THE BECK BULLETIN Number 43 February 1, 2006 STANDING ON GUARD There are a lot of changes taking place right now at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, the official residence of the prime minister. Paul Martin is preparing to move out after losing the election, and the new prime minister, Stephen Harper, is preparing to move in. But for Paul Collins (1.10B.7.6.1,5,) and the rest of the security detail, its business as usual. The officers are members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and compose what is known as "The Prime Minister’s Protection Detail." It provides personal security to the Prime Minister and his family, protects the official residences, and when the Prime Minister travels abroad, ensures that the security measures provided by the host country meet Canadian standards. Paul was born in Corner Brook, Nfld, and earned a B.A. from Memorial University in St. John’s. He met Penny Hann at Memorial and they were married soon after he completed his RCMP basic training in Regina. His first posting was to an Indian Reserve in Manitoba, followed by a three-year stint in the Yukon. This was followed by postings to Bell Island and then Bonavista in Nfld. He was transferred to St. John’s in 1997 as a corporal and it was after this that his career took off. He spent two years in the Commercial Crime unit, followed by a stint in the intelligence section, and after that became the official spokesman for the RCMP in the province. Each move included a promotion and when he was assigned to Ottawa a year ago, it was as Inspector Paul Collins. The new job has involved a lot of traveling both in Canada and abroad. He was to Argentina and Gibraltar with Prime Minister Martin. But the traveling became a full time job when the election campaign got underway in December. His mother-in-law, Shirley (Beck) Hann, said after weeks of living in hotels and eating in restaurants, he couldn’t wait to get back to a home-cooked meal. Paul has already spent some time with Stephen Harper in preparation for the Harper family moving in to the official residence. And he will be traveling with him a lot in the next few months as the new prime minister gets acquainted on the international scene. Who knows? There could even be a trip to a Texas ranch in the offing. THE END OF A PERFECT RACING SEASON It was a great year at the racetrack for Ralph Annear (1.11.6,4.1.) and his grandson, Jack Panting. They are co-owners of Maple Leaf Noble, the horse that won every event he entered and ended the season with a 15-for-15 record. He was perfect, winning every race," Ralph told Stella Shepard of The Eastern Graphic. "He won the Two-Year-Old Trotter of the Year award." Maple Leaf Noble also won a lot of money as well as trophies. They will keep the horse for one more year and then sell him to some other stable. "He will continue racing and I am hoping that he will go on to be a good horse away from here," Ralph added. He and 13-year-old Jack travelled the Maritime Racing Circuit from July to November. Jack hopes to be a trainer and driver someday, just like his grandfather. During his lifetime Ralph has bred and trained many winners and he's not done yet. He has six trotters and pacers in training at the moment that he and Jack care for daily. Many other honours have come their way too. The Prince Edward Island Legislature recognized their achievements in November. Jim Bagnall, the member for 4th Kings which includes Montague, invited the House to join with him in paying tribute to the trio. He mentioned Maple Leaf Noble’s string of victories, Ralph’s partnership with his grandson, and his history of more than 50 years in racing. He added that Ralph had been winning major stake races throughout his career and is known as Atlantic Canada’s Mr. Trot. With the racing season over, Maple Leaf Noble is now out in the fields during the day, romping around “He has a mind of his own and he’s very playful,” Ralph said. “He’s not stubborn, a little hard to handle sometimes, but on the track, he’s perfect.” THE "WEALE DEAL" COLLAPSES When David Weale (1.6A.4,6.2.1,) realized that his History of Christianity class at the University of Prince Edward Island was just too large, he offered a “January Clearance” deal to free up some space. Don’t come to class and you’ll get a 70, a b-minus. He made the offer because it was standing room only on the first night of the class. About 95 students had signed up and there were people crowded onto benches at the back without desks to write on. "There were people I couldn't see on the first day," he told The Globe and Mail newspaper. David has been one of the most popular professors at UPEI, where he taught history for 30 years before retiring last summer. He agreed to teach one more class this semester, a third year History of Christianity course. His classes have always been very popular. In addition to being a teacher he is an author, storyteller, and actor and he used all his skills to make his classes more interesting. Twenty students took him up on his offer to drop the class but when the word got out the university administration took a dim view of it all. David was suspended and the dropouts were told to return to class if they wanted to get a mark. Vice-president Gary Bradshaw said a disciplinary probe would be carried out. He said offering students a credit without doing the work "strikes at the very heart of academic principles." David said he was trying to make a point about crowded classes at the university. Reaction to his removal from teaching the class has been evenly mixed. In response to a question in the on-line version of The Guardian, 54 per cent of respondents agreed with the action taken by UPEI while 46 per cent were against. More On The Killick Connection Vere Beck's (1) mother was a Killick. You will recall that Jim and Barb Beck (1.4.6.6.1.) spent a couple of weeks in Britain last summer and while there made contact with Clive Killick to learn more about that branch of the family. Clive is the honorary Secretary of the Killick Society and was able to supply some interesting information. (See the lead story in the August, 2005, edition of The Beck Bulletin, where Jim described the meeting.) The Killick Society issues two newsletters a year, in June and December. The editions are quite large with the December publication running to 32 printed pages. On page 16 there is an account of the meeting with Jim and Barb. Clive writes: Some of you may recall a one-time member of the Society, James Vere Beck. Jim has produced a genealogy of the ancestors of Vere Beck 1783 to 1878. When he started this project he knew that Vere's mother was called Martha, but didn't know her surname. In 1993 that mystery was solved with the help of John Marfleet, from the Marfleet one-name group. "Martha was Martha Killick, daughter of Samuel Killick c.1729 B 1804, of the K Tree. "Martha Lucy Killick (born 1756) married John Beck at Mitcham, Surrey on 2nd September 1776. Their son, Vere, who was born 19 August 1793, later emigrated to Prince Edward Island, now part of Canada. Many of his descendants still reside there. "During the summer of 2005 Jim Beck, who lives in Okemos, Michigan, USA, and is a "retired" Professor of Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University, emailed to say that he would be attending a conference and presenting a research paper at Clare College, University of Cambridge. He asked if a meeting could be arranged.     At the end of their stay and the day before flying home, Jim and his wife Barb met your HonSec, in London and spent several delightful hours discussing the Killick and Beck families and also having lunch together." Clive then goes on to quote at length from Jim's August article, which finishes this way. "Clive and I talked about many things, including feet! Many of the Beck family have wide feet with high insteps. It seems to be a dominant genetic trait. I got it from my father and my children have it. Dr. Mac Beck and I compared our feet about 20 years ago and we had similar relatively wide feet and high insteps. Would you believe that Clive does also and that he has difficulty buying loafers because of his high instep and arch?" "Indeed I do, says your HonSec, and when this tale was told to Les and Pam Batchelor at the September 2005 (Killick) Get-Together, Pam immediately exclaimed that Les had the same problem! Does anyone else know of this "affliction," Clive asks. The History of the Chapman Family in PEI. In many ways it parallels the history of the Becks. By Johnny Chapman. I was born in Victoria, B.C., and grew up in the Los Angeles area. I got started in genealogy after listening to my relatives talk about our families and where they were from. My Dad's family told a story about Edward Chapman coming from England to Murray Harbour and marrying Elizabeth Chapman from the U.S. It was said that she contracted TB and returned to the States where she died. Everyone thought that she went back to Wisconsin to be with family. My own theory was that she was from New England, and born in England (which I later confirmed in PEI census documents). The Air Force sent me to England in 1995. That’s when I began to search for Edward Chapman. For three years, I searched to no avail. I began to suspect that my family had the story wrong, or there were too many Chapmans in England with no record of Edward heading for North America. After the Air Force sent me back to the U.S., I decided to ask some relatives in PEI for more information on Edward, Elizabeth and any other family. I was also told about "other" Chapmans in the Murray Harbour area that "weren't ours.” A great uncle told me of somebody coming to ask for money to keep up the gravesite of one of these "other" Chapmans. I decided to make the trip to Murray Harbour North to look for these other Chapmans. I recorded the information from the headstones, and checked the records in the PEI archives. I only had part of a day to do this. As it turned out, Edward's father, John, was buried with his wife and possible brother (Henry) across the harbour from where the Chapman family thought that Edward had homesteaded. John Chapman was from Cornwall, England! Edward, as it turned out, was born in PEI in 1844! Both John and Edward were farmers and owned land in Murray Harbour North. Edward later moved his family to Murray Harbour and the land he settled on is still in the Chapman family. I tied John and Edward together through Edward's sister Jane by using census records. I may have wasted three years looking for Edward in England, but you can imagine the surprise of all my Chapman relatives when I revealed my discovery! It soon became apparent to me why Edward's two sons named John, went by Milton and Jack. My family had no idea that Milton's name was really John! That's how it all began. Things have slowed down in my research but I hope one day to track John Chapman and his wife, Margaret Millar, to Cornish and Scottish families (respectively). I have also been trying to connect my Bligh heritage back to Cornwall as well. Apparently my two lines originate but a few towns apart in jolly ol' England. _________________________________________________________________   So while Johnny is doing a good job of tracing his family tree, new branches are sprouting thanks to additions to his immediate family. A new daughter, Annabelle Grace Chapman, arrived on December 21, 2005 at 8:34 P.M. Johnny and his wife, Kimberly, live in Denver, Colorado. Annabelle weighed 6 pounds, 14.5 ounces and was 18.25 inches long. She is a sister for Mitchell George Chapman, who was born November 5, 2000. Johnny reports that Annabelle is doing very well, and there are few interruptions to the family's sleep. DEATHS HANN: Albert Allan Hann. I’ve recently received word of Albert’s death, which took place on Tuesday, March 29, 2005. He was 72. A native of Burgeo, Newfoundland, Albert in recent years had divided his time between there and Guernsey Cove, P.E.I. He and his wife, Shirley Beck, (1.10B.7.6.1,) built a cottage on the original Vere Beck farm, which had been deeded to them by Windsor Beck, Shirley’s uncle, when he gave up farming and moved to Montague. They spent their summers there, but sold the property a couple of years ago following Windsor’s death. Albert had been seriously ill with cancer but was making a recovery and had gone to a Lodge meeting. He was the treasurer and had just given his report when he sat down and died of an apparent heart attack. In addition to his wife, Shirley, he is survived by seven children: Roma (Arch), Sheila (Brian), Harold (Olive), Scott (Mary), Penny (Paul), Debbie (Dave), Marlene (Steve), as well as 15 grandchildren; and 4 great grandchildren. The funeral service was held at the Anglican Church in Burgeo followed by interment in the Burgeo Community Cemetery. WHITE: Larry Keith White (1.4.6.7,2.2.) of Murray Harbour died at the Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague, on Saturday, January 14, 2006. He was 61 and was the son of the late Lloyd and Evelyn White. He is survived by his wife, Brenda (Bush) , and siblings Fred (Joyce), Murray Harbour; Lorraine Stewart of Lower Montague; Beverly (Frankie) MacKinnon of Charlottetown; and Paul (Faye), Murray Harbour, as well as many nieces & nephews. The funeral service was held on Jan. 18 from Ferguson’s Funeral Home Chapel in Montague with interment in the Murray Harbour Cemetery. A LOOK AT LISBON By Peter Murdoch and Janice MacPherson Murdoch (1.6A.4,6.1,1.1) On the banks of the river Tagus lies - Lisbon, or Lisboa - the capital of Portugal where voyages of some of the greatest explorers of the 15th century commenced. Vasco da Gama discovered the maritime route to India, Bartolomeu Dias led the first passage around the Cape of Good Hope and Ferdinand Magellan commanded the first expedition that sailed around the world, providing positive proof that the earth is round. Our explorations were nowhere near as extensive, but then again we only had a day and a half! Lisbon is a city with a long history, some evidence suggesting man's presence in this area dating back to the Bronze Age. Phoenicians, Romans, Moors and Spaniards all had a hand in developing the charming city we see today. Zigzagging streets and steep walkways led us up one of the seven hills of Lisboa, past the medieval contoured Lisboa Cathedral, many colourful tile-clad houses and on to Castelo de São Jorge and the fabulous views it provides of the city. An interesting sight in the city centre is the Convento do Carmo. Construction was completed in 1423 but in November 1755 a massive earthquake hit the area, bringing down the Convent's ceiling and severely damaging the city. The Convent has been left in a derelict state but you can still admire this once-elegant structure with its arches exposed to the sky. Our time to explore Lisbon was limited, but we made the most of it by discovering a few of the colourful sights and sounds of this fascinating city! CAPTURE THE FLAG It was a favourite childhood game played by Joey Weale (1.6A.4,6.2.1,5) and his friends but now it has been turned into a short movie. The idea came to him while he was traveling in Europe last year. He had taken several courses in film making through the Island Media Arts Co-op and wanted to put his knowledge to use. His idea was that since it would be a silent movie, it should have lots of fast-paced action. The game is played by two teams who divide a territory into two sections and each team hides a flag on their land. The idea is to sneak into the other team’s space, capture their flag and make it back to your own area without getting caught. Normally the game would be played in an open space in the country. Joey decided to make it more exciting by staging it in downtown Charlottetown. He made it more complicated by having people throw bean bags at each other. If a person got hit, they were out. “At one point we had five different people running down Victoria Row, each getting hit by a bean bag which means they sort of pass out while the people in the outdoor restaurants watched,” Joey told Sally Cole of The Guardian. One person fell into the fountain, which made it even more interesting. The result of all this was a 23-minute film, FLAGWAR, involving 40 local actors. It was screened at The Guild in Charlottetown on Dec. 28, 2005, accompanied by live music. The evening also included poetry reading, and performances by other members of the Weale family. PROMOTING THE ARTS IN MONTAGUE An arts complex is a possibility for Montague, thanks to the efforts of Virginia Winter Gundaker and the support of enthusiastic volunteers. The site would be the Yeo Theatre/Tudor Hall building. Winter Gundaker is the director of the Centre for Performing Arts and has been renting the former movie theatre since last June. “With a little bit of tender loving care and an upgrade of the stage and equipment, we can make this theatre a better place and provide programs for youth right up to seniors,” she says. In an interview with Sally Cole of The Guardian, Winter Gundaker says she has an option to buy the building and she’s thinking seriously about it. She spends a lot of her time drumming up support and talking to people about her dream. Among her avid supporters are people like Alan Beck of Alliston. “I look forward to the day when Virginia can reach her dream,” says Alan, (1.11.8.3.1.1.) who donated equipment and microphone cords for the Christmas pageant last month. “She’s doing it on a shoestring. The support from the community is limited, but she’s not giving up, and my wife, Beverly, and I really respect that. “If every family who had a heart for the arts in Montague were to donate $50-$100 toward equipment and operating costs, the centre would flourish,” says Alan who volunteers his time as a sound technician. The Vere Beck Family Home Page The Marfleet Home Page We're always looking for news of Beck family members. If you know of any significant events drop me a line with the information. imunn@accesswave.ca That's it for this edition .. please share it with relatives who aren't on line. The next edition will be out on April 1st. Copyright © 2006 The Beck Bulletin