Village Squire, 1979-11, Page 40and providing photographs in time for the
next morning. All he had to take pictures
was a Brownie camera but he took pictures
with it anyway and took them to a
processor who told him he was crazy when
he asked for eight by ten inch blowups
from the inexpensive Brownie camera. He
went home and wrote the copy and arrived
at Maclean -Hunter with story and pictures.
He was told the pictures were the lousiest
pictures the editor had ever seen but he
could still have a job. They'd send a
photographer with him on assignments, he
was told.
Maclean -Hunter wasn't exactly his ideal
place to work however. He doesn't like to
work for other people, he says and other
people often don't like to work for him. The
company specialized in trade publications,
publications designed specifically for
different industries and professions. It was
a journalism factory but it was a good place
for someone to get a start.
Since coming to Canada a good deal of
his time has been spent living on farms
which suited him fine since he's a bit of a
loner. The country also helped him to write
and he began to write television plays and
other projects that never really got off the
ground. His desire to write on a full time
basis was never really realized. He
freelanced for a while and did all right, he
says working mostly trade publications.
His next career began in about 1970
when his son became interested in farming
and Campbell and his wife Marjory got
involved in it too. The farm was in Huron
township and brought the couple to
Western Ontario. It was a big operation.
perhaps too big. Two bad years put them
perilously close to the edge of bankruptcy.
They contemplated selling out but then this
spring another tragedy hit the family when
one of their sons was drowned in Florida
and the whole world came crashing down.
The couple lost their son and they lost the
farm.
But it made up Campbell's mind that he
was going to devote himself to writing
exclusively for the first time in his life. The
children were finally grown up, he said and
so now if ever was the time.
He had begun earlier to try to get back
into writing in the newspapers in a
syndicated basis. But syndicated columns,
though they sound grand, don't necessarily
mean much money. He had 45 papers
running the column at one time, he says.
but after a couple of months three quarters
of them just stopped sending payment. The
column was called The Naked Point. Some
people liked it, he says but many of the
papers didn't like the hardness of the
writing. But Maxine Barker of the Western
Ontario Farmer called him and asked him
instead to write something more for
farmers. He hated dealing with facts and
figures so he chose instead to do a column
reminiscing about the days he had spent on
a farm near Toronto when the family first
arrived in Canada. It grew into Acres of
Memories, a series of stories that still runs
in that and other newspapers.
He decided to try to sell it to CKNX radio
as well. He took it to John Langridge
manager of CKNX radio and Langridge
said that he couldn't get a proper sense of
the piece reading it but would prefer to
hear it so he put four of the columns on
tape. Two weeks later he got a call saying
the station was interested in using the
material. Great, he said, who was going to
read it. He was Campbell was told and so
his radio career began. Working with Gary
Moon he quickly found ease and comfort in
front of the microphone. He has programs
both on the AM and FM branches of the
Wingham station and is beginning to
syndicate the column to radio stations
across the country.
His biggest problem he says is to get
people to listen to Don Campbell because
he's an unknown. If people, editors or
broadcasters will give him a chance he says
they'll usually continue to use his work.
"Nobody seems to give a writer a chance.
He has to be lucky and break in some
where. You don't know what people want.
You know I can say to radio stations 'what
do you want?' and they say 'We'll know
when we hear it'."
"All I'm looking for from life is just
enough to live on and do my thing."
His 26 years in his new country has made
him very hard-line Canadian, Campbell
says. He feels it's time for Canadians to
look at their problems squarely and beat
them rather than close their eyes and
You are invited
,o come to the factory
and see the quality
for yourself.
FACTORY OPEN FOR INSPECTION
WEEKDAYS 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1-3 p.m.
OR BY APPOINTMENT.
•
NORTHLANDER
A complete line of 12
and 14 wides now available.
Now also building
Commercial/Industrial Units.
An alternate form of
farm housing, custom
designed and built to
your requirements.
-Canada's twist-
Manufactured
in Canada by
Custom Trailers Ltd.,
165 Thames Rd. E.
Exeter, Ontario [Box 190]
15191235-1530 Telex 064-5815
38 Village Squire, November 1979