John Jamieson

Joseph Jamieson (March 15, 1839 – March 12, 1922) was a lawyer and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Lanark North in the House of Commons of Canada from 1882 to 1891 as a Conservative member. He was born in Sherbrooke, Lanark County, Upper Canada, the son of William Jamieson, an immigrant from Ireland, and was educated in Perth. In 1865, he married Elizabeth Carss. Jamieson was called to the Ontario bar in 1869. He served as reeve for Almonte, warden for Lanark County and chairman of the board of license commissioners for North Lanark. Jamieson ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons in the 1878 federal election and an 1880 by-election. He resigned his seat in December 1891 after being named junior county judge for Wellington County.

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The Brighter Lights of Almonte

An Anecdotal and Sometimes Jaundiced Look at the Shining Personalities of the Town of Almonte and Surrounding Area

"He wrote a poem in folio, which he printed not till he was old, and then, as Sir William said, with too much judgement and refining, spoiled it, which was at first a delicate thing."

John Aubrey, "Brief Lives", 1680

John and Halcyon Bell

It was a very short time in 1976 following my arrival in Almonte to work for Galligan and Sheffield, Barristers, Solicitors and Notaries Public that I was introduced to their then clients, John and Halcyon Bell. My instincts told me they were somehow posh - though the explanation wasn’t immediate. It turns out John was the son of James Mackintosh Bell who was a renowned geologist and owner of “Old Burnside” located on what is now called Strathburn Street in Almonte.

Dale Dunning

Years ago I invited a friend from New York City to visit me in Canada. I told him there was nothing in Almonte and suggested instead we rally in Montreal. Our first stop upon his arrival was the Musée des Beaux Arts on Sherbrooke Street West. There we immediately encountered a sculpture by R. Tait MacKenzie who of course I told my friend was from Almonte. We later crossed the street and frequented Dominion Galleries where upon our arrival I spotted a sculpture by Dale Dunning who is also from Almonte. At the time (about 35 years ago) Dale’s notoriety didn’t approach that of R. Tait MacKenzie but today it does. Oddly enough Dale has somewhat the same air of sophistication which MacKenzie had. I once owned a unique piece made by Dale but I sold it along with tons of other stuff we let go when I retired and we down-sized to an apartment. What I like about Dale’s work is that it is substantial. There is nothing wispy about his work. Even the smallest pieces are heavy.

Paul Virgin

It is no accident that an account of Paul Virgin should buffet my renditions of Des Houston, Brian Gallagher and Scott Newton. Paul is currently President of the Mississippi River Power Corporation. He and I overlapped service on that Board for a number of years.

Paul and I began our alliance together when he was President of the Mississippi Golf Club. He retained me to act for the Club in the purchase of its second nine holes from the Lowry farm. It was a complicated transaction and he always preserved confidence.

Scott J. Newton

While I wouldn’t normally be inclined to include someone of the comparatively tender age of Scott Newton in my collection of esteemed members of Almonte society, it is easy to make an exception in this instance. Not only do I consider Scott an illustrious member of our community at this time, I have every conviction that even if I were being overly generous he will prove me right eventually.

Brian J. Gallagher

The Almonte hydro plant is aptly named after Brian. It is called the Brian J. Gallagher Generating Station. Brian’s full and correct name is not Brian J. Gallagher; it is John Brian Gerard Gallagher. I did a lot of legal work for him (both in his personal capacity and as General Manager of the former Public Utilities Commission). He never once cared about the employment of his full and correct name.

Desmond Houston

Des is known to be curmudgeonly and cheap, both I suppose being a tolerable corollary to old age (though frankly I suspect he was that way all his life). Like so many others who have an abrupt or hardened exterior, Des is a marshmallow inside.

He certainly was good to me when I practiced law. Since Des was the Clerk of the Town of Almonte (following the retirement of Bob France if my memory serves me), he was someone with whom I dealt on a regular basis. Additionally Des supported me when I needed him in matters relating to the stewardship of my heritage office building, specifically careering the sometimes tortuous waters of municipal and provincial government funding.

Sanjeev Sivarulrasa

Sanjeev is a relative new-comer to Almonte but he is steadily making a name for himself:

Born in Sri Lanka, Sanjeev Sivarulrasa holds an Honours B. Arts Sc. degree (Arts & Science Program, McMaster University); an LL.B. degree (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University); and an LL.M. degree (Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa). For 14 years, he worked for the Canadian government, with specialization in international tax law. As his fascination with the night sky grew, he left that path to pursue art as a professional artist, curator, art dealer, and founder of a contemporary art gallery. In 2014, he launched Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte, Ontario, representing professional Canadian artists, both emerging and established. An active advocate of the arts, he has served on the Board of Directors of Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des artistes Canadiens (CARFAC National), the music school Ottawa Suzuki Strings, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Since launching Sivarulrasa Gallery, he has curated several exhibitions showcasing the works of contemporary Canadian artists from Eastern Ontario and beyond.

Terry Kell

I suspect that Terry considers himself a renaissance man of sorts, particularly since he has, among many other accomplishments, climbed Mount Everest (an event which unfortunately was marred by the death of one of his colleagues, Sean Egan, also from Almonte).