HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-12-06, Page 18Page 18 December 6, 2006 • The Huron Expositor
News
od mss us,
Dickens'
A Christmas
Carol draws
100 listeners
on Saturday
Susan
H u n d e r t m a r k
The second year of a
candlelit reading of
Dickens' A Christmas
Carol brought over 100
people to St. Thomas
Anglican Church on
Saturday night.
"It's such a magical
experience and there
were a lot more people
than last year," says
organizer Janis
Bisback, of Huron
Hospice.
"We were so fortu-
nate to have such a
great variety of voices.
Rob Bundy is no doubt
the perfect voice of
Ebeneezer Scrooge and
the audience sat
enthralled as he
opened the first stave,"
she says.
The rest of the story
continued to come to
life with the assistance
of the voices of Rev.
Sue Malpus, and Rev.
Nick Vandermey, CBC
Radio announcer
Marcia Williams and
by Tom Melady.
Musical talent
included Rebecca
Robinet and Valerie
Dalton, who played a
flute duet, professional
singers Don and
Lindsay Sills and Don's
cousins, the Beard
family of Wingham.
Emily, Thomas and
Kaitlin Beard along
with their accompa-
nist/mother Marg Sills
Beard wowed•
the audience
with instru-
mental pieces
on the cello,
harp, and flute.
"To have such
talent in a com-
munity!" says
Bisback.
Over 16 years ago,
CBC Radio began.
offering charities in
communities across
Canada an opportunity -
to put on a dramatic
reading of Charles
Dickens classic tale.
CBC Radio does not
.pay their staff to
attend the community
readings. They are
expected to volunteer
their time to partici-
pate in these readings
of,A Christmas Carol.
Williams , a national
radio newsbroadcaster
was provided a rental
car by CBC radio, as
she does not own a car
and was a bit anxious
heading west to
Huron County during
the first winter storm
of the season.
"She remarked that
she was so impressed
with Seaforth and the
apparent community
support of our agency
fundraiser and the
overall friendliness of
Seaforth," says
Bisback.
Williams also found
time to do a bit of shop-
ping and enjoyed a
tour of Huron County
Clockwise from top left, Rev. Nick
Vandermey, Rob Bundy, Tom
Melady and Rev. Sue Malpus give
their readings of sections of
Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Susan HundertmarKsphotos
and the Seaforth hospi-
tal and clinic given to
her by Alf -Ross and
Dick Burgess.
The Seaforth
Community Hospital
Foundation also invit-
ed her to spend the
night at the physicians'
apartments at
Seaforth's post office.
This year she also
provided
her voice to a reading
in Wingham.
The reading is a
fundraiser for Huron
Hospice, who provides
care and support at no
cost to the families
involved.
But, Bisback
remarks that the read-
ing is also an opportu-
nity to slow down and
reflect on the true
meaning of the holiday
that we love to cele-
brate in the cold mid-
winter.
"When Charles
Dickens wrote his
story over 100 years
ago, he wanted his
audience to go away
'and make mankind
their business all year
round.' This is what
Huron Hospice is all
about," she says.
Bisback says it's very
likely the ,Dickens'
reading will again be
performed in Seaforth
next year.