Times Advocate, 1995-12-13, Page 17December 13, 1995
Local church to be featured on television
Brenda Burke T -A staff
EXETER - Lucan native Global television news reporter Terry Culbert
will feature Trivitt Memorial Church in a news story this weekend.
"It's an historical story that I'm doing," said Culbert after completing
the taping and interviewing of the church last Wednesday afternoon.
Culbert, who describes himself as a "positive television story teller,"
was drawn to the church after speaking with London Free Press reporter
Jane Sims, who's parents, from the Hensall area, attend the church. When
Sims told Culbert church donor Thomas Trivitt and his wife Elizabeth
were buried in a crypt beneath the church, he was immediately interested
in doing a television story.
Culbert was also attracted to the structure's 92 -foot bell tower. And,
the fact both Anglican and Roman Catholic congregations have
worshipped in the church for more than 20 years, made the story an even
more interesting prospect.
"It was sort of modelled after a church in Exeter, England," said
Culbert, who videotaped the century -old building's huge stained glass
windows and unique pipe organ.
Trivitt Memorial Church holds a fascination for Culbert because it
represents a piece of history focused around interesting people. For
example, because Hensall resident John Goddard has transposed 120
traditional hymns for the church bells, he's a major part of the story.
After being in the news business most of his life, with photography
beginnings at the T -A and the London Free Press, followed by experience
at CFPL, CBC Television and Global, Culbert admitted, "I've never, ever,
in my entire career liked hard news."
Instead, the 53 -year-old self -assigning cameraman/reporter prefers to
travel around Ontario in search of timeless human interest stories about
characters, history, art, agriculture and animals.
Terry Culbert films Rev. Fay Patterson
and John Goddard for a news
segment this weekend on Global.
At right Trivitt Memorial Church is
known for its bell tower, stained glass
windows and crypt which
holds church donor Thomas and
Elizabeth Trivitt.
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"If I can find a positive angle, I'm on a farm," he said.
He spends two to three days a week travelling, then needs a few days to
put the stories together, writing scripts at his Unionville home at night and
working on finishing touches with an
editor in the studio.
Many of Culbert's stories have a
personal touch. Raised in the Lucan area,
he's worked on pieces about people linked
to those he's grown up with and has
researched the names of local towns
including Zurich, Ailsa Craig, St Marys
and his hometown of Lucan.
Stories he particularly remembers
include one about Lucan.
"I wanted to know where my village
name came from," he said.
He had travelled to both Lucan and
Dublin, Ireland, then shot both places in
his historical news piece two and a half
years ago.
"I'm a promoter of Lucan," he said. "I'm very proud to be from there. I
love where my people came from and I love my little village...We used to
hitchhike to Exeter to go to the movies."
When asked what he specifically looks for in television story ideas,
Culbert first replied, "It has to be something that I would think would be
interesting to the viewer," then added subject matter must be visual. His
curiosity leads him to story ideas about everything from hairless cats to
shoe repair.
Culbert's first book was released in August. 'County Roads' features 80
of his television stories including his own illustrations and photographs.
He explained how many people mistake the title for 'Country Roads,' and
added the significance of the actual title is that most of his subject matter
evolves from small towns and rural areas, material that normally wouldn't
get news coverage.
"My favorite roads are county roads," he said.
Vowing he'll "never go back" to hard news, he said he wrote the book
because he wanted to be able to look back at his stories.
"Television is so fleeting," he explained, and publishing his stories in
print is one way to persevere his work.
In fact, he still has clippings of photographs he took while working for
the T A.
"I really love what I'm doing right noiv .he said. "I have the best of
both worlds."
Within two years Culbert will have a sequel book published.
"I've got 150 story ideas," he said, adding, "I've always wanted to do
the Zurich Bean Festival."
Trivitt
Memorial Church
holds a
fascination for
Culbert because it
represents a piece
of history focused
around interesting
people.
The T -A has signed copies of Terry
Culbert's `County Roads.' If you have story
Ideas for Terry, write him at: Global
Communications Limited, 81 Barber Greene
Road, Don Mills, Ontario. M3C 2A2.
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