The Citizen, 2012-12-06, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012.Life-long community member tells his story
Councillors seek new
approach to selection
for committee spots
It took some convincing, but final-
ly Blyth’s Bob McClinchey has put
pen to paper, with the help of his
grandson Greg, and recorded his
memoirs from his one-of-a-kind life.
McClinchey was born in East
Wawanosh Township in 1926 and
the story just continued from there,
as he details in Jack of All Trades
and Master of None.
While he still lived in Blyth, Greg
had often talked about his grandfa-
ther’s extraordinary life, saying he
should document his stories for all to
read. After years of convincing and
eventually working together, the two
have done just that with the book.
Bob would write a chapter of the
book on a specific period of his life
and then send it to Greg, who is cur-rently working in Ottawa, to be edit-ed. Eventually, after sending off anumber of chapters, Greg crafted thestories into a book. “I’ve worked so many jobs overmy lifetime,” Bob McClinchey saidin an interview with The Citizen.“Different people always said Ishould write a book.”
Because of the way the book was
written, and edited, Bob didn’t see
the final draft of his story until the
book was published. He said he was
pleased with the final product, say-
ing he would often get lost in the
story, forgetting it was about him.
“I’m really pleased with it,”
McClinchey said. “I never thought it
would turn out to be as good as it is.”
He says he has also been surprised
by the response to the book, as it has
already been selling better than he
ever thought it would.
Looking back on his life, Bob says
that one of his favourite parts of the
story is his love of music. At 30, he
began playing the fiddle, a passion
that he still carries on to this day,
although he can only play as much
as his hands will let him.
McClinchey’s story began in 1926
when he was born into a family with
five boys and two girls on a 100-acre
farm in East Wawanosh Township.
He went to school at SS#16
East Wawanosh and then to
Goderich Collegiate before discon-
tinuing his formal education in
Grade 11.
McClinchey’s first job out of
school was priming tobacco in the
Tillsonburg area. Soon after, howev-
er, he would enroll in a machine
shop course in Kitchener, before
working in several war-related facto-
ries over the next few years.
McClinchey’s next adventure took
him out west threshing wheat, before
he came back to Blyth where he
worked in the cheese factory, while
at the same time driving truck.
McClinchey would follow the
truck-driving route, taking a job
driving a log truck in and out of
Algonquin Park where he tangledwith temperatures between -35ºCand -40ºC. He would drive logsacross three miles of lakes on hisway to Huntsville.After returning home and buying atruck of his own, McClinchey metFrances, who would turn out to bethe love of his life. He and Franceswould marry in 1950 and they would
stay married for 58 years until the
time of her death.
After marrying Frances,
McClinchey farmed for six years
before working for Radford
Construction for 10 years. During
this time McClinchey returned to
school to obtain his hoisting licence
and his diesel and auto mechanics
ticket.
From 1967 to 1974 McClinchey
operated a Supertest garage in Blyth,
while at the same time starting up a
school bus business with three dif-
ferent routes.
When he was done with the
garage, the McClincheys began
operating the Grandview Lunch until
1982. He severed a portion of the
property to build a bus barn. The
building still stands today as
McClinchey South End Auto operat-
ed by Bob’s son Wayne who stepped
in around 1990 and still operates the
garage today.
McClinchey says that music has
always been a big part of his life.
When he was young, he used to play
the piano alongside his father, as he
played the fiddle. He played the
piano at home, as well as at school
parties and dances. As Wayne grew
up, he would play music alongside
Bob.
“I have played music with a lot of
good friends over the years,”
McClinchey said.
McClinchey said he and Frances
would travel to different jamborees
and campouts where he would play
music.
“Those were carefree times,” he
said.
Since Frances passed away in
2008, Bob has moved in with his son
Wayne, living on the same piece ofproperty where the original bus barnstood.As far as the book goes,McClinchey just says he’s surprisedpeople have wanted to read about hislife, despite being told for years thatpeople would love it.“I’m just pleased people want toread about me,” McClinchey said.
One of McClinchey’s biggest fans
has been his grandson Greg. As he
was the first to see any of the chap-
ters his grandfather wrote, he learned
more and more about him every
chapter.
Greg began working as a political
aide in Huron County when he was a
teenager under Huron-Bruce MP
Paul Steckle. McClinchey soon
made the jump himself to elected
politics, serving as a North Huron
councillor. He now works for the
Liberal Party of Canada in Ottawa.
“Greg was surprised,” McClinchey
said. “Greg wasn’t born until the
1970s, so he didn’t know half of this
stuff.”
McClinchey says working with
Greg was great and he couldn’t have
asked for more support.
“I feel truly blessed to have lived
so long and experienced so many
different jobs and occupations in my
lifetime,” McClinchey wrote in a let-
ter to The Citizen. “Hopefully I’ll
hang in there for a few more years.”
McClinchey’s book, Jack of All
Trades and Master of None can be
found at The Citizen’s Blyth office,
Scrimgeour’s and through
McClinchey himself.
The committee appointment
process came under fire at Huron
East Council’s first November
meeting, as ratepayer concerns were
relayed to Mayor Bernie
MacLellan.
Councillors told MacLellan that
there were concerns in the commu-
nity that the councillors being
appointed to committees were being
made by MacLellan only with no
more input from anyone else.
There was also concern of the
committee terms, as to whether they
should be an entire council term
(four years) or if there should be a
shorter rotation.
Seaforth Ward Councillor Bob
Fisher said he had encountered sev-
eral ratepayers who were concerned
about the process and that it was
controlled by just one person.
MacLellan responded by saying
he felt it was the mayor’s responsi-
bility to do the job and that he did
“as much research as [he] could”
before appointing councillors to
certain committees. He said he had
also met with civilian committee
members asking for their input as to
Documenting his life
Bob McClinchey has led one of the more extraordinary
lives that the area has seen in some time, so he teamed up
with his grandson Greg to pen Jack of All Trades and
Master of None, a story of his life and his numerous differ-
ent jobs. The book can be found at The Citizen’s office in
Blyth, Scrimgeour’s or from McClinchey himself. (Shawn
Loughlin photo)
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Continued on page 22