As a TEAM, we decided to reflect on our remembrances and reflections of this century, and ponder what the 21st century will bring.
Since Emmie Oddie wrote our predecessor column I’d Like to Know for a good portion of the century, I called to chat with her. Emmie was looking forward to spending time during the holiday season with her sister, Rose Jardine, another former Western Producer columnist. Emmie diligently wrote and answered questions longhand and sent them to The Western
Producer via the bus. For this
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Alma brought back memories of an important highlight of our school years – the Christmas
concert.
“Preparations seemed to start a couple of months before the event and as it got closer to the night, all of the school days were spent getting ready. It’s hard to know whether we learned as much from the experience of the concert as we would have from spending that time at the books.
“It was the first public speaking experience for many of us. Preparation included learning lines for the plays, practising singing the Christmas carols, and learning where to march for the drill. If you were lucky or unlucky enough to have to do a recitation, that had to be learned, too. Most of us were shy and timid, not having been far from home or in front of a large group of people.
“At the time, the stage seemed fairly large, built out of planks and up from the floor a foot or two. On returning to this one-room school in adult years, I realized the stage had shrunk. I do recall during some concerts when some poor soul would miss the edge and fall through the curtain to the floor below.
“How did we manage to undress and dress several times, store our props and maybe even the piano in the little bit of backstage? The teacher must have been very busy doing the prompting, playing the piano, directing the singing, and everything else.
“We were often few in numbers, so it was a juggling act to have some students on stage, some getting ready for the next act and two people to pull the curtains. And of course, the shorter time between curtain pulls the better, to keep the show going. At the end of it all, Santa arrived. That was the only time we ever saw Santa. Back then, there was no TV, shopping malls or other place for him to find us.
“My husband, Bill, tells of his surprise one Christmas concert night when he went downstairs in the schoolhouse to the toilet. Much to his surprise, Santa was sitting on the coal pile. I bet he forgot to do what he went downstairs for.”
Betty Ann recalls the telephone party lines.
“A century ago letter writing was the major method of communications. Many families were scattered around the world and would probably never see each other again. The letter was the only way to communicate a longer message.
“The advent of the telephone began to change that. As a child in the 1950s, I can remember our phone ring – one long, one short, one long. This was our signal that someone was calling us. We had an old black phone with a crank on the wall. There were up to 11 other families on our party line and each had a distinctive ring. If we wanted to call someone else on the line, we would crank out the ring for that home. To call someone not on our line, we would call our local central and they would place the call for us. To call long distance overseas, you would go through an overseas operator who would place the call and then call you back when the connection had been made.
“The party line also served as a form of entertainment for many. Usually someone was listening in on your conversation, but no one would admit to doing it. When my older brother left home in the Sixties, I can remember that we would all try to say a quick hello within the three-minute time frame. Things have changed with unlimited long distance packages.
“Instead of one phone line to each home, we are now adding two or three lines so that there are separate lines for the internet or fax. Cellular phones and pagers have meant that we can communicate with each other almost anywhere. I would expect the ‘communicator’ concept from Star Trek, where you can communicate with others just by pressing a button on your shirt to be a reality in the not too distant future. However we have lost the art of personal letter writing, which I hope returns with the increased use of e-mail.”
Jodie shared her thoughts on the millennium:
“My part of the past century, began in Canada’s centennial year, 1967. That year, Elvis, the rock and roll king, wed Priscilla Beaulieu and settled down. Then came the Beatles. Also, the first microwave oven came on the market, and hippie fashion details were covered in daisies, buttons, go-go boots, guitars and Day-glo paint. We must not forget the beautiful wigs and hairpieces that many women were sporting. This fashion made playing dress-up and dancing around as a little girl lots of fun.
“One of the major changes that affected people during my growing-up years was the introduction of the metric system, creating many heated discussions.
“I remember the first VCR becoming available when I was a teenager, allowing us to tape a show even while not watching it. Wow! And just when we thought TV life was great, the satellite dish was born, offering more channels than we knew what to do with.
“Modes of transportation have changed from horse and buggy, model As and Ts, big square sedans, the station wagon and the van. The family unit that will frequent the schoolyards these days is the mini van or Suburban, super-cabs and sports-utility vehicles. One can even order a van with a TV/VCR right in the vehicle. So much for playing Eye Spy on the family trips.”
Barb also has the following memories of changes:
- From sod shacks to Eaton catalogue homes to bungalows, geodesic domes and solar homes.
- From water pumps and outhouses to indoor plumbing.
- From radio shows like Ma Perkins, the Happy Gang Show, Hockey Night in Canada, Amos and Andy, Fibber McGee and Molly to the introduction of television shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and I Love Lucy.
Later came The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and Charlie’s Angels, Flintstones, Star Trek, the Munsters, and then E.R., The Simpsons and Seinfeld.
- From homemade Christmas presents or ordering from catalogues, such as Eatons and Sears, to gift shopping over the internet.
- From Saturday nights when everyone went to town and the streets were packed, (you had to get there early to get a place on Main Street to park) to people driving in many different directions for
services.
- From old-fashioned poolrooms and hotel bars to cocktail lounges and drive-through off-sale liquor.
- From milk shakes made with homemade ice-cream to lactose-free frozen desserts and iced cappuccinos.
- From skating on ponds and dugouts to snowmobiling, snowboarding and skiing in the
mountains.
* From harvest crews and threshing machines to global
- From harvest crews and threshing machines to global
positioning systems and high-tech machinery.
- From sons and daughters fighting in the two world wars to negotiations, global talks and treaties.
- From early deaths from disease to modern day medicines and treatments that will extend life expectancy to almost 100 years.
Despite the many changes in our lives, writing this article has made us realize that some things never change. The way that a parent cares for and loves a child has been unchanged through many centuries. The way we worry about their well-being, their wants and their needs is unchanged. The way we reach out to friends and family in times of need and in celebrations is still there.
Our feelings and emotions and basic human needs have not changed. Being positive, courageous and realistic are traits that made the pioneers who opened up the country successful. These are the qualities we must strive for in our lives at the beginning of a new century.
