HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-03-12, Page 211 -TIMI NUMMI /)It►O$IT011r Mari* 1=, 1 NT
Feature
Roots of Westcott's success in Seaforth
BY DAVID SCOTT
Expositor Editor
Although Clare Westcott
has held many prestigious
postings and positions, he
attributes his success to his
upbringing in Seaforth.
The former local resident
was the guest speaker at the
annual Brotherhood Night
hosted by the Kinburn
Foresters on Feb. 27 at
Legion Branch 156.
Westcott has travelled in
many circles during his vari-
ous positions and appoint-
ments and met some quite
famous people.
The Citizenship Court
judge said his twin grandsons
are always bragging to their
friends about their grandpa.
Before Christmas the twins
were talking to some friends
in front of their house and
they came up and said
"Grandpa, they don't believe
us." The judge was thinking
it was in relation to one of his
many accomplishments.
"They don't believe you
can take your two front teeth
out," the boys said.
Uncle Nick
Westcott, 72, said he was a
little apprehensive about
coming to Seaforth to speak.
"I discovered something a
short while ago and I don't
know why I didn't realize it
sooner. Before Christmas I
officiated at a special
Citizenship Court that was
covered by CBC television.
The next night it was on the
news and I watched it. I
thought, 'My God, 1 look like
my uncle Nick.' I've been
going around assuming 1 look
like my dad. He was only 61
when he died. I hope there
aren't too many people here
who remember my uncle
Nick, he was the town drunk.
He lived to be 92."
"Over the past 40 years I've
heard hundreds of politicians
after they're introduced say,
'What a great pleasure it is to
be here.' And tonight it is for
me. It's also a great honour,"
said Westcott.
Homecoming 1995
"Can you imagine the thrill
• I got when I was here in '95
to open the Homecoming cel-
ebrations and discovered I
was given 10 minutes to
speak and the Liberal
Member of Parliament was
only given two," he said.
By 1985, he had spent 35
years working in and around
Queen's Park. At one point,
Huron MPP Jack Riddell
complained there were five
Westcotts listed in the
Queen's Park phonebook
who were working for the
Ontario government.
"Mr. Riddell claimed this
was blatant patronage. Mr.
(William) Davis rose and said
something like, Mr. Speaker,
the member from Huron is
absolutely wrong. Having
five Westcotts working for
the government is not patron-
age, it's nepotism."
On thinking how he could
relate his speech to brother-
hood, Judge Westcott said it
was probably the lack of
brotherhood that led him to
leave Seaforth.
Working With PUC
For most of the war years,
he worked part-time for
Frank Kling and full-time at
the Seaforth PUC. And then
something happened that
changed his life.
"On the morning of January
16, 1946 while Andy Calder
and I were putting up a trans-
former behind Boshart's, a
PHOTO BY DAVID SCOTT
SPEAKING AT BROTHERHOOD NIGHT - Former
Seaforth resident Clare Westcott, a Citizenship Court judge
in Toronto, recently spoke at Brotherhood Night in town.
"If I was blessed with anything it was
an indefinable quality often called a
small town native intelligence"
piece of steel went through
my left eye and into my head.
It was taken out in .April and
I lost the sight of my left eye.
I was told by the
Compensation Board and
Ontario Hydro that I could no
longer climb poles or work
on hydro poles.
"The next year the town
hired a manager to run the
PUC. His name was Brown
and I think he was from
Owen Sound. He was new to
Seaforth and somewhat
pompous. I'm quite sure' the
word brotherhood was not in
his vocabulary. When 1 went
to take my week's vacation,
he held back my pay and said
'If you get paid in advance,
you likely won't come back
to work.' The day before my
vacation was to start, he
ordered me to climb a pole
and I was told I couldn't, so I
refused and I left for my
week's holidays. When I
returned, he called me into
his office and told me he
didn't want any cripples
working on the staff."
Off to Toronto
Although he didn't think so
at the time, Mr. Brown did
him a great favour.
Westcott had worked part-
time at the Seaforth News
and decided to head to
Toronto and study journalism
at night school at Ryerson.
He was married at this time
and his wife worked at
Seaforth Clinic.
He never got his diploma
because legislature sat on the
evening of his exams and he
had to work.
"However 15 years later,
when Ryerson was given
degree -granting rights,
Premier Robarts and I were
given the first two honourary
degrees by the president of
Ryerson, the famous Seaforth
native, Dr. Howard Kerr,"
said Westcott.
"I used to peddle the
London Free Press to
Howard's mother, who lived
up by the high school."
The former Seaforth PUC
employee said he didn't have
to climb poles any more (and
Mr. Brown was eventually
fired) because by 1959 he
was executive assistant to the
vice-chairman of Ontario
Hydro. He was also the
Minister of Energy Resources
and a member of the
Premier's cabinet.
"1 was the first executive
assistant in the history of
Ontario. I didn't pick the
name, McCauley did because
he thought it made him sound
important."
Small Town Intelligence
"I could say my good for-
tune was because I was bril-
liant and clever and had an
abundance of talent and skill.
But I won't, for too many of
you would laugh," joked
Westcott.
"If 1 deserve any small
praise at all, it's because I
worked hard and long. And I
had more than my share of
luck, and was a creature of
times. And was swept along'
by a series of understanding
bosses. As I, said before, if I
was blessed with anything it
was an indefinable quality
often called a small town
native intelligence. I must
have got it here. It was peo-
ple like you who were my
teachers."
Competitive Spirit
"It was really the close fam-
ily and community ties and
friendly, competitive spirit
that helped to hone and put
an edge on what modest tal-
ent I did have. Don't forget I
left school in 1939, having
made it only part way
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through Grade 11. I learned
so much, but I didn't realize
how much, untilyears later.
Any ability I found came
from learning to blend com-
mon sense and the wisdom I
gained from you many teach-
ers."
each-era " Past Influences
Although it's dangerous to
name names, said Wolcott,
because you always miss
someone, he remembers the
influence of his father and
Frank Kling. -
"In the past 40 years, I've
often thought of the influence
of my father who taught me
to have good manners, to be
polite and to be honest. And
Frank Kling who told me
there's two important things
to remember: one is, there's
nothing I couldn't do if 1 put
my mind to it, and the other
is - be sure and keep track of
CONTINUED on page 5
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