It’s Monday morning and the starting of another day and it’s a good one. Did anyone notice the sunset Sunday evening. The whole sky was like a huge fire and in a matter of minutes it had gone.
Our weather has been so nice let’s hope it stays. Jan. 31 means we are half way through the winter, happy days.
Icy stories
Last week I mentioned I would try to remember the names of folks that I had known who had a narrow escape through the ice on Francois Lake. In 1939 Bob Moore, a Malkin salesman, lost a new sedan about half a mile south of the landing. Then years later Blake McGibbon lost a lovely sedan about a mile from Southbank. Then later on the Giesbrecht brothers lost an almost new Diamond-T truck just west of the landing. This was a disaster for them.
The Standard oil truck went through the ice close to Southbank. They got it out by cutting the ice to the shore. Then later on a northern dairy truck went through, then later on another year the propane truck went through.
Bill Glanville with his know how got both trucks out. What a job that was and at the time it was very cold. Then close to the Nadina River mouth Frank Walters and Alex Ferguson went through where there was an open spring, they both lost their lives. They got out of the truck but could not get onto safe ice. Bill Harrison was flying and found them. Susan Peebles also had a nasty experience and she is alive to tell it. An angel was with Susan and her family that day. Bill Corner went through crossing the ice, brother Peter saved his life. Then the Knelsons experience going through the ice.
This report is more or less a matter of interest for folks to read as I can not find any record except what I have in my head. No doubt there are others who will remember, but who?
Tchesinkut Lake has had its share of accidents with crossing the lake in the winter and so has Ootsa Lake but Francois Lake had more than its share because using the frozen lake as a highway put more pressure on the lake ice.
Busy busy
Those who were able to attend that wonderful show ‘The Golden Violin’ were spellbound as it was out of this world. This is a show that has been seen all over the world. Hats off to our arts council for obtaining such well known entertainment for folks to enjoy. They seem to do such a great job.
Then there was the one year anniversary of the terrible accident at the Babine mill just a year ago. This accident will remain in memory of many that were involved.
Hundreds gathered at the Lakes District Secondary School to share their sorrow. To share each others sorrow is a gift from God. We must move on ahead and hope and pray such terrible accidents will never happen again.
Mayor Strimbold is to be commended in his handling of such a huge meeting and the kind of meeting it was. Hats off to you him and the other organizers.
Injured swan
This happened maybe in the 50s. The lake was freezing and around the ferry dock there was some open water. It was in the early morning and our friend Fred Rushton came up to the front door.
It was cold, too cold to be our and about. What’s wrong Fred I asked him and he said a swan was frozen in the ice.
We always had lots of swans close to the dock so we had to rescue it as the ice was bad. So we got a long later and pushed it out onto the very poor ice and I pushed myself out to the swan. I took my knife and cut the frozen feathers and then took it into our basement. Then put a pan of grain and covered it with water.
The swan was right at home so I got the warden Bill Richmond and he and some other game guy. This was a protected breed so they took it away. The swan looked at me to come and was tame but to the two wardens it was nasty and mean. Next morning I went to feed it and it was dead. The warden came back to check it out and it was covered with huge red beetles that had been sucking the life from the poor bird. It was funny why it would come to me and not anyone else. The warden sent the remains away to Victoria. I was very surprised that a wild swan would become tame just within less than a week.
Friends from afar
I keep in close contact with old friends in Saskatchewan. We phone very often and compare our weather. They have already had some minus 30 and lots of snow. They sure do need the snow for next years crops.
I love B.C. as it’s been my home for over 70 years and they have been good years. Such a wonderful family and so many wonderful friends. Who could want any more.
But I still have a love for the prairie and way back in my mind there is a drawing back. It’s hard to realize I was born over 90 years ago in the Eyehill Creek valley. It was a lonesome place but such a beautiful place to live as a kid.
Our dad homesteaded the Eyehill in 1906 and he loved every inch of it all. The C.P.R. railway passed our home on the east, the old sounding lake trail went by our garden and the what was called the bottom trail went to the west so for a kid there was always something moving. I have some great stories to tell.
Sad news
Olga Colborne, a resident of the Tweedsmuir House, passed away in the Burns Lake Hospital Jan. 24 in the early morning. She leaves her brother Albert Klassen, also a Tweedsmuir resident. Olga was a friend to everyone and we will really miss her. The service is on Wednesday.
Take care and remember always God loves you and so do I.