Simon Gillis, originally from New Waterford, grew up in a military family for which they traveled to many different parts of Canada. Simon has resided in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and in Whitehorse. All of Simon's travels have led him right back to his home here in Sydney, Cape Breton.
Simon joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1961 at which time he was posted in many different provinces until he was posted back home. While in Sydney, he met Myrna Dunn from Bay Street in Whitney Pier. When Simon's term was just about up, he moved to Kitchener Ontario where he was then hired by IBM. Myrna and Simon were married in Kitchener where they lived and worked for 14 years before being transferred to Halifax. Seven years later, he was transferred to Sydney and has been here ever since.
In the early 1970s Simon was fascinated by watching Bill Alexander doing a complete painting in just a half an hour on the PBS series.
In 1997 Simon's brother-in-law Frank Dunn sparked an interest in oil painting, so at that time Simon laid down his curling brush and picked up the paint brush and has been part of the Whitney Pier and Cape Breton art community ever since. Simon is most inspired by landscapes, portraits and wildlife which reflect the lasting impression left on him while he lived in the North. Many of his paintings are invented using the spectacular variations of our Cape Breton skies, his artwork often speaks to our sense of pride in people and places. Done in oils, his paintings have been shown in private collections along with being shown every year in PierScape. Many businesses have paintings of their buildings done by Simon and they are always displayed proudly on the walls for their visitors to see. Simon also has had many new opportunities and pursuits such as Each One Teach One, Loaves and Fishes as well as volunteering with the Whitney Pier Historical Society and Whitney Pier Society for the Arts.
Mennonite Sunday Morning Road Rage
Yukon Midnight Sun End of an Era
Our Featured Musician for 2010 :
Mary Pierrynowski
The choir career of Mary Pierrynowski began many years ago at St. Mary's Polish Church when Fr. O'Connell was the pastor. At the age of thirteen she sang the daily mass in Latin. She remained involved in everything throughout the years that followed. The St. Mary's Polish Choir was at first a youth choir which was formed by Mrs. Pierrynowski about 40 years ago. As the years went by and the organist retired, the choir evolved to the thirteen person a-cappella choir it is today. Mary also taught Polish at the church hall over the years and so it was natural that the choir should sing only in Polish which is a beautiful melodic language, although very difficult to learn. She was a gifted teacher which also helped her to be a wonderful choir director.
Mary's parents, Stefan and Maria Wroblewski emigrated from Poland to Cape Breton and Mary grew up on Swan Street in Whitney Pier. She attended Holy Redeemer School and graduated with her secretarial diploma from their commercial program.
Mary and her husband Teofil, now deceased, have two daughters, Maria and Wanda and two granddaughters Krystina and Candice. She made sure her daughters were educated in the Arts with music and art lessons. They were members of the choir and at different times played the organ at church.
Mary belonged to the Polish Cultural Association and the Multicultural Associations. She was involved with the Young Polish Singers and Dancers for ten years. These dances were performed while singing and Mary taught her twenty participants, including her two daughters, many songs which went with the national and regional dances they performed. They took part in an all Polish Song and Dance festival in Oshawa Ontario, a Multicultural Song and Dance festival in Quebec, had several performances in the United States as well as Halifax and all over Cape Breton Island. St. Mary's Polish Choir also put out two CDs, one of church hymns and one of Christmas carols.
Mary continues to work with the choir, although she now has to contend with her deteriorating eyesight since she has macular degeneration. Instead of using this as an excuse to retire Mary developed her own system enabling her to read the music. She prepares her programs for Mass and the music she needs by using a closed circuit TV with a huge magnifying glass and broadcasts the written music magnified fifty times on the screen. She then plays the notes on a mini keyboard which she keeps on her lap. When in church with the choir the keyboard is on a stand to the side. The choir of twelve women singing a-cappella need only a few introductory notes and they are ready.
All will attest that this purely Polish Choir singing in two part harmony is absolutely heavenly. You can enjoy them at Mass on Sunday at 930am at St. Mary's Polish Church, Whitney Pier.
St. Mary's Polish Choir
Featured Musician 2009:
Alvin Seymour
Alvin Seymour was in born in 1929 in Whitney Pier on
Franklin St. His parents returned to Newfoundland when
he was a baby only to
settle in
Ashby 13 years later to
work in
the steel plant. Alvin
learned to
play the
button
accordion at the age of
seven and
when he was a teenager
he
would
sit
on the frontsteps of Donald Maclellan and
Bill
Lamey's house and
listen as they
played
the
fiddle.
He
now can play seven
different
instruments. Alvin
moved back to
the Pier in
the 60's
and raised six boys and
two
girls.
He was a single
parent
for
much of
his
children's
lives.
He
suffered
the loss of his son,
Kevin,
who died at age 33.
He
joined the Legion
Singers
in 1990
and has been
singing and playing
ever since.
Alvin and
the
Artifacts:
his
daughter Donna
Cooper, George
Donovan and
Jim Smith
have played
everywhere in Sydney
and outside
the province as well.
Alvin's
crowning glory
was to play
at the
Savoy
Theatre
last year at the
60th
birthday
party for CBC
radio.
Alvin favorite tune
is slow
air, "Bonnie Lass of
Head
Lake",
when asked
why he said
"I don't
know, it
can't be
said in
words but it's a
beautiful
piece
to
play."
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