The Late Show
with Gordon Pinsent

Noah Augustine lived his life in the promise of his people. He was a proud Mi'kmaq man, a skilled orator, writer and poet, whose words pointed to a better way and a better life for aboriginal communities. His larger than life personality enchanted many who knew him, including some of the most powerful and influential politicians and business people in New Brunswick.But Noah Augustine also faced tragedy, courted controversy and lived through many highs and lows.  And he died young....before he could fulfill his promise as a First Nation leader.

 

The documentary on Noah Augustine was by Myfanwy Davies in Fredericton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn Thomson had a smile that could light up a room. The tough talking  wheelchair bound double amputee dedicated herself to helping  young people get off drugs and start new lives in the process. Lynn could relate to the hard life on the streets of Winnipeg since she had been a street kid herself.  But in her sobriety, and grateful for a second chance, she led a generous and selfless life.

 

 

 

 

 

The documentary on Lynn Thomson was by Suzanne Dufresne in Winnipeg.

Kazim Medhi Jafri was an engineer, scholar and devoted father. He was born in India 1917 but the turmoil of partition forced him to move his family to the new Islamic state of Pakistan. His life changed course again when, as he approached 60, he moved his family to Canada to seek a better life. A devout Muslim, he doted on his six daughters. He  encouraged each of them to pursue higher education. But it was the youngest of his girls who would ultimately test his faith and traditions in his new land.

The documentary on Kazim Jafri was by Maureen Brosnahan in Toronto.

 

Father Jean Pochat was seen by many as a rebel. An open-minded, trustworthy priest, he was not afraid to challenge the hierarchy of the church. Born in France, he spent nearly 60 years with his feet firmly planted on the permafrost in the Northwest Territories. He was head of the residential school - Grandin College  - and charged with producing nuns and priests, instead he encouraged his graduates to become aboriginal leaders and activists. Father Pochat also helped survivors of abuse from other residential schools stand up for their rights. Father Pochat died in 2010 at home, in Behchoko, NWT with his family, the Tlicho.

The documentary on Father Jean Pochat was by Kate Kyle in Yellowknife.

Ottilia Chareka grew up in a small, rural village in Zimbabwe. A beautiful young woman, her father expected to collect a "bride price" as quickly as possible, assuming she'd marry young.  But Ottilia had other plans.  She had ambitions to become the first girl in her clan to finish high school and become a teacher.  She succeeded. But when she moved to Canada, she found out her credentials were not accepted. So, she began again. While working as a maid at a hotel in Fredericton, she saved enough money for university tuition. After completing her PhD, she became a highly respected professor in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS.  She was a spirited mother to five girls and her boundless enthusiam, intellect and empathy made her a favourite of both staff and students.  Tragically, Ottilia died on March 16th, 2011. Her husband has been charged with first degree murder.

The documentary on Ottilia Chareka was by Diane Paquette in Halifax.

 

Jon Lien was the Whale Man, a shaggy-haired Viking from South Dakota who saved hundreds of whales from certain death in the waters off Newfoundland; the animal behaviourist found a way to get the marine giants co-operation, to let him free them from the fishing nets they were trapped in. In the process, he helped two species - the fisherman and the whale - learn to co-exist. He was also a passionate professor; an organic farmer; and a man who loved life, and his family, in equal measure. Jon was and is an inspiration to those who seek new and innovative answers to old problems.

 

The documentary on Jon Lien was by Ted Blades in St. John's.

Bryce Keller wanted to be a solider. His parents were concerned, but accepting as their son felt it was a calling. Even in his childhood in Regina, Saskatchewan, Bryce was described as a natural born leader. Someone you could always depend on. But it was in the last few moments of his life that defined the person he had become. It was August 3rd, 2006 - in one of the bloodiest days of fighting for Canadians in the Afghanistan War, Bryce Keller went above and beyond the call of duty. The young man's heroic actions saved the lives of many on that fateful day.

 

 

 

The documentary on Bryce Keller was by Michael O'Halloran in Calgary.

Chava Rosenfarb wrote her first poem when she was eight years old, in her hometown of Lodz, Poland. She developed her literary voice in the Lodz Ghetto during the Second World War. Later in the Nazi concentration camps, she continued to write poetry in her native Yiddish, scribbling the words on the ceiling above her bunk bed with a stub of a pencil. Chava managed to survive Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. After the war, she moved to Montreal. Yet even as she raised her family and built a new life, she was compelled to relive her old one, to bear witness to the Holocaust and its effect on her beloved Lodz and its Jewish residents. Her life, her art, were dedicated not just to preserving those memories and the people who were lost, but to preserving Yiddish, the language of that lost era.

 

The documentary on Chava Rosenfarb was by Susan McKenzie in Montreal.

David Trask was born on land but lived most of his life on the waters off the coast of Nova Scotia. A respected dragger captain, he would often return from fishing trips, his boat brimming with the bounty of the sea. His uncanny ability to land impressive catches won him respect at the wharf and his disarming sense of humour made him popular with colleagues and strangers alike. David knew the ocean floor the way many people know the streets of their neighbourhood.The sight of a breaching whale, the cry of a gull, the power of the tides never ceased to amaze him. He was at peace on the sea, but he also knew her dangers. And so, when Captain David Trask - a brave and generous man - saved the life of his crew, but not himself, no one was surprised.

The documentary on Captain David Trask was by Bob Murphy in Halifax.

The Bolshevik Revolution? Been there. Japanese prisoner of war camp? Done that. The Viet Nam war? Nathalia Petrovna Buchan helped start it. Tall tales, you say? Think again.
Nathalia passed away not so long ago in Victoria, having reached the century mark in her remarkable life. But before she came to the relative quiet of Canada, Nathalia was in Asia, living through many of the dramatic events that shaped the 20th century. Nathalia was no adventurer though. All she ever wanted was a stable and comfortable family life. Instead, bullets and bombs constantly followed her, testing her courage and her religious faith.

The documentary on Nathalia Petrovna Buchan was by Michael Tymchuk in Victoria.