CASTLEGAR NEWS, January 1, 1983 Va CASTLEGAR NEWS _ 7, W947 1900 12, 1978-AUG, 27, 1980 LV. CAMPBELL — PUBLISHER AUG. 7, 1947-48. 15, 1973, PUBLISHER — Buri Campbell EDITOR —Ron Norman FOREMAN 1CE MANAGER —| ADVERTRING — Linde Kesitsine "earalh Magaw — Levload Honey —Dlana Warner tong to the odvertieér. ts ted In and belongs to Cottle News Ltd.: provided. however, thal copyright Ia that part end that part only of engravings, etc. provided by in end yr Compared to what? Castlegar school cboard’s sub- Castlegar gaining anything by mission to pi of Education Bill Vander Zalm outlining the board's fiscal respon- sibility over the last decade. and asking for special consideration for its 1983 budget Isn't all it appears ~ ‘ 1p itself to Trail? To say * that Castlegar is doing better than the worst schoo! district in the province isn't saying much. And therein lies the problem in comparing one school district with When Castl com- to be in light of a recent Sun article. The Sun article.indicates that the Trail school district is con- sidered the “ ‘worst in the province ding to ai ministry 1 report obtained by The Sun, The d itled ‘The pores itself with other West Kootenay. school districts it is trying to get.a reading on how well it is doing because of regional similarities between schoo! distric- ts. Thus, comparing Castlegar school district with another in the West y makes sense — but. Best and the Worst, rates school districts according to pupil-teacher ratio; administrative cost per pupil taking enrolment into account and the increase in cost per pupil bet- ween 1978 and 1982. Aside from headings “best” and “worst”, the internal d not if it means holding Up a poor model, as is apparently the case with Trail, It's a trap school districts have fallen into for some time. They - compare themselves to one . another without really having an gives no details as to why Trail is at the bottom of the heap of the province's 75 school districts. Of course, the problem for Castlegar school district is that in its submission it compares itself to other West Kootenay school dis- tricts, as well as the province as a rh “Castlegar has for much of the last decade been at the lower half ‘(and in one year the very bottom) of school costs per pupil. It — probably more than any of the other school districts — has been frugal with its tax dollars. Navertheless, it is frightening whole. The says Castlegar school costs have been consistently below the West Kootenay average, the West Kootenay average being Nelson, Trail, Arrow Lakes and Grand Forks. The question arises that if Trail is considered the “worst” school district in the province, is to Jer that in 10 years the cost of educating our childron in this district has jumped from $704 per student in 1971 to $3,360 in. 1882, That's a 378 per cent or $2,656 in- crease in 10 years. In the last two years alone costs have jumped by ' mote than $1,000 per student. Such figures make an objective stan- dard even more essential. Year of recor ploy could choose one, two or even all three of the above depending on which economic expert you listen to these.days, That's how difficult it is to predict the economic future of Canada, let alone B.C. or Castlegar. in general, those who are paid to predict the economic picture 12 months down the road are more optimistic now than at any other time since we started this down- ward slide. The feeling among many of the experts is that the economy can’t get much worse than it was this year — a year when interest rates neared 20 per cent before finally falling to 12-14 per cent range, while unem- ployment rose to a post- Depression record. And we share the feeling that the worst is now over or nearly over. We base our view on the current economic indicators, which at year-end are showing that 1983 could very well be the year of the - recovery — perhaps not a major upturn, but an upturn never- theless, It may be that we are in store for numerous small upturns over the next few years which in the end add up to a major recovery. In any event, the signs are positive, and we're looking to 1983 with renewed confidence: Inflation, which hit'a 2-year ' low of 9.8 per cent in November, is expected to continue dropping slowly. The B.C. Central Cradit Union, which was astonishingly ac- curate in its economic forecasts last January (called “doom and gloom” at the time), is even predic- ting a Consumer Price Index of 7.5 per cent for metropolitan Van- couver in 1983. And the Credit Union is predic- ting even lower inflation for the next few years to come. They base their outlook on the assumption that the U.S. and Canadian gover- nment's monetary policy won't change significantly, That means a continued tight rein on the money supply. Unemployment — now at a record 1.5 million in Canada and 160,000-200,000 in B.C. — won't get any better in 1983, according to the economic pundits. In fact, nationally unemployment is expec- ted to worsen. In B.C., though the employment situation won't get any better, the B.C. Central Credit Union is also predicting it won't get worse, They report that there were . 50,000 fewer jobs in B.C. in the first 10 months of 1982 and “a loss of, “ However, the credit union ‘also says there willbe 24,000 new jobs in 1983..Though that may not be enough to reduce. the unem- ployment rate, it should stabilize employment levels — and that's good news for those who have jobs and were wondering if they would keep them in 1983. The future for the forestry and pulp industries is also looking brighter for the new year — and that's good news for Castlegar, . which boasts both a pulp and lum- ber mill employing upwards of 650 residents. The B.C. Central Credit * Union Is forecasting an increase in . housing starts in the U.S. as in- terest.rates continue to decline. In fact, they're predicting a 20 to 30 per cent increase over .1982 housing starts which were estimated at more than one million new units. Though forestry activity d to remain’ through the. winter, the. new housing starts could mean in- creased production by late spring. Pulp sales, meanwhile, are expec- ted to increase by 10 per cent. * Thaf optimisim is shared by the Employers" Council of B.C., which in its latest'réport sald ‘that 30. per cént of the forest products industry representatives surveyed in a recent poll view the next five years as “good” —-a'significant reversal of their short-term outlook where none of the respondents report current business conditions as. jood, Similarly, the mining industry is a great deal more positive about its five-year outlook than about its current situation, Some 30 per cent he, Godan ane OTHRVANUrER Gun = neat vs Ae = “As we anticipated ... the Emperor. has just made hls Mercedes. 3 sports cara Senator. Ai By KEN SMITH ' What's in store for next year — aside, that is, from the usual flood of Christmas bills in January? If any experts, could. answer that with certainty, they'd be mugs to be working as’ economists, or for the government, business or labor. They. could instead go out and make a fortune, then sit back and watch the world of 1984 and the rest of the years pass them by. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear it's going to be that easy, even for the experts. Sure, they'll talk with confidence in public, and imply their words came . right off the it lis d ~ What will ‘83 bring 2 indicators, bit. as ‘Canada and the rest of the industrialized world tries to’ pull... out of deep recession that lag is seen as being longer and tougher than usual. Figures on what can be anticipated in 1988 vary, of course. ‘ Finance Minister Mare Lalonde has predicted real growth ‘of about three percent. That would’ be a ‘distinct ~ improvement on the anticipated drop of five per cent or worse in 1982. ~ His prediction is slightly more ppti- mistic, as befits a politician, than that of many economists and financial in- * stitutions. A lot of those have ranged in the 1.5-per-cent to two-per-cent area. And the Paris-based Organization by .a descendant of Mas But there are a lot of ifs and maybes which are going to have to be con- sidered — too many of them to be able to. make predictions with certainty, With that in mind, here's the way the experts are painting next year's econ- omic outlook in general terms. First, it now is recognized that 1982 has to be written off as.a disaster — the . _, waret economic Borformence at since the for E Cc and Devel- opment recently produced a figure | of only 1.25-per-cent growth for Canada in 1983. i But a late-year survey of 17 experts by the Ottawa-based Conf Board a _ by ‘oxy ‘to, the ‘United: States. If the U.S. economy, and those “of other trading’ partners, start ex- ” panding, then there'll be a. big plus. But it's worth’ noting the OECD | Piedicted ‘last’ month that worldwide | . recession would last at least ancther year, with faint prospects for a return to economic growth. Worse, the OECD suggested inter. © national unemployment will remain at record or,near-record levels. That kind of climate will only add to the already- ‘Scary moves, seen especially in Europe, ‘to ‘for “| '35 YEARS AGO From the Dee, 24, 1947, News Be New Year's Eve Frolic, fun for the whole family. Of course. you'll be there but look who else. Yvonne De-; carlo, George Brent and.Andy Devine in “Slave Girl,” in beautiful technicolor, See dazzling, dancing harem) honeys, _ Buy your ticket in advance to be sure of: a seat, All a #00) cents 7° Saturday afternoon for the children of 8t. Rita’s Parish. Many children were. in attendance and a good time, ‘was had . by all. i A Chiistinas Concert Sas held & the teachers of the Brilliant schoo}, Miss E. McKinnon and Miss 1: Hrooshkin, Twenty-three numvers were Presented * to. the enjoyment of all. s Te has been ropérted tut: the’ Air Mail has been very heavy. on the CPA flight here. " Cliristmas preetings:, Williaa Waldie. . | .& Sons, established 1910: Best Wishes. Se «, We think it is a privilege to live in this land of ours, with all its lovely scenery’ of mountains, lakes and flowers. And so ‘we give our thanks as this year ends; to all the folks who live nearabouts,: and ‘whom we a our friends... a . Kinnaird * photo” Bhoss May- Christmas bring you Joy and the New Year prosperity. Oswald's Garage: May your Christ- mas be the heartiest ever. : YEARS AGO + From the Jan. 3, 1958 News"... The year 1958 was ushered in: at dances and parties in Castlegar and district according to the best tradition, against imports. Where. does that ‘leave Canada’s hopes? 3 Second, what's going to happen to interest rates? Record levels have, to say the least, contributed to the current interna- of Canada produced an average fore- tional by grinding prospects into the ground., cast of 2.6-per-cent increase, with alow . Countries such as the U.S., Britain, of 4.5 per cent and a high of 4.7 per cent. . For what it’s worth, chartered banks which had been surveyed by the board - were" Consistently: ~ tinder": “Lalonde’s France — and Canada — still profess to fear renewed inflation if strong expan - sion takes hold and. starts to crive up ‘prices. i “expected that 1989 will gee: kn end to. the slide, with some. degree of improvement by the end of the year. A, vital exception to this: general view is for unemployment, which is expected to climb even higher than 1982's figures — and they were ‘the . worst since the 19802. . U 5 traditional! figure: lag behind recovery in other economic 5 ago‘houses were ‘ higher. ° a os The point, however, is that while figures vary theré is a consensus that there will be a measurable upturn in the economy by the end of 1983. : That brings you to those unspoken ifs and maybes. ee there's the international elt. rioeda gets 30 per cent of its wealth ~ interest! rates again.” ‘That would oe : tainly help control with 1 paper ‘hats and novelties. At Kinnaird, the improvement So- clety Hall was packed with. merry- makers, while at Castlegar | the dance , sponsored by the Knights. of, Pythias did not have such a large attendance: but made. up in galety. The “ready to eat” turkey raffled off by the Knights of Pythias went to C.W.. Fraser. : A private party held inthe Marlane Hotel ballroom was termed a success : by those attending, and house parties were numerous throughout the town. s sures, but it would also. effectively ‘fe + growth prospects. A third point is investment. Spending on new plants and equip- ment is crucial for creating jobs. But it's expected to have dropped about 14 per cent in 1982, and a further decline is foreseen for 1983. Lyle Kristiansen MP Seen Recently I and my fellow NDP mem- bers of Parliament have been des- eribing a number of measures which, if. taken, could dull the sharp edge of the current recession and, Just as im- portant, put this country in shape to respond quickly when recovery comes. The NDP is well-able to put forward such & program because, unlike the Liberals and Conservatives, we are not tied to a weary 19th-century ideology which puts all our economic eggs into the single basket of the private market system. Unbound by narrow doctrine and _open to all the possibilities of a mixed economy, New Democrats are able at timies such 2< these — when the private market system fails — to-turn to the balanced options offered by positive government intervention in our econ- omy. In ‘stark contrast to the NDP. approach, neither Pierre Trudeau nor are good conditions, while 70 per cent feel business over the next five years will be fair. On the retail sales front, B.C. has been lagging behind ; the modest recovery that has occurred in most provinces since the sum- mer. Yet, the credit union is forecasting a 10 per cent growth in retail sales’ in B.C. in 1983 because of pent-up consumer demand and a possible catch-up with the national trend. However, the key to economic recovery is the interest rate level. The credit union says interest rates will remain in the seven to 14 per ‘cent range for the next several years and in the nine to 12 per cent range for 1983. The key to recovery" -is if the rates can remain below 10 per cent long enough to allow con- sumer confidence to gain a foothold, Joe Clark itted as they are toa do-nothing philosophy (a commitment . made atronger by the large corporate. donations to their parties) — are so fortunate when trying to find ways out of the Depression of 1982. The public is even less fortunate. No‘wonder then that Mr. Trudeau has now sppointed yet another Royal Commission — taking three years and costing $8 million — to see what is wrong with the economy. Any unem- ployed millworker, any farmer in bank- ruptcy, and hospital worker or teacher trying to handle services cutbacks could tell the Prime Minister what is wrong (and they would probably do so for less than the price of a 30-cent stamp). What is wrong is that Canada lacks political leadership. The of the Macd “evidence of the lack Governor of the Bank of Canada admitting the money, supply policy followed during the high interest rate period — a policy. that contributed to thousands of business failures — should never have been followed; such a apec-. tacle shows how badly Canada: is drifting because of lack of political leadership. As for the Conservative opposition, ‘the comments of Joe Clark to the effect that his party has “no alternative” to what the Liberals are offering, is even further’ — and perhaps sadder — of leadership before Canadians. But despair is not the answer for Canada. Rather it must be impressed upon all of our governments — federal,’ provincial and municipal — that the Trudeau-Clark ideology has failed and must be abandoned: that a mixed economy can work. if only _ political. leaders will exercise the . mental to offset the members of the AOTS. * Prior to Santa's arrival on the ecene, the larger crowd gathered at the old Village Office on Pine Street and sang the favorite carols, led by a joint choir from St. Rita's Church, the United Chureh and 8t. Alban's Church. Choir . singers were under the direction of John Dalziel, Castlegar United Church and. musical accompaniment: was: fur- nished by High School Bandmaster : Norman Fishwick and a group of his band members. 15 YEARS AGO. From the Jan, 4, 1968 r News ‘ Castlegar has a New Year's baby. ° AT)b. 5 oz. baby girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. Nick Soobotin of Castlegar at 6:: 21 this morning, Jan. 4, was Dr. W.M. ment in the lumber and pulp industries. Most important is reforestation — arez of basic economic. hoasekesping in in which Canada ‘was already lagging behind. when’ our sawmills and pulp mills were working at‘ full capacity. Now is the time to catch ' wes with that housekeeping. No, despair is not the answer. There are thousands of jobs that could be created soon, if only the paralysis of dead-end Liberal-Conservativo. ideol- ogy could be shattered; if only a mixed economy could be allowed to work, T‘and my NDP colleagues commit ourselves now to doing whatever, — I repeat — whatever — must be done, limited only by the legitimate re- . straints of a free and democratic’ society, in order to get’ Canada and Canadians back to work in a construc. tive working _fartnerahis _beltoen part of that mix. Z Thus NDP leader Ed Broadbent - started by proposing $500 million be spent immediately to construct new housing — housing that is needed now and that will be all the more urgently needed when recoyery comes. That $500 million is available from taxes that are not being collected now. Why not collect them as they should be and spend the money on planned’ projects that would put construction workers on the job in the next few. months? -The mining industry is in a slump. Wouid this not be the right time, with “government initiative, to develop the manufacture of equipment that will be needed when the slump ends? In so doing, we could help to end the cycle in which Canadian raw materials are Commission itself shows that. The shrugs of the Minister of Finance, as he predicts even higher unemployment, show that. The spectacle of the to be turnod into manufac- tured goods abroad which, in turn, we must buy back at higher prices, Similarly, there are jobs that could “be created through direct govern- their and what Soul be their Goverment, n rire Letters to the editor should be sent to: « Box 8007, Castlegar, B.C. VIN 3H4 or delivered to: a 197 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. PM All letters to. the editor must be signed. and include the writer's. full name and address. In very exceptional cases letters will be published withovt the writer's name, but the name and address must be disclosed to the editor. The newspaper reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space, clarity, legality and grammer. ODNQOQQOQMAEUOSOSCUUUSEEUCGEOOQAUOUSUSOALEUEESOSEOUATOOOCOLSOSAEEo Yule, * o . Minor Hockey: On Tue-day the Kinsmen and Mudiarks met in tne first game to take place after the Christmas holidays. The lay off showed on both sides at ; times, as the play became sloppy. For the Kinsmen, Gerry Quiring who again played sptaending hockey, scored all four goals, Kinsmen 4 Mudlarks 2. * ‘Tho sesno ue FRinhsted Secondary: We are proud to announce our first honor roll for the 1967-68 school year. At the very top in academic standing is Ellen Knutson with.a 5.0. average. -This represents ‘straight A achieve- ment in English, Social Studies, Math, Science, French and Home Economics. score Frem the Jan. 5, 1978 News». Ceastleger volunteer firemen res-- ponded in ‘number, Christmas ‘morning to an 8:80 call at one of Castlegar's oldest buildings, the Castlegar Hotel. The alarm was turned. in by an employee of the Marlane Hotel. who ‘saw smoke. and flames. While hoses did not freeze, firemen contended with the extra hazards cf ice on the roof, ladders and immediate area during the two to three hours it took to fight the blaze and bring it to an end.’ The fire, in which no estimate of loss has yet been released, is believed ‘to have started in a’ mattress. - * © 6 A request for local participation in a New Year's Eve ring-in of the Captain Cook Bi-centennial celebrations. went unheeded in Castlegar Saturday night | .after Mayor Audrey Moore broke a tied elty council vote to pass a motion * supporting the request. had no idea that she was soon to become: the Whon Trish Waldie camo to’ ‘Castlegar aa: yeurs ao she, lorce “uit pha a Grado. 12 student, Princesses are Linda Crofts, behind. the Miss Castl ' Bho ‘rememb : commenting to her husband, aim after shié had moved here Miss Pippi Ia wo bad there's no one to tak this on,“And my’ husband said to ine-‘if you're golng to talk, then why not do: Even ‘though she had “ ‘never done anyttiing. like this before,” Trish took up the challenge, She went, toa SunFest : gar pa Fight hand. pérson”), jRuth Townsend,. Glenda Charlotte ‘Green. °° There's so much to organizing a pageant,” s while she sat ‘comfortably.curled up on her couch; Businesses must be contacted and willing to put upithe $200 it takes to sponsor a Possible, : approached and:asked if they are willing to run. Arrange- must be: d Stacey F “To be a ‘contestant’ the Castlegar girl . must bei a Canadian citizen no younger than Grade‘11. Trish said she ‘would like to see more '16' year olds involved. “That gives them ‘an ‘extra year to get ready for’ the, Miss \Interior Pageant.” ‘When a girl is asked to run for Miss Castlegar she is sponsored ‘by. one. of the firms, in‘ Castlegar. donation gées directly to the girl. With it she is to buy sheca and purchase or make a formal dress and.a bathing suit. “And you know, that money doban't go vary fast, ‘Tt teaches the’ girls to be thrifty.” » The $200 ‘The queen and the two princesses are seen very often were there at the Santa Claus parad oy. helped Oe with ‘United-Way. Trish wishes: ps'‘would use them for openings and. y groups’ functions. “The girls just love it,” says Trish “they really, are! ments must.be made for where and when the pageant will ° answer take place. Judges. must be found. Preparations’ for the | fashion shows must be made, Make-up and hairstylists must be located and willing to work. The girls, themselves must go through a grueling schedule of training in how to walk, * again, with.a slightly changed committee. Glenda and Clarlotte.but we got somo new ones; Maureen hris + Johnson, who, to Trish just really into i This year's Miss Gestlegss, is Shane and ably carried out by howto talk, and what manners go with: what: occasion. Two summers ago tho first Miss Castlegar pageant was’ . held in many years, ‘and Trish remembers, “we had a‘ super year!” Leona were Leanne Smalley and Colleen. Dascher. ‘The pageant itself went without a hitch and “we had 25. visiting. royalties come! This had never happened before. ” was d Queen and: : A month later, Leona, Colleen and Trish were off to ihe Miss Interior pageant. where Leona was. named‘ ‘second -runner-up. . 4 A few months of quiet and it was time tq er. year.: :“T lost MacDonald, Jane Smith, - id: Kareen every weekend: is booked up with NNON CALLAGHAN Miss Castlegar 1922/83 beauty. pageant cho added, “but I hink 99. ‘per cent of the people are really for it,'It’s good training for.the girls.” A few short weeks after the Mies Castlegar, it v was time for another Miss Interior Pageant in which Leanne Smalley entered: “Some:people wondered why we didn't enter ® Shannon. Let me explain,” says Trish. "We want to make & practice of sending the past Miss Castlegar to the Miss Interior Pageant.” Since last year was the first time in many- years that there'was a Miss Castlegar Pageant they had to send Leona and Colleen. Because of her age Leona. wasn't eligible at that time. Next: year they plan on sending and possibly Linda and Stacey. “We-are setting a precede nt of sending our past royalties. We figure it fakes at least-a year for the ‘girls to train for this." . I found out that prior to this pageant | Leanne wont to.” ‘are. see Marg Holoboff once a week for training ‘ia how'to walk * and how to talk. “Marg. has’ books of this ‘sort of thing. Leanne knew she needed’ little pointers. We are very — fortunate'to have Marg. We: have to make the girls feel comfortable as they. sit in front of five judges.” +. Something must have paid off. This past August Leanne .was.crowned Miss Interior. “It was so beautiful. I couldn't _ believe it had happened after | sony our second year. Of BEHIND THE SCENES . . . Castlegar’s Trish Waldie is the mover and shaker behind the Miss Castlegar pageants thelr. ‘entire 12 ‘days there only one hour for personal ; shopping. There: wore. fittings. and ré-fittings and more Fe-fittings.“Before’ ‘we left we had to send in all of Leanne's ‘sizes in everything, but like most of the girls; she went. on's erash diet before the pageant and so she had to have all of her things re-fitted.” : Every minute of their day was carefully planned, right from their many hours of fittings to long fours practicing their ‘dance routines on stage. There were also TV, radio interviews, and photography sessions. The girls each had to have six pairs of shoes, plus a designer collection of clothes fashioned by Canadian dress desigzers. Leanne got to keep her boots, her shoes, her bathing suit but-not the designer collection. “She received $2,000 worth of merchandise.” Plus she also had received a number | of gifts from the Castlegar merchants. The security was so stiff that the girls were not allowed to have-any phone calls without permission from their chaperone. Leanne was granted permission and spent a hour talking with Trish and her parents, “Leanne told us she was feeling pretty good.” ‘The l girl. Her personality just bubbles. 1. watched her up there after the first girl was picked. I knew Leanne v was in the running. She was just gorgeot As Miss Interior ee will! beo es hand for the opening . ofthe Tra here y to Trish ; pa th let. light. .Onl; ohanaeen eats Just about, Later that evening it dawned on Trish and ‘Leanne and Leanne's parents and the others, on the committee ‘that Leanne was’now a Miss Canada candidate! “There were forms to fill out. Leanne was going to university so we only had one week to get radio, ‘TV and newspaper interviews. We had to organize a banquet, get financial support.” : And according to Trish they need lots. of finances to opera! “Travelling: is so expensive and we need to send _ these girls into as many areas as possible; Cranbrook, Rossland, Trail, Revelstoke, Creston. They should go to Penticton because it ,is-the perfect place for me to pick up ideas.” A month later Leanne was. off to the Miss. Canada pageant in Toronto. Trish, who went along as her director, atill speaks enthusiastically of it: “Each girl is assigned toa - chaperone, there are two girls to each chaperone.” And with a avave of her hand. she continued, “And the ‘security. I * couldn't believe it. The girls never left their room without gave a clear view of tho stage. “It was tux only for the men.” ‘The women wore anything from pant suits to formals. There’ were monitors with & flashing applause siyns. At first that made me feel like a kid being told what to do, but-they had to do it that way. It was an all live show.” In era with me, Trish constantly referred to the princesses,"-“my queons.” And ithough itu takes up a lot of time in meetings — sometimes twice a week — Trish loves it. It'a been good for her she says. When she married Jim Waldie, well-known in this town from childhood, she really didn’t know. anyone. This to become as she puts girls as “my girls,” “my: -has Pp her with the it “someone other than just Jim Waldie’s wife.” “Tve always been a person who sat back and watched other people do things. I'm a shy person, really. This has forced me into a situation where I can’t do that.” And she says that she learned right along with the girls. “I never stop their chaperones.” She told me that the $8 hadin ry” was Friday where the girls modelled bathing suits and formals. This was open to the public. The pageant itself was a very private affair, no one under 19 admitted. The invited guestsihad to go through a series of three security checks before they. were allowed in the auditorium. During the first check: their: tickets were scared by un lid stiekets: displayed -the proper 5-Upon ‘entering ‘the hall-Trish was’ immediately”: surprised at the immensity of it. And all df the 800 seats which have been running so successfully for’ two years. ma Trish grew up in a large family of seven: brothers. sisters in Squamish. She sang in choirs for as-long-as she: remember and still loves to sing. “Someday I'm going to a piano,” she says wistfully. She's been a part Rossland Light Opera productions, and as: time and Gun Club, another hobby she will pursue here‘as time - permits. She and Jim, an employee of School District No. 9; - have one son, Clifford, 2'/, “who loves the girls as much-as I do,” says Trish. “And my husband supports me 100'-per. cent.” Tasked what it's like around the Waldie househ the pageant is in full swing. “It's hectic!” she: answered: “From May right on through September it : around here.” LEONA SORENSON +. Miss Castlegar 1981/82 Pioneer remembers Robson - This is the ninth part ofa 10-part series by Rob- “ son, pioneer Marjorie (Fowler) Gailbraith on Rob- My father was a very kind and thoughtful man, as well as a capable one, and was especially handy with tools. He served on the Robson School Board, was a deacon in the church, and was on the Irrigation Board when it was formed later on. ' My mother, too, became well-known in Robson for a _ different skill. When the first baby was born in Robson, Mother acted as midwife. This was Annie Hartford, the Hartford's first child, and Mother. proved successful in her role in assisting with the delivery of the first of over 100 babies'she was to assist in bringing into the world. Whether or not a doctor arrived in time for that first confinement I can't say, but I.do know that in a good’ number of the deliveries, the baby arrived before the doctor did, as he had to come from Nelson, about 65 kilometres away. Ifa or freight train was not scheduled to son's early days and her of those times, the people and the events. ‘By MARJORIE (FOWLER) GAILBRAITH In the fall of 1909, Dad built a small workshop, bought a two-horsepower gasoline engine, and installed the lathe, saw ete, which he had acquired when he was trained as a wood-turner during his -younger days in Ontario. Woodworking enabled Dad to earn a bit of extra money'in : Robson as well as to provide some’ useful items for , ourselves. For one thing, he turned fence-posts with | fancy tops to go across the front of our lot and up both sides of the driveway that led from the gate to the - barnyard. These were painted white, with green tops. They added to the smart.appearance of our place, which was always kept tidy. In time the house was painted white, with’ green trim. *. ‘We won an award for the best-kept place in Robson for a number of years, and.I suspect the good-looking fence posts, together with the flowering shrubs which Dad and * Mother had planted around the house to assure flowers in season, contributed to our success. Dad became well known for turning rolling pine, vand- every bride in the valley was assured of receiving one as a gift. Dad also made Indian clubs for a recreation class that was formed later, as well as collection plates for churches, gavels, etc. In his 92nd year, a few months before he died, ‘Dad was still busy at his lathe in Vancouver, turning ‘drawer pulls to order for Wood-* wards. 3 leave Nelzon for the west at the time that he was called, he*would. sometimes be brought out on a -“speeder,” particularly if the cafe seemed, urgent. The two Nelson doctors who were most freqently called out. were Dr. Rose and Dr. Hartin. Fortunately most of the babies arrived. without problems, and we *, didn’t seem to encounter any major accidents or serious illnesses. Nevertheless, Mother did have some strange experiences, mostly at night, arising ‘from her work. There might be a call from up the lake, requiring her to travel in an opon boat during a heavy wind or rain storm. Or there: might be language difficulties, as with the Italian woman who lived across the river from us. Her husband, a foreman for the ‘GPR, had picked up some English, so he had to translate for the patient, who, . isolated in the home, spoke- nothing but her native tongue. * In looking back over those early years in Robson, I feel a great respect for the parents of the families who were starting a new life there, with all the difficulties they had to contend with — clearing land, putting up housing, getting gardens and orchards started, and to some of them, learning a whole new way of life. “For my own mother, in’ that first year, moving to Robson meant finding food for her own family — Dad, the five children, the hired:man who had come west with us, and, for a few months, Dad’s uncle who helped us to build our house. But somehow she managed, and I know Dad. helped iso. I can remember him coming in from his work to turn the washing machine for her, before any of the “children were big enough to do it. As we grew older, we all had “chores” to do, of course, . such as washing dishes, making. our beds, fetching the cows. There was always time for play, too, however. Mother, too, would take time off to visit her neighbors, particularly Mrs. Jordan on the east side of us, and Mrs. Clyde on the west. Although the grown-ups were very. good friends, they would never. dream of calling each other by their first names, the use of first names not._ being the custom at the time. The same applied to the men of the settlement, who addressed each other as “Mr.” —-at least for the first 10 years. Our house being a fairly large one, we usually: bad a spare room. Frequently we had a boarder — a student pastor, one of the men sent into the district to teach varlous .aspects of ranching, and, later on, school teachers. One Baptist minister was. particularly welcome guest.’ . His name was Howe, and he was a Welshman who had trained as an actor but had given up the stage and gone into the ministry. He had a good speaking voice and would sometimes entertain us at night with recitations, or bits from plays that he had acted in. He was interested in.our phonograph, and would play records over until he had'them memorized. Our phonograph was an Edison, brought with us from Manitoba. Tke cylinder records which it played were of two-minute duration, although later on we were able to get ones lasting four minutes — a grest imptovement, we thought, even though we had to change to a different neédle for the “Iong-play” cylinders. For some time, our phonograph was the only instrument of its kind in the valley, and was listened to by various members of the community. Whenever Mr. Ferguson would make a trip to Nelson he would shop for a new record, usually a Harry Lauder record if he could find one, and would bring it over to the house on his return, Dad's taste in phonograph cylinders leaned to band music, as he had played his cornet in bands in Ontario and * Manitoba during his younger days. We also had a variety of other selections to listen to, so that old Edison, with its large flared horn, brought a lot of Pleasure to a lot of _ people, even if we did have to wind it up every two or 3 . four minutes! Neither Dad nor Mother had had much. formal musical + training to pass on to their family, but they helped us when they could, and gave encouragement, at least. In .. the beginning there were no music teachers in’ Robson, 8o we were all self-taught — Arthur on the reed organ. - {Mother's specialty) and later the cello, Verlie on ‘the . , organ, and,finally myself, also on the organ. . Shen Verlie went to Vancouver to attend high school -: and Art went away to work, I became the player fora - small grpup of friends who gathered to make music every Tuesday: evening. throughout the winter. Mr. Johnson, a a violinist of..some ability, trained his young neighbor, Irving Oborne, to play. The remainder of the band was Art on a cello which he and Dad bad made, and learned to play. Initially a workman at the Waldie sawmill Castlegar had loaned Arthur his cello for a time, and our men decided they would try to make one, ‘using the borrowed cello as a copy. By using available wood (an old cheese box was involved in this somehow, but I'm not sure what part) and contriving forms to make the curves - — which had to be steamed — they managed to bulld:an ~~. instrument that survived more than 40 years of usé and possessed quite a good tone. The strings and a bow | has be purchased, but the remainder of the celle : “was homemade. With this addition to our Sioa we played atl local concerts in the hall. Our rep: i" of some simple overtures, waltzs, and marches. In 1917 ~ Dad and I jointly financed the purchasa cf a piano and this added greatly to the quality and scope of the music and caused me to take my practice time more seriously. In 1918 my brother Art died suddenly in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan during the flu epidemic that hit the whole country. My brother Earle took over Art’s place at the cello and we continued playing as a group until he and I left Robson, he to attend UBC and I to be married in Vancouver. In recent years, the remnants of the original group, Irving Oborne, Earle and I have formed our group. We meet regularly to play over the repertory which was so popular 60 years ago. , (NEXT: The conclusion of Life in Robson)