Brighton's Five Oldest Conservatives

Description

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Image

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Photographs

Notes

Ralph and Eugenia Bangay founded and operated Memory Junction Museum at 60 Maplewood Avenue, Brighton, Ontario from 1995 to 2017. Ralph's love of history and astute eye for memorabilia, including artifacts, photos, deeds, and documents soon created a gathering place for Brighton history.

Inscriptions

From an article in the Brighton Ensign:

We Know Them Now

Quite unintentionally on our part, we started a lot of reminiscencing (sic) and some chuckling among our readers last week, when we published the picture of five old gentlemen and asked if someone could tell us who they were. As we were not employed in the Ensign office when the picture was taken, we did not know we were touching a political angle or repeating coronation year history but, thanks to Mrs. George Loomis, who has lent us a clipping from her scrap book, we learn that the picture was published in the Ensign of October 6th., 1911, which was the year King George [V] was crowned and the Liberal Government went out of power.

To all the friends who telephoned us or called in to answer our query we say thank you; and for the benefit of those who may be as interested as we were, we are publishing the story exactly as it appeared in print, nearly 26 years ago:

BRIGHTON, ONTARIO, OCT. 6, 1911
BRIGHTON'S FIVE OLDEST CONSERVATIVES

On the morning following the recent elections, five old men, all Conservatives, sat side by side in the Central Hotel, discussing the victory. They were united in saying that they were now ready to die as they had seen that "Grit" government turned out of office. On second thought they decided that they wanted to live long enough to see every Grit now holding any public office turned out and then their cup of happiness would be filled to overflowing. The combined ages of these five men exceed the majority of the Conservative candidate, Mr. H.J. Walker, by 6. Reeve A.A. Wade, proprietor of the Central Hotel and son of John Wade, one of the five, prevailed upon the old men to step outside and have their picture taken, a reproduction of which we give above. The names and ages of the gentlemen reading from left to right are: Edward Anderson, 79; Robert Clark, 80; Benjamín Simpson, 81; John Wade, 80; George Maybee, 77.

These men have seen Canada grow from an insignificant colony to a nation of great importance. it has been their good fortune to spend their lives working to build up the greatest county in the world, and it is their pleasure to spend the evening of their life enjoying the fruits of their labor (sic).

The Ensign joins with their many friends in wishing them many more years of peace and happiness.

Date of Original