Downtown Revitalization

We were mentioned in a recent City of Kitchener publication. Your Kitchener is produced every two months and distributed widely throughout Kitchener, including insertion in The Record newspaper. We were interviewed for an article titled “Downtown revitalization worth the wait.”

[Kitchener Downtown Business Association Executive Director, Mark] Garner added that entrepreneurs – the more established ones and the most recent ones - recognize the value of getting in on the ground floor of a dynamic new downtown.

Entrepreneur Stephen Southern is one of them. He plans to open an indoor golfing health club and training facility, called Parmasters, for the thousands of people who work in the core. The facility will be housed on the ground floor of the Market Square retail office building at King and Frederick streets.

“We’re locating in the Kitchener core for many reasons, including the large number of employees nearby and the growing number of residents in the area. It’s also a very central location, allowing quick and easy access from most of both Kitchener and Waterloo, not to mention Cambridge. We’re signing on for at least 10 years at this location. It’s great to see the many exciting developments in the vicinity,” he said.

Parmasters will feature driving-range simulators, sand-trap practice areas, putting greens, a pro shop and a café. This semi-private golf-training centre will feature 15,000 square feet of golf training facilities, where the average golfer can practise year-round.

I must add that Mark Garner is doing a fantastic job for both the KDBA and the residents of Kitchener! We talk often, but not often enough. I share ideas, as I’m sure many, many others do. Mark’s energy level and commitment to the core are second to none. We’re lucky to have him.

The Only Thing a Golfer Needs

I thoroughly enjoyed this article – Tiger Woods: Making putts and history – recently published within the Windsor Star. I’ve included the full text of the article below.

Two things jumped out at me, both in relation to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo.

First, as noted in the article, since becoming a professional Tiger Woods has twice completely rebuilt and retooled his golf swing. As the article points out, Woods has done this “so that he can ‘own’ it [his golf swing] in the same manner as Hogan and Canadian legend Moe Norman.”

Well, at Parmasters, as I’ve previously noted in this blog, we guarantee results with our golf training. We guarantee that we’ll reduce your handicap by 25%, or your money is refunded. Period. We do this by starting from the ground up, building you a brand new golf swing, much in the same way that the best golfer on the planet has twice built a new swing. Of course, we don’t expect those that take our lessons to work quite as hard at their game as Tiger does.

The second item that jumped out at me was the following quote from Ben Hogan.

“The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight.”

Come to Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo. We provide “the only thing a golfer needs.” We provide more daylight!

Here’s the full article.

Tiger Woods
Making putts and history

Windsor Star
Thursday, March 20, 2008

You knew he would make it. Tiger Woods hadn't drained a putt longer than 20 feet through 71 holes during the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, but dramatically curled in a 25-foot downhill slider Sunday for birdie at the last and a one-shot victory -- his fifth in a row on the PGA Tour.

The dramatic putt was set up by a remarkable 5-iron from 175 yards Woods described as the best shot he hit all tournament -- four trying days where he fought an erratic swing but still eked out a win. Other golfers collapse when the tournament is on the line. Woods thrives. Other golfers find ways to lose tournaments. Woods finds ways to win. Rare is the moment Woods hasn't mastered.

Sometimes that involves, like it did on the final hole of the 2000 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, launching a six-iron from a fairway bunker 218 yards over water to within 15 feet of the cup. And sometimes it involves miraculous chip-ins, like the improbable 30-footer on the 16th hole of the 2005 Masters. That ball hung on the edge for two full seconds that seemed like forever. If Woods hadn't chipped that ball, you suspect it wouldn't have dropped.

Woods has already surpassed Palmer in terms of career PGA Tour victories and is now chasing Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead. Sunday's victory, his 64th, ties him with the legendary Ben Hogan, widely regarded as the greatest ball striker of all time and a man with whom Woods has much in common.

It was said Hogan played one game and every other professional another and the same could be said of Woods. He has rebuilt his golf swing twice as a professional, defying the critics who said he shouldn't tinker with a winning formula, so that he can "own" it in the same manner as Hogan and Canadian legend Moe Norman.

Hogan was known for his fitness and gruelling practice sessions in an era when professionals were more likely to be found on bar stools than practice tees. Hogan strived every day to become a better player and so does Woods. He is a testament to the virtues of dedication and commitment. Woods' secret, quite simply, is that he works harder than anybody else. And, unlike Hogan, Woods' putting is otherworldly when the pressure is on.

Woods is undefeated in 2008 and commentators are beginning to speculate whether he can run the table, including the four major championships. Should he win the Grand Slam this year, Woods, just 32, would have 17 majors to his credit -- one shy of Nicklaus, who recorded his last major victory when he was 46.

Hogan, who dug his trademark swing out of the dirt by beating endless golf balls, once said "the only thing a golfer needs is more daylight." Sports fans can only hope the sun doesn't somehow set prematurely on Woods; that tragedy doesn't strike him the way a Greyhound bus smashed into Hogan at the height of his career.

Because the most frightening thing about Woods is that he hasn't reached his apex yet. He's still trying to own his swing. He's still trying to get better and he will get better as his experience rises to the level of his intimidating physical and mental prowess.

As he grows less flexible and weakens with age -- it is hard to imagine but time will wear on Woods the way it wears on all of us -- he'll compensate by drawing on his accumulated knowledge. He'll know, for example, Augusta's sloping, devilish greens more intimately than any man alive. Experience helped Nicklaus drain those bombs in that final, thrilling charge at The Masters in 1986 and there's no reason to suspect it won't help Woods bring home one final major a decade or even two from now.

Woods isn't just playing golf and making putts anymore. He's making history. If you haven't been paying attention, you should start this weekend. Athletes like him and stories like this come around once in a lifetime. If that. Enjoy. Magical Sundays can't last forever. Not even in Tiger's world.

Write a Book?

With my Dad’s recent passing, this has been a time of introspection. And quite honestly, it feels very wrong to talk/type, at this time, about MY introspection. It feels wrong to make this time about me, in any way. I think it’s simply part of the mourning process, to feel adamant that this time, this mourning period, should be all about my Dad, and not about me.

But, nevertheless, I have done a fair bit of thinking about me, my life, etc., during this mourning period. Many people have told me that my Dad was very proud of me. Indeed, he told me so many times. That’s comforting, but can also lead to self-imposed pressure, to continue to do him proud, and to continue to make him proud.

I’ve also been struck lately by a very strong urge to write a book about my Dad’s life. I wonder if this is common. I believe it all started with writing and delivering Dad’s eulogy at his funeral. I consulted with my Mom, and my Aunt, and others, and thus learned more about my Dad’s life than I’d ever known while he was alive. He led an interesting life, which is a great reason to write about him; but I believe there’s more to this urge.

If I write about Dad, then his story, his life, will live on. And so, part of my recent introspection deals with this urge to write about Dad’s life. Would it be healthy, or merely an attempt to deny his death? Would it be an attempt to capture and honour his life, or would it be an attempt to not let go? Is it about him, or about me?

I realize this post is a little melancholy. I’ve always maintained that this blog would be open and forthright. I’m a busy entrepreneur working night and day to launch the first of five Parmasters Golf Training Centers in southern Ontario. But as all that work goes on, life, and death, still happen.

I’ll close on a more optimistic tone, with one of my favourite quotes.

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” -Alan Cohen

Ontario Golf Magazine

I met with Ontario Golf Magazine today. It’s a top notch publication that can definitely help us get our message out to Waterloo Region and beyond. We talked about many creative ways to work together.

I’m sitting in a William’s Coffee Pub as I type this blog entry. Why here? I guess there are a few different reasons, including the food is tasty and healthy; I enjoy the environment; and it’s a good place to get a bit of work done between meetings. But, the main selling point is a Wi-Fi hotspot (i.e. free wireless Internet access).

Our centers, including Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, will be fully Wi-Fi enabled. By offering a wireless hotspot, we allow our members and other patrons to stay connected while visiting Parmasters. We believe this will contribute to both “Better golf” and “More fun.”

And that’s what we’re all about. Better golf. More fun. Guaranteed.

We’re also starting to partner with local golf courses and other local businesses. As in all things, we look for a win-win-win (i.e. our members and other patrons, our partners, and Parmasters) arrangement. Again, we drive the shape of these relationships to ensure we create “Better golf” and “More fun.”

For now, I’ll get back to the work of building those relationships, and our Parmasters Golf Training Center, and eventually that wireless hotspot!

Curve Balls

It’s been a busy whirlwind of a weekend, and clearly at close to 2:00am on Monday morning, my weekend is not quite over yet. My boys and I visited my Mom in my home town Saturday night and Sunday morning. My eldest had a hockey game here in Kitchener late Saturday afternoon – and scored a goal – so we drove up to my hometown after that.

As it turns out, we would have been better off staying put in Kitchener. I had some plans for Sunday afternoon that fell through and, as it turns out, they should have been completed Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning at the latest. I was hoping Sunday evening could have worked, as a backup, but that apparently wasn’t in the cards.

As a former competitive curler, it’s been fun watching a bit of the Brier this past week. Alberta defeated Ontario in the final today. I recorded it early this evening and watched it late this evening. Having played many of the participants in the past, it was fun to watch them in action this week. Of course, they were much better than me back then, when I played competitively, and are certainly even more dominant today. That’s great to see.

Not only did plans for Sunday afternoon fall through, but most of Monday has been wiped out also. I’ll have to re-work my entire schedule. I was really looking forward to some Monday morning appointments, but they’ve now been scratched. Life is full of curve balls.

Sign Me Up!

My youngest son has decided he wants to start blogging. We’ll work on that soon. I will, of course, moderate both his posts and any comments he receives. He’s tried to explain the topics/focus of his blog to me a couple of times, but I have yet to fully understand. Maybe next time.

We’re currently working to prepare a temporary sales office within Market Square. This will serve as our home base during construction of Parmasters Kitchener-Waterloo, and will also provide the space for people to come and learn the value of membership.

We’ll start hosting preview meetings in the coming weeks. These meetings consist of a brief presentation where we explain all of the many benefits of Parmasters membership. It’s simply our best effort to ensure that all future members make a thoroughly informed decision.

And of course, given the incredible indoor golf training center that we’re building, and the guarantees we provide, and the level of service we provide, all at a membership rate that is incredibly low, once a prospective member has the information required to make an informed decision, the answer is almost always ‘sign me up!’

How to Make Measurable Progress Toward Your Most-Neglected Goals

I read the following article in Early to Rise. The message is so important, I’ve decided to include it here.

From Early to Rise:

How to Make Measurable Progress Toward Your Most-Neglected Goals

By Michael Masterson

To Master Plan your new life, you must begin with long-term goals that correspond to your core values. From that good start, you must establish yearly and monthly objectives. Based on those objectives, you create weekly and daily task lists. Doing all that will help greatly. But if you want to really change your life, you have to learn how to prioritize.

I didn't always know how to prioritize. For much of my business career, I relied on goal setting and task lists and was happy with the results. But when I turned 50 and started writing for Early to Rise, I began to read how other business leaders achieved their goals. And that's when I discovered what a huge difference prioritizing can make.

The most important lesson I learned came from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In that book, Covey presents a technique for prioritizing that impressed me greatly and soon became a central part of my planning process.

Divide your tasks, Covey says, into four categories:

- Not important and not urgent
- Not important but urgent
- Important but not urgent
- Important and urgent

In the "not important and not urgent" category, you would put such things as:

- Catching up on office gossip
- Shopping online for personal items
- Answering unimportant phone calls
- Responding to unimportant e-mails

In the "not important but urgent" category, you would include:

- Returning phone calls from pesky salespeople
- Making last-minute preparations for an office party
- Attending a required meeting that doesn't help your career
- Planning for a meeting that doesn't matter

In the "important and urgent" category, you might list:

- Making last-minute preparations for an important meeting with the boss
- Making last-minute sales calls to key clients
- Solving unexpected problems

And, finally, in the "important but not urgent" category, you might include:

- Learning how to write better
- Learning how to speak better
- Learning how to think better
- Working on your novel
- Getting down to a healthy weight

When you break up tasks into these four categories, it's easy to see that you should give no priority at all to "not important and not urgent" tasks. In fact, these tasks should not be done at all. They are a waste of time. Yet many people spend lots of time on them because they tend to be easy to do and sometimes enjoyable in a mindless sort of way. Or because they are afraid to get to work on important tasks because they are afraid of failure.

Even worse than spending time on tasks that are not important and not urgent is spending time on those that are not important but urgent. They should have been dealt with long before they reached the crisis stage.

If you discover that you are spending a lot of time on unimportant tasks, you've got a serious problem. Unless you change your ways, you're unlikely to achieve any of your important goals.

So which tasks should you give priority to?

In Seven Habits, Covey says that most people think they should give priority to important and urgent tasks. But this is a mistake. "It's like the pounding surf," he says. "A huge problem comes and knocks you down and you're wiped out. You struggle back up only to face another one that knocks you down and slams you to the ground." You are "literally beat up by problems all day every day."

All urgent tasks - both unimportant and important - are problematic: They are urgent because you've neglected something or because they are important to other people (like your boss). In either case, you need to find a way to keep most of them from winding up on your daily to-do list. This means making some changes in your work habits - usually a combination of being more efficient and delegating more chores to other people.

Urgent tasks will burn you out. And turn you into an unhappy workaholic. If you want transformation in your life, you have to give priority to the important but not urgent tasks - because those are the ones that will help you achieve your major, long-term goals.

It's not easy.

The important but not urgent tasks whisper, while the urgent tasks shout. But there is a way to get that critical but quiet stuff done in four simple steps:

Step 1. When planning your day, divide your tasks into Covey's four categories: not important and not urgent, not important but urgent, important but not urgent, and important and urgent.

Step 2. You will, of course, have to do the urgent tasks - at least until you get better at taking charge of your schedule. And you will have to find a way to get rid of the tasks that are not important and not urgent. But make sure you include one important but not urgent task that, when completed, will move you closer to one of your long-term goals.

Step 3. Highlight that important but not urgent task on your to-do list. Make it your number one priority for the day.

Step 4. Do that task first - before you do anything else.

Initially, you will find it difficult to do an important but not urgent task first. There are reasons for that.

- Since it is not urgent, you don't feel like it's important. But it is.
- Since it supports a goal you've been putting off, you are in the habit of neglecting it.
- You are in the habit of neglecting it because you don't think it's important and because you might be afraid of doing it.
- You might be afraid of doing it because you know, deep down inside, that it will change your life. And change, even good change, is scary.

But once you start using this little four-step technique, you'll notice something right away.

The first thing you'll notice is how good you feel. Accomplishing something you've been putting off is energizing. It will erase some doubts you have about yourself - doubts caused by years of "never getting to" your long-term goals.

That extra energy and confidence will grow, and will fuel you throughout the day. This will make it easier for you to accomplish other important but not urgent tasks.

As the days go by, you will realize that you are making measurable progress toward your neglected goals. In just a few weeks, you will be amazed at how much you've already done. And in 52 weeks - a short year from now - you will be a brand-new, much more productive person.

That year is going to pass by anyway. You are going to spend the time somehow. Why not do it by taking charge of your schedule? Why not spend that time on yourself - on what's really important to you?

On A Lighter Note, Happy Birthday to Me

I wrote this post on my birthday, February 22, around the supper hour. I meant to publish it later that night, but never did do so. The following morning my world was turned upside down. So here, now, is my February 22 birthday post, finally.

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February 22, 2008 – I awoke today to discover that I have travelled around our little star, fondly referred to as “the Sun”, a sum total of 42 times. I may have just started my 43rd lap, or I may just be finishing up my 42nd. I can’t say for sure.

According to PhysicalGeography.net, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is elliptical. I had forgotten this. (Interestingly, they refer to “the Earth”, rather than “Earth”. I’ve always used the latter, not the former.) At any rate, PhysicalGeography.net also notes that the average distance of THE Earth from the Sun over a one-year period is approximately 149,600,000 km. They don’t specify whether this is from the central core of the Earth, or from the surface, but since the Earth’s diameter is a mere 12,756 km (from About.com), I think we’d be quibbling to get more specific.

Ignoring for the moment that the Earth’s orbit is elliptical, and instead assuming a circular orbit, and using our simple formula for circumference (C) of a circle, as related to diameter (D) and radius (R) we see that:

C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x D
C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x (R x 2)

And substituting for R we find that:

C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x (149,600,000 km x 2)
C (Earth’s orbit) = Pi x 299,200,000 km
C (Earth’s orbit) = 939,964,521 km

Since I’ve completed this crazy journey approximately 42 times, that puts a healthy 39,478,509,922 km under my belt! Not bad.

That pales in comparison to the average 10,000 km per year that I tend to drive. And of course we have not accounted for the Earth’s rotation. Perhaps next year.

I also surfed over to the BBC’s On This Day page. On February 22, in 1991 Bush Sr. gave “Iraq until 17:00 GMT tomorrow to pull out of Kuwait”, and in 1997 Dolly the sheep was cloned.

In February 1966, the Soviet space program landed a probe on the Moon and the US state of Hawaii hosted a US-Vietnamese summit.

Heading over to the Age Gauge, which is very USA-centric, and which gave a strange error and may not be working all that accurately any more, I was:
- 17 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
- 13 years old during the time of the Iran hostage crisis – Way to go Ken Taylor and team!
- 3 years old when the Americans landed on the Moon

Catching Up, And Things Catching Up With Me

It’s been a week of catching up, and things catching up with me. I’m still not fully caught up, and I’m not sure things have fully caught up with me. And while I could end this post at that, some explanation is probably in order.

As for catching up, I’m referring, of course, to getting caught up on my work and commitments. I have many areas of focus right now, including some remaining financing, pre-opening marketing, center design and construction, and community partners. Throughout the week following my Dad’s death, I did manage to keep moving forward on financing, but the other areas all fell behind. I’m getting caught up, but not there yet.

As for things catching up with me, I was so busy during the week following my Dad’s death, that I didn’t have much time for his death to hit me. I had to take care of the living, my Mom, as well as funeral and other arrangements. Things have been catching up with me this week, which has, to a certain extent, inhibited my catching up with things, so to speak.

Within hours of my Dad’s death, my Mom suffered a heart attack. It was mild, and apparently did no substantial damage to her heart, but we didn’t know that at the time. She was in hospital, Ross Memorial in Lindsay, Ontario, from the Friday night until she was discharged on the Wednesday.

On the Sunday we were told that Mom had to go to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for an Angiogram, but they had no idea when she would be fit into the list of priorities at Sunnybrook. In the meantime, we had to make Dad’s funeral arrangements, and involve Mom in the decisions, obviously, without causing her any stress.

On the Monday we were told that she would go to Sunnybrook on the Tuesday. She had the Angiogram late in the day on Tuesday and we learned that her heart was fine, with no blockages, narrowings, or other damage. We had already scheduled Dad’s funeral for the following Saturday.

I came back to Kitchener on the Tuesday night and worked all day Wednesday. Thursday morning I headed back to my home town to be with Mom and complete Dad’s funeral arrangements.

On the morning of the funeral, last Saturday, Mom was rushed to hospital again with signs of a heart attack. After a battery of tests, the doctors determined that her chest pains were merely stress-related, and she was released in time to attend Dad’s funeral.

I spent Saturday evening and all of Sunday with my Mom. Monday morning I drove back to Kitchener, and began this week of catching up, and things catching up with me.

Thomas H. Southern – 1934-2008

I haven’t blogged since February 21. I had an entry ready for February 22, but I ran out of time on that day, my birthday, and didn’t get it posted. And I haven’t blogged since, because I haven’t had time, and haven’t known what to say.

My Dad passed away shortly after 11:00pm on the evening of my birthday, Friday February 22, 2008. He was pronounced deceased in the early hours of February 23, at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ontario.

This post is about my Dad. He was a truly great man.

SOUTHERN, Tom – Entered into rest at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay on Saturday, February 23, 2008 in his 74th year.

Thomas H. Southern of Cannington was the beloved husband of Jean Profit of Cannington. Loving father of Stephen of Kitchener and Anne of Lindsay. Lovingly remembered by his grandchildren and by his sister Doreen (Bill) Elburg of Cannington and by niece Jane and nephews John and Jim.

Friends are invited to call at the Thorne Funeral Home in Cannington on Friday, February 29th from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service from Trinity United Church, Cannington on Saturday at 2 p.m. Interment Cedar Vale Cemetery.

As a remembrance donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family. Order of the Eastern Star Service Friday evening at 6:30 p.m; Masonic Lodge Service Friday evening at 7:00 p.m.


I did my very best to eulogize my Dad appropriately. My attempt, as woefully inadequate as it is, is reprinted below.

Dad’s Eulogy
Died: February 23, 2008
Funeral: March 1, 2008

I want to thank you all for being here today, to support my Mom, and to help us say good bye to Dad. It means a lot to us. Dad loved to have fun. He loved to enjoy life. He firmly believed that people should work to live. And not live to work. He did his best to teach us, his children, this lesson.

Dad was born and raised in Toronto, in the Danforth Avenue area. He grew up on a little street called West Lynne, and had experiences there that shaped the rest of his life. His Father, my Grandpa Henry Southern, was a baker and businessman. His Mother, my Grandma Dora Southern, made the home.

Dad was involved in scouting and cubs at a young age. When he was late for supper he could often be found playing marbles with a local friend, or crokinole, or cards. Cards. He loved playing cards, whether it was euchre, cribbage or any other game. Or perhaps he was over at the TTC street car depot, fascinated, and having fun.

From an early age Dad learned the do’s and don’ts of the service industry. Everyone here knows that Dad could and would strike up a conversation with just about any stranger he came across. We always believed that he was just born that way, loving people and a good conversation. Of course, as children, Anne and I also wondered if he was just trying to really embarrass us all the time. But perhaps it was his early and continual work in the service industry, where he developed the skill to talk to anyone and everyone. And it just became second nature.

My Grandpa Henry Southern worked for Canada Bread, delivering bread door to door, with a horse and wagon. On Saturdays, at a very young age, Dad would walk up West Lynne to Danforth Avenue and meet Grandpa at a local drug store ... that also included a soda fountain! Dad would enjoy his soda treat, Grandpa would pay, and then they would both proceed to complete Grandpa’s bread route.

Having entered his early teen years, Dad took on a paper route, delivering both the Star and the Telegram. He then proceeded to grow his route, and purchase new adjacent routes as they became available. He built his empire up to some 100 plus customers! Delivering these papers could have taken quite a long time each day, but Dad devised a system. He could wrap papers up so tight that he could throw them from the street and land them neatly on each front porch. He also contracted out, paying my Aunt Doreen to make deliveries on West Lynne.

Dad used his paper route funds to treat himself periodically. He worked to live. These treats included picking up some French fries, or chips, at a local fish and chip store. And the rest of his life, he was a connoisseur of French fries.

Dad also played hockey with the Toronto Star Carriers. He played goal.

My Aunt Doreen has told me that Dad’s favourite part of school was at the end of the day, when the class was dismissed. School simply wasn’t his thing. And so it was no surprise that he quit high school on the day of his 16th birthday.

Dad’s parents, my grandparents, had come up to the Cannington area to visit Dad’s Uncle Richard, and they learned that the Brandon’s Model Bakery was for sale. The deal was closed on January 1, 1950 and Grandpa Southern, along with his brother Wylie, took over on May 18 of that same year. Dad turned 16 the day before, on May 17, 1950. He quit school and joined Grandpa, working in the bakery.

Being new in town, Dad quickly developed many life-long friendships. This young group of gentlemen would meet out at the three bridges on Saturday nights and then decide what to do for the evening. The group included Harry, Wes and Emery Southern, my Uncle Bill Elburg, Jim Gordon of course, Bob Hurlbut, Eric Parliament and others. I remember Dad telling me that this group used to laugh at the new city-slicker that felt he should lock his car as it sat out at the three bridges. They laughed that is, until thieves broke into their cars. This group often ended up at a local dance, which is how Mom first met Dad.

In their early 20’s, Aunt Doreen was looking for a ride to these local Saturday night dances, and Dad wanted to learn how to dance. A deal was struck. Grandma Dora Southern pumped up the player piano and brother and sister, student and teacher, danced around the dining room table.

Mom and Dad met at a dance in Mount Albert on a Saturday night in the mid-1950’s. They married in Zephyr in 1959.

By the mid-1960’s Grandpa Southern wanted to slow down, and the Model Bakery and land would be sold off. Mom and Dad looked at bake shops in Bobcaygeon and Orangeville, but decided to buy the old theatre on the Cameron Street here in Cannington. Southern’s Bakery opened shortly thereafter. Dad had worked for Grandpa. Now Grandpa was working for Dad.

By the early 1970’s Grandpa Southern had to stop working entirely, and it was difficult to find other employees. The bake shop was eventually sold, in 1973.

Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s Dad worked at the Briar’s Resort on Lake Simcoe, and also had various other businesses on the go. He and Mom also purchased a Chip Truck, and so his love of French fries continued. Throughout the Chip Truck years, thousands of customers came to know my Dad as Uncle Ernie, which was the name on the side of the truck when it was purchased. Dad took that truck to fairs and festivals, and also parked in Kirkfield for quite some time, serving cottage travellers.

Apparently he decided that I should also learn how to serve and interact with customers, as he left me high and dry one day at the Kinmount Fair. He had asked me to help cook fries that day. I agreed, but only after he assured me that I wouldn’t have to serve the customers. As some of you may remember, I was pretty shy! Well, sure enough, just as the first really large group of customers was approaching, my Dad announces that he had to use the washroom. And he left! Just left! I considered closing the truck window and posting a closed sign, but we didn’t have any such sign. And where would I hide? Ten minutes later Dad came back to find me frying fries, taking orders and serving our customers. I think he was pretty pleased with himself.

As the 1980’s rolled into the 90’s, Dad started to slow down. The chip truck was sold and Dad spent less time working at the Briars, and in other enterprises. This of course, allowed him more time to do what he loved.

Dad had many interests and things he loved to do. The list definitely includes watching sports, playing cards, shooting pool and curling. He was one of the founding members of our Cannington Curling Club. Dad loved to curl. And church suppers of course. Dad was a great supporter of church supper and would drive far and wide to attend. He also loved a great conversation, whether it was a fun argument with Jan Rendering, a chat with a stranger, or a debate over the Leaf’s, or business, or both. Dad often pursued and enjoyed these conversations over a coffee, or breakfast, at a local restaurant. He often did so with his nephews, John and Jim. We enjoyed countless trips to the family cottage near Carnarvon.

And of course, Dad loved time with his children, and his grandchildren. Dad would do anything for us, and he did. Time and time again.

In December 2006 Dad, along with my sons Braden and Ben, paid a visit to his old Toronto neighbourhood, West Lynne. It was an emotional time for all of us. He loved being back in the old neighbourhood.

Last Friday, February 22nd, Mom and Dad joined Bev and Murray Bailey at a church supper in Fenelon Falls. Something Dad loved to do. Later that evening they all returned to the Murray residence to play cards and visit. Cards and conversation, two more things that Dad loved to do. He had a great time on his final day with us here, and for that we are eternally thankful.

Anne and I had a great Dad. We HAVE a great Dad, for he’s still here, with us, guiding us. He made me what I am today. He shaped me. And trust me, any shortcomings that some of you may see. They’re not because Dad didn’t try. I simply wasn’t listening as carefully as I should have.

Thank you all for being here today.

We love you Dad.