The Citizen, 1989-07-19, Page 21THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1989. PAGE 21.
Retirement recalls colourful life of Bly th woman
Wilma Radford
For the last time, on June 22, at
7:30 a.m. Wilma Radford drove
into the driveway of her Dinsley St.
home, coming from Huron view, as
she had done for 11 consecutive
years (excluding the winter months
of 1987 when she stayed in a rented
apartment in Clinton).
This day marked the beginning
of her retirement from 11 years of
night duty as a Nurse’s Aid at
Huronview. To remind her how
highly respected she was by
Huronview staff, she now has
sincere thanks to them, on display
in her home, a beautiful, embossed
silver tray, a silver locket and
chain, and one dozen long-stemm
ed roses, which were given to
Wilma by- Huronview residents to
express in what high regard her
kind care was held.
Asked about the nature of other
positions she had held, Wilma
accommodated with interesting in
formation. She began the first
phase of her work career in the
summer of 1937, after school was
out, as a maid in the large home of
a Blyth doctor, where she scrubbed
floors, did housework and cared for
the children. One day, at the
beginning of the fall school term,
she confessed that she cried as she
looked out of the kitchen window to
see her friends on their way to the
Continuation school to enter Form I
(Grade 9). How she longed to be
one of them! Because of family
financial circumstances, there was
no possible way to raise money to
buy text books, foolscap and other
classroom requirements. No jobs
for students were available as there
are now, after four, on Saturdays,
and in the summer holidays. There
were very few babysitting jobs.
One night, after a bridge party at
the doctor’s home when his wife
had retired to the upstairs, and
Wilma was carefully washing fine
china and silverware, she will
never forget his picking up a tea
towel to wipe dishes. She deemed
him a kind man despite the fact
that her salary was 50 cents a week,
perhaps slightly below average for
that time. Soon her salary was
doubled. After a short time, she
worked at Hollyman’s bakery re
ceiving five times as much money.
Here she became more aware of
the rationing of sugar and other
commodities, the process of coupon
buying and line-ups in the store
waiting to purchase food, the
supply of which could often not
meet the demand. It was pre-war
-time.
Wilma also learned to grade
eggs at Armand Kernich’s Egg
Grading station joined to his
grocery store in which she clerked.
With every move, Wilma’s diver
sified experience and knowledge
was widening and she liked that. At
the Old Mill she learned about the
processing of suede, leather and
blankets. Her interest in coats and
fittings increased which brought
rewarding results. Wilma said that
the job she enjoyed the most and
the work place in which she was
treated the best by management
was ‘The Old Mill.’ She added,
“Unfortunately my husband Bill
became ill which required me to
accompany him on Radford busi
ness trips. I left the Old Mill for
this reason and remained at home
until after his death.”
During the eight seasons that
Wilma worked for the George
Radford Construction Co. as cook,
and her husband Bill Radford, as
foreman, gravel was being hauled
and stockpiled in a location in the
Wiarton-Tobermory district. Wil
ma enjoyed, to a point, her first
taste of adventure in bush and rock
country, now a beautiful terrain,
which is now a mecca for campers
and tourists. The howling of a wolf
in the night and in early morning
the sight of a mother bear with her
cub became a common and interes
ting occurence for Wilma, but
much less appealing were the
dronings of mosquitoes coupled
with their bites and those of black
flies.
It was an exciting adventure for
her to jump into the panel truck
(the same one that president
George drove in the Blyth Centen
nial parade) and to drive up and
down hills, around curves and away
around Millar Lake, making the
trip at least 70 miles to purchase
groceries in Tobermory. Wilma did
this at least twice during each five
day week, stopping at the half-way
ice-house to purchase a block of ice
for the trailer’s aged ice box
leaking more water on high tem
perature days which necessitated
an extra trip for ice.
Less exciting, but tremendously
challenging, was trying to cook on a
two burner oil stove, well balanced
meals for the Radford crew as well
as workmen from another construc
tion crew and truckers working in
the same vicinity. She was overjoy
ed on seeing a three burner stove
carried in one day.
While working in the combined
kitchen and dining area of the
trailer in the bush, she sometimes
thought of the facilities at her
disposal in the government owned
building at the Clinton Radar
station. “Wouldn’t one’s life be
boring without contrasts!” she
commented with a smile.
For 17 years during and after
World War II, Wilma worked as a
waitress at No. 1 Radar School,
Clinton, in a cosmopolitan atmo
sphere which she found invigorat
ing. Diners in the Mess Hall came
from all parts of the Globe: Air
Force service meh, ranking from
the lowly pilot officer to the
highest, that of Group Captain;
associate civilian members -
judges, clergy, teachers and invit
ed guests from far and near on
certain occasions.
“The feel and appearance of the
best of white linen cloths, the finest
of china and silverware as we set
tables was nice. Our self-esteem
heightened, especially when we
added extra beautiful touches to
head table settings for parties,
special events, and the Group
Captain’s invited guests; but he
was required to sit always at Head
Table and sat there often alone to
eat his meals. That looked sad to us
us waitresses,” Wilma comment
ed.
When asked if she ever had time
to do volunteer work during her
busy work years, “Yes,” she
replied. “One occupation I liked
very well was working with little
children. I had the position for
years of checking a young Sunday
School children’s church atten
dance. I sat at a table at the back of
the church and each youngster
coming up from Sunday School
waited proudly until I registered
them “present”. Each received a
Bible and a certificate for perfect
church attendance at the end of the
year.”
“The first volunteer work I have
done since retiring in June is to lug
gallons of water in my car to water,
in this dry spell, the thirsty flowers
on the graves of my husband,
relatives and friends and others as
long as the water hangs out. Once 1
get my nights and days in their
proper time slot, I’ll be doing lots
of nice things again, I hope.”
Business
and_______
Professional
Directory
Henry F. Exel
Construction
D&J
CONSTRUCTION
RESIDENTIAL,
AGRICULTURAL,
COMMERCIAL
Brussels 887-6561
^^GeneraT^^
Carpentry
•Roofing V-
•New Buildings
& Renovations
DOUG MACHAN 887-9345
JIM MCDONALD 887-9607
D.MARSHALL^
DECORATING
PAINT’PAPER-DRYWALL
AIRLESSSPRAYING
SWIRL&TEXTURE CEILINGS
Phone:523-9220
Box336, Blyth
Lyle
Youngblut
AND SON
Plumbing and
Heating
BLYTH - 523-9585
TRIPPLE T
SMALL ENGINE SALES
AND SERVICE
CHAIN SAW
SHARPENING
$3.00
cdriens
NEW HOURS:
MON.-SAT.9-5 PM
LocatedbehindB&C Electric
BRUSSELS 887-9627
Cal Burke Electric.*'1^.
Electrical
Contractors
>rwfj » Appliance & Refrigeration
Sales & Service
SALES & WARRANTY SERVICE
Wingham 357 2450
or 1-800-265-3025
Over 40 Years Built by Quality & Service 0pen6daysaweek
Wanted!
Livestock
Barbecue pigs,
Ruptures, Rhinitis,
Poor doers, Feedlot,
Rejects.
Also sows & boars
fit to butcher.
CALL 335-3151
DAVIES ACCOUNTING
SERVICES
-personal, farm, small
business
-computerized bookkeeping
and accounting
financial statements, cash
flows, payroll, etc.
-complete income tax
service
-over 15 years experience
-confidentiality assured
-reasonable rates
CLINTON
PLUMBING
& HEATING
% 7W fat
&
DISCJOCKEYSERVICES
MUSIC FOR ALL
TED MORAN
MECHANICAL LTD
JOHN DAVIES 887-6912
a?
P.O. Box 803
CLINTON 482-3892
OCCASIONS
•Country *Rock
• Polkas ‘Waltzes
BRUCE VINCENT
523-4465
1
•Plumbing
•Heating’Sheet Metal
•Air Conditioning ’High
Efficiency Furnaces
191 Josephine St
WINGHAM 357-2904
Chartered Accountants
380 Wallace Ave. N.
Listowel, 291-1251
40 The Square
Goderich. 524-2677KunningOutUi ideas <
Head For The Classifieds!
20years
serving
Brussels
& area
•Farm ’Home
•Commercial
R.R. 3, BRUSSELS
887-6J
Pannell
Kerr
MacGillivray
Frank Workman
Electric
Howatt
Construction
Concrete and general
contracting
•Foundations ^Sidewalks
•Driveways •Flooring
R.R.#1, Auburn
523-4338
.CALL CITIZEN BUSINESS DIRECTORY AT 523-4792 OR 887-9114 HOURS A DAY