HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1976-10-21, Page 3The. Village has, had .sotite • Thanks; -Mrs; • Wilson, for
tragedy, reflected AS., 1 looked lending your scrapbooks to the
through her books,'but there have "gxp9sitor good to know: that'
b?.01/ many SOOcl tames too, Brucefield is on the record,
Another fact that stanc49Ot is the •
continuity of life in to case: ydu missed„ ,last'
several,,gen,erations of onefancily, week, Margie lingert
are chronicled through the years ToWmbio ' haS 'air
in the scrapboOks. interesting eppottuuity fee faiM
,
Mrs. Wilson was a McKay and County who welcome a.
there are records 'of her family's visitors fr0M-th9Thit4 World :f4g-
acComplishments too. • -abotlt a mouth Of 'farm life, and
Her sckapbooks area valuable work, next -summer`;
record. Mrs: Wilson and many For in9re lnformation, check
other unknown local historians' Margie's storey en'page seven of
who quietly keep the record of last. weelt'S ExpoSitor or 'write or
their own local communities phone her at 406444 Victoria Rd.
deserve a lot of credit. N., Guelph, 836-2460
Same in the—sPrapl2POkS.,-, is
Personal. Mrs. •Wilson and her
late husband had a large• family
and she's kept track of them and
their families with clippings, And
fAnul Ole OP4,
• Wrgt9, 4cqtre, •aS
volninteer with. Canadian
Crossroads, • hltematiOnal,, iS
looking for threct farms itt)111704
Photo; Harry Hinehley in Public Archives
Seafort h sees its first plane
(By Harry Hinchley)
How many around. Seaforth still remember
the "aeroplane." that flew over Garrow's field
across from the'Maitlandba nk in November,
1917? The young Royal Flying Corps pilot, lost
and off course, on a Saturday flight from
-Camp Borden had developed engine trouble
and with darkness coming on was forced to
-land.
The next'day was a fine, bright Sunday and
people by the hundreds came from far and
wide to see what, for most of them, was tbeir
first aircraft. They hoped to see it fly and they
Were not disappointed. The pilot,, with the
assistance of Scott Hawthorne, leading expert
on all things mechanical, worked Most of the
afternoon on the engine and finally, got it
gcing .
l'hen the plah.e took off and made a few
circles around the field While the crowd
cheered, More was promised• for next day.
This seemed so. important, that at the
Cqllegiate Principal John F. Ross called school
off that all might go out to see the great event.
By this time Flying Corps mechanics had
arrived from-Camp Borden hnd had things
back into shape and' ready •for a test.
After they got the engine going and the
propeller spinning to the envy of everybody on
the field the well known Jim Willis got in with
the pilot as,a passenger. But Jim did not go •
only for the ride.
In 1917the proprietor of the, Strand. moving
picture theatre was engaged in a film war with
John Mackenzie of the Princess. This was his
chance for a stroke of business. As the plane
flew over the crowd he threw out handful's of
little leaflets that fluttered to the ground with
the message: "We advertise from the clouds.
Come to the Strand Theatre.':
After the war, in December, 1918; the
EXpositor carried-the rest of the story. Captain
Claude Wilson, the young pilot who the
previous year had landed in Garrow's field
had been killed on active service while flying
over France. After a short but distinguished
career with the Royal Flying Corps his number
came up' only a day or two before the
Armistice.
On a solo flight he had met up with a
squadron of tiveenemy planes. He W/asale to
bring down three. But he was too badly
outnumbered and the -other two shot' him
down.
(Authoe,s note - In 1917 Aeroplane" was the
accepted spelling: Flying was done by the
"Royal Flying. Corps" as the R.A.F. was not
so organized. In -the photograph the
gentleman with the felt hat and long coat is
the popular and never-to-be-forgotten
Mathematics teacher and principal at S.C.I.,
John F. Ross.He is remembered by, the John
F. 'Ross Collegiate and Vocational School at
Guelph.
Helen McKeither
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FijrtistYrittigPaltliteYevgnsg had
fgr some time,
nr ,
outgoing and less reclusive rural
society. .
Miss McKercher regards as her
greatest h
administer
accomplishment, her
ability to administer change. Her
programs• operate f through
various Women's Institutes,
agricultural . societies and
' associations.
"The making of dresses and
the showing of calves is just a
means to an end. The philospphy
of the program is to develop
people, give them a more satisfy-
ing life, create leaders in the
McKercher has
work, Miss Stratford and
been made an
honorary member Of many
women's societies. She is. for
example, honorary president of
the Federated Women's Insti-
tutes of Ontario and an Honorary
Life member of the Canadian
Society of Rural Extension. She is
also a life member 'of the
Associated Country Women of
the World, which boasts a
membership of nine million.
Over the past 20 years, Miss
community.
Through her
McKercher' has
kept a home in
an apartment in
Toronto:
When -She retires at the end of
the month, she plans to devote all
her time t6 Stratford and /the
surrounding area communities.
She says she will volunteer her
professional ..knowledge to the
hospital and continue her wqrk
with rural women and girls.
V
(Editor's note: ' McKillop
Township native Helen M.
McKercher retires at the end of
this month as . director of home
economics , for ,, the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture. Miss
McKercher, whose brother
Robert still lives ,on the family
farm et R.R. 1, Dublin, will move.
to her home in Stratford' after her
retirement:. What follows is an
interview with her by William
Marsden of the Stratford Beacon
Herald.) .
Diplqmat, untiring - leader,
"elthirrpion of .,...wo.men's rights,
friend of rural housewives across
Ontario and tower of strength in
Women's Institutes in this pro-
vince, the name Miss Helen May
McKercher is a household word
with farm families in Ontario.
So says the citation Miss
McKercher recently received
from the Alumni Asaciation of
the University of Guelph in honor
of her 36 years service to Ontario.
. But not all the citation implies
is true. Miss McKercher has kept
her distance from women's rights
movements and deClines. invita-
tions to enter into public debate
on the subject.
As a home economist, who for
the past 20 years had been
director of home economics for
the Ontario Department of Agri-
culture, her interest lies in
educating rural girls and women
in the arts of building healthy
families.
The only woman director in the
Department of Agriculture, she
said yesterday at her 73 Hillcrest
Dr. home, "I favor equal work,
equal pay, But I find that women
are not as mobile to move in a job
as men, and they often are not
willing to assume responsibility.
. "Having always worked
towards home and family living, I
guess I've always leaned towards
family life. • It's such a personal
matter what peoplewant to do. It
really all depends' On the
circumstances." ..
At 65, Miss McKercher, is
retiring after a .long and, ,,she
says, enjoyable career. Born on a
'Huron " .Comity farm near
Seaforth, she graduated from' the
MacDonald Institute in 1930, and
interned in' dietetics at th9
Hospital, for Sick Children, i&.—
Toronto, and the Ottawa, Civic
Hospital.
In 1931 she j• oined the
Women's Institute branch of the
Ontario Department Cif Agrieul 7
ture and becanie home, economist
._,..,09e for the coLt: ties o Ilington,
Dufferin, Middi sell, and Perth.
Since then, sh as never even
considered ,another Occupation.,
- Helen' M. Mc ercher
"I'm a prodigy of the
Depression. People of my age
went out and got a job' and stayed
with it. But I've thoioughly
enjoyed everything I've done. I
think you have to remember that
work is apart of life and you have
to get into something you
thoroughly enjoy. And when
you'v'e found it. you stay with it.
"I've been a career person. Not
that homemaking isn't a , career.
How insulting!" ,
In 1943 Miss.' McKercher
enlisted, la, the 'Women's Royal
Canadian Naval Service as one of
four dietitians and found 14tself
responsible for feeding 20,000
men at a naval base in Cornwallis,
Nova Scotia.
A year after she was
discharged as a lieutenant in
1945, she enrolled at 'Cornell
University, in New York State,
where she completed her• bache-
lor of science in foods and
nutrition and her masters degree
in extension education.
'In 1951, she 'became chief of
consumer services for the Canada
Department of Fisheries and then
in 1956 returned to the Ontario
'Department of Agriculture.
Here, she has expanded the
tlepartm'ent from ,a staff of 20 to
one of 60 home economists, an
indication of increasing demand
in,,ruriti areas for education in the
ever-changing art and sdience of
home economics.
There are currently about
50,000 'rural women and girls
participating in programs
directed by Miss tvIcKerchier, The
programs are constantly changing
to meet the needs of modern
'science and technology, not to
mention the needs of mdre
First of all, reversing a trend
that Ire,memberfrom years past,
the.seool'auditOrit4lt, was packed.
It's go to know that relatives
and friepds care enough about
this year's graduates.that they.111
jam' the floor seats and the
auditorium balcony to mark ,the
event.
And then there were the
graduates themselves. They were
as poised, confident and happy a
looking group as I've seen in one
place for a.long, long dine.
Their happiness was almost
infeitious as they gr inned about
seeing each other again since
they've left SDHS and about
going through the monentous
ceremony...their graduation.
There Was: no guest speaker
this year; the graduates decided
on that, according to principal
Bruce Shaw. Instead, three
young peopl€ gave valedictory
addresses which were 'inspiring
and hilarious.
The usual group of school
board officials and trustees were
there (perhaps even more
trustess than usual, this being an
election year. principal Shaw
suggested) but it was the kids'
night.
And they collectively and.
individually, deserved all the
compliments they got. They've
worked hard for four and five
' years, all of them, and I was glad
to be just as proud of them as
their parents and teachers
obviously were.
Congratulation's to the Class of.
'76. May you have as, good
fee lings about what you do in the
future as you seem to have about
your years at SDHS.
* * * * *
‘In Collecting. history for our
special pages on the anniversary
of Brueefield Unite,d .Church this
week, we borrdwed a series of
scrapbooks from longtime
Brucefield resident Mrs' Lorne
(Jean) Wilson.
Some of the clippings in Mrs.
Wilson's books go back 50 and 60
years. If a, life of a community can
be collected hi books, Mrs.
Wilson's scrapbooks do just that'.
She has clippings of interviews
with local.citizens, lots of photos
of Brucefield people which
appeared in newspapers far and
wide and clippings about deaths,
births and marriages.
I venture there aren't foo many
things that,, happened in
Btricpfield, 'or too many people
who lived in or near thevillage for
sometime, that aren't chronicled
in Mrs. Wilson's scrapbooks.