The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Isabel Coghill (Cogy) came to Flin Flon in July 1945, "just for a weekend visit" to see her fianc Andrew Maitland and to apply for a nursing position at the Company Hospital. The couple had originally met at Hamiota, Manitoba where Cogy was working as a nurse. Andy had gotten a job at HBMS in May of 1945 and Cogy started at the Company Hospital in September of 1945. Cogy worked with "Schwabby", Marj Nelson (later to become Watkins), Mary Brims (later to become East), Mary Cunningham (Gall), Lila Green, Judy McGilvray, Bella Akert, Tommy Mearns, Elma Coupland (Wilson), Ann Morrison, Shirley Snider, Lil Schuman, Leone Govenlock, and Mary (Cunningham) Gall. At the clinic at that time were Addie Plummer, Hazel Haldorson (Evans), and Alice Luft. Bruce Noton was in X-ray at the Company Hospital and Fred Grey and Gordon Martin (filled in for Fred when he was on leave) were pharmacists at the Flin Flon Clinic. The doctors that were working in those days of 1945 were Dr. Johnson, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Stephansson, Dr. Jacques, Dr. Redpath, Dr. McNichol, Dr. Watson, Dr. Killoh, Dr. Finch, and Dr. Shnider. The single nurses had rooms above the clinic which was where Cogy was staying until she married Andy Maitland in December 1945. See 'Neighbours' P.# Con't from P.# HBMS had brought in about 24 army huts from Churchill. Some were only about 12x12, some were a bit larger for families, but that was the Maitlands' first home. The huts were situated about where Willowvale School is now. Some of their neighbours were Beth and Jack Thompson, Bill and Anne Martin (Mrs. Martin was straight from Scotland as a war bride), Evan and Dorothy Baillie, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Manns. The family lived there until after Judy was born in 1947, and in 1948 the family moved and lived with the Baillies at 214 Whitney Street for a short time while looking for something to rent. Neighbours there were Emory and Anne Switzer, Bob and Jessie Fredrickson, Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert McNeill, and Wes and Dorothy Smith. Then the family moved into a rental on 23 Scarth Street in 1948. The George Cavanaugh family lived upstairs for a short while and when they moved out Les and Lorraine Jeffrey moved in. Neighbours during those years were Bernadette (Dettie) and Matt Gibney, Orville and Iola Thompson, George and Mary Willey, Dave and Edie McDonald, Dick and Edna Hopkinson, Conrad and Mildred Larson, Walt and Vi Redman, George and Ann Muggaburg, Bert and Anna Pelletier, Bob and Martha Renas, Wayne and Ruth Shomperlin, Cy and Ollie Bright, Bob and Ellen Ulinder, Don and Gay Gray, Barry, Norman, Florence and Granny Aitkens, Bob and Vi Coombs, Alice and Eddie Luft, Tom and Della Scott, Alf and Roxy Harvey, Bill and Ivy Bach, Jim and Doreen Brown, Bob and Andy Paul (the Bachs, Browns and Pauls were all RCMP). The family bought their permanent home at 30 Bay Avenue in 1950 and continued with the same neighbours. At that time it should be noted that Third Avenue was not as it is today. In order to get uptown from the Birchview, Channing Drive area, the road passed the tracks and the present day Gas Bar, and Gail Motors was where the Grey Goose bus lines is now, and went up Longmore Avenue and around by the old Foster Park to Sippel or Third Avenue Hill. There were only stairs going up to Third Avenue from the Birchview/ Channing Drive area. Waterworks came in to the area where the Maitlands lived in 1950. Cogy shopped for her groceries mainly at the Fruit and Produce which was owned by Steve Kowalawich. She also shopped at "Red" Donaldson's Meat Market, Ostry's, The Bay, the Blue and White, the Smart Shoppe and the Mary Jane Shop. Ross Lake had two grocery stores at that time. They were family businesses, one owned by the Wigg family and the other by the Huber family. Judy went to school at Ross Lake and had Neil McLellan as the principal with Miss Ostrowski as her grade one teacher, Zelda Forshaw grade two, Mary Robertson in grade three, Miss M. Sparling in grade four, Verna Perkins in grade five and Sylvia Bohonos in grade six. Some of the kids Judy hung around with in those days were: Marilyn, Mary Ellen and Mike Gibney, Pat Willey, Glenda and Gordon Thompson, Ed Hopkinson, Brian and Keith Redman, Mel Jankovich, and Pat and Joanne Folwark. Cogy stated that for entertainment, the families would very often get together and play cards, have house parties or go to the shows at the Rex or Northland theatres. There was no television then. Their son Doug was born in 1956, and about four months later, Cogy recalls a trip that the family attempted to take to Hamiota by car. Apparently the road was slippery wet clay and the car slid off the road and rolled. Luckily no one was hurt, just shaken up. A passerby took the family to The Pas and Andy stayed with the car. Once Andy got back to The Pas, Bruce Noton gave the family a ride back to Flin Flon. Cogy remembers the nurses' balls that they used to have once a year in the Community Hall. Everyone would get all dressed up. Also there were dances at the Jubilee Hall with Wes Vickery playing or at the Birchview Scout Hall with Bob and Bert Warren playing. See 'Wedding' P.# Con't from P.# Andy curled at Ross Lake with Bob Coombs, Keith Sproxton and Jule Nielsen. Later Andy skipped and had Glenn Smith, Tom Barrow and Tom Matthewson as well as George Danko and Eddie Luft on his various teams. Cogy was also a member of the Flin Flon Girl Guide association when Judy was involved in it. Other women involved in the guiding association at that time were: Ruth Shomperlin, Noreen Watson, Ruth McPherson, Dorothy Douglas and Ann Negrych. In 1964 Cogy escorted Judy and Betty Hopkins to Winnipeg to receive their gold cords. Judy smiles and says, "It was very exciting to go for a train ride!" Cogy used to decorate wedding cakes and remembers doing one for Barbara Jean Killoh, Noreen Berry, Bev Coombs, Barb and Sandy Scott, as well as doing anniversary cakes for the Shepherds and Fraser and Gladys Smith. The family - like many others - spent many hours at Phantom Lake having picnics and just enjoying themselves. The family had bought a new car in the fall of 1961. In January of 1962, Andy passed away after a short illness. Cogy learned to drive with the help of Thelma Rogal. In February of 1965 Cogy married Alfred Highfield (Elaine Ballard's dad). During this time Cogy got introduced to hockey in Flin Flon in a big way. They had season's tickets. This was when Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach and Gerry Hart were playing. It was an exciting time in the hockey world in Flin Flon. Cogy and Alf also belonged to the Head Pinners bowling league. They bowled every Sunday night with Jessie and Whitey Shepherd. Other couples who bowled in the league were Ron and Rita Ruckle, Perry and Ruth McPherson, Russ and Ruby Armitage, Walt Jones, Ron Hahn, and Pete and Evelyn Haffick. They took many trips with Jessie and Whitey Shepherd to both coasts of Canada. Cogy recalls curling with her daughter Judy at Ross Lake in 1967-69 in the old Ross Lake Curling Club that had natural ice. They had Marsha Switzer and Ellen Ulinder, and sometimes June Christianson would fill in. Cogy and Alf moved to Brandon in 1979 mainly because the medical care that Alf needed - especially a personal care home - wasn't available in Flin Flon at that time. Alf passed away in 1981. Cogy has lived in Brandon ever since but comes back to Flin Flon at least three times a year. Everyone in Flin Flon knows when it is ladies' bonspiel time because she is "Judy's good luck charm" and even at 3 a.m. you will find Cogy behind the glass watching Judy's games. Judy has since retired from HBMS in 2001 where she had worked since 1967. So now the road to Brandon runs both ways! Cogy's son Doug lives in Slave Lake, Alberta and works for Alberta Power - now known at ATCO - as a linesman. He has two grown children: Reanna, a ballet teacher, and Andrew, who just earned his journeyman instrumentation papers. Cogy plans on returning to Flin Flon as often as she can, as long as her health permits. Thanks for the memories Cogy. What an interesting story and all the people's names that everyone loves to see!
