Farewell to Jonah Kelly

How on earth will we all get by without Jonah Kelly?

As surely as the sun rose, so did Jonah’s smiling baritone reverberate every morning from our radios to tell us that a bright new day has begun.

Who’s going to play all those 40-year-old Hank Williams and Elvis records for us now? On those cold grey January mornings, whose going to perk us up with practical jokes and funny stories?

Over the three decades during which eastern Arctic residents have arisen to Jonah Kelly’s voice, babies have grown into adults, and adults have grown into elders.

The Arctic regions of Nunavut and Nunavik are now on the verge of self-government ­ and the people of Canada have grown into a more generous nation, now able to accept that reality.

In no small way Jonah Kelly helped that growth happen. Just as he explained the outside world to Inuit, so did he explain the Inuit world to Qallunaat.

And at the same time, he instructed and delighted us. He may have been an entertainer, but it was serious entertainment that he offered.

He was also a great pioneer, demonstrating that Inuit have nothing to fear from new technologies ­ as long as those new technologies come under Inuit control.

Along with many of his colleagues at CBC, he took the electronic satellite-fed medium of radio and turned it into an Inuit medium.

His departure marks a turning point for CBC North, as the organization searches for a different and more diminished role in northern media.

Will there be another Jonah Kelly? Not likely. He’s unique, and therefore irreplaceable. And although he was an inspiration to many young Inuit broadcasters, the reality is that there are now many more choices for creative young Inuit.

If there were another Jonah Kelly waiting in the wings, it’s not likely that such a person would now dream about a career with CBC.

The next Jonah Kelly is more likely to be sitting in front of a computer in the high school library, dreaming about conquering the Internet.

Or perhaps the next Jonah Kelly is now poring over brochures on how to start a small business, dreaming of the day when he or she will own his or her own Inuktitut radio station.

If that ever happens, Jonah Kelly’s lifelong mission will be truly complete.