The town of Port Hope, Ont., where writer Farley Mowat lives, kicked off a week-long festival honouring the award-winning novelist by unveiling a monument based on one of his recent books.

The 85-year-old resides in the town on the shores of Lake Ontario, an hour’s drive east of Toronto.

The town of Port Hope, Ont., is launching a week of events honouring resident and author Farley Mowat, shown in a 1998 photo.
(Canadian Press)

John Shaw-Rimmington, head of the Dry Stone Wall Association of Canada, came up with the idea of creating a monument based on Mowat’s novel The Farfarers, in which Mowat describes how walrus hunters braved the arctic winters by building low dry stone walls and resting overturned boats on top of them.

The monument, which replicates the scene described in the novel, was built over a three-day period during the annual Northumberland Dry Stone Wall Festival in Port Hope in mid-October. It was unveiled Saturday afternoon.

"His writings are so good, and I thought there needs to be something in town that people can go to rather than driving by his house," said Shaw-Rimmington.

Residents got behind the effort, despite the fact it wasn’t sanctioned by town council, Shaw-Rimmington said. Many volunteers carted stones to the site while others played music for the workers.

Festival includes pub discussions

The writer himself said he's pleased with the monument, which has an authentic look.

"It's done intelligently with no fancy nonsense about it," said Mowat, known for his writings about wildlife and conservation. His adventures in the wild were the basis for most of his 39 books.

He won a Governor General's Award in 1956 and became an officer of the Order of Canada in 1981.

'They're honouring me more than I think I deserve.'- Farley Mowat

The unveiling triggers the start of Port Hope Reads Farley Week in which fans can hang out at local pubs to discuss his books and themes, while the town’s library system is showing films based on some of Mowat's bestselling books, including Lost in the Barrens, The Curse of the Viking Grave and Never Cry Wolf.

On Thursday night, Mowat will be the guest of honour at a special tribute event which will include environmentalist Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club and singer/satirist Nancy White.

"I think it's bloody nice and rather wonderful that a small town would go to all this trouble, and a small town where I wasn't even born, but they've adopted me," said Mowat, who was born in Belleville, Ont.

"They're honouring me more than I think I deserve, and I find it very touching."

With files from the Canadian Press