Downhome illustrator remembers late founder as an ambassador of N.L. culture
Longtime Downhome contributor Mel D'Souza honours Ron Young
Newfoundland and Labrador left an impression on illustrator and writer Mel D'Souza. Originally from India, he was taken aback by the natural beauty and people of the province during a vacation — a relationship that led him contributing to Downhome Magazine for decades.
His curiosity also led to a career-spanning friendship with Ron Young, founder and editor of Downhome Magazine, who helped ignite the flame D'Souza felt when he first saw the beautiful coastline.
Young, who died at 80 this month, captured the charm of Newfoundland and Labrador with sharp humour and colourful prose — and that charm drew in longtime collaborator D'Souza, who became the illustrator for the magazine, known then as The Downhomer, in 1989.
D'Souza first met Young in Brampton, Ont., after a trip to N.L. with his wife.
"On the way back, I told my wife I'd like to know more about this place," said D'Souza.
D'Souza said being a person of colour in those days made him stand out, but Young welcomed him.
"People would look at me and say, 'Whoa, who's the stranger?' But Ron being the kind of eclectic guy he was, we hit it off right at the start," said D'Souza in an interview with CBC Radio's On The Go.
The pair would talk on the phone almost every day, comparing their childhoods and pitching ideas.
"It was love at first sight, so to speak," D'Souza said.
Laughing at Young's artistic efforts, D'Souza says he asked him why didn't draw the "real Newfoundland," instead of the "generic picture of a guy smoking a pipe, sitting on a lobster trap."
So, he was given a job, and started drawing for segments like Different Strokes. At 87 years old, he still contributes to the magazine.
D'Souza described Young as an impulsive man, but when the cod moratorium started in 1992, his vision for the magazine was clear.
Young set out to do something about the poor image of his home, to shift the perspective from the "goofy Newfie" stereotype, says his lifelong colleague.
Together, Young and D'Souza dug into the beauty, culture and traditions of the province, eventually forming an iconic brand.
"When he latched onto an idea, he pursued it," said D'Souza. "And that's how the magazine grew to what it is today."
Young died at the Agnes Pratt Home in St. John's.
In the end, D'Souza says, he wasn't "his normal self," but has fond memories of the decades of daily phone calls and "chewing the fat."
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With files from On The Go
