Editorial – July/August/September 2022

Announcing a new era for the Wayback Times

Welcome, dear readers, to my last editorial in the Wayback Times. This is an unexpected and wonderful surprise, as I was prepared to make this my final issue and put the WT to bed. While I was wrestling with that reality and how to deal with it after 16 years of being the editor and publisher, I heard from Lynne and John Dokurno, antique shop owners, who were interested in buying the paper. So, the reality now is that the Wayback Times lives on for which I am very thankful!  

I’m excited to see what  John and Lynne (see editorial below), will do with this 27 year old publication as it evolves into their own style and design.  Being in the business of antiques themselves I know they will bring their expertise and experience to each and every page of future issues.

There are so many people to thank for the last sixteen years including a diverse assortment of writers with the most amazing talent and a huge range of interests… and isn’t that the beauty of the antiques and collectibles industry? There is literally something for everyone to learn about when it comes to our collective past and all the accoutrements that have accompanied it along the way to the present.

As for the WT advertisers; I’ve said it time and again… without the advertisers, there would be no publication, The ads they submit fund the printing and delivery of the paper to many shops, markets, shows and auctions across a large section of Ontario. Thank you, all of you,  for your business, and also your friendship.

Thank you to the delivery people, starting with dear Leo Howitt who started out with Jay Telfer and continued on delivering to western Ontario for years after I bought the WT from Jay.  Leo loved the route and talking to all the advertisers along the way. He was often invited to stay for coffee and had to reluctantly decline (he loved a good chat!)  in order to get deliveries done.  When the trip got to be a bit too much for Leo’s troublesome shoulder, his son-in-law, Kim Lee, took over and did a great job, quite often accompanied by his wife, (Leo’s daughter) Roseanne. And now, thanks goes to Ken Feakins who took over the western deliveries when the time came for Kim to leave. Thank you, Ken!

And, of course, there is my husband, Peter, whom many of you know from the antique show circuit… and also from the many, many deliveries he has made in the past 16 years.  Peter has the US Postal Service beat “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds. * (See the end of this editorial to learn where that phrase really came from.) He has dealt with blistering heat (with broken  A/C), treacherous ice, bitter cold, torrential downpours, mountains of snow, knee-deep slush, Toronto rush hour, one vehicle breakdown, and far too many near misses on the crazy highways and byways he’s been navigating all these years.  Switching from bi-monthly to quarterly printing in 2018 reduced the driving significantly and has made it much more manageable – but for him, it’s time to retire from the WT deliveries.  I  have always been, and will always be, incredibly grateful for all his help. I don’t think newspaper deliveries were in included in the wedding vows, but wow, he sure stepped up to the plate!  (The drives to all the shows he has lined up this year will be a piece of cake when the deliveries end!) 

Sixteen years is a big chunk of time, and at times it seems longer,  but generally speaking, the older I get, the shorter it seems. So many things have changed since 2006 when I bought the paper from Jay Telfer, including the paper itself.  A    business of this nature reflects the style of the people publishing it and the current trends in the market  – and trying to keep up with the constant changes. The term “vintage” hadn’t really come into its own at that point in time… and now it’s a major part of the industry. But the most difficult part of “change” isn’t so much the business aspect of it, it’s more how the passage of time robs us of so many friends and family members. It’s inevitable, I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier.  I hope to have more time to stay connected with the cherished people who have put up with me and my deadlines all these years. I will miss many things, but not deadlines!

One of those friends who was always deferential when it came to deadlines, and whom we recently lost, was Ernie Kowalchuk.  You’ll probably remember Ernie if you ever met him. He was a unique individual. His business was called “Ole Junk” and he and his wife, Carol, specialized in antique iron, tools, weaponry and anything that was weird and wonderful, particularily if it was metal. Ernie could be described as “boisterous” at times, but he loved to share his knowledge with anyone who asked, and he was extremely generous. He was one of the very first people I ever spoke to at an antique show almost 30 years ago. He patiently answered my (probably extremely dumb) questions and was very kind and encouraging in the process. He loved the business. Sadly, we lost Ernie in March of this year after a lengthy and extremely difficult illness.  We miss him, miss his enthusiasm and innate interest in everything and our many, many conversations. Our love and prayers go out to Carol and the family.

There have been many other “sad farewells” over the years; people we’ve  lost who we have collectively mourned in the antique community, Far too many –  gone, but never forgotten. Each one has been a part of the fabric that weaves this community together.

 If you might be wondering about the picture with the kayak on the front page, there is a reason for it. Somewhere down by our old barn/antique shop, in the overgrown part where our mechanical car enthusiast/collector/repair guy son has left a car or two, there is a green kayak hiding under the very tall grass and weeds, waiting to be taken out on a lake after many years of neglect.  It’s one of my goals, along with spending more time with family and friends (and our grand-daughter) to get that kayak into water somewhere soon with Peter. I have no idea where the life jackets are, or where all the other required boating paraphernalia is, but I’m determined to paddle that kayak somewhere.

In trying to figure out what my last editorial should say, it’s dawned on me that there’s far too much to put into words. I’ve been pondering this for some time now,  hoping that some profound reflections and sharing of knowledge will pop into my head, but so far, no such luck. I think, perhaps, I’ll end on the same theme… with “thank you,” and  I’ll add what I believe to be words of incredible value: “God bless.”

Have a safe and happy summer, which we hope will include visiting our many amazing advertisers. (Please tell them Sandy sent you!)

Thanks for reading the Wayback Times for all these years.   Like you, I’m excited to see John and Lynne’s first issue in the fall of 2022 and wish them the very, very best in all their endeavours. 

* And about the U.S. Postal service quote, the original saying, according to Wikipedia, was spoken by Herodotus, a Greek historian, about 2500 years ago . The actual words were, “…  and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed …” This was in reference to the mounted Persian couriers during the war between the Greeks and Persians about 500 B.C. The  quote was engraved around the New York City General Post Office in the 1890s and that is possibly why it is associated with the USPS to this day.