Righting the Wrongs: Gus Wedderburn's Quest for Social Justice in Nova Scotia

Righting the Wrongs: Gus Wedderburn's Quest for Social Justice in Nova Scotia

Marie Riley

Nonfiction: Biography, Nova Scotia, Black History
$17.95
96 pages
6" x 9" Paperback (includes photographs)
ISBN 978-1-897426-28-9

Order this book from: Nimbus Publishing (or 1-800-Nimbus9) or Chapters or Pottersfield Press mail order.


This is the story of H.A.J. (Gus) Wedderburn. During his 50 years in Nova Scotia, Gus brought his determination and energy to any situation where an injustice needed to be addressed. Growing up in Jamaica, he learned the tenets of respect, fairness and social responsibility from his dynamic family who taught him that giving one's time in the service of others was what life was all about. After studies at McGill University and Mount Allison University, he came to Nova Scotia in 1957 where he took a position as principal at Partridge River School in East Preston, one of the province's oldest Black communities. Here he set out to impress upon students and their families how important education was for them and started a tutoring program that enabled many students to graduate from high school, a first for the community. Years later, former students remember how he encouraged them, recognized their potential and boosted their self-confidence. His was an attitude often not held by teachers towards minority students in those days.

Gus moved on to teach at Bloomfield and Ardmore schools in Halifax, and in 1970, at the age of 41, he changed careers. Three years later he graduated from Dalhousie University's Law School, and practised law until his retirement. Described as "a lawyer with the soul of a social worker," he often worked pro bono and remained a mentor to many young people. A driving force for many years in the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, he was a founder of the Black Educators Association, the Black United Front, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, and the Black Cultural Centre. He was a vocal crusader for the rights of the disadvantaged at a time when discrimination in education, employment and housing was the status quo.

When he died in 2007, Gus could have taken comfort in the diversity of races, religions and political persuasions represented at his funeral—people who came to pay their respects to a gentle, genial man who made a profound impact on his adopted home.


Marie Riley was born and brought up in Nova Scotia. After graduating from Mount Saint Vincent and Carleton Universities she worked as a journalist for the Calgary Herald and for the Canadian Press news agency in Ottawa. In 1970 she went to West Africa with CUSO where she taught at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and the University of Ghana. Following graduate work at Simon Fraser University, she taught in the public relations program at the Mount until her retirement in 2008.

When You Look For Me

By Kevin Bonang

Nonfiction: Biography, The Maritimes

160 pages, $17.95, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" Paperback
(Includes photographs)

ISBN 978-1-897426-06-7

Available in April 2009

Pottersfield Press || Chapters || Amazon

Here is the true story of a parent's worst nightmare come true. Kevin Bonang's family learns that their oldest daughter, Tiffany Tanner, has suddenly gone missing while kayaking on an inner city canal in the northern industrial city of Hamm, Germany. Kevin and his wife Lisa immediately make the journey from Nova Scotia to Germany to help in the search. Once at the site, the true reality of their daughter's fate becomes obvious. No matter how optimistic local search officials try to be, Kevin and his wife fear the worst.

When You Look For Me takes the reader through 17 days of the massive search, including encounters with police, search dogs, an unkind media but much kinder everyday Germans who share their compassion for Tiffany's parents. After many grim conversations with search officials, the Bonangs begin to realize that they are not able to bring their daughter back home to Nova Scotia alive even though there had been some small glimmer of hope.

The book then chronicles the many different stages of having to eventually bring their deceased daughter home and, in their own way, learn how to say goodbye to her. The author writes in an open and honest way, of learning to cope with seeing his dead daughter and the anguish of visitations, funeral and burial -- and even what they truly believe have been Tiffany's visits home afterward. Kevin speaks eloquently of dealing with the emotions that stem from the grief of losing a child, from the numbness and disbelief to the pain of loss, to the healing that takes place to allow his family to move on. Kevin also describes a visit to his home by the spirit of his departed daughter and how that has helped to give this family comfort and hope.


Kevin Bonang lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where he was born and raised near the many lakes and trails within the city's boundaries. He lives with his wife, Lisa, and two remaining children. A carpenter by trade, Kevin felt compelled to write this, his first book, in memory of his daughter and to remind other grieving parents that they are not alone. This book is a true story of a tragedy but one that ultimately offers a message of hope.

The Life and Times of Joe Casey: From Fish to Politics

Nonfiction: Biography, The Maritimes, Politics, World War II

192 pages, $19.95, 6"x9" Paperback (Includes photographs)

ISBN-13: 978-1-897426-02-9

ISBN-10: 1-897426-02-X

Available in September 2008

Amazon || Chapters

Joe Casey's life story mirrors the history of Nova Scotia in the twentieth century. It shows how that history shaped the man and how the man shaped that history - as harbour pilot, fisherman, fish plant owner, lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy, hotel owner, and Member and Deputy Speaker of the Nova Scotia Legislature.

His quick wit and indomitable spirit let him take risks in every job he ever undertook. Born in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, in 1918 and still going strong, he will make you laugh your way through the many dramatic events of his active life. As a boy, he delivered his mother's loaves
of bread up and down the Victoria Beach Road and later in life he would break bread with the rich and famous. As a third generation harbour pilot, he faced many dangers piloting munitions-laden ships through Digby Gap during World War II and piloting ships of all kinds in the most severe weather.

Joe has pitted his storytelling skills against some of the best, including the American actor James Cagney. On a sailing trip down the East Coast, Joe's spirit of competition led him to
trade tales with Robert Ripley of Believe It or Not fame. In this volume, his rich stories bring the past alive.

The author, elected six times as a Liberal candidate, explains how his verbal skills, humour and dogged determination helped get things done in the stodgy Provincial Legislature. Premiers
Gerald Regan and John Buchanan both praised Joe for his ability to make friends on both sides of the aisle and they have written forewords for this book. Your excursion through Joe's life will make you laugh out loud at times and, at others, will make you reflect on some of the fundamental issues of our times.

Giants of Nova Scotia: The Lives of Anna Swan and Angus McAskill

Nonfiction: Biography, The Maritimes

146 pages, $16.95, 6"x9" Paperback (Includes photographs)

ISBN-13: 978-1-897426-01-2

ISBN-10: 1-897426-01-1

Available in September 2008

Amazon|| Chapters

This double biography depicts the lives of the famed Nova Scotia giantess Anna Swan (1846-1888) and the celebrated Cape Breton giant Angus McAskill (1825-1863). These two splendid and singular celebrities toured the world entertaining royalty and impressing audiences from town halls to palaces. Angus and Anna's Scottish influences were deeply embedded from childhood and although it was unlikely the two ever met, the similarities in their lives are uncanny. During their adventures, both worked with and met many unusual characters. Both met Queen Victoria. Anna married an American giant and the two toured as "The Tallest Married Couple in the World."

The book explores the causes of gigantism and how this rare condition shaped the lives and personalities of these two Nova Scotians. Anna and Angus were born to normal-sized, hard-working parents and grew up in rural surroundings but rose to great stardom on the world stage. Both were regarded for their kind hearts and compassion for others. They have left a meaningful message for readers that resonates more than a century after their deaths. Both are honoured at museums in Nova Scotia that house their artifacts. Thousands of people flock to these sites to learn about these great giants.

Shirley Vacon was born in Truro, Nova Scotia. Her career was with the Department of Youth Corrections in the capacity of a youth care worker with young offenders. While working in
St. John's, Newfoundland, Shirley attended Memorial University. She is the mother of three children and proud grandmother of seven. She got her start as a freelance writer in newspapers
and magazines. This is her first book. She now lives in British Columbia.

Anchorman: My Life in Broadcasting

Nonfiction: Biography, The Maritimes, Politics

192 pages, $19.95, 6"x9" Paperback (Includes photographs)

ISBN-13: 978-1-897426-03-6

ISBN-10: 1-897426-03-8

Available in September 2008

Amazon || Chapters

Bruce Graham started his television career working on Romper Room, with excitable five-year-olds and near-daily on-air disasters. Undaunted by that experience, he moved on to other forms of mayhem with excitable ambitious politicians. Police stories, pumpkin stories - he reported it all. Anchorman is filled with Bruce's experiences, observations, commentaries and occasional letters from viewers who took it upon themselves to correct, compliment or contradict him Through four decades there were many high points but absurd moments and disappointments as well.

As a student reporter, he found himself sharing the same streets as the Boston Strangler, mob hit men and Jack Kennedy. He encountered a labour leader so intoxicated he fell asleep on the news set before his interview. There were plenty of controversies in his career, some so explosive that they threatened the stability of a city. As a news director in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he was often at odds within his own profession. Bruce didn't believe that news should be tamed or timed for somebody's convenience. This led to battles over news embargoes and the campaign for television cameras in the Nova Scotia Legislature.

There are plenty of personal glimpses of people in this book, from Ralph Kline to Pierre Trudeau, as well as many other newsmakers of the day. And there are also the humorous moments: Cape Bretoners witnessing the Virgin Mary on the side of Tim Hortons and the man who tried to convince the anchorman that he was being destroyed by aliens. There are stories of injustice too, of people charged with arson, the murder of a young man in a Calgary convenience store and those people who just disappear off the face of the earth.

Bruce Graham has had a long and distinguished career in broadcasting. He has worked in Newcastle, Moncton, Winnipeg, Calgary and Halifax-Dartmouth. Bruce is the 2004 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Radio & Television News Directors Association. He and his radio newsroom won the Ohio State Award for journalistic excellence. Anchorman is his fourth book. He is also the author of three novels: The Parrsboro Boxing Club, Dream of the Dove, and Ivor Johnson's Neighbours.