Musician Catherine Brown was born and raised in the Collingwood area. Catherine’s parents were market gardeners, so there was very little money. But, both were musical and Catherine inherited the music gene. Her father would whistle a tune and, at age 3, Catherine would go to the piano and play it.
Catherine’s religious and musical journey really got started in Nottawa Presbyterian church. The minister’s wife and church organist, Margaret Birnie, recognized Catherine’s innate musical talent and, by the time Catherine was 11, she was playing the organ in church. Both the Browns and Margaret encouraged Catherine to stick with her piano lessons, not knowing, back then, that music would become both a vocation and a career for Catherine. Catherine took 13 years of private piano lessons and, as expected, met all the Royal Conservatory standards.
In Catherine’s last year at high school her mother, Minnie Redpath, became ill and they moved into Collingwood. In 1971, the Redpaths “transferred” to First Presbyterian Church. Ten years later Catherine’s mother died (1981) and her father, Earl Redpath, passed away in 1984.
“My mother had a quiet faith – ill through the last 13 years of her life, with rheumatoid arthritis. I never heard her complain. She read her Bible daily and taught us to be faithful to our God,” Catherine says.
Meanwhile, because circumstances prevented her from going to university, Catherine enrolled in the one-year, teacher training course at Lakeshore Teacher’s College. With diploma, in hand, she started out teaching Grade 4 in Collingwood. Serendipitously, the teacher in the next classroom heard Catherine singing. His specialty was physical education and the two teachers made a deal. He would teach phys ed, for her, if she would do the proscribed music lessons for him. That was a seed that grew into a stellar career, as a music teacher, and culminated with Catherine (now retired) being promoted to a Board of Education music consultant.
At First Presbyterian, Catherine served as Director of Music Ministries from 1987 to 2009. Currently, she is often, at the piano, in church and both Catherine and her husband are elders. As well the Brown’s “children” and grandchildren all attend services.
Catherine is also a member of the church’s Outreach Singers, a 55-voice choir that entertains in nursing and retirement homes. The group offers a programme of Christian music that includes hymns and old favourites such as Down by the Riverside, I Saw the Light and Because He Lives.
“We also organize three concerts, a year, to benefit the food bank. And personally, I’m exploring music therapy –where I go into hospital rooms and sing,” Catherine says
A talented and giving woman, for sure, but Catherine admits she is no cook. Her standard offering, for potlucks, is a veggie or fruit tray. But she fondly recalls childhood suppers when her mother served “porcupines,” a simple meatball dish, accompanied by green beans and followed by Jell-O for dessert.
“My mother, born in 1913, had a beautiful hand and kept a diary from the time she was in grade ten. She later kept a hand-written cookbook. To see her own handwriting is always a joy for me. I am honoured to have an opportunity to share a snippet of my mother’s life with you,” Catherine says.
(She adds: “Keep up the good work. I’ll be sure to read your recipe blog on a consistent basis.”)
From her mother’s treasured cookbook, Catherine shares Minnie’s recipe for porcupines.
Minnie Redpath’s Porcupines
1 lb ground beef
½ cup uncooked rice
¼ cup chopped onion
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup water
One 10-oz can condensed tomato soup
½ cup water
Method: Combine the first six ingredients. Shape this mixture into 12-15 meatballs.
Combine soup and ½ cup water in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Add meatballs. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, on low heat, for about an hour. Stir occasionally. Serves four.
