Ray Hnatyshyn, who grew up to be a lawyer, politician and governor
general, still chuckles when he recalls meeting George Price, who grew
up to become a fine journalist, agricultural commentator and a CBC
institution.
Both were in the Saskatoon Boys’ Band in the 1940s, Hnatyshyn playing
clarinet and Price playing drums. When the young horn player asked the
older drummer what led him to the instrument, Price replied: “My father
bought me a drum and told me to beat it.”
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Corny humour was a Price trademark through a 43-year career in radio
journalism. It was fondly remembered by friends and family May 27 as
they gathered in Ottawa to say farewell.
George died May 23 after a short battle with cancer. He was 77 and had
retired from the CBC in 1990. For 31 years, his newscasts on farm
politics and policy from Winnipeg and then Ottawa were a mainstay on
CBC radio noon shows.
Farmers listened for his traditional Friday sign-off: “Save some work
till Monday and have a good weekend.” They probably groaned at his puns
and his Priceisms that turned eggs into ‘cackleberries’ and packing
houses into places that package and sell “everything but the oink.”
Politicians and farm leaders who faced George’s microphone over the
years remember him for his thorough questions, fairness and credibility.
“He could have been a very successful politician because he lived and
breathed respect,” former agriculture minister Eugene Whelan mused from
his Windsor, Ont.-area home. “George understood Canada and how
important agriculture is in it.”
His fellow reporters remember and treasure him as a helpful ally, a
repository of agricultural knowledge and as a gentleman in a business
that doesn’t attract many.
When I arrived on Parliament Hill as an Ottawa rookie, George embraced
me not as an unwelcome competitor but as an ally in the fight to dig
agricultural news out of the bureaucratic labyrinth that is the federal
government.
He loved his job and did it well. He loved journalism and did it proud.
When George retired, the CBC did not replace him in Ottawa. Its
agricultural coverage has suffered as a result.
“It probably reflected changing times but when George retired, an era
ended,” said Jim Caldwell, former Tory MP and CBC agricultural
broadcaster in Ontario. “I suppose in a way, he was irreplaceable.”
Indeed he was.
