Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster - M'Lady

Born on Feb. 25, 1923 to Joseph and Mary Ann Brophy, was a little girl who was destined to become a part of the Western Ontario stage. Margaret Helen Brophy, the daughter of Irish Catholic immigrants, grew up during the Great Depression. She was the middle child of a large family and, despite her parents’ extensive sacrifices, the family eventually lost their farm. For a time, Margaret went to live with her grandparents and, although she loved them dearly, she often reflected on how much she missed her siblings during those years. She remained deeply devoted to her faith throughout her life, attending St. Augustine Catholic Church and later Sacred Heart Parish in Teeswater and Wingham. 

 

Margaret attended USS#7 East Wawanosh School and went on to Wingham High School, where she took the Commercial course, studying subjects that would prepare her for a job at CKNX radio station in January of 1939 when she was only 15 years old. Harry J. Boyle, who had been a reporter for the station since 1935, recommended her to Doc Cruickshank. Boyle, native of St. Augustine in West Wawanosh Township, knew the Brophy family who lived only a country block away. Margaret was very grateful for the job, even though her initial pay was just 50 cents a day, because employment was hard to come by in those days. Margaret’s duties were as receptionist, secretary and bookkeeper at the station where there were only five employees at that time. 

 

By 1941, Margaret, still a teenager, pioneered the position of Women’s Editor, which involved hosting a radio program called At Home with the Ladies. The format showcased household hints, recipes, news of women’s organizations and interviews. This was in an era when most wives were full-time homemakers. In later years, Margaret proudly recalled being one of the first hosts to bring health segments into her show. She invited nurses and doctors to speak about wellness and emerging treatments. On one memorable occasion, a man phoned her in the weeks after a broadcast on diabetes to thank her. Having recognized his own symptoms from the segment, he sought medical attention and was started on insulin treatment, crediting Margaret’s show for saving his life.

 

Margaret’s theme song was “Live, Laugh and Love” and, at the close of each segment, she recited, “Remember the kettle, though up to its neck in hot water, it still continues to sing.” It was always commented on that Margaret had a warm enthusiastic personality and that she was a very capable interviewer. All of the programming was live. On top of all her other duties, she conducted the very popular tours through the facility.

 

Margaret was often asked to be a guest speaker for groups like the Women’s Institutes and Kinettes. She would bring along a recording machine and give the members of the audience a topic for roll call. She would then play back the recording and, for most people, it would be the first time they had heard the sound of their own voice. Much laughter usually ensued.

 

Then, in November of 1955, CKNX TV was born and Margaret, along with her sidekick, Johnny Brent, capably hosted M’Lady, a half-hour variety show that aired Monday to Friday afternoons. Though inexperienced in television, Margaret took the challenge in stride and was a popular host. M’Lady was run on a very small budget and Margaret would make all the preparations, including purchasing the ingredients if a recipe was being demonstrated. Although Margaret was very meticulous and always well prepared, not all of the plans ran smoothly. One time, a guest was creating a cake. Previous to the broadcast, an identical cake was baked and was sitting in the studio oven ready for the “after” reveal. Imagine Margaret and the guest’s consternation when there was no cake in that oven. It seems that the cameraman had a yummy snack!

 

In addition to all of her duties at CKNX, Margaret took part in many community activities. She was the secretary of the Catholic Youth Organization and directed a choir and plays for it. She was also the secretary for the CKNX bowling club, a group that included 25 employees and their families.

 

For Margaret, 1959 was quite a year, as it was then that she authored a cookbook with recipe contributions from her guests and viewers. In the spring of that year, she took 25 of her audience from Wingham and the surrounding area on a conducted tour of Bermuda. But the most significant change in her life occurred when she married John Walters in August of that year. John, a Protestant, was a World War II veteran who had landed on Juno Beach on D-Day and bravely served his country in the Battle of Normandy. At the time, the union between a Catholic and a Protestant was considered complicated, and Margaret’s marriage and having children in her late thirties were unique for her generation, though more common today. She retired from CKNX in January of 1960 and began her career as a mother. John and Margaret farmed and they also owned Walters Footwear in Teeswater for about 10 years. 

 

Her contributions to the community continued. She was the secretary at Sacred Heart School in Teeswater for a number of years. In addition, in 1975, she was appointed as the secretary, bookkeeper and interviewer for the Grey-Bruce Farm Labour Pool in Walkerton, a group that matched farm employers and employees.

 

Margaret loved fashion. Even in her later years, she was remembered by her grandchildren as always wearing a skirt or a dress with stockings and applying her makeup. She had a rhyme, poem, song or saying for any circumstance, many of which the grandchildren can still recite today.

 

Her family grew to include Stephen, living in Stratford with three children: John, Michael and Anne-Marie; Mark, in Strathroy, married to Nancy Meyer, has three children: Holly, Shannon and Tori, and Mary Ann, Bluevale, and married to Nathan Peel, has six children: Alexandrea, Isaac, Jacinta, Mathias, Celeste and Edison.

 

Sadly, John passed away in 1986 after a battle with a brain tumour. The following year, Margaret moved to Wingham where she was quite involved with the activities of Sacred Heart Church. Her grandchildren were the love of her life. She attended their activities and was proud of their accomplishments. Several of them pursued careers in medicine, a vocation Margaret supported throughout her life.

 

Margaret maintained her independence well into her nineties. She moved to Huronlea in Brussels in 2016 and passed away there in July of 2020, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering, community service and a zest for life.

 

Many thanks to the family of Margaret Brophy Walters who supplied personal memories.