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At the age of 10 my parents thought I should play the violin, so without asking if I would like to play the violin, they ordered one from Eaton's and was delivered to the Campbellville train station better known as Guelph Junction.
After many weeks of being forced to try and play the darn thing on one string I finally realized that there were 3 other strings and why not use them. No lessons were offered to me as my parents could not afford to drive me let alone pay for them.
As the years passed and learning on my own I became more proficient and in the teen years I had formed a small country band (Country Squires) and was playing for local dances and parties.
I met Wendy my wife to be in 1966, we were married in 1969 and as luck would have it, she could chord on the piano. Wendy and I along with other members continued to entertain (Puslinch Country Squires) through many years till present.
In the late 1990’s I took several on-line and mail order violin building courses and discovered that it was something to enjoy in the retirement years. We now have a full violin repair shop setup for making and repairing violins along with bow re-hairing.
In 2005 I started a small group of 5 interested fiddlers which would meet at our church on a monthly basis. In 2006 the Puslinch Fiddle Orchestra was born and we performed our first concert to help pay for the rental of the church hall.
The Puslinch Fiddle Orchestra has now grown (2018) to approx. 45 members. It has been an overwhelming success for Wendy and I and all proceeds of each show goes to a local charity. We are so thankful for all the member support we get along with all those who help in any way.
In 2010 I started teaching basic violin. I found that you must “Get your bowing hand off to a good start” Pease visit Gordon Stobbie’s web page and buy the DVD he has on bowing. It’s an excelent DVD
Todate, Wendy and I are both retired for our real jobs, Wendy as a teacher and I a trades person specializing in Heating , Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration. We continue to score music, conduct the Puslinch Fiddle Orchestra, work in the violin shop, teach, play for dances, community events and retirement homes.
Paul & Wendy McDonald 2018
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