A few years ago I found myself flying back to Winnipeg with Jim Hilliard for a long overdue reunion at CKY. (Jim pictured above with Deno Corrie, me, and Burton Cummings) When I began my radio career as a board op at CKY, not only was Jim the station’s Program Director, he was also the afternoon drive guy known as Jimmy Darin.
Unfortunately, as exciting as the reunion promised to be, I’m afraid that we’d waited too long because most of the first team we’re already gone. How sweet it would have been had I been able to come home and thank Daryl ‘B’, Chuck Dann (Riley), Jack Wells, Frank Roberts, Jim Coghill, Bill Trebilcoe, George Dawes, John Pierce, and Mike Hopkins, for all that they had done for me.
When our plane touched down in Winnipeg, we still had a few hours before the big event so we decided to revisit some of the places we used to hang out at. This included the drive-in movie theatre where along with Barbara and Lana, we discovered James Bond. Now some 50 years later Jim and I continue that tradition by seeing the latest James Bond flick together.
When our reminiscing tour of Winnipeg was done, we cleaned up and headed for the reunion and once there we got to reunite with the few folks from our era who were still around. This included Em McDermid, Deno Corrie, Warren Cosford and even some of the guys from the Jury. Ray St Germain who was Winnipeg’s first rock star was there along with Burton Cummings who sang a chorus of our first record “Until You Do” which he claimed he bought with the money from his paper route.
When I worked at CKY I was just starting out as a board op, but as I look back, I now realize that those days were probably the most fun I’ve ever had in radio. At some point, Burton asked me if Jimmy Darin was there? When I told him that he was, he excitedly asked if I would introduce him. When we caught up with Jim he was talking to a few folks, and when there was a lull in the conversation, I said, “Jim, you remember Burton Cummings don’t you?” He said, “Of course I do” and after shaking hands, Jim said, “Hey Burton I don’t want you to think I’m a star-fucker or anything but my wife Barbara made me promise to say hello to you if I saw you. She still remembers when we picked you up years ago when you were hitchhiking in the rain.” Burton responded with the line of the night when he said, “I understand you’re not being a star-fucker Jim, but perhaps Barbara is?”

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.

I recently learned that when the Irish came to America, they were slaves too but were much cheaper than their African counterparts.

One of the leading causes of death in North America is suicide which I understand is likely brought on by some form of depression. Not having any suicidal thoughts nor suffering from depression, I’m certainly no expert on the subject, but I sure knew someone who was.
When I was just beginning my radio career, I worked at CKY in Winnipeg as a board op along with fellow board op Rick Hallson who went on to work at one of Canada’s biggest stations, CHUM in Toronto. Around the same time that Rick left for Toronto I moved to America so we fell out of touch. Thankfully though, Rick and I reconnected when I received the following letter.

Hello George,

I think the last time we talked was 1963 when Sandy Koufax won the MVP award in that years’ World Series. Maybe that’s going back a little far, but it’s in the ballpark. I was directed to your website last night by Ken Porteous, an old CHUMer, and lifelong friend. He found news of the death of Bill Gorrie. I am shocked and saddened to hear about Bill’s demise by suicide. Bill, Ken, and I were just three on a long list of Silver Heights Collegiate grads who were drawn to radio in the early sixties, primarily by the dynamic CKY talent with jocks such as Jimmy Darrin, J. Robert Wood, Chuck Dann, and the amazing on-air execution. ‘KY was huge and working at the station for me, being barely 17, was a gift.

Bill Gorrie was kind, gentle, supportive, humorous, upbeat, flexible, honest, to name a few. That was my experience with him during the time I worked at CKRC. I guess that’s why I was so shocked at learning about his suicide. That just doesn’t fit with what I knew of him, his character, his comfortable drive, and his kindness toward others. But then, someone who lives with chronic depression lives two lives. One is hidden deep within while the other part struggles to live with a sense of normalcy. I know because I have lived that. I attempted suicide three years ago. I don’t know what Bill’s issues were, but in my case, I carried my issues as far as I could–until August 28, 2008. My demons had won. I was completely surprised when I woke up 26 hours later, and it was shortly after waking up and becoming somewhat lucid that I realized I was getting a second chance at life. Since then, I have used my experience and skills as a two-decade professional speaker to advocate for mental wellness and the rights of those who are affected by mental illness. (That’s a long way from executing a dynamic intro sitting on the edge of the jock chair in front of a mic in the control room.)

Could Bill have been swayed in the parking lot the night of the CKRC reunion party? No one will ever know. A couple of months after my suicide attempt and release from the psych ward, I became certified in suicide intervention so that I could better understand suicide and perhaps help others in crisis. One who deals with chronic depression feels shame and a sense of hopelessness, every day. It never leaves. There is no relief. Stigma is a huge issue. Stigma is embedded in our health care system—even within the silo of mental health. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. It’s there in all its ugliness. Bill’s pain is gone. May he rest in peace. What a shame. What a loss.

I did write a book about my experience with my suicide attempt. It sits in a folder on my computer. I’ve never sent it to a publisher for consideration. I’m not sure why but I had to write it for the sake of writing it. Please let me share a few lines from the book with you and your readers. “Within weeks of my release from the hospital after my suicide attempt, I attended a suicide survivors gathering. It’s an annual event staged for family and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide. Speakers addressed an audience of about 150, relating their personal stories: anguish, guilt, fear, hurt, anger, frustration, pain; stories that rang so loud it was deafening; Oh how they wish they could turn back the clock and perhaps change an outcome. As the ceremony continued, I became so profoundly aware of what I had done, as never before, and even in my survival, how I had hurt the people who loved and cared for me. I stood in a back corner of the room watching and listening to the stories one after another, trying to keep my crumbling composure in check. It was so hard to be there. As I walked away after the final prayer from the podium, I decided to write my book. I need to write it for my own sake: fifty years of dealing with my personal demons had almost cost me my existence. It had to end. If telling my story helps even a single human being from taking that final step—suicide, then it is worth every word.”

Like so many others, I will remember Bill Gorrie.

Take care, George.

Rick Hallson htp://www.richardhallson.net

Winnipeg

Even though depression and an attempted suicide couldn’t bring Rick to his knees, cigarettes did. Sadly, a short while after I received his letter, Rick passed away from lung cancer. R I P Brother!

Sad comments about #Suicide #Depression and #LungCancer above. Comments and #LifeLiners about everything else @ GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.