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OVER THE HILL: Response has fuelled what was to be a 'short-lived hobby'

Diane Armstrong talks about the origins of Over The Hill and what has provided inspiration over the years.

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I’ve been writing Over the Hill for over two decades – a weekly column of thoughts, Northern Ontario history, humour and at times, just a bit of nonsense. Here is a brief answer to the frequently asked question, “How did you get started and why do you call it Over the Hill?”

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It all began when a new editor, Don Biggs, came to work at Timmins Times. In the 1970s I had worked at the old Timmins-Porcupine News with Heather Campbell – not as a writer, but in the advertising department. The years passed, Heather became my postmistress and she suggested I contact Biggs who was looking for a writer. In 1998, I submitted three columns of various topics to Biggs with the thought that if I were hired as a free-lance writer, he could use one a month for three months and that would be the end of it. Those three columns went weekly right away and that was the beginning.

My home town of South Porcupine was expected to be central to most of my writing and because it is located east of the City of Timmins proper, one must drive over Rae Hill to reach it – hence the title, “Over the Hill”.

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At the time, I felt like many others, that because Northern Ontario wasn’t opened up to settlement until the early 1900s, we didn’t have any local history. My membership in our local museum, helping to catalogue donated artifacts and learning about the lives of our pioneers soon told a different story. We do have a history and it should be documented. I started reading, collecting books and doing many hours of research.

My readers are as varied as one could imagine and it came as an enormous surprise to get letters, e-mails and Facebook postings from Australia, Mexico, Greece, England, Italy, every province except PEI and innumerable American States. Most readers are former residents of Timmins but many are not. The title of these weekly musings, although originally chosen because of local geography, also happens to be a popular one for an aging generation who accept being, “over the hill”. Therefore, anyone who chances to Google “Over the Hill”, will likely come upon one or more of my columns.

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What began as a short-lived, retirement hobby has become a part of my life. Your comments keep me going, for I never know from one week to the next, what topics will be of interest to you.

The recent column about my dissatisfaction with the current banking systems, especially when compared to banking practices of the past brought an avalanche of comments.

I noted several who had once been employed at a major bank, will only deal with a credit union today. They suggested it is time credit unions should move into the small towns that have been abandoned by the big banks – and there are many towns in the north who would qualify.

Many others resent paying service charges to access their own money; others refuse to use ATMs or do their banking online, although they feel it will someday be mandatory.

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Most of all, my readers want person-to-person contact at their bank. Gone are the days when a mortgage could be obtained because the manager had known the customer for years. It was their character, not their credit rating numbers that mattered.

Contacts with readers previously unknown to me, produced friendships. Some have sent me old photographs and scrapbooks of great historical value. Another sent a copy of the hospital bill when she was born in 1936. A column about the “Grandparent telephone scam” was found on the Internet by a Japanese-American gentleman, living in California. He wrote to thank me for saving him from a further $5,000 loss. I was not able to help a man find Emily, “the little girl who sat across the aisle from me in Grade 3” but I was able to help a family in England find cousins in South Porcupine and Kirkland Lake.

The mail from my readers keeps me energized and at times, even surprised. Three weeks ago, my column was about not being able to find an eight-inch piece of string. I described the countless businesses that always used string and how it was saved and used in every home. Last week, I received an envelope, mailed from Toronto, which contained a small card saying “Thanks for that great column, Christina”, and she wrapped the card with an eight-inch piece of string! I don’t know you Christina, but like your sense of humour and thank you for the great laugh!

That’s my view from Over the Hill.

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