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.
Bruce Perkins came to Flin Flon in 1953 looking for work. He hired on at HBMS in the zinc plant. His foreman was Harry Rowe and he worked with Jim Harburn and Winston Hampson, among others. Bruce spent much of his spare time fishing with his neighbour Bob McGowan. Verna McRae came to Flin Flon in 1954 to teach at Main School. Her principal was Con Kerr with some of the teachers being Thelma Baldwin, Doris Holmes, Marj Spencer and Mary Alice Robertson. Well, Verna took a bus to Swan River on New Year's Eve of 1954 and that trip was about to change her life, because just guess who else was on that bus! Bruce was also heading to Swan River! To make a long courtship short, they married in 1955 and moved to 54 Third Avenue to rent from Wilf and Marion Willis. Verna changed schools and taught at Ross Lake with Mr. McLellan as her principal, and teachers such as Anne Warrington and Mary Sparling were on staff. In 1958 the Perkins moved to 116 Green Street and had neighbours such as the Labarres, Jule Nielsen, McGowans and the Bouteillers. Bruce and Verna had four children: Brenda, Sandra, Robert and Richard (who passed away at the age of 20 years). See 'Picnics' P.# Con't from P.# The children all went to Parkdale School until grade 6, the girls then went to Birchview for 7 and 8 and the boys went to McIsaac and then they all walked uptown to Hapnot, until the new collegiate was built on Green Street in the mid-'60s. The family enjoyed many picnics and outings at Phantom Lake as well as going fishing with their dad. Bruce was involved in hockey. He managed and coached midget hockey, being the first coach for the Rogans' midget team. There were 12 teams in the league around 1962. In 1967 Bruce, as manager, and Roy Jarvis as coach, took the Flin Flon Midget Bombers, who were representing Manitoba, to Kingston to play in the Centennial Cup against teams representing all the provinces. They left Winnipeg by train with each province in a coach. Flin Flon won the Bronze medal. Bruce still follows the Flin Flon Bombers, owning a season ticket every year since he came to town. Bruce retired in 1987 working out of the machine shop as a pipe fitter for 20 years. Through those years he worked with such men as Walter Bowes, Mike Kryschuk, George Danko, Norm LeClerc, Ray McConnell, Fred Webb, Norm Murphy, Bill Halliday, Willis Atkinson, Greg Brown, Del Hedman and Bob Njegovan as foreman. Verna quit full time teaching in 1958 to raise her children. She was a substitute teacher at all the schools for about 20-25 years, but mainly at Hapnot. Some principals she worked with through the years were Fred Kirby (Parkdale), Bill Bolton (Birchview), with Ivan Hamilton as the superintendent, Art Dinelle (Willowvale) and a Mr. Dougal was principal at Hapnot for a time. Verna retired from teaching altogether in 1990. They bought a cabin at Denare Beach in 1967 and now are permanent residents there. Bruce belongs to the Royal Canadian Legion and has since 1960. He was on council at Denare Beach for six years and is on the board for both the museum and the New Horizons Seniors. Verna also belongs to the New Horizons Seniors as the secretary-treasurer for the past 16 years. She is a past member of the Canadian Cancer Society, a breast cancer survivor of 24 years, and was also involved with the Junior Rifle Club auxiliary when the kids were young. They have travelled to California, Mexico and Hawaii. They have no plans of leaving this area. Bruce and Verna also enjoy four grandchildren and one great grandson. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
