The Rural Voice, 1983-12, Page 11we eventually had an extremely close rela-
tionship." Hill says that it deepened in the
two years the farmers served together on
the farm income committee.
Hill says he used to tell his friend he
had two liabilities. "One, he was educated
and two. he was English. His English ac-
cent was held against him, unfortunately,
and once people knew he had a degree
from a university, they held that against
him too..."
However, Hill reflects, "Malcolm made
friends quickly. He struck sparks quickly
too, but by and large, he made friends
everywhere."
A local venture that captured
Davidson's interest was the Hensall
District Co-operative, where he served as
a director from 1966 until his death.
Archie Couper of Bayfield, the retired
manager of the Hensall Co-op, was
managing the much more established Mit-
chell Co-op when he received a call from
Davidson. The Hensall Co-op, which had
just bought a grain elevator, was expan-
ding and consolidating its facilities to
serve the area's grain farmers. Couper
recalls that Davidson's enthusiasm for
the changes which he spearheaded, was
so catching that Couper decided to make
the move to Hensall.
Davidson, he says emphatically, "was a
really exceptional individual. Just to have
him come into the place and spend 15
minutes with you was a real joy." Couper
adds, "I have often called him a Churchill,
he was that kind of an inspiring guy. If he
believed in a thing, he went after it."
Soon after Couper's arrival in Hensall,
Davidson roughed out the co-op's future
plans on an office blackboard, saying,
"That's a 10 -year plan."
Couper replied, "No, that's a 20 -year
plan."
"Yes," Davidson agreed, "but don't tell
them (the board) that."
"The goals were reached shortly before
the 10 years were up," adds Couper. "To-
day, the street behind the co-op is called
Davidson Drive - a name "which gives you
the sense of Malcolm," says Couper.
Malcolm Davidson also had another
dream, inspired by a poem written by a
young Canadian Jesuit, Father Murray
Abraham, who worked in a mission in nor-
thwest India.
The poem which graphically described
the poverty the priest encountered in his
work, touched Davidson so greatly that he
wrote to Father Abraham. The two men
became pen pals, and six years later,
under the sponsorship of Canadian
Executive Services Overseas, Davidson
went to India to establish a hog and corn
program at the mission school. He
planned to return to India for a year, this
time taking his family with him, to
experience life in a developing nation.
Instead, death cut short that dream, but
it didn't die for his family. Two years later,
Jane and her five young children, with
special permission on compassionate
grounds, went to live in the mission, in a
dwelling where temperatures rarely rose
above 35°F. Jane taught the students
English and embroidery, and worked
taking care of the mission's poultry.
Her involvement with the mission has
never ended - she returned to Canada In
1973, but has since been back to India
several times, as the leader of three tours
who visited the mission and other similar
projects in the country. Jane also mails
out the mission's newsletter, written by
Father Abraham, and helps to publicize
the school's activities.
Jane says today, that the hardest thing
after Malcolm's death, was to look out her
kitchen window, where she used to stand
to watch her husband dashing out to the
barn. "Someone once said he spent his
life at a half run," she adds.
In a tribute to his friend, Eric Alderson
wrote, "It has been said so many times
that he was ahead of his time. It would be
far truer to say that the rest of us were lag-
ging behind."
Malcolm Davidson was, as Father
Abraham once nicknamed him, "a bur.
ricane." A man we don't want to forget. -
Season's Gretings
Christmas is a time for warm thoughts and good times with
family and friends. We, at Hayter's want to thank you fo
your continued patronage and friendships throughout the
past year and wish you continued success and happiness in
the New Year.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
W.G. Hayter's�
519-482-3957¢
Varna
THE RURAL VOICE, DECEMBER 1983 PG. 9