THE BECK BULLETIN

Number 49 February 1, 2007

GO WEST, YOUNG WORKERS

It's a familiar story on Prince Edward Island. Young people leaving to find work in other parts of North America. It's been going on since the province was first settled, but the rush to Alberta has reached unprecedented levels. Big money in the oil fields has lured hundreds of Islanders west leaving labour shortages at home.
The Guardian has named the exodus, and its impact on Prince Edward Island, the 2006 News Story of the Year. Bill McGuire, news editor of The Guardian, said it's affected almost every community on the Island. "There were cases where groups of a dozen or more had left small communities and the impact on the local area had to be staggering," he said.
Companies from manufacturers to tourist operators have been left short of workers. Sports teams have seen half of their rosters disappear, and families have been separated as husbands pack their bags for Alberta, leaving family and friends behind.
A starting salary for a teacher in Fort McMurray is more than $59,000 annually, compared with $38,000-$40,000 in P.E.I. Starting salaries for a young person with no training can be as much as $30,000 annually, increasing to more than $64,000 plus benefits for a journeyman with five years experience.
The need to leave home to find work, commonly referred to as “going down the road,” is a well-known phenomenon in Prince Edward Island and throughout the Maritimes. To get an idea of just how widespread it is just trace the Becks. Generation after generation they have spread westward from Guernsey Cove until now they can be found in all parts of North America.
Recruitment drives are underway to lure Islanders back. Atlantic premiers were in Alberta in late January in an effort to entice Maritimers to return home. Premier Pat Binns admits the big wages are a powerful draw. But he sees opportunities for PEI to help Alberta. "There’s no reason why we can’t be doing a lot of that work that they need right here in PEI," he said.

A MASTER OF MARTIAL ARTS

If things work out, we may have a karate expert at the next Beck reunion in 2008.
Dr. Mark J. Ferrioli of Philadelphia (1.4.1,3.2A,1,2.) has expressed an interest in attending a re-union. He traces his connection to the Becks through the Pennys and as a boy in the 1950s and early '60s he visited Murray Harbour with his parents. He related a lot of his family history in an exchange of e-mails with Jim Beck of Michigan, our chief genealogist.
“My great grandmother, Mrs. Lottie Penny, was still living in the early 1950's and thus, we would visit the Old Home Stead.” Mark's father, Ralph, was a minister and was often invited to preach while they were there.
“Murray Harbour was a great place for a kid like myself interested in the sea and all the boats,” Mark said. “I recall, as if it happened yesterday, going out on the fishing vessels with my Great Uncle and hearing all the stories from the old 'Sea Salts' around the harbour!”
Mark began the study of the 'Martial Art of Zen Karate-Do' in southern New Jersey in 1964 and opened his own school in 1968 at the age of 15. In 1999 he obtained his 'Ph.D.' in Martial Arts Science.
In 1984 he opened a second business, T.T.M.K. Educational Services, specializing in Stress Management Training. Both businesses remain very active. Mark has been teaching for nearly 40 years now and has worked with more than 3,000 students. Some of them have been training with him for more than 30 years.
“Since 1994, I have also worked part time as a 235 Armed Agent of the Pennsylvania State Police working independently with St. Moritz Security Services (Based in Ohio) as a Supervisory and Training Officer out of their Hatfield, Pennsylvania District Headquarters.'
Mark said his Mother dreamed about going back to P.E.I. one last time to possibly attend one of the Beck Family Reunions, but fate intervened as she died in March of 2005.
"At age 54 it has now been some 42 years since I was last in Murray Harbour, but one day I hope to return there for the visit my Mother was unable to make."

AN ARTISTIC FLAIR

Give him a guitar or a camera and he's equally at home. Paul Vienneau (1.4.3B.7.2.2.1B,) has overcome long odds to reach a professional level in both fields of endeavour. An accident 15 years ago resulted in the loss of his left leg and a serious spinal cord injury. The Nova Scotia native married Pam Beck of Montague in 2002 and they moved into their new home in Stratford, near Charlottetown, last summer.
"At least once a day, he says, ‘I love living on P.E.I,’" says Pam. Mary MacKay, a features writer for The Guardian, wrote a lengthy article on Paul and Pam just before Christmas.
Paul grew up in a musical family in Dartmouth and got a drum when he was 7 years old. Later he switched to guitar and started playing professionally when he was in Grade 11. Later he attended St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., and enrolled in the jazz program. It was there that he first met Pam.
Paul moved to Toronto in 1990 to further his musical career, but that all changed a year later when he was struck by a tractor trailer while out biking with his brother, Kevin. He ended up under the trailer, badly injured. He clung to life but was in a coma for the next month. In addition, his spinal cord injury meant he would not walk again.
During the first of his two years in hospital, his weight fell from 190 to 85 pounds. He also battled a severe blood infection that resulted in the amputation of his left leg.
After he got out of the hospital he resumed his musical career, recording and performing with several ECMA-and Juno-nominated and award-winning acts and performing internationally as a bassist.
"I ended up touring more than I did before (the accident)," he says.
In 2001, Paul moved home to Nova Scotia and decided to call Pam. They hit it off and married less than a year later.
Paul now teaches bass guitar privately and works with the jazz ensemble at Birchwood intermediate school. On the photographic side, he has a number of irons in the fire. A 2007 desk calendar featuring 12 of his photos is on the market. In addition he's begun putting together a selection of photos that will be submitted for stock and tourism purposes. He is also working on a line of art cards suitable for sending notes to friends and is thinking about putting together a showing of his work. Paul has a web site at www.paulvienneau.com where some of his work can be seen.

A TRUE FISH STORY

Friday, October 13th, proved to be a lucky day for Captain John MacKay (1.4.8A,4,2.1.2.)of Beach Point. John landed the largest tuna of 2006 that day to claim the Premier's Cup. The 1,274-pound (578 kilogram) Bluefin was not only the largest catch of 2006, it was the largest in the last six years. John and his first mate, Matthew Pollard, fought the tuna for 6 1/2 hours after hooking the fish on the Ridge, a fishing ground east of Beach Point. It was landed at the Machon’s Point wharf. The Premier’s Cup was instituted by Premier Pat Binns in recognition of the role tuna fishing plays in the Island economy and the international recognition it brings to the province. Island fishers landed 802 tuna last year valued at $3 million with additional revenue from the sport fishery. John has been fishing tuna since 1988 and is a long-time member of the PEI tuna advisory group which speaks on behalf of PEI tuna fishers. On hand for the presentation were Premier Binns and Jim Bagnall,the MLA for Montague-Kilmuir.

DEATHS

MAXWELL: Marion E. (Beck) Maxwell, (1.9.5,1,2,) died in the early morning of Wednesday, December 27, 2006, from an advanced case of Alzheimers at the age of 76. She passed away quietly and peacefully at a Salvation Army nursing home in Victoria, B.C.
Survivors include her husband, James Stewart Maxwell, and three children: Laurie A. Shea of Salmon Arm, B.C., James Alexander Maxwell of Dawson Creek, B.C., and Sarah Leanne Prestwich of Victoria, B.C. Other survivors include grandchildren Gregory and David Shea, Carla, Joshua, Bonnie, Zachary, Eric, and Michael Maxwell, Emma, and Sarah Prestwich, as well sons-in-law Patrick Shea and David Prestwich and daughter-in-law, Karen Maxwell.
Marion was an outgoing and friendly person and was quick to welcome visitors with a cup of tea. After her own children were old enough to look after themselves, she would take in foster babies in any emergency.
She was cremated and a service for the celebration of her life was held on Saturday Jan.06/'07.
Her ashes were interred at the Royal Oak Burial Park in Saanich, B.C.

UPEI Building its Women's Soccer Team

It's still only mid-winter but the University of Prince Edward Island is busily assembling next year's women's soccer team. After securing a commitment from striker Brandy Doiron of Charlottetown Rural in December, the UPEI Panthers have landed three more solid recruits from the P.E.I. School Athletic Association senior ranks.
Keeper Amanda Wheatley of Bluefield, centre midfielder Sarah Stewart of Charlottetown Rural and fullback Lisa Beck of Colonel Gray will join the UPEI Panthers for the 2007 season.The three were named to the all-stars team last year.
The UPEI head coach, Mike Redmond, said they all bring something different to the team.
"With Amanda, it’s the experience of being at the Canada Games. She is technically one of the better keepers on the Island and has great passion for the game."
"For Sarah, it’s size, strength and power," said Redmond. He said Lisa has come in under the radar. "She is a relative unknown to a lot of people, but she is an exceptional player at the high school level, great pace and great on the tackle," he said. "She is someone I feel can take the next step and will make the transition very quickly." She was described this way in her all-star write up last fall. "Lisa is a highly skilled fullback who is consistent and great under pressure. She is a grade12 student who leads with heart and commitment."

SPOTTY RADIO COVERAGE ON PEI

Radio stations on PEI are operating on the FM band now, and residents are complaining that coverage is poor in the Eastern and Western ends of the Island. George Ferguson (1.4.4.11A.2.2.) of Murray River has described the service as totally unacceptable.
In a letter to The Guardian, George says cost has not been the deciding factor in determining the development of rural communications, so much as a recognition of the importance of linking communities together.
He says modern communications keep people in the mainstream and ensure they are not left behind.
“There is an inherent understanding among our policymakers that for a country to grow and prosper, essential ingredients are a prerequisite and certainly a good communications system is one of those ingredients.”
George is deeply involved in provincial politics, and is an active member of the Liberal Party Association of Murray River-Gaspereaux.

WORKING WOMEN NOT GETTING BENEFITS THEY DESERVE

A PEI women's advocacy group says far too many working women in Canada are ineligible for maternity and parental benefits.
Michelle Harris-Genge,(1.4.6.5,4.1.1,) co-executive of the Women's Network PEI, says 41 per cent of women in the workforce find it very difficult to access these benefits. In an interview with The Guardian, she said the percentage in PEI is probably higher.
The group's parental benefits advisory committee, which just wrapped up a three-day workshop in late January, is urging the federal government to extend eligibility for maternity and parental benefits.
When eligibility requirements changed in 1997, certain groups encountered greater difficulty qualifying for benefits, notably part-time, seasonal, contract or self-employed women.
Michelle said the most vulnerable and marginalized women in Canada have been most affected. She said teenaged new mothers, women with little education, low income women, single mothers, immigrant women, visible minority women, aboriginal women, and women with disabilities are commonly denied maternal and parental benefits.

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 interesting 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 1, 2007.