SilverShorts Doc Project: Family Stories

Lois Broad, who grew up in the High Park/Junction area of Toronto, talks about her remarkable sister Freda -- an artist and free spirit who seemed unconcerned by social conventions. Lois took part in a workshop funded in part by the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

The last time Joy Cohnstaedt saw her brother, he was in the London morgue, the victim of a 1998 hostage taking in Yemen that made world headlines. Joy tells the story of her brilliant but difficult and wilful brother -- a mathematician, world traveller, iconoclast who had put Yemen on his bucket list. Back Lane Studios SilverShorts Doc Project was funded by the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program. backlanestudios.ca

Pat Ostermeier has an unusual ancestor: a lawyer, teacher, politician, a king and saint (self-proclaimed, of course). He reigned over a Mormon sect on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan until he made an unfortunate proclamation that had to do with women wearing bloomers! Pat tells the strange story of James Jesse Strang. Back Lane Studios' SilverShorts Doc Project was funded by a New Horizons for Seniors Program grant. backlanestudios.ca

What do you do if the farm you’ve inherited not far from Orangeville, Ont., just isn’t fit for agriculture? Well, if you were Elwood Hill, you unleashed your entrepreneurial spirit and love of music, turning it into a country and rock music venue, Rock Hill Park, that attracted some of North America’s biggest country and rock music acts. Elwood’s daughter Mavis Wilson describes her larger-than-life dad and remembers such landmark events, as the time Elwood gave Stompin’ Tom Connors his first big break or the rainy weekend when Willie Nelson appeared. Rock Hill Park became known as Nashville North, and, of course, after Woodstock, Elwood staged “Freakouts” with Canada’s top bands such as Lighthouse and The Guess Who. Watch the video and learn about an important chapter in Canadian music history! Toronto-based Back Lane Studios’ SilverSilver Shorts Doc Project is funded in part by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The initiative aims to encourage seniors to tell their stories on video.

Charlie Hefferon took Silver in what is arguably the most famous Olympic Marathon ever run. It was 1908 and Charlie was representing South Africa, where he had settled and married an Afrikaans woman after serving with Canadian forces in the Boer War. He was a remarkable athlete and was leading in the Olympic Marathon when a spectator, rumored to be Toronto Star sports journalist Lou Marsh, handed him a glass of champagne. Watch Colin’s video to find out what happened next, with the famous Italian runner Dorando Pietri and the American runner Johnny Hayes in contention! Charlie immigrated to Canada as a youth, worked on a farm in Brandon, Manitoba and joined up with the North-West Mounted Police. After stints in South Africa and England, he returned to Canada in 1911. In World War I, he served with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. He later joined the Ontario Provincial Police and, while serving on motorcycle patrol, was killed when a truck struck him on duty in a Brampton intersection. Colin Hefferon, Charlie’s grandson, tells his story. Toronto-based Back Lane Studios’ SilverSilver Shorts Doc Project is funded in part by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The initiative aims to encourage seniors to tell their stories on video.

Basil Orsini, a dutiful son, obeyed his father and went into the family construction business, which built many Toronto landmarks. But later, after his father died, Basil began to pursue his dream, studying law and becoming an expert in the new field of arbitration. All with a Grade 11 education! Back Lane Studios' SilverShorts Doc Project is funded by the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Warren MacPherson enlisted in the RCAF during World War II, was trained as a "wireless air gunner" and was mobilized for active service in 1942. During one of his many bombing runs, his plane was shot down over occupied Europe. How did he survive? His son John tells the story and the impact those war experiences had on their family. Back Lane Studio's SilverShorts Doc project was funded by the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Graham Mills and his mother Joan talk about her life in England during the war. Hitler cast a long shadow on her life and that of her family. This video is part of Back Lane Studios' SilverShorts Doc Project, made possible through a federal New Horizons for Seniors Program grant. backlanestudios.ca

Ross Nixon, who grew up in Barrie, took the first opportunity that came his way to get out of town. When World War II broke out and before he had even finished high school, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. He was soon serving as navigator in the ferry command, delivering planes from North America to the theatres of war. His stories are legion: How he just missed the Catholic church steeple in Barrie when he did a flyover to wave to his family; or how he started an import-export business, delivering goods such as nylon stockings and booze on his flights overseas. And then there was the soothsayer in Cairo who correctly predicted how long Ross and his pilot friend Ray Garver would live. Catherine Nixon tells the story of her father-in-law, his wartime escapades and the impact those experiences had on his future. backlanestudios.ca Toronto-based Back Lane Studios’ SilverSilver Shorts Doc Project is funded in part by the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The initiative aims to encourage seniors to tell their stories on video.

When Richard Jordan was investigating his family tree, he discovered a murder. Why did it happen? Richard did not believe the reports in newspapers and documents of the times. He continued his investigation and believes he uncovered the truth. This video is part of the SilverShorts Doc Project, supported by funding from the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program.