'The Moving of the Farley Mowat Boat Roofed House' Website is Launched

Yesterday the new website was launched describing the details of a bold plan to dismantle and rebuild the massive dry stone structure that was built ten years ago commemorating Farley Mowat (while he was with us). Please set aside Canadian Thanksgiving, October 2016 to participate in this international event in Port Hope Ontario and keep Following Farley  on your cyber radar. 

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Farley Mowat is recognized as one of Canada's literary lions and a fervent champion of environmental issues. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Farley is remembered not only as an author and environmentalist but also as a soldier, veteran and philanthropist. He saw military service with Canadian forces in the European theatre of operations in World War II and left with the rank of Captain in 1945.

Farley began his literary career post the war and published his first book "People of the Deer" in 1952. He was a prolific author with forty two titles to his credit with millions of copies in print and published worldwide. 

Among his many distinctions were a Stephen Leacock Memorial medal for "The Boat That Wouldn't Float" and was named Author of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association. In 1989 he won a Gemini Award for best documentary script for "The New North". He received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2010. He was an Officer of the Order of Canada and received a number of honorary degrees.

Among his conservation efforts he will be most remembered for his work with the Sea Shepard Conservation Society who named one of their ships, the MV Farley Mowat, in his honour.

Following Farley 

The Story 

The Boat Roofed House 

Hands up all who are not in favour.

Except for councilor Fudge the town council in Port Hope voted unanimously in favour of not honouring Farley Mowat, by squashing a proposal supported by a growing movement of people (in Canada and around the world ) requesting that the name of the small residential street that leads to the dry stone boat built in his honour in 2006 be changed. (see Handmade Craft http://thinking-stoneman.blogspot.com/2010/04/handmade-craft.html) Percy street has only one house on it, and that resident is also in favour of the name change. Extensive research including delving into the town archives gave no definitive indication to who or what the present street name refers to.

A number of Farley supporters showed up at the council meeting last night hoping that the town would see fit to have the area in town where the boat roofed house is situated, have a little higher profile, by changing Percy Street to 'Farley Mowat Way'. The proposal which was put forward by local resident Stephen Smith and former town councilor John Moran, had been shelved many times in the past, however it was still hoped by many of us attending last night's meeting, that a favourable decision would be made, which would see internationally known author Farley Mowat, a long-time resident of Port Hope, 'recognized' for his contributions to Canada while he is still alive.

Handmade Craft

The term 'stone boat' refers to a flat farm implement used for moving heavy rocks and stones. It was usually pulled with horses by the Canadian settlers hauling huge stones off to the sides of fields of newly cleared sections of farmland. The device looks like a low-profile sled. They were usually made of wood, but some flat metal stone boats were used too. The word 'stone boat' is not exactly an oxymoron but nevertheless it does combine two somewhat contrasting concepts.

In Port Hope the 'stone boat' has come to take on a different meaning altogether. It was here in 2006 during the annual dry stone festival in Canada that a structure was built by a team of enthusiastic wallers to commemorate a book by the internationally acclaimed author Farley Mowat, who has lived here in Port Hope for many years. His book 'The Farfarers', about a Pre-Viking people who came to Canada in search of walrus hides and tusks, was the inspiration for a dry stone boat which replicated the shelter made by Alban people who wintered over in parts of Arctic Canada by building dry stone enclosures and roofing them with their up-turned double-ended ocean going crafts.

Today, four years after its completion I needed to do a minor repair to this stone boat. It took five minutes. As the simulated walrus skins of the hull fade it has started to look even more authentic. As a point of interest in town it has started to take on a history of its own. Thankfully it has not been subject to any vandalism even though it is not situated in a prominent section of town. Even the ropes, with heavy stone weights stretched across the hull to simulate the boat's needing to be held down against strong arctic winds, have never been tampered with, although they are not secured in any way to the structure.

This temporary boat 'dwelling-place' with a foundation of dry stone is a surprising thing to come across in a small Canadian town. It stands as a public monument but is situated in a private setting. It is an enigma. This rugged looking craft, a hand-made structure of stone - is it a building, a boat, a sculpture, a monument, or a reproduction of historic fantasy?