The wild life and times of Ray Mi

rN

oug

ON THE OTHER HAND

YOU HAVE probably never
heard of Ray Munro, Bué he
was a world-class eccentric,
a great newspaperman and a
great Canadian. And he is
dead at 72.

One of the worst clichés in the
cliché lexicon is “We shall not see
his like again.” So Ttold myself
would nat use it, But there is no
better way of describing him.

He was facger than life and
didn’t give a damn for anybody,

In the iate 1940s and early ‘50s
he roamed the Vancouver news
stage and was right out of that old
Ben Hecht play The Front Page.

He actually took the part of that
play’s reporter on the real stage, too
(“Gimme city desk, babe!""),
because on top of all his other tal-
ents he was a:good actor. Also a
great BSer, ‘a quality that often goes
with the territory.

Most of his stuff wasn’t dull,
though. He was a fighter pilot dur-
ing the war and never really

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stupped benig ong

Asa patice reporter te used ta
apeed around Vaancous er ia car
thathada siren on it And he had
permissian to cares a gun He could
con diost anyone into an thing,
iacinding the cops

You with have gathered by now
that Munro was no sissy. So it rity
bea good thing be left this life
when he did because te would have
died of disgust if he had ever come
back fo Vancouver and taken a look
ab what things are like here vow in
the news gana, what with woe:
willies, winips and wintuin ruling
the roast.

Piast saw himoin W870. b wits
working in Ottawa and one diy a
TV producer asked me whether |
Kaew him, Munro, that is.

“He says he knows YOU," said
the producer, “We're doing a pro-
gram on tim and he would like you
to go up ina balloon with him.
We lb be filming it”

Ray's career had taken yet
another turn and he was running it
school for ballounists near (he
Quebec-Ontariv border. Se one
bright dawn there Twas, (rym not
to emble while Ray attended to
this damned great hissing. Maring
bag of gas.

We went up to 4,000 feet drift-
ed along for LO miles, and came
down not too far from sonic posver
lines, But as he was letting gus out
of the bug during the descent Ray
assured me there was no danger. |
wasn't So certain.

When we landed he broke out
the champagne and I felt like a
character in Those Wonderful
Young Men In Their Flying
Machines.

Ray filled me in on what he had
been doing since leaving our town.
Among other thiogs, he had

become a bush pilot, flown
prospeciors all over Northern

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QGuebeo. and made a heap of dough
from getting ieeerly on minty
shares. He had then setup a
prospectiog business ab bis own ind
was dong well at itundl bilinguad:
ismrentered the picture,

He told the Liberal yovernruent
he wasnt going fo corespond with
tin Freneh. Thes said be would
have to. fle dedd them to pet stuffed,

fred his staff of 17, and took aff for

Ontario,

He stopped at thy first village
over the border. bought a disused
qaway station burkdity. moved it,
converted ito a fine residence. and
setup his balloon school

“Buyyer the Freneho” he said. “1
wase't going (0 lake orders from
those bastards.”

Before that he had been manag:
ing editor of an Ontario newspuper,
made national news with bis many
scoops, cing police forve its a civil:
ian adminisizatar and made the
Guinness Book of Records for the
most dangerous balloon crossing at
(he brish Sea, which was dope dur-
“Ng a storm,

He was always popping up in
news stories, othe 1960s be made
a parachute drap a few miles fron
the North Pele. Pratessionals had
said it couldn't be done,

In Vancouver he will be remem-
bered for exposing the patice cer-
ruption that led to the Tupper Royal
Commission in 1955. The regular
press had been too seared to touch
the stuff sa he quit the Pravince,
bought a tabloid eslled Flash and
did it for them.

Two policemen committed sui-
cide and the chief of police left
town.

Then there was the time he
claimed the Sons of Freedom
Doukhobors had shot at him when
he was taking photos of them fram
the air. Alas, it was established that
the shots had been fired from inside

Wednesday, June 15, ews - 7

ro

awards and set dazens of aviation
records. Tf there Was anyone vse in
the country even remotely near
Munro's mark ttmust be Canada’s
hesehepl sveret.

Now he's gone. And we shill
hot sce his dike again.

Goodbye. Ray. And thanks tor
the billoon ride.

the pline. where there were ne
Douks

Asad reporter, and masbe as a
lover he squirted Mariya Munroe
around town and she certains
Ithed him, for he was a handsome
chap who could have given Errol
Viyon arin for his money.

He won dozens of qewspiaper

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LAWYER

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