HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-01-20, Page 5Remember Mollie?
Dear Sir,
Can you forgive me? Here I am, late
again! Where the days go is a puzzle to me,
whizzing by so the whole year has gone in a
flash. I think of you all, my Canadian
friends, and remember our happy times
together. Also all the kindness shown to me
when I was among you in your Canadian
Dungannon and district. The barn door
painting you gave me still hangs in my
home and I'm surrounded by sourvenirs of
those happy times. I'd love another trip if I
could fit it in, but not if years are like the
one just gone with scarcely a moment to
breathe.
We had more visitors than ever with
about 40 Belgians between April and June,
some in mini buses, some m private cars,
all absolutely thrilled to be back. We enter-
tained them in our home and in the Legion
and I spent all my free time with them
because of their lack of English. Again
they've made me promise to return the
compliment so I'm to be their guest in
September when their town, Namur, will
be host to Belgium's Irish Day, something
which is, apparently, quite famous and of
which they are tremendously proud. '
This engagement will mean my missing
our local Flower Show, one of the
highlights of our year. I'm a very en-
thusiastic supporter and two years ago
presented them with a Runner Up Rose
Cup, so the one behind the winner wouldn't
be disappointed. I used to be Runner Up
but have won the Rose Class so many
times now, they asked me to judge instead
of competing. Such an invitation is quite an
honour and I must say I enjoyed myself
enormously. It's not until you're judging
that you discover how much you've learn-
ed about roses through the years. The Cup
went to a very worthy winner who not only
exhibits but breeds, too, and is a real
perfectionist. I'm not an °expert. myself. I
just grow them and have a bit of luck!
Apart from our Belgians, we had other
visitors this, year, most importantly Mr.
and Mrs. Eddie Stiles, RR 7, Lucknow.
What a pleasure it was to see them again!
We last met in Goderich Legion Club when
he played the piano there during my stay
in 1980. It was lovely to have him and his
wife in our home to meet my husband and
as you can imagine, they got a great
welcome at our Legion here in Dungannon.
We're hoping they'll come back and not be
so rushed next time. Back at base, Eddie
wrote a marvellous letter, telling of his ex-
periences after he left us en route tof,on-
donderry. They stopped their hired car in a
very sensitive area and were surrounded
by vigilant soldiers, guns at the ready;
These same soldiers helped them in every
way they could and sent them on their way
full of laughter. There's lots of laughter in
this country but we have to be aware
always of the threat of terrorism. Who was
it who said "The price of liberty is eternal
vigilance"? .�
Sadly, vigilance isn't always enough.
Wasn't the Poppy Day massacre in En-
niskillen horrific? We were actually on
parade ourselves here in Dungannon when
we heard of it and felt very much involved.
Any Armistice parade could have been the
target and in fact another bomb of 130 lbs.,
timed to explode during the two minute
silence on a village parade route nearby
was discovered and defused, while a third,
1500 was dumped in front of our Legion
H.Q. in Belfast but failed to ignite. We at-
tended Enniskillen's delayed Armistice
Service later in the month and it was very
deeply moving to be with them in their
grief. Many V.I.P.s flew in, including
Margaret Thatcher on her way to confer
with the Prime Minister of France.
Everyone has been so kind and so concern-
ed that donations sent in to the injured and
bereaved now total more than 400,000
pounds.
In spite of all this, you would be'astonish-
ed by how peacefully people. live together
here. Don't ever be afraid to include Nor-
thern Ireland in your travel programme.
You'd probably be safer in this country
than anywhere else in the world. Apart
from occasional acts of terrorism, we have
very little crime. Our schools are the best
in the U.K., an Antrim quiz team has just
won the Masterteam Trophy on the B.B.C.,
competing against other brillian teams
from the rest of the U.K., the second win,
two years running, for a Northern Ireland
team, there is a great love everywhere for
TQ
music and books and churches of all
denominations are very generously sup-
ported as are charities. Strangely, Co. Fer-
managh, including the Town of En-
niskillen, gave more per head this year to
the Royal British Legion Poppy Fund than
any other part of the U.K. Co. Tyrone was
also up there at the top.
So never think of Northern Ireland as a
dead loss. I know we get a lot of bad
publicity but the picture presented is not a
fair or true one. In fact, we invited over
from London the mother of a friend of our
son who had heard that we lived in one of
the most deprived areas of Europe. Im-
agine her astonishment when she saw, as
she claimed, "the loveliest roads with the
least traffic, more big cars, and more
beautiful new homes than she'd seen
anywhere for years". She went home after
a very happy holiday wondering ifperhaps
she was deprived living in London! Our
modest home over there would be worth a
fortune.
I'm up to my ears in Legion and C.A.B.
work and we're coming into the Con-
ference season again which means a lot of
running about for me. Also I'm just back
from the Highlands of Scotland where I
went to comfort a wartime Waaf friend
whose husband had just died. If you'd like
a quiet gentle holiday in glorious surroun-
dings with kind gentle lovely people, letme
commend the Highlands to you. If we had
to leave Dungannon, maybe that's where
I'd go, though they tell me it's very cold in
winter so they get snowed in and have trou-
ble with frozen pipes and snow ploughs
throw drifts full of salt into their gardens
which isn't good. Maybe I'll just" stay
where I am. Could you beat Dungannon
anyway?
We're all set for Christmas and expect
our ' son home shortly. He's a Lex-
icographer, very busy on translation work
- two books from German (Theatre and
Music) one from French (Photography)
and has completed his German/English
dictionary. After a holiday in Florence, he
took evening classes in Italian, getting an
A in A-levels, and is now studying Russian
so will he be heading off there next? This
year he chose Turkey and Greece. In his
spare time, he writes reviews and is learn-
ing Jazz Piano, one very active young
man. He also enjoys swimming, jogging
and fell walking. No sign of marriage yet.
As he says, when would he have time? My
husband and I enjoy our retirement and
feel very lazy in comparison.
Well, that will bring you up to date with
life and activities here and let you know I
think of you all. If I make a New Year's
Resolution, it will be to try to write more
often than just once a year. Especially this
coming year which promises to be very ex-
citing. We're having our W.A.A.F. Reu-
nion on the Q.E.2 no less. You can imagine
how I look forward to that and already I'm
in touch with some old friends I haven't
seen since the war. They recognize me
through my writings and get in touch
which is wonderful for me. I never expect
to be remembered. This particular Reu-
nion should be one we'll, never ever forget.
My good wishes to you all for Christmas
and the New Year. My thanks to everyone
who has written or sent me cards and my
love to you all.
Your friend,
Mollie Whiteside
To the editor,
As secretary of the Bruce -Grey
Genealogical Society, I have been con-
tacted by a family in Halifax seeking their
descendants for health reasons.
Louise McLeod married a James Kerr in
1879 and reportedly settled in the Lucknow
area. Their children were Elizabeth, born
in 1879, married James Edward Lang;
Thomas born in 1881; Gordon born in 1883
and married to Margaret. '
If any of your readers have any informa-
tion, however slight, I would ask that they
call me at 395-5044 or write to me at RR 2,
Ripley, NOG 2R0.
Gwen Harrison
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, January 20, 1988—Page 5
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