Wednesday, April 18, 2007

My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers

(Photo from NFB film: My Ancestors Were Rogues & Murderers)


April 18, 2007

Meat on hooks instead of - oh, right, meat on hooks.

It's that time of year again when swilers are out making a living from the sea. Helping to sustain their families and communities. Rather them than me on those ice pans. Bloody hard work. And then I receive on ENN (I subscribe to its daily news listings) an ad by IFAW against the barbaric seal hunt. I'm embarrassed to see such condemnation of a lifestyle when MacDonalds, KFC and just everyday miles upon miles of meat - pork, beef, chicken, you name it - is commonplace in our lives without thought of how it came to be, the industries and corporations that churn it out without thought of life but profits.

Tonight I finally saw Anne Troake's film My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers. A few years ago I met her cousin, fisherman & sealer Jack Troake who had recently lost his son Gary to the sea (in part because of foolish federal fishing regulations). I'm so glad to have finally met Gary through this film. If you haven't seen it, then try to. Here's a link to a teaser.http://www.nfb.ca/webextension/ancestors/

To order copy of this NFB film, go to: http://www.nfb.ca/trouverunfilm/fichefilm.php?id=51455&v=h&lg=en

6 comments:

Michael said...

I'm glad to have you back bloggin' agin'! Missed ya, I did! As for sealing, people ought never criticize something they've never had to do. And I never saw anyone crying while they ate their Big Mac!

Alison Dyer said...

Hi Michael, nice to hear from you. My life is so, well, full (overflowing?) that it is hard to keep all the fingers in the holes in the dam. (lots of bad & mixed metaphors there!) I do enjoy this blog community. A

Mike said...

Hi Alison:

You make some good points in this post.

I had the great pleasure of working with Gary Troake. He was a genuine, caring and considerate person.

Anne's movie, " My Ancestors Were Rogues and Murderers " is a work of art. It is the type of work the Provincial and Federal Gov'ts would do well to send various media contacts. Government should purchase and send out as many as possible.

Film is a scenic breath taker. It clearly and simplistically explains and illustrates the lifestyles of persons living in sealing communities.

I think it would be a P.R coup.

Alison Dyer said...

Hello Mike, I wonder that the sealing industry or Anne Troake did not think about using it in that way. Certainly it would be worthwhile getting far more exposure. Thanks for blogging.

Anonymous said...

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hi there, my name is Tom.

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i am happy to help others and offer advice where possible :)

Waiting your reply..

Alison Dyer said...

Hi Tom, welcome - and sounds good! A