Townsman, 1991-09, Page 21taken an appointment as agent general
in London, England. Nixon had taken
over the reins of the distraught party a
year ago from Premier David Peterson
who resigned election night after the
Liberal were ousted from their 95 seat
majority government by the New
Democratic Party, and Peterson lost
his own scat.
Although caucus didn't attach any
conditions to Elston's selection, (there
is still pressure from the party rank
and file that Elston would be the best
candidate for the leader's post), the10-
year MPP from Bruce has ruled out
any interest in the job. "At this point
in my lift I'd like to spend more time
with my family," says Elston. Married
to Trudy for 16 years, the couple are
raising a family of five young children
in Walkerton where they moved two
years ago from Wingham, when the
old riding of Huron Bruce disap-
peared.
During his five years in govern-
ment from 1985 to 1990, he was sel-
dom at home because of his
responsibilities and hectic schedule as
a cabinet minister. He was first minis-
ter of health from 1985 to 1987 when
the government took on the province's
doctors in a bitter battle over extra
billing, and then after the 1987 Liber-
al sweep, Elston then had an equally
busy time as minister of financial
institutions as well as chairman of
management board of cabinet. He
guided the controversial no-fault car
insurance plan through the Legislature
over the strong protestations of the
NDP and a strong lawyer lobby.
Although he tried to be home Fri-
day nights, he still found little time for
the family because of responsibilities
to meet constituents and deal with
their problems on the weekends. The
last year has been a welcome break he
says. "Now I'm able to take the kids to
hockey and ball," he says.
Elston's roots go back to the fourth
and fifth concession of Morris Town-
ship in Huron County where he grew
up on a 200 acre farm, the second old-
est of a family of three boys and two
girls. His parents, Bill and Isabel, are
natives of the township, and ran a
mixed farming operation together
since their marriage in the early
1940s. The farm is now run by
oipms inpRus Xy owyd
Murray and Trudy Elston are shown with their family, Erin, back left,
and Gillian, Jeannine, back right, and down front Sean and Jim.
youngest son Keith, and Bill and
Isabel have moved to a new home one
concession south.
Murray's parents are what are
known in the arca as "dyed -in -the
wool" Liberals, and Bill has been a
tireless worker in countless elections
since the 1930s. He still proudly
boasts of the time his father, William,
drove Prime Minister Mackenzie King
around the county and then brought
him home to the farmhouse for din-
ner. "Mackenzie's picture hung in our
living room for years," Bill proudly
proclaims.
But being a Liberal in Morris
Township in those days was a lonely
job, as wave after wave of Conserva-
tive candidates swept nearly all the
votes in the township. "We were
lucky if we found 20 votes," says Bill.
It wasn't until Murray ran the first
time in 1981 that the township gave
the first ever Liberal majority to their
hometown boy.
Politics was always a big part of
the discussion around the Elston din-
ner table every day, as Bill served on
Morris council for 30 years as a coun-
cillor and reeve, working his way up
to Huron County Warden in 1974. He
stills shows an avid interest in politics
by watching several legislatures, the
House of Commons, the U.S.
Congress and Senate which he is able
to pick up on his satellite dish.
As well as attending the one room
SS # 7 "stone school", which was
closed shortly after he graduated,
when central schools came in, Murray
went to F. E. Madill Secondary
School in Wingham where he played
football and baseball, as well as par-
ticipating in 4-H clubs. In the sum-
mers, while attending university,
Murray worked for the Huron County
Roads department as a bridge builder.
The county is unique in the province
because it builds its own bridges,
rather than contract them out to con-
struction companies.
Elston graduated in 1977 from the
University of Western Ontario with
honours history and law degrees, and
it was while he was at U.W.O. that he
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19