Whistles the Clown' is Darcy Murdoch, who began clowning as a volunteer performing in various seniors' homes and community schools in the Vancouver area. Since then he has performed extensively throughout Canada. Darcy began as a volunteer back in 1991. One of his goals as an entertainer was to volunteer his craft in every province and territory of Canada. Having a background in the hospitality industry, a position became available in 1994 to work at a beautiful heritage hotel called "Dalvay-by-the-Sea", just outside of Charlottetown, PEI. While he was driving across Canada, Whistles stopped in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario to perform at a children's hospital, seniors home, day care and elementary school. During the summer in PEI, Whistles performed in parades, festivals, a telethon, a Terry Fox run and other community events where he could "give from the heart". In October of 1994, Darcy left PEI for Halifax, NS. Having never spent any time in the Maritimes, he decided to stay in Halifax and Dartmouth for one year. Throughout the year, Darcy honed and further developed his clown persona. He became involved with volunteer, community and business agencies in the greater Halifax area. Near the end of September 1995, Darcy left Nova Scotia. In continuation of his X-Canada Volunteer Adventure, he stopped in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to perform before arriving to Vancouver, BC. He was pleased with his results but knew the 'Volunteer Adventure' was far from over. It wasn't until September of 1997 that Darcy began the third leg of his tour, the Territories. He performed in Yellowknife, NWT and Iqualuit, in Canada's newest Territory, Nunavat. Darcy then flew back to regroup for his final destination, Whitehorse, Yukon. In November of 1997 Darcy visited Whitehorse, YT to complete his X-Canada Volunteer Tour. He had realized his goal and made a dream come true. "Volunteering has allowed me to add a creative quality to my life. When you "give from the heart" to someone, particularly to someone that is elderly, sick or less fortunate than yourself, not only do you feel great inside but you are also letting that person know; "hey! someone cares!". Darcy Murdoch |
The Making of a Clown: A Summary of Whistles the Clown Cross Canada Tour |
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Vancouver, BC |
|
|
Banff,
AB |
||
Saskatoon,
SK |
 |
|
Pembroke,
ON |
20
Towns & Cities |
|
Ottawa,
ON |
70
Performances |
20 Schools |
Stanhope,
PE |
10,500
People |
15 Seniors
Homes |
Charlottetown, PE |
38,000
Kilometers |
6 Children's
Hospitals |
Halifax,
NS |
16
Time Zones |
7 Pediatric
Units |
Dartmouth,
NS |
10
Provinces |
7 Day
Care Centers |
Port
Hawkesbury, NS |
3
Territories |
4 Public
Performances |
St.
John's, NF |
8
Capitol Cities |
2 Telethons |
Goosebay,
NF |
1
Nation's Capitol |
1 Terry
Fox Run |
Sussex,
NB |
10
Newspaper Stories |
|
Quebec
City, PQ |
3
Radio Interviews |
|
Montreal,
PQ |
10
Airline Flights |
|
Winnipeg,
MB |
7
Ferry Trips |
=
1 Personal Best |
Calgary,
AB |
8
Vehicle Breakdowns |
 |
Yellowknife,
NWT |
1
Speeding Ticket |
|
Iqualuit,
NT |
||
Whitehorse,
YT |
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Inc.
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