HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-01-14, Page 4L.woilsonish Jamaary 14, 1,1
Iwant to tell you about my mother. She was an old lady
luto her eightiessmall, white-haired, walking slowlY,
• gamely.lwith it stick. You wouldnt have called her old if
you'd known her. bright and eager, full of interest and
concern, deeply daily gratefid for si life that lasted her so
longn.
Not
that
it was easy for her.cTbiomunescillwgereeptinftursiohardthai
cruel even, but she a sort
„ carried.her up and '"--,-,--had4111i.,thiatriind'atimIsto founder sahedel:aittoa
bear, 44Sometimes. refusing',1;oitwien
you've really
sseauffereci trouble,d t. yol"smetito mestop eagatit yoYoblessings.*'
. We were hrought up that.. "Be4. :tad," she'd say,
"always be ,glad it isn't worse.."Illness misfortune,
- tragedy never made her bitter." Back she'd come,
,Phdosoplucal and courageous,refusing to argue that it
wasn'tfair, hiding her sorra*, thankful for the strength'
that was In her. ;You have to have she said, and
her faith never 'failed her.
•,
She was a Yorkshire lass, youngest of seven, born into
a strict but loving ham- At ten. sheplayedthe brgan itt
Methodist Cy,la *
nPtiCi'4til.1aveshe helped train
the
..Ktr.sooksandmts1;wetukegldohe*7o
inaer*herehewenfapic0wathefirtiarhed
1s°new°Ild;'t home tomewl;oune
she'd nealwar-tdPa asa kindof17_
shelves
every kind..
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.10CF_ILTN SHRIER Pablisher
SHARON I DIETZ - E,ditar .
ANTIIONti N. JOHNSTONE Adtvrtising and
General Manager,
PAT I-J,11INGSI0N - Offrix, Manager.,
Mkki.EcEtitOIT - Typesetter
JOAN HELM - Conapttsition
Runnels and Editorial Office Telephone 528-2E22
Mailing Address P;O. BON 400. Lockninc, NOG 2H0
'Second Oasl,,i Mail RegistraIjOnNumber -11/847
• , "44 , 4144 ,
cost. �ffood?.
•
Despite The fact that Canadians are paying about lOper
cent more for food-. than at this time last year. recent
studies- show that when compared to other Countries
• around the. Wolidour-weekly food7basket IS cheaper by a
tong shot. '
Although a kilogram (2.2 'pi:Amids)' of sirloin steak now
costs $8inourcapital city of 0,1aral, the sameamountand
• quality of nteat costs the Japanese censuMer. S40 in a
Tokyo market.
• porkChopsin Stockholm will setyou back to the tune of
S21 for a kilogram; and -in Paris. considered the cuisine
capital of the world, a kilogram of bacon retails for$21.
'while shoppers io Ottawa will piay $3.30
In fact. the recent study of 15 world capitals puts Ottavva
third front the bottom in food mices. and Ottawa prices are
• generally comparable to those it most areas of Canada.
Here are some further examples,' A 21 -item food basket
in Ottawa cOsts'slightly more than $61. The same items itt
London. England cost $85; i44, Paris $109; itt Bern $118: in
Stockholm $135, and in Tokyo a whopping $151.
While the , cost of food baskets is one measure. -it is
brought into sharper perspective when one calculates how
long an average worker must work to pay for the weekly
grocenes
In Ottawa, eight hours on the job (on average') pays for
the weekly groceries. The Parisian would work cloie to 18
hours; and the worker in Buenas Aires spends almost 30
hours on the job for his greeeries each week.
In fact, of the .15 capitals surveyed, the worker in Ottawa
would spend the least amount of time on the job to pay for
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,DY the tittle d,done her training as a teacher. the
CanadianWest was opening up, calling for new settlers
and for school staff to teach the children of settlers
already there. For her this waschallenge and opportunity
that she couldn't resist, a whole new fascinating world
just waiting there: On August 4th, 1914, the „day the first
Great War broke out her ship t sail for Canada
leaving England far behind. She was still only twenty.
A Fair' ie school -mann was a great catch in those days,
for her,learning, consulted by everyone on every
lem,- called to, organize the parties and church
%frictions and debates and, meetings they were always
having. The school -mann would know *hat to do. She
had an answer for everything.
She was damty -with dark darkeyes, size tiVOill Si1017\,'
size six in gloves, but determined and strong.For three
years she drove a mule, and buggy six Miles to the local
school, filling the clulilrenwith her own enthusiasm,
involving herself with their families often homesick for
Ireland, or Scotland or Sureden Or. France, comforting
them,7,shating •with them her own new love..for -Canada.
For 'three years she .said "NO" to 4.fine' big young
homesteaders who came to call on het. like bees round a
honeypot. She turned them all away but my father, out
from Belfast's Malone Manse, was more than a match for
her with his winning ways - and winning Irish brogue.
sharing her love for DOORS and; music .and for the wide
-
spaces of Saskatchewan
So she Tarried my fatherandthey raised four children •
• _
on, a :farm that' oir-erilosved with cattle,- illOtSeS;' gigi*
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tUrkeys, chickens. dogs and cats, all owned 'arid loved.
, Animals were our pets, our Mends, -our toys, livrng as we
did in the back of beyond, miles_frem even a tiny town.
My mother baked _and sewed, ,fed the calves and foals
and baby chicks., salted bacon and bottled fruit, laying
out groaning tables • for the twenty harvesters who
gathered every autumn to help us Cut and thresh the
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the weekly food basket, and the survey includes Washing-
ton, D.C.
Canadians on average spend about 18 per cent of their
disposable income on groceries, which is considerably
lower than people in most Western democracies.
And while shoikrs in the Iron Curtain countries mayget
staples such ' pinatoes cheaper than we do in Canada,
how many tunes do Canadians have to line up for such
things as oranges, fresh meat and dairy produets?
Certainly, all consumers in 'this country can't help but'
notice that the price of food is On the rise here, and has
been for the past Several years.
Butcompared to other countries; we are not as badly off
as we thi we .are. •
*The truth of the matteris that the average Canadian eats
better for less than just abOut anybody else in the world.
We are the last ones who should be getting' indigestion
over the price of our food.
' " • • ' `--Port Perry' Star
' •
wheat.- •,
Busy: busy. And still they came to her for answers to
their Problems- of education. health; money. frustration.
distress. She had a rare understanding and firmness of .
conviction that calmed -and reassured them : If sliehad no
instant cure for any ill, she'd find out for them and they
went away soothed, Corning back, another -day.
-At first the prairie irielded ,up rich cropsgolden and
abundantly rewarding. But then the picture changed. 1
.vas just old enough to notice when the drought began.
Rains failed for one year and, the hanrest failed. They
lightened their -belts and, started again; 'planting again. .
By IM Campbell
Flora Fraser was the only Woman in the "'groupof
immigrants without children. As a. -young widow.': she
kook the perils of facing the future alone in a new land:
Once she had pondered on the thought of returning to
- her ;native .Scotlandt but a strong bond held her to the
people from Skye Wtioliad Sought refuge in the church
baseMent.• -; - • \
She had tried 10 tell herself that it was the cOmforting
.
Presence of people .of her own blood and tongue ,which
urged her to stay in Canada. Secretly. she Was ashamed
' to admit that even as a recently bereaved widow. she was
attracted to Neil MacCrimmon'.
So ,she had spent one fruitless day looking for
employment. but what did she have to offer a prospective
employer? Her childhood and youth had been spent in a
small sheal in the Highlands There i was only necessary
to know the rough skills of a tenant farmer's child. The
milking of a sing16 cow in the byre, herding sheep,
sweeping an earthern floor. cooking on the griddle or in
the cauldron and washing, clothes in, water carried from
the burn. Her only experience of any other toil had been
after she had married James Fraser. This was sorting
coal: at the fluines in the Lowland - . - -.. --
She wandered through the streets from one establish-
tnent to the next. It required all her courage t� overcome
her embarrassment. when she tried to speak what little
English she knew to -make people understand that she
. needed work. The so called gentleinen could find little
use for a "peasant" in their workshops and warehouses.
OnlY their eyes told how Flora \Fraser could best serve'
their needs! The ladiesof the houses who employed
servants laughed in her face when she told them the
extent of her experience.
'" "Sheep and coal? How' perfectly ridiculous. What
would 1 possibly want with such a woman in my house?
No, no, 1 have nothing to offer you.", \
On the morning of the second day, Flora lingered with •
the other women long after the men had gone off to work.
Only the old fiddler, Adam MacKay remained behind
. -
He still slumbered in his hammock, having worked in the
"Southern Cross" Tavern until the early hours. Flora
helped the women -to sweep the floor, tidy the basement.
or hold.a baby Whilst the mother fussed with her older
children. But for that dreadful voyage on the Mavis, she
too might be looking forward to holding a child on her
own..Only a few short weeks ago. she had a husband, the
promise of bi 'and b
hoping again. But the drotiArht went on and on. Winds
came from the mountains, swirling away the top sou,
blowingout the seed. Dust turned our midday into the
darkness Of darkest night and Sve hid in the cellar or
under stooks in open fields sheltering from the danger of
crashing buildings or farm, nuichinety- 'whiz' zing by,
Great clouds of locusts descended on our rolling acres,
cutting through thenvlikea scythe, Giant hail stones
as left.
flattenedthwehaptrawirie:- d wanderStIme1is away, there fworaasginhardly:
r
enough harvest to fodder.our stock and, we turned them
loose on
'themselves, tearing home again; though, when another
storm threatenedl... *
• . Those were terrible years.for parents, seeing all they'd
Worked for turning into desert, savinos all gone. But they
had their children still and because them, hope, lots of
hope. Our hired man, getting no wages:, worked for his
keep. Our teacher taught for her keep, moving from one
home to the next around the district. Our minister went
back to the cityand fathers Sok turns leading the Sunda),
worship in our one -loomed school that was also our
Church, or dance hall. our council chaMber. We had
splendid times, gathering there to celebrate anything we
could think of to keep our spirits up. entertaining with
song and verse, dancing and eating together.
When relief trains started coming in with clothes and
fish and fresh vegetables for disaIr areas, we used our
school as distribution centre, thrilled and excited likea
second -Christmas. We made the most of everything we
had. never feeling deprived or resentful, not even after ,
years -and years of, hardship.
We all helped each other. My mother organized a
correspondence course in further education for My sister
andneig ki nb nhner st ecekni children hni e, It wa vaes feethrnpeieadn of orpstoofipse proper
ofu eu rr
education- that brought4us back to Ireland in the end.
. They. left everything they .had for us. selling what they
could which w,asn't much. 'giving away the rest and
leaving our firritjust sitting there.
Purses were slim in Ireland. too, and -times were hard
all, over the world in the Hungry Thirties.' But we got
what, they wanted for us. High School. scholarship's and
educational awards to make them- nrog.„except that the
War came thenso we. forgot' abotit*reers and rushed
away. One by one.injiiiii the Air Foree.'nit• sister and 1 in •
the %V.A.A.F.. our 'two brothers as R:A.F. pilots. - •
They never tried to stop us. •When my 'elder brother
was/killed. aged 22. shot down over Holland. doctors said
° Turn to page 9*
merciless hand 'Of fate.
When' Adam MacKay awakened' to his strange
suffoundings, ,Flora gave him a meagre breakfast and
told him of . her fruitless search, for work. Adam
• remembered that the' owner of the, **Southern Cross"
needed a maid for the rooms and he: told Flora about the
possible employment. Cleaning roomsscrubbing floors
and making beds did not. require' too •much specialized
• ski!. so Flora agre,ed go with, Adam. to the tavern that
afternoon. •
Red Marian. the proprietor of the tavern. was not
prepared for the surprise. of seeing Flora Fraser. when-,
the old fiddlerbrought her to the -"Southern Cross". Her
clothes were of shabby' dark cloth and, her shoes had seenif
better days. She was hatless and her brown.hair hung
down upon her shoulders. But it was, not the shabby
appearance which surprised the tavetn keeper. It was the
simple beauty of the ,woman. Beneath the drab clothing
was a body of Wittiest unbelievable symmetry. She spoke
shyly. revealing white even teeth. Her eyes were brown
and.* nervousness. her eye lashes swept a complexion of
flawless high coloured skin.-
From time to time she looked at Adam to translate, her
Gaelic. hi truthfulness. she told Red Morgan she had
never worked as a maid..before, Hotel experience could
not have deterred the decision of the tavern proprietor.
This was an opportunity to employ a woman one only •
meets once in a lifetime.
• "This is a 'live in" position." Redtolcl her, examining
herface for her reaction. '‘Iteorii. board and five dollars a'
month!** • . .
A woman who had only known the simpiehOnesty of
tile Highland hills could not foresee the evil in the minds
of men. Toflora, this -was her chance .to be independent.
at last. It only took her a few seconds to. make up her
mind.
"If it pleases you, Sir.. I will go back and fetch my
belongings."
Neil Mactrimmon became; more used to the work of
loading ltiniber on the ships. At first the regular
stevedores had been inclined toniock and aggravate him.
His clothes and his accent were a subjeet of humour, but -
• the young piper had let thein know in no uncertain terms;
that he would stand up to anybody who threatened him.
MacCrtioniatnofitighwastf-- a man lb be reckoned with when it
carne
It was only when he returned to the church basement
that night that he became really troubled. He glanced to
any empty hammock in the candlelight. Flora Fraser had
a aa new ountiful,life. Such is the gone!,4.
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