Unforgettable inspiration

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/08/2017 (2436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A reporter’s life lies at the crossroads of a thousand human stories. They stream past every day: stories that are difficult to tell, stories that are easy, stories that — for the most part — rush by quickly and vanish into the mist.

Some stories, though, you carry with you. Some people you meet once and never, ever forget.

One of the most unforgettable people I’ve ever covered is getting a new chapter to his legacy. On Friday, Lower Fort Garry will sparkle with music and dancing, a party so beguiling that it could only be for someone special.

The party is called Glitter by the River. The money it raises will go towards kick-starting the Andrew Henderson memorial scholarship. The person it is named after would have loved it — in fact, he lent his vision to its creation.

Some readers may remember the story of Andrew Henderson, featured in the Winnipeg Free Press late last year. For those who don’t, a quick refresher about the 28-year-old artist who grew up in Clandeboye, a short drive from Selkirk.

Last fall, as his body slowly succumbed to terminal lymphoma, Henderson launched a performance series exploring his impending fate. The show was conceived as a living funeral, but with a twist; he called it Taking it to the Grave.

The idea, Henderson explained, was he would get the public’s secrets tattooed on his body, so he could quite literally take those secrets to the grave. That is how vibrant Henderson’s ideas were, even in his final days.

In the days before the show, I spent hours with Henderson, talking about everything under the sun. We talked about death, yes, and about sickness. But mostly we talked about this life and all its secrets, and what it means to live it.

After all, it was never about Henderson’s show, not really. It was about the spirit that drove him to create it.

We were supposed to meet once more, after his shows were finished. We were going to cap the story with a reflection, on what it felt like to perform one’s own funeral. Mostly, I just wanted to spend more time with him.

I never got the chance.

On the morning of Oct. 26, just three days after his performance, Andrew died.

So many people loved him, so many people mourned. On the day of his funeral in Selkirk, a liquor store clerk told a visitor they’d sold more champagne that day than they did on New Year’s Eve. Henderson loved a glass of bubbly.

Even before he died, the Friends of Lower Fort Garry — a non-profit that supports the historic site — began brainstorming how to honour him. Henderson was passionate about helping youth; so what about a scholarship?

“We wouldn’t have done it without his blessing,” says Friends vice-president Ben Gillies. “When I told him, ‘We’d love to get your ideas on it,’ his eyes lit up. He had all these ideas, like ‘How about we do this? How about we do this?’”

The connection is close. Henderson worked several summers at Lower Fort Garry, where he played a variety of roles: pounding iron as a blacksmith, prowling the grounds in the role of a doctor, holding court in the governor’s mansion.

He was a natural at the job, blessed by a social intelligence that allowed him to find common ground with most anyone. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, his former colleagues say — so he was friends with everyone.

Gillies remembers one character Henderson animated at Lower Fort Garry, a Victorian-era medical practitioner named Dr. Bunn. As the doctor, Henderson swanned through the fort, proposing ghastly procedures.

“He was very charismatic,” Gillies recalls.

“He would have dozens of people following him and he’d solicit suggestions. Someone would say, ‘My foot’s kind of sore,’ and he’d say, ‘Oh, the solution for that is to chop it off.’”

So now, the Friends are ready to honour their friend, this consummate performer who brought Lower Fort Garry to life. The scholarship will be a long-lasting endeavour; Glitter by the River is just the first big fundraising effort.

Every year, the scholarship will be awarded to a graduating student from Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, Henderson’s alma mater, that is — like him — passionate about art, history and creativity.

While Friends is still fine-tuning how recipients will be chosen, Henderson left them one perfect idea.

In the 1850s, life in the Red River settlements was a lot of hard work. For entertainment, wealthier residents would often throw parlour concerts. Folks would gather in a home to play piano, or sing, or read the work of famous poets.

What if, Henderson suggested, the scholarship in his name make use of Lower Fort Garry’s parlour mansion? Young scholarship applicants could bring their talents to the site and make the fort’s historic parlours come alive.

So that could be the future. First, the Friends must fill the scholarship’s coffers, to build a firm foundation. So they’re inviting everyone who was touched by Henderson’s story — or who just likes a party — to come to Glitter by the River.

The shindig will be resplendent with the things Henderson loved: champagne, freewheeling tunes, a historical dress-up photo booth. There will even be a manicure bar run by the artist who applied Henderson’s bedazzled golden nails.

They’ve teamed up with the Winnipeg Trolley Company, which will offer $10 shuttle rides to and from Winnipeg throughout the night.

So Glitter by the River will be glamorous and bright. Above all, it’ll be a chance to celebrate this shooting star of a life. Because everyone who knew Andrew Henderson says the same thing: no matter what, they can’t forget him.

“Conversations I had with him really made me reflect how I lead my whole life,” Gillies says. “I made some small changes, some big changes on how I view the world and my time on this earth. I view myself as indebted to him.

“Since he’s no longer with us… Feeling like I’m paying back that debt in a really meaningful way is so inspiring.”

For a full rundown of the Aug. 25 fun, and to buy tickets, check out the Friends’ website at FOLFG.com. Can’t make it to the party? You can donate directly to the Andrew Henderson Memorial Scholarship fund on the same website.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca