We fortunate to grow up in the 1970's. The world of rock and pop music was hitting its zenith, and we were there. We had some amazing live bands at our school dances. I have already profiled Downchild Blues Band. We also had the rock group Wednesday, with their North American Hit "Oh Where Oh Where has my baby gone?". There were others.
I have a deep admiration for songwriters who have the talent to emotionally move the masses through their craft. My personal list includes Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and a whole host of others. One of the people making that list is Oshawa's own Paul Grady. He richly deserves fame that he never got in full measure, but he has made his mark on the music world.
The first Paul Grady song that I heard, was Get There by Dawn recorded by John Allan Cameron. The second Grady song to move me, was Another Pot 'o Tea. The song was recorded by both Anne Murray, and Emmy Lou Harris.
The above picture was digitized from a Polaroid snapshot. It shows songwriter Paul Grady taking the stage at OCHS. John Allan Cameron was there as well, but not pictured. The other musicians in the photo are luminaries in their own right. They are from Anne Murray's band who were a monstrous hit machine for a number of years. Shown in the pic are Andy Cree on drums, Bill Spear on piano, Miles Wilkinson on guitar, Paul Grady at the mike, and 16 year old Peter Grady, Paul's younger brother on bass. I went to St. Joe's with Peter who was in my class.
Below are some Youtube cuts of the talent of these people. The first is not a Grady song, but John Allan Cameron's hit "Lord of the Dance" (I couldn't find "Get There By Dawn"). Next is Paul Grady's "Another Pot o Tea" sung by Anne Murray. (email me if you want Paul's explanation of what the lyrics mean).
Paul Grady can be found on the internet at
I don't know the name of this person, but I am sure that my reader with the encyclopedic knowledge will leave a comment shortly. It brings to mind 1970's songs about blue jeans -- Neil Diamonds "Forever in Blue Jeans"; Cat Stevens "Oh So Young"; and going back further in music history- "Venus in Blue Jeans".
More girls flag football. The only people that I can identify are the partially visible faces of Debbie Comerford, Kathie Andrews and Liz Fitzpatrick.
Girls in the foyer in front of the office. Left to right: Helen Rosicki, Carolyn Corrigan, Joan Sosin, Gloria Murrant, Pat Kilistoff
The above picture is another shot of the Downchild Blues Band performing live at an OCHS dance. I have already waxed eloquently about the music scene in the 1970's, so I will just post the entry for Downchild from the Canadian Music encyclopedia:
These are members of the Art Club. Left to right: Suzanne Cooper, Sharon Vitali and Mrs. Jones.
Brian O'Connell is engrossed in the classroom. He is the brother of Gary O'Connell.
Teacher Gary Ranalli playing chess. He was the staff supervisor of the chess club.
Back Row: Elsa Lack, Debbie Gagnon, Kathy Taylor, Danny O'Neill, Judy McLinton, Marylee O'Neill
I would be remiss if I didn't post pics of the rest of the custodial staff. They are from left to right, Mr. Giorgi, Mr. Russo and Mr. Volaric. (I may have Mr. Giorgi and Mr. Russo transposed, and if I do, please leave a comment).
Pictured above are the school custodians, Mr. Wolfs (left) and Mr. Penman (right).
Shirley Smegal was a fixture in the OCHS office. 
A sports banquet was held in 1973 to honour the outstanding athletes of OCHS that year. The best female athlete was Shelly Paulocik, and the male honours were shared by Gary O'Connell and Peter Bathe. The pic on the left shows Shelly being presented her trophy by Monsignor Paul Dwyer and on the right, you have Monsignor Dwyer, Gary O'Connell and at the end is Peter Bathe.
OK, in this half of the pic, I recognize the bookends -- Ivor Boyagoda on the left upper side and Debbie Sutherland on the right lower side. I invite comments to fill in the blanks.
Here is the original shot in its entirety. Tomorrow, I will rework and post the other piece of the picture.
Kathie Andrews was a beautiful person in every way. She left this earth way too soon. Requiescat in Pace.
I am amazed at how many pictures there are of the staff watching student activities. There was an incredible amount of staff participation in extra-curricular activities. Here a nattily dressed casual Jack Cole is watching events on the field.
I am settled once more (if you can call it settled) in the tropics. Travelling from climate to climate is wearisome. To kick things off in this segment, I am posting a picture of me from the 1970's, doing what I like to do. This is how you would have recognized me and remembered me from high school.
I will not be posting on this blog for a while. I have just returned to the hills of Quebec from a short visit to Oshawa, and after the Easter weekend, I am travelling again to the tropics. I have to settle back in on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and get a grip on my work. After that happens, I will start posting again. See you in the sun on the flip side.
