My Page
Alison Stirling
Ward's Island, Toronto
Learning to Work Collectively 1973-74, 1978-83
In mid 1973 as I finished my second year in Environmental Studies at U of Waterloo and a turbulent time of student politics and activism, I decided that I had to leave academia and experience the real world. A summer job with the provincial government in Wasaga Beach was a lesson in cooptation rather than empowerment. Back in Kitchener, I heard there was a job possibility at Dumont Press Graphix, so I went for a chat, and stayed for 9 months. What an experience, so much to learn and to do! It was also a wake-up for this 20 year old, that I was not cut out for the workers' collective. I left in May 1974 to travel, go back to university, do student jobs, and in 1978, I returned to Dumont.
I was living and working with friends, sharing commitment to collective action, feminism, production, and to change. There was a lot of struggle, to get things done, to keep our ideals and our relationships alive, to pay the bills, support non-commercial work and each other. Those values and experiences stayed with me after I left Dumont in 1983 to move to Toronto and a new and different life. I pursued community health work, and finding the resources, skills and knowledge to make change. Dumont Reunions in all forms take me back to the deep roots and people I have loved.
"Male Bonding" circa 1987
The attached photo was taken at a Dumont gathering in Bruce Mines at Michael and Elaine's in summer 1987, and brings many smiles of memory for me. I had it on my hallway wall of photos for many years, always calling it (tongue-in-cheek) an example of male-bonding, with each guy looking in a different direction, rather than with each other. Really they were waiting for another activity, possibly departures. It brings so many other happy memories too, seeing Steve, Brian, Barry, and Ken in one pic - all people who have been important to me.
In particular - this Bruce Mines gathering was significant for me as I met Barry Lipton at that gathering. I was desperately seeking good strong coffee, and he was making Turkish coffee over the fire. We went on to camp and hike in Pukasaw park along Lake Superior, and then a year later Barry moved to Toronto, and for 30 years has been an Island resident, neighbour and dear friend. His partner Daina scanned the photo and we shared a chuckle over the title I'd given it.
Now it might be called 'social distancing circa 1987'.
Remembering times of caring and conflict 1979-80
My memories of the Dumont collective are mixed up of caring and conflict. I remember good times of laughter, play, trying new things, the delight and relief of getting a big job done well, and deep comradeship. I remember arguments, anxiety, and tension between specialization and collectivity. The years 1978-1981 were very difficult to keep the shop going as major contracts disappeared, bills piled up, deadlines and production suffered, and debates about direction, efficiency and commitment tore at the core of the Dumont community.
As said at a crucial meeting in December 1979 when discussing whether we’d restructure to stay alive, or dissolve the shop:
”We despair of ourselves and others to act efficiently and well without change....
We have to be careful to understand our past and how came here through energy of past Dumont workers.”
“It has been said that typesetting will be obsolete in 5 years. We should be planning ahead for our lives.”
My memory is not good of those turbulent times. Thankfully this Dumont People’s History project has unearthed the minutes of those debates, and a paper I wrote to try to describe what I was good at and could learn more about, what I could back-up and what would be a challenge to do, but needed attention. I’ve attached it as a snapshot of life at the shop when we teetered between life and dispersal.
What happened in 1980 for me, was a shift to part-time work at Dumont in until 1983, job-sharing with Kae between Waterloo PIRG and Dumont.
In 1983 I moved to Toronto Island, where I still live.
A document is attached to this story:
JOB DESCRIPTION Alison December 1979.pdf