should you be interested in this story?  Well, maybe it will trigger thoughts of your first job.  Or maybe it will be so self serving that you will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}