Grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1903. Never having had any experience farming, he had to learn from the ground up, so to speak. He got a job working for a farmer in the Treherne area of Manitoba. Always a writer of short stories and poetry, he recorded his experiences.
I grew up in a troubled and poverty-stricken home on a farm near Kelwood, Man., and during that phase of my youth, my grandfather became, and remains to present day, a very important, steadfast figure in my life.
Grandfather left the Treherne area and obtained work on a farm in the Hullet district, not far from Killarney. In 1912, he fell in love with and married his employer’s sister. By 1917 they had four children.
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In 1918, he heard about a homestead that had been abandoned at Lonely Lake, just northeast of Ste. Rose Du Lac, Man. He decided to take it on. In November, he moved his family there. In 1922, Grandfather “proved up” and got a title to the land. He wrote this poem about life on the homestead.
A Birthday in August
By Will Massey
In northern Manitoba, a harsh land
For those who ventured there in days gone by
To found a home and family; A sturdy band
Of hearty men and women to defy
The cruel test.
Seven months of winter near a windswept lake
With hard won shelter from the biting cold
Enough to cause the stoutest heart to break
Or cast their courage in a stronger mold
To try their best
There, the last month of summer’s short lived glow
There, like a sweetly perfumed lovely flower
A tiny dark haired Pixie, long ago
Lay sleeping in her baby’s cradled bower
A welcome guest
In 1923, Grandmother inherited some land in southern Manitoba. They sold the farm at Lonely Lake and moved back. The inheritance was a mixed blessing as her uncle had mortgaged it to buy a steam threshing outfit.
When the Depression struck, Grandfather was unable to keep up the payments, and in 1933, he traded a team of horses for a quarter section northeast of Ninette, Man. They built a log cabin there, broke some land, and farmed until 1949 when they retired to Ninette.
My story begins in 1993 when I meet my wife, Dorothy, and we establish a regenerative 12-acre farm at Grosse Isle, Man. Today we grow feed for our sheep, pigs and chickens, and have a big garden with ample amounts to share with our much-loved family.
I’ll close with this poem I wrote about this farm and my love of the land, a love that I share with my grandfather.
Spread My Ashes in the Fields
By Bill Massey
I hear the long low moan of a train miles away
The barometer is falling and there’s a southwest breeze
I can smell the rain in the air this day
I hope it means this drought will ease
I watch a wall of water march across the yard
From the shelter of the veranda on the front of the barn
The life giving moisture pours down hard
Nurturing plants and hope once again on the farm
I smell the fresh earth and the bounty it holds
I thank the spirits of the soil for all that they give
I need to care for this land and nurture it so
The ones who follow have the same future to live
Spread my ashes in the fields all over this farm
I want to be part of the growth and rebirth each year
Let them say about me I have done no harm
And know I am part of the land I hold near
Bill Massey is a Manitoba writer, retired school principal and regenerative farmer. His latest book is of Poets & Pioneers, which tells the story of the relationship between Massey, his grandfather and the land through their writings and poetry. Massey’s first book, of Pork & Potatoes, recounts the story of his childhood on the Kelwood farm. To purchase these books, visit billmassey.ca or email [email protected].
