Susie Kockercheidt
Gerry Burnie is a former Baldwin resident who returns to town this weekend to sign copies of his new book Two Irish Lads at the Baldwin General Store from 1 to 3 p.m. The book is a historical account of the area told from a gay point of view.
Georgina
July 23, 2008 07:39 PM
Former Baldwin resident launches historical novel
By: John Slykhuis
It was an emotional homecoming for former Baldwin resident Gerry Burnie.
Mr. Burnie, having just completed his compelling historical novel Two Irish Lads, was in his home town last week looking for a location to hold a book-signing this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.
He was delighted when the owners of the historic Baldwin General Store invited him to host the event there.
The book tells the story of two young Irish men, second cousins Sean and Patrick McConaghy who come to Upper Canada and carved a home out of the primal forest around what would become the hamlet of Baldwin.
The history alone makes the book well-worth reading, thanks to Mr. Burnie’s extensive knowledge and research, research supplemented with fascinating explanatory footnotes throughout the book.
He is a former college professor of political science and law, who has lectured extensively on Ontario history.
Mr. Burnie’s family has deep roots in the area, owning a farm nearby, starting with his Irish-born great-great grandfather, John Burnie (1772-1856) and great grandfather James Burnie (1823-1906).
They were followed by his grandparents Alfred and Harriet and parents Maurice and Patricia Ruth.
He models the fictional farm on his grandfather’s farm in Vachell (Old Homestead and Park roads).
Told in a series of journal entries by Sean, “This novel is a fanciful mix of history, fiction and fact,” he says in the preface.
“Although everything outside the footnotes is entirely fictional, I have tried to use authoritative and eyewitness accounts whenever possible.”
The story takes place from March, 17, 1820 (suitably, St. Patrick’s Day), to January, 1821, beginning with the arduous ocean voyage from Ireland to Upper Canada.
It doesn’t take long for the pair to realize roughing it in the bush was more than they bargained for, dropping from exhaustion after a first day of felling giant trees on their land for a cabin.
Fortunately, they are welcomed by a man who would become their friend and patron, Squire Nicholas Nealon, who helps makes life much easier for the two struggling cousins, albeit having the ulterior motive in trying to find suitable husbands for his two daughters.
Alas for Nealon, he is unaware that Sean and Patrick are lovers, not unusual today, but in the 19th Century homosexuality was a crime punishable by death until 1861, so the two are very careful to hide the truth of their relationship.
Although he didn’t have to worry about execution for being a gay man, Mr. Burnie, 70, said life growing up in Georgina wasn’t easy, having to endure merciless teasing from classmates when he was a student at Sutton District High School.
“It was really tough because I was old enough that I knew that I was gay. In high school I got a lot of ‘queer’ slurs”.
The harassment forced him to flee to Toronto when he was just 15, returning to the farm on Morning Glory Road as an adult and serving for a time on Georgina town and township council, he added.
“Growing up on the farm in Pefferlaw was a marvelous preparation for a book like this,” he said. “When I was growing up, in 1940s and ’50s, pioneer methods were still in effect in a lot of ways, including corn-chucking bees, log-sawing bees, goose-picking bees.”
The story includes some villains, two murders, a pet wolf and plenty of other adventures to keep the reader happy, “including a little twist at the end”, Mr. Burnie said.
“Most of the people (who) have read it and enjoyed it are my heterosexual friends,” Mr. Burnie said, adding he has had orders for it from around the world.
A sequel is in the works, Mr. Burnie said, but in the meantime he is at work on his next “darker” novel.
He now lives in Orillia.
The book can also be ordered on-line at www.iuniverse.com