AMHERST – Norman Albert Code has retired.
With the striking of midnight on Dec. 31, the popular CFTA program The 1867 News came to an end. Now, in the new year, a new program has begun that will look back through three centuries of Maritime history.
“This Is When is different from the 1867 News in that the 1867 News covered events leading up to Confederation. This Is When will have a scope of the last 300 years,” show developer Dale Fawthrop said. “I will go back to specific events in Canadian and Maritime history.”
The 1867 News was a Canada 150 volunteer project written and broadcast by Fawthrop, a retired school teacher and former Amherst town councilor and deputy mayor. Fawthrop created 246 episodes of the News that was designed to celebrate the pre-Confederation people and stories of Nova Scotia.
Along with characters such as One Eyed Jimmy Hudson, Lucky Lefty, Lady Lansdowne and My Aunt Fanny, Norman Albert Code told stories of Maritime politicians, pirates, ghosts, entrepreneurs, and political intrigue leading to Confederation.
On Feb. 5 Fawthrop's new series, This Is When, will be first broadcast on CFTA 107.9.
The new show will be broadcast Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
This Is When will be hosted by Norman Albert Code, the great grandson of the host of The 1867 News. Code's great grandfather founded the CBC, Cumberland Broadcasting Club, back in 1867 and Norman is continuing with that Maritime family tradition.
“I wanted to keep alive the storytelling fashion and the community-building idea we had used in 1867 News,” he said. “It seemed a lot of people liked the show and were listening to it. This allows me to bring events from history to life and look at what happened on particular days in our history. There are so many stories to be told.”
Fawthop said listeners will experience events as they unfolded and meet the people who made them happen. Some topics could include the Corvette Restaurant and Murdock Motors in Amherst or the story about Fred Cameron, the Nova Scotia runner who won the 1910 Boston Marathon.
“I have about 25 library books I’m using to get started. They are about ghosts in the Maritimes, families and significant events like the Springhill mine disaster,” Fawthrop said.
He said the search is on for stories and everyone can participate in this challenging community story telling opportunity. Anyone with information they wish to share as part of a broadcast – from family diaries, old newspaper stories or letters – can e-mail to [email protected].
On a personal note, Fawthrop said that Norman Albert Code was the birth name that he bore for the first three weeks of his life and thereby hangs a tale. Using his birth name as the radio host of both The 1867 News and This Is When is his way of bringing a new historical character to life.
Twitter: @ADNdarrell
