10/07/2024
The following article was published today (October 7, 2024.) by La Presse. It is best viewed in their app for laptops and computers. These photos were provided to them. Please forgive the awkward Google translation I've provided. đ€đŸđ
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Portrait:
Eugeneâs retirement means collecting stories
The past of a region is written in books and in genealogical archives, but also in the memories of its people, in their disjointed anecdotes and in their rich oral tradition. It was by chance that Eugene Haslam discovered a real passion for these village echoes that he takes pleasure in collecting and spreading. Portrait of this retiree whose journey is far from ordinary.
A traveler's path
Encouraged by his parents, Eugene moved to Canada from India while still a teenager, at the age of 15. He then studied psychology and business administration in Ontario, then became a banker. It was towards the end of the 1980s that he received an unusual offer from a client: to open a new English pub in Ottawa. The establishment proved to be a great success.
This first foray into the world of bars changed the course of his career and led him, a few years later, to co-found what at the time became a true institution on the Ottawa music scene: Zaphod Beeblebrox . For 25 years, the walls of this club - which bears the name as improbable as it is unpronounceable of a character from the novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - have seen numerous artists pass through, including several who have had international careers.
âAt a time when that didnât yet exist, we created a place where artists, musicians, nerds and misfits could come together."
âEugene Haslam
The curtain fell, however, when Eugene suffered a stroke. He then handed over the business to a successor... who closed the business after just one year. âI keep beautiful memories and good times,â says the businessman.
The birth of a passion
Now retired, Eugene lives in Treetops, a magnificent historic log property located in Montebello, in Outaouais, right on the famous golf course. This impulsive purchase was made while browsing the âcheapâ description sheets of a luxury real estate agency.
It was shortly after moving in that the new occupant became interested in the history of his new residence. He undertook research which brought to light a lot of interesting anecdotes. A local resident carefully gave him the original construction plans, as well as a contract indicating that the house was built in 1940 for just under $10,000. Note: the first name of the original owner, ErigĂšne, strangely resembles his own.
Eugene also discovered that in ancient times, Canada's political, financial and business elite and foreign dignitaries came to party at this house. He felt like he was opening a veritable Pandora's box and wanted to know more and more. The retiree then discovered a new passion: going on a story hunt.
Collecting stories
So Eugene registered with the local historical society. Result: he learned more about the region's past, particularly about the Aboriginal people who used the Ottawa River; on Louis-Joseph Papineau and the patriot rebellion; and on the ChĂąteau Montebello, of course, but also on the Seigniory Club, an association of influential Canadian and American business people of the time. Nevertheless, he unearths his best stories by meeting the villagers.
âEvery person has their story. By listening to it, we learn a little more about where we are."
âEugene Haslam
Over the course of conversations, whether in ice fishing huts, in the region's bars or around the golf course, the man gathers confidences and deepens his knowledge. He never knows what new scrap of information will be added to his collection. He then loves to relay these same stories to anyone who wants to hear them, to keep them alive.
A step back
For some people, retirement is accompanied by a loss of direction and a feeling of guilt. âYou fully deserved this time off. Allow yourself the pleasure of doing nothing⊠until you feel like doing something,â advises Eugene. For him, it's playing pickleball, walking in the forest, observing the deer and wild turkeys that wander onto his land and, above all, introducing other people to his passions. âIf an activity fills you with joy, spread that joy,â he adds.
Before identifying himself as a Montebellois or a Quebecois, Eugene first calls himself an Earthling. He approaches each person with boundless enthusiasm, as if he had just discovered the existence of a member of his distant family. That changes everything, in his opinion.
âWe are all born from the same Earth; our stories help us better understand who we are and what we do here."
âEugene Haslam
He concludes by saying that life should not be taken too seriously, a lesson learned from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In case the Earth disappears one day, to make way for an intergalactic highway.
Copyright: La Presse
