Bonnyville's own Joe Remesz, an octogenarian broadcaster turned author, returned to his hometown to sign copies of his novels and greet friends he hasn't seen in over six decades.
At 84-years-old, Remesz's illustrious career in broadcasting spanned over three decades, before he made the transition into writing. Now a resident of Edmonton, he was set up at the Bonnyville library on Dec. 22. Fans, well-wishers and old friends came by to say ‘hello', with many purchasing his recently published novel, “Bonnyville.”
Set in Bonnyville in the 1920s, the novel follows the story of two immigrant families: one French and the other Ukrainian. While the families don't get along, their children are best friends.
“It brings me back memories to when I was a young guy,” Remesz said of returning to Bonnyville. “It's the land of my birth, it's where I went to my school.”
Amongst Remesz's visitors was Edward Mercier, a friend from high school, who found out about the author's visit in a Nouvelle article. The pair had not seen each other in over 60 years.
“I think it's very important that he thought of us, I mean he didn't forget where he grew up,” said Mercier, who spent time chatting with Remesz about the old days. “It's a very different world completely, it was a very small town (back then).”
Remesz was born to Polish immigrants that arrived in Bonnyville in 1928. While in high school, he wrote for the Bonnyville Tribune, which folded in 1968. After graduating from high school in 1951, Remesz headed to Lorne Greene's Academy of Radio and Television Arts in Toronto, ON.
He got his first break as a copywriter at CBC, where Remesz says his big experience was when he was asked to write about the death of Queen Mary in 1953. He then moved to Niagara Falls to become a radio announcer, where he worked for a number of years.
“I liked the falls, I rode the Maid of the Mist, but I didn't like the city because of all the chemical factories there and lots of crime,” Remesz explained.
After leaving Ontario, Remesz headed south of the border to California, where he worked as a reporter. He eventually moved to Trail, B.C., where he was elected to city council, became president of the local credit union and quit broadcasting to become a realtor.
Since retiring, Remesz has settled in Edmonton, travelled around the world and published a dozen novels, with a few more in the works.
“The importance of having Joe (Remesz) in our town to have an author visit is to definitely promote our community and tell stories of our community from the past and to relive those and bring forth how far our community has come from the years that he has been here,” said Irene Tremblay, a clerk at the library.
Remesz promised fans a return to Bonnyville for a book signing in 2016, which is when his next novel, “From Bonnyville to Edmonton,” is slated for release.
