Clinton News-Record, 1976-12-23, Page 1tr
Caravon
elc,nging
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R
oyes movin
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In 1969,. newlyweds Dave
and Pat }Iexninay loaded
their wedding eta onto a
school bus. for a trip to their
new home in Saskatehewin.
In Manitoba, they turned the
bus in and used a U -haul.
trailer to ° complete the
,journey. Meanwhile, Dave's
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.
For Dave and Pat, retur-
ning to Ontario meant coming
bottle, and to Daryl, aged five
and Brian 2, it meant being
closer to grandparents,
aunts, uncles and cousins.
Dave, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Carl Hemingway. of
Brussels, attended the
Seaforth High School, while
Pat, the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Cox of RR 2,
Bayfield, received her
secondary school education in
Clinton.
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'
N�dN'7RtYtick. ihfl}.'a .;Y,rv*�F.T:^"-�•-.".w�•..•,•,
a
Affairs. Now he is employed
at ARO industries, Dash-
wood, and the Itaittly is
residing at RR 2, Bayfield.
Why make the trip in a bus?
Economics was the blggest
incentive. The estimated" cost
of renting trucks or hiring
movers was $'2,500, while
Dave's scheme totalled about
s350.
"I thought of the idea four
years ago," he grins, "and it
took that long to find a reason
to do it."
The reason materialized
abruptly at the and of August.
They learned Dave had been
accepted at ARC Industries
and was scheduled to begin
work in early November.
Thus they had only two`
months to prepare for their
excursion.
Dave checked out school
units and found several
busses were available. He
bought a 54 passenger 18
Ford with overdrive. He
amid' sell the bus in Ofltarine
for the same price he paid for
it„but he has another plan; he
will turn it into a camper.
They removed the 18 seats,
selling alt but six to friends in
Saskatoon to be 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 tLhe rear
Friends and family gathered recently at a "welcome
home" party for the Hemingways. (Foreground 1.-r.)
Brian, Dave and Pat Hemingway: (Background seated)
Murray Cole, Bessie Townshend, Cheryl Cox, Bonnie Cox,
Mrs. Carl HemingWay, Jim Axtmann, Madan Godkin,
Marilyn Friesen; (standing) Ray Cox, Lavern Godkin,
Claire Cox, Ruth Axtmann, Barb Bosman.
ergency exit. With the het ..
riends, the packing was
00eted alt four days- Ho
Mitch did el manoett
... bus? „ bedreOrn and
room furnitaret
a piano. an
dances, including a stow
a freezer and a
only thingsthey left
d werer twa bikes and a
W,
luxig machine,
"ht ext they iutched the old
Volvo, which was stilt too
reliable toleave behind, to
the bus using a bali,hitch and
a towbar. The car towed well,
and the bus averaged eight
miles to the gallon. Con-
sidering the bus weighed
eight tons and towed a one -
and -a -half ton oar. 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.
"I' wondered whether we'd
ever get off our 'street," Pat
recalls.' ''We met the
Separate School bus 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 bay
was watching the two busses,
and he walked across the
street right in front of me.
Luckily I saw him and
stopped intime."
They, left Saskatoon at 4 PM
+'rt 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
night 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 ex-
pected hassles at customs,
but the officers were brief.
The caravan rolled into Pat's
parents' farm around mid-
Pat Hemingway, left, Daryl, 5; Brian, 2, and Dave Hemingway In front of their bus.
night on Tuesday, November
2.
Pat summed up the whole
family's feeling when she
concluded, "It was good tohit
Ontario!"
Along the way, they en-
countered a few com-
plications. Daryl developed
the flu one day; Brian took it-
the next; and then bath Dave
and Pat felt ill. Daryl offered
to drive the car so Mommy
could lie down on the back
seat,. When they left the motel
the next morning, they
noticed banners announcing
that flu shots would be
available in the afternoon.
But it was too late for the
Hemingways!
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
wagon battery in the bus and
took the battery out of the old
Volvo to put into the wagon.
Then I stashed the bus bat-
tery 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
overheard 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 bus was filled
with crates instead of hungry
people.
Daryl's favourite 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. l& had
Pat's keys because the Volvo
had a locked gas tank. When
he finished, he drove away in
the bus takit g :the' eat' keys
with him. Pat sh)uted 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 hirn
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
back. 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. puzzles,
airplanes. cars anel play
dough.-- The bays openedone
package in the morning and
one in the afternoonvach day.
They played with each new
toy for a few hours and then
had something else to un-
wrap. The scheme kept the
boys occupied, and Pat ad-
vises 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
Coir flip decided long career for Elgin Thompson
By Chris.Zdeb
Heads or tails?
Fortunately for Elgin
Thompson, the coin turned up
tails in 1956.
"Four men stepped for-
ward at the ratepayers'
meeting to run for two
council, (Tuckersmith
Township), seats," Elgin
said.
'"There weren tt enough
people present to hold
nominations, so we decided to
ip a coin and 4 and -another
%How got in."
Today, 20 years later, Elgin
Thompson is retil ing as reeve
of Tuckersmith Township .at
the age of 71.
"I have been ready to retire
for six years, but since
nobody said they wanted it,
(the reeve's seat) I've kept
staying on." Elgin said.
"My • main reason for
retiring: now is not because of
my age, but because I had a
• good deputy -reeve (Ervin
llery) who will be moving
up to reeve and a good
councillor (Roberf Bell
moving up to deputy -reeve."
have no regrets in
Heaving - I know the township
n good hands," he said.
at doesn't mean
ever. that Agin won't
municipal politics. •
tat can't be in a thing for
IS years and say you
Miss it," he said.
the other. hand, you
Retires after 20 years
can't say you enjoyed every
minute or rt: There are
sorrows ,and there are joys,"
he said.
He has met "an enormous
amount of people" during his
years in office and it will be
these people, specifically
those he will not see because
"they don't live around
here," he said, who he will
miss.
"I wouldn't trade and lose
all thy activities that I have
been in or the people I have
met during my years on
council," Elgin said, but
there are times he feels a
little remorse for the private
family life he had to give up
when he became involved in
politics.
"I had to give up personal
friendships and a lot of get
together when I took office,"
he said. "We used to play
cards with friends every
Saturday night, and had to
give that up too."
His decision to go into
politics4 and now to leave,
were made soliiy by himself.
"My wife didn't encourage
me to go in but then she didn't
encourage me to go out,"
Elgin said, "feeling that I'd
be lost out of council."
"Well, I'm still chairman of
the committee of ad-
ministration of the con-
servation (Ausable-Bayfield)
authority, an -d if reappointed
to it again, it will keep me
busy." Elgin said.
"Then there's always
church work, I'm still active
in the church. (Brucefield
United Church) .
Unlike many politicians;
Elgin retires with a political
record that few men can
equal.
Becoming a councillor n
1957, Elgin easily won the 1959
election, took the reeve's seat
in 1962, held it in the 1966
election and for the last 10
years has held that post by
acclamation..
'It's awfully nice," he said,
"when you quit with a record
like that."
While most voters may be
familiar. with Elgin's record
as Tuckersmith's councillor
and reeve, few are aware of
the other` political offices he
has held, among them :
Director of the Mayors' and
Reeves' Association of
Ontario; member of Huron,
County Council's roads
committee; , chairman of
Huronview, at the time of the
new addition' was built on;
vice president of the
Association --of Municipalities
of Ontario.
Of all the positions he has
held, his term , on the roads
committee is one of w ich"lie
is most proud.
1 was on the committee
when it straightened the
roads, out of Egmondvil'le,
both of which had been very
crooked and dangerous; and
paved the main road through
Seafrrth,'' he said.
"I did the best I could for
the most people."
His long public service
dates back to the late 1930's
when he held the directorship
of the Canadian Canners and
Vegetable Marketing Board.
"I grew peas then and. as a
member of the Canning
Board, represented the
Exeter area," Elgin said.
His next step up the
political ladder was on the
school board. Was it his
leadership, foresight or clear
judgment that led to the post?
Answer! None of the above.
"No, I just wasn't there
when they were looking to
nominate representatives :he
said.
"They called up and told
me I had been earned to the
school board, and since my
twp boys were still in school. I
took the position."
While Elgin became more
and more involved in politics.
his sons Lorne and Gordon
tended the 550 acres of beef,
corn and ' beans, that they
worked between them.
Lately, a grandson, Bill. has
stepped in to take on the work
of the land.
Guiding the_b__oys when thei,_
1- father: -was away was Elgin's
wife, the former Grace
Pepper of Lucknow.
"I started giving her a ride
from choir practice (at
Brucefield United Church),"
Elgin said. and before they
knew it they were married.
Elgin, the second oldest of
four children, barn to Samuel
.4
Thompson and Susan Taylor,
was raised on his father's
farm, and moved out to rent a
farm an Lot • 11, 3rd con-
cession of Stanley Township
when he married.
In 1937 the couple moved to
their own farm on Lot 25
concession 1 Tuckersmith,
their present homestead.
When Elgin decided he
would step down as reeve of
Tuckersmith Township this -
year, a lot of people ap-
preached to ask: 'Why would
you quit now?' he said.
"My people have used me
100 pmt during the time I _
spent in office, but I had a
good deputy who had sat
under me for many years and
decided it was. time to give
him a chance (at the reeve's
chair)," he said.
"'I'll still be there for advice
if they want me though," he
added.
Tuckersmith has been left
the better for having. hada,
Elgin . Zrve as reeve these•
last 15 years and while Agin
admits that "Vanastra has
been left in better condition
than ever before," the un -
,fortunate financial state of
theVatastra pool, is a regret
he said he wished he could
have rectified.
Elgin may have turned
over the pitcher's mound to a
new hurler for the coming
"season", but he will still be
watching his team 'from
-sidelines and cheering them
on.
nor Wearsting for 21 y'eifl s tris The +et t
special' ftinetion hest Friday ry gh't at V at
-4