Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House on many occasions to bring a lot of times bad news, but today I've got some good news, Mr. Speaker. Today I'd just like to pay tribute to a very respected elder in my constituency and send my and this Legislative Assembly's birthday wishes to Mr. Morris Lockhart of Lutselk'e who turns 96 years young today.
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Mr. Speaker, the newspaper ad stated that Mr. Morris Lockhart turned 98 years old today and I just want to clarify that back in the early 1900s birth registration records were not always accurately kept up, thus creating discrepancies in the birthplace and actual age of many of our elders, many of whom often tell us that they have two birthdays: one on the day that they're actually born and the other on the day that the government said they were born.
Morris Lockhart was born in 1910 in the Hoar Frost River in the treeline of the barren lands. He was born in a teepee with an open fire, back when the weather was a lot colder and life was a lot tougher and there was no such thing as a wood stove. Morris said he didn't see canvas until he was 10 years old. Morris was educated at a very early age by his father, Baptiste Lockhart, who taught him how to hunt and trap and live off the land, and, above all, live a healthy lifestyle.
Morris lived in a time during the outbreak of disease among aboriginal peoples and he remembers bringing soup and food to many of the sick people. Morris lives strictly on food from the land and he never drank tea or coffee. Because of his healthy eating habits and physical lifestyle, Morris is living proof that one can maintain all of his original teeth without ever having a cavity, losing a tooth, or ever visiting a dentist in his life. Until today, Morris lives in his own house and he does all his own chores. Morris still has a good memory, still plays the fiddle and he still jigs, and he was still winning jigging contests up until he was about 85. The only physical problem that Morris experiences is a loss of hearing.
Morris is well respected by the people of Lutselk'e, and the young and the old often come to him for advice, wisdom and knowledge. Morris's family extends into six generations, from his youngest granddaughter being one year old to his oldest granddaughter being 50 years old. Morris Lockhart is a great-great-great-great-great-grandfather who continues to live a very healthy and productive lifestyle and is a perfect example of aboriginal healthy lifestyle living. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
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