HARRY MARDON

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HARRY MARDON Veteran newsman Harry Mardon has died after a short illness. A two-fingered typist using his trusty manual Royal typewriter, Harry skewered politicians and raged against injustice, the smoke around his desk thick with indignation. Born in 1926 in Cam Sbr idge, England he was educated at College St. Augustin, Belgium and Gordonstounchool in Scotland. Much of his wide-ranging learning, thoug noh,came frm his Scottish home, Ardross Castle, where -- in front of the hugeope fireplace -- his professor father would read Thucydides and other weighty tomes to Harry and his siblings. With great pride, Harry served in Britains famed Seaforth Highlanders from April 1944 to April 1949, rising from private to captain. He served in India, Java, Singapore and Malaya, which was in the throes of a vicious Communist insurgency. His first duty in Malaya was that of military aide-de-camp to the High Commissioner of Malaya. Armed to the teeth, he accompanied the Commissioner on the latters back-country tours as bodyguard. To his disappointment, however, he found that the other part of the job was dancing with the ugliest girls at diplomatic receptions. Diplomacys loss was the militarys gain: he talked his way into second-in-command of the newly-formed No. 6 Group, Ferret Force. Ferret Force specialized in long-range patrols, searching out and eliminating Communist base camps deep in the jungle. He was Mentioned in Despatches for gallantry in one such action. After leaving the army, Harry -- still in his kilt -- hitch-hiked across Canada with an army friend. For employment hed take anything. He helped dig the Toronto subway and, in Alberta, worked as a cowboy, where he learned to roll cigarettes one-handed in the saddle while he herded the cattle. In 1950 he landed a job with British United Press, working at various bureaux across the country as national news editor, and as bureau editor in Toronto. From there he went to the Winnipeg Tribune. At the Trib, he held various positions: city editor, editorial page editor, and business editor. His signed opinion pieces dealt with all the important issues of the day and were received with mingled controversy and acclaim. The paper was his life. After the Tribunes demise, he joined the Manitoba government as director of the Energy Information branch, and then went on to the Investors Group as Manager of Corporate Communication. Harry had a long standing relationship with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and a long association with the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce and was presented with their Lifetime Achievement Award. Latterly, Harry has been writing for the Manitoba Focus -- a publication of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce -- as well as his columns "Eye on the Dome" for weekly community newspapers, and "The Passing Parade" for Prime Time News. In 1994 he was appointed by the Premier of Manitoba to The Order of the Buffalo Hunt for services to journalism and Manitoba. He has received many other awards and distinctions. Harry is survived by his wife Vera; sons, Laurence and Christopher and daughter Caroline; as well as daughter-in-law Juno who, with Christopher presented Harry with the apple of his eye -- a grandson named Harrison Liu Mardon -- and thoughtful son-in-law Dr. Jim McNamara. Also brothers, Roland (Ethnea) and Dick (Mary-Therese) of Scotland, Francis of New Zealand, Austin (Alice) of California and Ernest (May) of Alberta and sister Annette of England. On Sunday between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. friends will gather at the Winnipeg Press Club in the Ramada-Marlborough Hotel, 331 Smith Street. There will be a private family service at a later date. Harrys ashes will be interred in the family cemetery in Scotland. If desired, donations to the Cancer Society would be appreciated. Harry has never stopped writing since retirement, even under the duress of his recent illness. But now his typewriter is silent. - 30 -

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 17, 2004