HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-05-03, Page 7By Debbie Bauer
“Let me call you sweetheart, I’m
in love with you.”
It’s an old song but one that comes
to mind when I think of Bernice
Anderson. I sat down to a lovely
lunch with Bernice and her daughter,
Nancy, on Wednesday last week. We
discussed her near 90 years and
being the oldest living Auburn
native.
Over a delicious bowl of sweet-
potato soup we found no lack of
inspiration for conversation. With
the dishes cleared and paper and
pencil ready, I braced myself for a
near century of images and
memories of village life. I wasn’t
disappointed.
The photo albums came out and
old newspaper clippings were
scanned and talked about. To say the
least, I was enthralled.
Mrs. Anderson’s family originated
in Scotland. The Orkney Islands to
be more specific. When her great-
grandmother finally reached North
America, three weeks late, in 1874,
it was to discover their ship had been
listed as missing at sea.
On a visit to family still living in
the Orkney Islands, Bernice was able
to sleep in the same bed that her
great-grandmother was born in. An
experience most of us would never
even dream of having, the
importance of which, is not lost on
Bernice.
There is a genuine love for history
and family that emanated from this
sparkly lady. Anyone wishing a
history lesson on the life and times
of the Auburn area over the past 90
years, and is fourth generation to-
boot, need to find themselves over a
cup of tea with Mrs. Anderson.
Bernice laid claim to memories of
Harvey McGee, a locally talented
man who was often compared to the
then famous, Harry Lauder. Both
Bernice and her daughter remember
him playing his trumpet and singing
old Scottish songs. “It was like
watching Red Skelton perform,” said
daughter Nancy.
Together, her father and
grandfather built the sturdy red brick
home she was born in and is living in
today. She told me of an
arrangement between her father and
his dad that for $200 he would live in
the house they built, until he passed.
He lived 14 years in their home.
Mrs. Anderson still feels very
blessed to have been brought up with
a playful, accessible father, as well
as a loving grandfather who in her
own words, “saved me from many a
spanking.” He was the quintessential
grandpa who even bought her a
pony.
While her mother was most often
the disciplinarian, she admitted she
could talk her way out of most
spankings. She did recall one
disciplining that she didn’t feel she
particularly deserved.
Bernice told of times playing hide-
n-seek that her spirited father would
close a cupboard door knowing she
was inside, hiding next to the slop-pail. On one occasion, in an effort topay him back, she scooped a handfulof talcum powder from her mother’sdresser and ran downstairs. Sheapproached him from behind andpoofed the powder in his face. Mr.
Lawson was an extreme asthmatic
and suddenly a playful retaliation
was a serious health concern. I’m
sure both sides felt wronged on that
one.
Mrs. Anderson remembered the
train station and the ease with which
people travelled to Goderich and
back. Not that people needed to go
far as Auburn had three grocery
stores, two barbers, a bank, doctor,
funeral home, furniture store,
blacksmith, fire department and jail.
One story relayed to me was of the
policeman, Tom Adams, who met up
with a gentleman who had over-
indulged in spirits at a local
celebration. Police officer Adams
placed the man in the confines of the
Auburn jail only to find said
gentleman back at the party when
officer Adams returned. Obviously
not a high-security facility.
When asked about any regrets she
said she wished she hadn’t diddled
so much when she was suppose to be
practising piano lessons. She could
put it over her parents, she said, asthey couldn’t tell if she waspractising or diddling. Her instructorwas Winnie Philips at a cost of 25cents a week.A particularly fond memory forMrs. Anderson was of a tea party on
the lawn of neighbour Tilly
Thompson who called her up and
said, “Bring your ‘baby’ over for a
visit”. Bernice headed out with her
dolly to discover Tilly had called
another neighbour and friend,
Martha, to also bring her baby. There
on the front lawn was a small table
and chairs set for them and their
‘babies’, complete with tea cups and
finery, enough to embed in a young
girl’s mind, a beautiful memory, of a
time and a lady, that would last 80-
some years.
As a student, she remembers the
burdensome task of ‘memory work’.
She still dislikes the thoughts of
having to memorize the spelling of
all the Governor General’s names.
Her final exam for what she called,
senior Grade 4, and what we now
call Grade 8, was held in Blyth. She
recalls having to, “beginning with
the fourth verse, and write six lines”,
of Burial of Moses, which I had
never heard of, and Mrs. Anderson
was still able to recite, at least in
part.Bernice became a teacher, as washer mother. While her mother’s wagewas a mere $275 a year when shewas finished teaching, Bernice’sstarting wage, teaching Grade 9 and10 was $500. A few years ago, she
attended the 65th anniversary of
graduation from teacher’s college in
Stratford.
There was talk of an evaporator
plant and several houses on the
riverbank to the west of the Auburn
to Clinton road. She also spoke of a
time when she was 12 or 13, and
meeting with friends the same age in
front of the Anglican Church,
choosing up sides for a game of
hide-n-seek played in teams. They
had the run of the village which
often gleaned them some trouble as
little attention was paid to things like
gardens and flower beds.
In the winter, skating was a
preoccupation for Bernice, and she
often skated for hours on the river-
ponds and on a rink close to where
she still lives. One particular year
she felt sure she had a good chance
of winning a ribbon at a scheduled
race. She had forgotten however that
Blyth school kids were also joining
them and her plans for glory were
foiled.
She learned to drive on her father’sknee in a Studebaker. She has fondmemories of backing out thedriveway and pulling back inrepeatedly to practise. When it was time to get herlicence she met Mr. MacEwan at the
CN train station in Goderich, who
was well known for reaching across
and turning off the engine in the
middle of a driving test. Of course
the driver was on their own for
getting the car restarted.
When she finished her test,
Bernice asked if she would be
allowed to drive home to Auburn
that same day. He told her yes, she
could drive. She had passed the test
and now she was just waiting for the
government to do the paperwork.
Some things haven’t changed.
She remembers her father
suggesting she and some friends
head to Seaforth to an ‘Old Boys
Reunion’. She struck out with a
carload of six girls and somehow
they managed to find herself driving
in the parade. Not all the driving she
did was strictly appreciated however.
Bernice remembered her father
writing down the mileage, on the
garage wall when she headed to
Goderich. Extra laps around the
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007. PAGE 7.Auburn’s oldest life-long resident marks 90th
NOW OPEN ON WEEKENDS
Three Squirrels
Antiques, Collectibles
and Appraisals
Tim & Tracy Saunders
Estates Bought & Sold
430 Queen Street, Blyth
across from the Theatre
Grand Opening
Friday, May 4 ~ 3 pm - 8 pm
Saturday, May 5 ~ 10 am - 5 pm
Phone 519-523-4797
Cell 519-440-6412
tsaunders@ezlink.on.ca
BERNICE ANDERSON
Celebrating a life well lived
Continued on page 8