Leslieville Lives; Stories from the ‘Ville – Marie Bamford
Meet Marie Bamford. Walking into Bruce Junior Public School for the first time, I time travel to my own childhood; hand-painted murals, bright blue walls with a splash of every colour in the rainbow, laughter and chaos. I can sense the friendly, casual atmosphere before speaking to anyone. I follow the sound of kids and adult conversation and find the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre. I immediately see Marie among the young moms (no dads that day). We wave to each other, but before I get to her, I hear, ‘Hey, what are you doing here?’ My neighbour, Kate and her 2 kids, frequent the Centre. When I tell her I’m doing Marie’s story, she smiles. ‘Oh perfect. We love her’. I ask her why. ‘She’s so Zen and has created such a personable and relaxed atmosphere here. She’s kind of like everyone’s mom and grandma. Such a natural. And she’s hip. Her taste and knowledge of music is awesome!’ A great introduction and much needed, as I later find that Marie, not surprisingly, was a bit shy talking about herself.
