Tributes
Ernie: An Introduction
There are a few individuals in the Gatineau Valley who are known simply by their first name. "Ernie" Mahoney was one of them. He was a person who possessed a passion for recording and telling the stories of both our past and our present, and the sensitivity and kindness he brought to this task is reflected by the fondness that we still hold for him and his life. Although not everyone knew Ernie well, many in this community were touched and influenced by him, and he was regarded by many as a friend and a mainstay of Gatineau Valley society. Ernie left a wonderful and eclectic body of writing and photographs. His articles for the Gatineau Valley Historical Society's Up the Gatineau! describe aspects of the region spanning from what lies at the bottom of the Gatineau River, to the events, places and peoples on its banks. His work as a journalist has left us a fine collection of individual sketches of both heritage locals and more recent settlers to the region. These stories now serve to bring to life the individuals and facets of our community that have helped shape and define who we are today.
Although Ottawa was always his home base, Ernie grew up in an Air Force family. He graduated from the University of London School of Economics, back-packing throughout Europe during holidays. He returned to the Ottawa area. For 15 years he served as senior staff officer for the Canadian Construction -Association ( CCA) responsible for joint committees including the architectural, engineering professions and manufacturing sectors, travelling to every corner of Canada. The Expo 67 International Centennial Project of the CCA was a highlight. In order to promote the Capital, the position of Director, InterGovernmental Relations for the City of Ottawa was created and Ernie assumed the position from 1974-75. During these years he frequently spent time in the Gatineau Hills.
Leaving Ottawa working life behind him, he soon kept busy "up in the Gatineau Hills" as coordinator of a Canada Works project to salvage logs mired at the bottom of the Gatineau River. He began a new chapter of his life in the Wakefield area as a reporter and feature writer at The Low Down To Hull and Back News, where he honed his skills in the 1980s. He moved to The West-Quebec Post in 1987 as the Wakefield editor, taking charge at the regional editor's desk for a number of years. He worked from his cherished office overlooking the Gatineau River in Wakefield's Place 1870, a popular "drop-in" spot, until the day he went into hospital.
Ernie was a tremendous promoter of his home town of Wakefield, and of the Gatineau Hills generally, and he would show up for any event, big or small, whether it was a town meeting, or a local fair. He did his best to ensure that the communities on his beat, as well as the Historical Society, stayed in the news, and he thrilled many a child by finding a reason to get their picture into his paper. He had an amazing knack for putting so-called "hot-button" issues into context and his experience and insight were invaluable to the many people who sought his advice. Many of us respected Ernie's ideas and counsel because we knew that, as a long-time observer and chronicler of local history and community and municipal affairs, his opinions were well informed and practical.
Ernie's passions included community activism in heritage preservation, sailing, canoeing, and simple country life, observing birds and surrounding nature. He had an amazing love of animals and human life, something he captured and shared through his photography and with his partner and best friendr Deborah.
He was president of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society from 1998 to 2003, and past-president until his death. He was a founding member.of the La Peche Heritage Committee, which instigated the move of the Fairbairn House to its present location at Hendrick Park in Wakefield, where it will become a museum and heritage centre for the region. In 2002, Ernie was presented with the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal by the Canadian Governors General for distinguished community service.
Personally, I will miss stopping in at his office after work to do a little planning or to get some advice about how to solve a problem. Or more often, I would just drop by to vent about my day or to bounce some dumb idea off him. And many times, all it took was for Ernie to look toward the ceiling, and say, "Well ... " and I knew it was time to drop it and move on. "Onward and upwards," he would say, and that's a philosophy which will stick with me forever.
Many of us involved in the Historical Society believe that the best way to see the future is to look in a rearview mirror. I know that when we as a community look in that mirror, we will see Ernie's life, his legacy and his kindness reflected there, and our memories of him will continue to inform and shape our futures.
There is a Greek proverb which says "a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit." The Gatineau Valley Historical Society is pleased to offer this tribute to Ernie and his stories in this book, nurturing and growing his legacy so that the "trees" he planted will continue to offer shade and comfort to future generations.
Marc Cockburn, President
Gatineau Valley Historical Society
March 2010