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.
Anne Lindsay and her two daughters arrived in Flin Flon on December 23, 1945, by train from Lac Du Bonnet. Allan Lindsay, Anne's husband, had been transferred to the Channing airport with Canadian Pacific Airlines, in which Allan worked as an aircraft engineer. (The airlines later became Central Northern Airways and the airport is now Jackson's airbase.) Shortly thereafter Allan got a job at HBM&S with the Hudson Bay Air Transport. When Anne and her daughters arrived, they soon discovered that there were no houses available anywhere. So the family had to rent two rooms in the Flin Flon Hotel that was owned by Warren Plummer at that time. Warren agreed to let the girls put up a Christmas tree in their hotel room and the family had their Christmas Dinner served to them at the Golden Gate restaurant that was owned by a Mr. Wong. Their waitress on that Christmas Day was Edith Oulette. The family stayed at the Flin Flon Hotel for about three months and they finally found a two-room log shack in Channing that was owned by a prospector. They were able to rent it for about a year. By then the family had made arrangements with a firm in British Columbia who shipped "packaged" homes by train to send them one. See 'Neighbours' P.# Con't from P.# The "home" arrived by train in 1947 and their neighbours such as the Schiltroths, Steadmans, Mr. Hogg and the Henry Van De Belts, as well as people who came from all over the area, helped build the house within a month and the family moved into it in November. They used a generator for power, their water was drawn from Schist Lake, or for water they also melted snow. In 1948, their first son Ronald was born. It was also time for Inez to go off to school and she had to go to Ross Lake School because there wasn't a school in Channing till about 1953 (it went to Grade 9). Channing was prospering though, it had a hotel as well as the Channing House which was a rooming house. This structure still stands and has been turned into a residential home. In 1949 their third daughter Enid (Penny) was born with the help of Dr. Percy Johnson. Anne said she also had seen Dr. Redpath, Dr. Milanese or Dr. McNichol with the children's various childhood things that every child gets. At that time there were about 25 people living in Channing, and the train stopped there at a little station. It didn't yet go into Flin Flon proper. Anne stated that the Styba family lived in a railroad house in the middle of Channing. The Flin Flon Highway, when it was first developed, ran right through Channing. In the early 1950s David, the Lindsay's second son was born, and about 10 years later Judy blessed the family with her arrival. In Channing in the early years people used to entertain themselves with card parties and they would occasionally rent part of the hotel for showers or dances. Sometime in the early 50s Wes Vickery put up what was known as the Lobstick Dine and Dance. He did not have a liquor license so everyone would have to hide their liquor "under the table". When there wasn't live music there was a jukebox. Later Alec and Laura Imrie bought the Lobstick. There were many Christmas and News Years parties in that place. If only the walls could have talked! It was a sad day when the Lobstick was torn down, but due to the drinking and driving laws becoming stricter, fewer people were using it. Anne started curling around 1953 and she began her curling career at the Ross Lake Curling Club. In 1960 she and her rink of Ellie Trudeau, Mayford Strom and Alice Trudeau hopped on the rail liner and headed for The Pas Bonspiel where they made it to the finals in the Main Event, only to come in second. Anne recalls the year that the Flin Flon Bombers won the Memorial Cup. All the people from Channing and Flin Flon met them at the Channing railway station and the Bombers were taken in every available convertible on their victory ride into Flin Flon. It was a great time! Anne also remembers a time when Bob and Irene Mote approached the family to see if they would allow a minister-in-training to use their home to teach Sunday School to the little kids. His name was Alec Martichenko and he was training to be a missionary in Africa. In about 1957, Anne became a member of the Legion Ladies Auxiliary Branch # 73. Speaking of the Legion, Anne relates that during the war, "I belonged to the #2 Air Observer School in Edmonton, and that is where I met Allan. I worked as a rigger doing 40 hour checks on the trainer planes. I went to school and took a woodworking course and then worked over in the hanger at the Flying School during the war. Many of the American airmen trained there." See 'Channing' P.# Con't from P.# At one time there were two grocery stores in Channing. One was owned by the Stroms, then the Rudds, then the Wittletons and then the Maxwells. It had a taxi stand and a gas pump. Toots Martin ran the Post office when the Wittletons had the store till just a few years ago, when she retired. The other store was run by Leone Guilbault. Allan Lindsay retired from HBM&S after 30 years of work. He and Anne celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. However, Allan passed away in 1989. Anne continued to live in the house till 2001 when she sold the home and moved into an apartment. When asked about the changes that Anne has seen in Channing she says: "Well we did get garbage service and water service, but we never did get the sewer and water that we were promised. I waited over 50 years and it hasn't happened yet!" She said there is only one other person left from the crew at the airport and that is Fran Gagne. She said: "Fran used to look after the mail and the two of us would spend many hours sorting Christmas mail together". Some of Anne's children still live in Flin Flon, such as David, Ronald and Patricia. Inez lives in The Pas and manages the Golden Arrow Motel. Joan lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband who is an entertainer. Penny lives in Victoria, B.C. with her husband who is retired from the Navy. Anne has 13 grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Anne enjoys watching TV, playing bingo and visiting with her neighbours. She loves to bake and cook for others. Thanks so much for sharing your memories with us Anne. What a fantastic memory you have!
