HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1976-12-23, Page 25r
Daryl"s favouilte incident
happened at a service station
near Mackinac, Michigan. While
Pat took the boys to the
washroom, Dave filled the bus
and car with gas. He had Pat's
keys because the Volvo had a
locked gas tank. When he
finished, he drove away in the bus
taking the car keys with him. Pat
shouted and waved, but he
rounded the .corner out of sight.
The man at the garage said he
couldn't "start that foreign car by
crossing . the wires" and
suggested she have the State
Troopers stop her husband.
"Well, he shouldn't be hard to
spot," she conceded.
Dave glanced back once,
noticed : a yellow car and
presumed it was Pat and the
boys..
• Thirteen miles later, when a
State Trooper flagged him down,
Dave thought he Was getting a
speeding ticket. He couldn't turn
the bus around on the road;
instead he had to unhitch the car
and drive it baek. Although they
all /laugh about it now, Daryl was
the only one' who thought it was-
funny at the time. .
The trip seemed long, but the
boys kept, busy thanks to the
ingenuity 'of a friend. She sent a
"Care Package" filled with little
gifts. The parcelS contained
activity toys, such as colouring
books, puzzle s; 'airplanes, cars
and play dough. The boys epened
one package in the morning and
one in the afternoon 'each day.
They played with each n ew toy
for a few hours and then had
something else to unwrap. The
• scheme kept the boys occupied,
and Pat advises any families
'planning long trips to try it.
. Of course, not many families
tackle a journey from
Saskatchewan to Ontario in a
school bus bearing all their
) belongings. But the unusual
caravan is a story the
Hemingways will long remember.
4
40
, St
The Herningw-ifyt-,
CoOle moves .east
• • b
flu shots would be available in the
afternoon. But it was too late for
the Hemingwaysl
The weather was clear and the
pavement dry for the whole trip.
The only motor trouble occurred
on Monday when they discovered
the bus battery was dead.
Dave explains the solution:
"The Volvo battery fit in the bus,
but the buS battery didn't fit the
Volvo; so I.put the wagoii battery
in the bus and took the battery out '
of the old Volvo to put into the
wagon. Then I stashed the bus
battery inside the bus, and that's
the way we finished the trip."
On the United States 'election
night, they stopped at an
American restaurant. Pat and
Daryl went in first and Oferheard
two waitresses talking by the,
window. When the girls spied the
bus, they groaned, "Oh, no! Not
a busload of people. That's all we
need." They were relieved to
discover the 15us was filled with
crates instead of hungry, people.
ALL THE WAY fROM,SASKATOON — Pat- Hemingway, left, Daryl, 5; Brian; 2;
andDave Hemingway in front of the bus that they packed with all their furniture
and drove from Saskatchewan to Ontario. (Photo by E. Townshend)
Missionary visits Bethel Bible Church .
MissDonna Arner, missionary
to Zaire, visited, Bethel Bible
Church on Sunday and gave..0,y.
Missionary story to the Sunday
School on her flannel-graph
board, then presented her testi-
mony at the regular morning
service. At the evening service
she showed her latest set of
colored pictures of the Mission
field in Zaire.,
The Teen Youth Clubs of the
church (Gals and Guys). met
together for their Annual Christ-
4
:For your own, convenience, we'll install a circuit breaker;
• easier, safer than fuse boxes. Our skilled electricians
will do a careful, efficient job and you save time
energy . . . money with our low rates.
, GEO. A. SILO and SONS
Main St, HARDWARE MERCHANTS
By Elaine Townshend
In 1969 newlyweds Dave and
Pat Hemingway, loaded their--
wedding gifts onto a school bus
for a trip to their new home in
Saskatchewan. In Manitoba, they
turned the bus in and used a
U-haul trailer to Complete the
jourtiey-. Meanwhile, '
brother drove their Volvo out for
them.
Seven years later they packed
their belongings into another bus
and headed back to Ontario. By
this time they had two small boys,
two Volvos and enough furniture
to fill a house. The latest
excursion'.- is one . they will
remember for a long time. •
Most of their seven years in
Saskatchewan were spent in
Saskatoon and Regina. Dave
worked for the Alcoholism
Commission of the Provincial
Government and later with the
Department of Veterans 'Affairs.
Now he is employed at ARC
Industries, Dashwood, and the
family is residing at R.R.#2,
ayfield.
Dave, the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Carl Hemingvuay of Brussels,
attended the Seaforth District
High School, while Pat, the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray.
Cox of R.R.#2, Bayfield; received
her Secondary School Education
in Clinton. For DAve and 'Pat,
returning to Ontario meant
coming home, and to Daryl, aged
5, and Brian, 2, it meant being
closer to grandparents, aunts,
uncles and cousins.
Why make the trip in a bus?
Economics was the biggest
incentive. The estimated cost of
renting trucks or hiring movers
was $2500, while Dave's scheme
totalled about $350.
"I thought of the idea four
years ago, " r he grins, "and it.
took that long to find a reason to
do it."
The reason materialized
abruptly at the end of August.
The family learned Dave' had
been accepted at, ARC Industries
and he was scheduled to begin
work in 'early November. Thus
they had only ,two months to
prepare for their -eX'Cursion.
Dave Checked out school units
and found several busses were
available. He bought a fifty-fOur,
passenger '68 Ford with
overdrive, He could sell thebus in
Ontario for the same price he paid
for it. hut he has another plan; he
will turn it into a camper. They
removed the eighteen seats,
selling all but six to friends in
Saskatoon to he used for, lawns,
patios and rec rooms.
Then the packing began. The
bus stretched from the front door
of the house to the sidewalk, and
the crates were squeezed through
the rear emergency exit. With. the
help of friends, the packing was
completed in four days. How
much did they manoeuv e into the
bus?- - bedroom and 1 room
furniture, including a iano, awl
kitchen appliances, eluding a
stove, a frig, a reezer and a
dryer. The only things they left
behind were two bikes and a
washing • machine.
Next they hitched the old
Volvo, which was still too reliable
to leave behind. to the bus using a
ball hitch and a towbar. The car
towed well, and the bus averaged
eight miles to the gallon.
Considering the bus weighed
eight tons and towed a one-and-a-
half ton- car, the mileage was
excellent.
While Dave drove the bus, Pat
and the boys followed in their-new
Volvo station wagon. The, most
dangerous part of, the journey
occurred in their own subdivision.
"1 wondered whether we'd
ever get off our street," Pat
recalls, "We met the Separate
School titig at the corner, and the
driver had to back up to let Dave
through, Brian giggled; he
thought it was a big joke. A little
boy was watching the two busses,
and he walked across the street
right in front of me. Luckily I saw
him' and stopped in time."
They left Saskatoon at 4 p.m.
on Friday, October 29.The' short
days meant' a lot of driving after
dark; they didn't stop until 8 or
8:30 at night. They spent the first
flight with Pat's •cousin in Regina
and the second at Dave's
brother's in Melita, Manitoba.
Then they took the U.S,, route,
staying overnight in motels and
cooking their own breakfasts'.
They expected hassles at
customs, but the officers were
brief. The caravan rolled into
Pat's pat' farm around
midnight on day, November
2.
Pat summed up th whole
family's feeling when she
concluded. "It was good to hit
Ontario!" '
Along the way, they
encountered a few complications.
Daryl developed the flu one day;
Brian took it the next; and then
both Dave and Pat felt ill. Daryl
offered to drive ' the car so
Moinmy could lie down on the
back sea'('. When they left their
motel the next morning, they
noticed banner's announcing that
Santa Claus
visits Fireside
Group
The Fireside Fellowkhip Group....
met at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
F.R.Cosford an attendance
of 20. Several members were
spending the winter,:in Florida:"
Geo. Hays, the president, was'
i'n tile chair and opened the'
meeting with a Oiristmas hymn.
folloWed-With prayer ,by Rev., E.
G. Nelson.
Miss Peg Grieve read the
Treasurer's report. F.R.Cosford
read the Christmas story` from
Luke 2. Wm. Brown gave the
nominating -report, stating that
Mr. and Mrs. James Keyes were
the new presidents; Wm. Brown
the vice president and Mrs. Lorne
Lawson the social convener.
F. R. Cosford read a very
'interesting Christmas story.
Group singing was enjoyed
with Miss Peg Grieve at "the
piano. Baby pictures wer passed
around for*the group to identify.
Mrs. F.R.Cosford and Mrs. J.
Pattersbn conducted . several
garnes and contests.
Santa Claus appeared in the
persdn of Geo .Hays who
!presented everyone with a gift.
, Wm.Brown expressed the
thanks of the group to Mr. and
Mrs. F.R.Cosford and another
Christmas party came to a close.
mas Sing. Special music by
instrument and song was given by
The Stratford Gospelites, a group
of young people. The parents and
friends of the local young folk
were invited and refreshments
were served by the ladies of the
church.
The Boys Club of the church
enjoyed a hike last Friday in the
Brucefield area on the farm of
leader Ken McCowan Jr. Besides
tramping through debt) snow they-
learnedhow to start a fire ikitfiout
matches and cook their hot dogs
in the open. On a future hike,
the, boys will be shown the'
mysteries of the honey bee as
leader Bill Ferguson, who towns
some 30 bee yards takes them on
' this research.
The ladies of thectiurch packed
a large number . of Christmas
Boxes for distribution to shut-ins.
This annual activity is greatly
appreciated by 'those who are
unable to get out and enjoy the
things' "of Christmas in the
shoppers world of lights and
song.
WELCOME BACK — Frfends and family gathered
recently at, a "welcome home"- party for /09,
Hemingways. (Foreground left, Brian, Dave and Pat
Hemingway: (Background seated) Murray Cole,
Bessie Townshend, Cheryl Cox,-, Bonnie Cox, Mrs.
Carl Hemingway, Jim. Axtmann, Marian Godkin,
Marilyn 'Friesen; (Standing) Ray Cox': Lavern
Godkin, Claire Cox, Ruth Axtmann; Barb Bosman.
(Photo by E. Townshend)
efimsLAIALS
GREETIANUO
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