Words By Whittall

The year was 1968 and I was eight years old. The hubbub of the previous year’s Canadian centennial had ebbed. We were done singing This Land is Our Land and One-little, Two-little, Three Canadians . Something new was introduced to capture our imagination and his name was Elmer the Safety Elephant. After a short film and a chat from someone, who was not Elmer, we were tasked with creating posters to promote safety. Our homework assignments would be entered in a provincial contest, with fabulous prizes for the creator of the best safety poster.   The someone who was not Elmer brought an example of a winning poster from the previous year. I stared in slack-jawed wonder at the creation balanced on the blackboard ledge in front of us. I have no idea what was on the poster – likely a child’s drawing of an elephant. What bedazzled my brain was its shimmering plastic cover. I knew the Glad Wrap had sealed the deal. I was certain my poster didn’t stand a chance if it was not also s