2003 Harmony Award Recipient
By Joseph Wong
In writing my personal tribute to June for this program booklet, I was already faced with a pressing dilemma. How, in such brevity, do I begin to tell the wonderful person that is June Callwood? I can only say that these words I write, no matter how I try to be expressive and vivid, can never fully capture her as she cannot be pinned down with language.
June lived a childhood that was never easy but, in some ways, blessed. For example, she had a grandfather who believed in her abilities, her imagination, and her enthusiasm. In his presence, she felt that the sky was the limit. In many ways, his support for her eased the injustice of the outside world, a world that was still largely dominated by men.
While never being completely comfortable in high school, feeling like an outsider at times, she channeled her energy into what she knew best, writing. She became the editor of the Brantford Collegiate Grumbler and, after school ended, wrote at the local newspaper, the Brantford Expositor, a journalist was well on her way!
Dr.Wong, the Honourable James Bartleman,
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Gordon Cressy
presenting the Harmony Award to June Callwood.
June acquired a job at Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail in 1942. Her whirlwind romance with sportswriter Trent Frayne led to marriage in 1944. As the Globe did not hire married women at that time, she outsmarted that rule by retaining her maiden name.
After the birth of her four children, June began her fruitful freelance career, writing articles for such revered magazines as MacLean’s. Her first book was a ghost writing effort, A Woman Doctor Looks at Life and Love. Ironically, a sever depression in the 1950s was portrayed in one of her most passionate works, Love, Hate, Fear and Anger.
From 1975 to 1978, June graced the CBC program In Touch, acting as host and later, becoming the interviewer of Vision TV’s National Treasures. June co-hosted a recent series of television programs called Caregiving with June Callwood, whose objectives were to reach out and assist those who were caring for aging parents and spouses. Her family and friends continue to be her raison d’etre- the most important and most fulfilling part of her life.
Perhaps one of June’s greatest passions in life is her commitment to social justice. This can be seen in the bulk of her life’s work, working with women and children, and with those living with AIDS. The fact that she has founded or co-founded over fifty social action organizations speaks volumes about her commitment to social equality, her boundless energy supply (as she has lots of it!), and her concern for other people’s pain.
Although her passion for people and social justice has earned her three Orders of Canada and some seventeen honourary doctorates, she remains modest and down-to-earth. No matter how full her plate, no matter how demanding her workload, she will always find the time to return my phone calls and meet with me to catch up on our lives. And every moment I have had with her has been so precious, for, when she speaks with you, you are surrounded by love and compassion.
What impresses me most about June is her incapacity to tolerate any form of injustice that crosses her path. If she lives, breathes, sees, hears, or feels injury to others, chances are, she is already organizing a brave resistance to it. June’s devotion to so many causes shows us, more than ever, that this remarkable woman is devoted to not only the cause of people living with AIDS or homeless youth but to a broader category of humanity- all humanity, with differences and all. How incredibly appropriate, then, that she has been called Canada’s very own Mother Teresa!
When it was not fashionable to sympathize with those living with AIDS, she founded Casey House Hospice. When it was politically unpopular to help North Korea, she got involved in the North Korean Famine Relief. When the Chinese community sought redress for a painful part of their history, the Chinese Head Tax, she stepped up to the challenge and showed us that, an injustice to one is, indeed, an injustice to us all. When it comes to someone else’s sorrow, June has the ability to feel it as if it were her own- empathy so great that it radiates from her the very moment you meet her.
As a visible minority and immigrant to Canada and having experienced the anguish of racism myself, June has given me hope that racism is not an invincible social reality, that it can be confronted and defeated. As a white woman, she has bravely challenged racist practices by helping minority groups who face systemic racism and by speaking in support for those who have been unfairly targeted as scapegoats in society. Her courageous challenge to power and racist ideology, I think, serves as proof of her steely determination and tenacious spirit. What I have come to know about June is that once she declares her devotion to a cause, she will not back down, she cannot- it’s simply not in her nature.
Thank you, June. We are moved that you have chosen to accept this year’s Harmony Award. You continue to embody, and even outshine, the very requirements that this award stands for. Your warmth, your compassion, your courage, your love, your thoughtfulness, your acceptance, and your sense of purpose have affected us all. Thank you for simply existing, June. I feel honoured that, by some stroke of luck, I had the opportunity to exist alongside you.
