Nice visit
What a very pleasant surprise I had last week with a nice visit with Judy Lightening. Judy was born in the Lakes District, Clemretta to be more exact, where her parents had their home.
It was a lonesome life for a little girl but she made the best of it. She finished her education in Burns Lake. She worked in town for some years and then moved up to Whitehorse and has made her home for 20 years there. She loves it up there. Judy is visiting her family who live away and also many friends. She also visited many of her friends. We sure had a great visit.
Hall fun
On Saturday last the Francois Tchesinkut Lake Recreation Commission held a fundraiser for the hall. Although Saturday was a busy day the sale went over big time, even better than expected. Lots of very good things were donated for a good cause. Our hall is so important to our community as it’s more or less the centre. Many thanks to the folks who gave their time and effort to make it a success. I guess it’s called a labour of love. It’s folks like this that make a community like it is Today. This extra cash will be put to a good use on the hall.
Good bye to a pioneer
On May 3 at the legion hall in Burns Lake there was a celebration of life well lived for Elwood Shaffer. The legion hall was packed with family and so many good friends he had made through his long life in the Lakes District. Here was a man who lived life to the fullest and a man that never did things halfway, he always gave his best. You could tell how much he was loved and respected by the numbers who were there.
Elwood leaves his loving wife and such a wonderful family of which he was so proud of and so many fiends he had known for almost a lifetime. This is another break in one of our old-time pioneer families. Elwood is now on his last journey of which someday we all have to take. One thing that said it all was a friendship tribute read by Donna Harrison at the service. Thank you Donna.
Spring is here
Everyday spring comes a little closer. It’s almost like a new birth right before our eyes. Most all the little birds are back, not too much to eat but they will get along.
Heard a woodpecker yesterday making a big noise out the back. It was one of the bigger fellows. We seemed to have more birds back on the prairie than we have here. On the Eyehill creek where we lived we had lots of loons, blue herons, ducks, hawks, eagles, prairie chickens, grouse and partridge. They were good eating but hard to shoot.
Of course when the big dry hit us lots of those water birds left but are now back again. One thing we had lots of was crows, magpies and gophers. The government gave us one cent a crow leg and the same for a magpie and one cent a gopher tail. As they were damaging the grain fields.
May Day
Here we are already into the month of May, It’s now many years ago the month of May was our Francois Lake picnic and sports day. As the old saying goes ‘the 24 of May is the Queen’s birthday, if you don’t give us a holiday we’ll all run away’. We used to have some really fun days too. Lots of mothers and grandmothers will remember being May Queen at the hall.
I am going back a long way now as I remember we used to have a parade from the landing to the hall grounds. The RCMP used to lead the parade and horses and older model cars and a big float for the queen and her retinue such as flowers girls, train bearers, retiring queen, it was a fun time.
Terrible fire
Seth and Carrie Hunter, son and daughter in-law of Marie and Rick Hunter of Francois Lake, had a stroke of bad luck last week. They had just opened a new business in Prince George selling maternity clothes. It had the earmarks of very good business.
They were both excited about starting a new business. When last week they got hit by a terrible fire that took everything there also other buildings were also destroyed. All their stock was destroyed plus the equipment.
Seth and Carrie had such high hopes. They have insurance but that’s not 100 per cent. This is a disaster for a young couple just trying to get started.
Nice gift
Last week a very nice lady left a calendar as a gift, it was the 1912 Calgary Stampede. This is so interesting to go through, it’s a work of art. The pictures are priceless. I have it here and you can drop in any time and look at it.
All the pictures are so clear and so are the stories. We didn’t live that far from Calgary we never went to the stampede. One of my regrets now I look back at it.
I sure know her
There is a picture in our local paper with the note “Do you know this lady?” You bet we know her, she was one special person. Clara Preston was a friend to all. As matron how could you not remember her.
Everyone who was a patient fell in love with her as she was the next thing to being an angel with her love and kindness. Miss Preston made the old hospital a home for all who needed help. Every one who worked with her or for her would never forget her. She passed away doing good.
Such horrible news
It is with a lot of sorrow that I write this very sad part to my news.
What a terrible shock to our community and to the Hanson family with the passing of Shelley. Once again we all ask this question, why does this have to happen to someone so loving as she was.
Not only was she a loving person she was special to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. Our thoughts and our love goes out to the Hanson family especially to Brian as she was so special for him.
I must close my column with a heavy heart. No matter what happens God loves you a lot and so do I.