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.
Doug Gourlay arrived in Flin Flon with his family from Minitonas in 1937. Doug's dad was looking for work. "We were getting hungry and farming just wasn't paying too much," said Doug. His dad got some construction work in Island Falls in 1935 and then came to Flin Flon in 1937, where he built many homes in Flin Flon until he joined the Air Force in 1941. The family moved to Calgary at that time, but Doug remained in Flin Flon. Bernice Johnson came to Flin Flon with her family in 1938 from Rose Valley, Saskatchewan. Bernice's dad, Ralph, was also looking for work and during the first summer that the family moved to Flin Flon, Mr. Johnson worked for Jack Laidlaw. In the spring of 1939, Mr. Johnson got a job with HBMS starting with the guards, then he worked as a carpenter and finished his career at the Company with the watch guards. He retired in 1961. Bernice and Doug received their schooling in Flin Flon and Main School was their favourite, because that is where they met in the eighth grade! When Doug finished school he worked at Keddie's Hardware and other jobs until he was old enough to get hired on at HBMS in 1943. Shortly after hiring on with the Company he joined the Forces in 1944 and left for overseas. However, before he left, he and Bernice were married in Bernice's parents' home on Hammell Street. See 'No' P.# Con't from P.# He came back from the war in 1946 and went back to work at the Company. He worked in surface and transportation for 41 years. Some of the guys that Doug recalls working with were: Fred McIntosh, Fred Stubbs, Leo MacKonka, Jack Hillier, Ossie Beauchamp, Don Cooper, Herb Whitbread (hired on the same day and worked together with Doug for 41 years!), Paul Skuten, Ben Grimmeault, George Watt, Raymond Beauchamp, Marcel Vandergucht, Jack Larson and many more. Bernice recalls going to school with: Dorothy Young, Marg McLean (McBratney now), Gordie McKeen, Bob and Jim Burkett, Mary Evans, Joyce Swick (Johnson now), Wes Weese, Don McCrae, Wilomene Huston, Enid Gray, Violet Gudmonson, Paul Resnick, Betty Callin (Sparrow now), Francis Bruhnsen (Rawells now), Walter Bowes and John Einarson, and many more. Bernice stated that the classes were so big one year (57 students) that they had to separate the class, so they put all the boys in one class who had Sandy Morris for the teacher and they brought in Miss Vivian Williams to teach the girls. The class was referred to as the Heinz 57! During their courting years, Doug and Bernice attended many shows in the two theatres (Rex and the Northland), as well as going to the Jubilee to dances with Wes Vickery and the Rhythm Kings playing. Bernice worked on and off at the Royal Bank from 1943 until she retired in 1967, taking time off to look after her six children that they had. While they lived on Lake Street they had Janice, Jim, Kathy, and Doug Jr., who was about eight months old when the family moved to Birchview. Later Rod and Scott came along. Doug started curling in 1948 and he curled at the Uptown Curling Club with Sonny Hemmings, Fin Haggarty and Fred Berry. He moved down to Willowpark for one year in 1951 curling with Don Still and Vern Keats. Doug was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department during those years. He was a volunteer for 20 years. Doug went back to the Uptown Curling Club until 1957 and then he came back to Willowpark when he curled with Reg and Ken Burr and Gordon Williams. He said he finished curling at Willowpark at Christmas 2003, because of "old age and laziness". He laughingly states, "but I might come back from time to time!" Bernice played piano throughout many years, playing at the various school music festivals, at the United Church during the 70s and 80s, and doing a lot of filling in, even for Wes Vickery when he was out of town. "I was no Wes Vickery," she laughs, "but they were a good group of guys!" She also played for Hugh McBratney's orchestra for many years. Bernice said that when her kids were small she never got involved with the Glee Club. However, when the Flin Flon Community Choir started up, she was one of the first to join and just loved it. She participated in Mass in "G", various Requiems, Messiah, Joseph, Memories, Bombertown and Titanic. Last fall 2003, she decided not to go back because it is such a time commitment and the extra practices before the performances just got to be too much for her. Doug and Bernice said that there used to be much more socializing when the kids were young, "before television". There was always a ball game going on at Foster Park, Creighton or Channing. There were dances every weekend and the theatres to go to. "The Trout Festival was a real highlight we all looked forward too. The parade was incredible with the Chinese, Ukrainians and other nationalities putting in floats along with all the businesses. Phantom Lake was also a great place to go. Even the kids were more social than they are now, playing hide-and-go-seek, marbles, can can, 'Auntie I over' and just being together goofing around," said Bernice. Doug relates a story when the Leasks and Byers used to have Shetland ponies and there would be races in the Flin Flon Lake bottom during the Trout Festival. In the summer before Doug and Bernice retired, they took their truck and trailer and toured around Manitoba looking to a better place to retire. They ended up right back here. "There is no other place that has the best people, friends and neighbors anywhere," smiles Bernice. The Gourlays have taken their trailer and traveled from one coast of Canada to the other. They camped every summer and have had a seasonal spot at Iskwasum for the past six years. They have no plans of leaving Flin Flon. Four of their kids still live here. Their son Jim and Daughter Janice live in British Columbia. They have 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren and they seem very content. Thanks for much for sharing your story with us! It was a pleasure to talk to you! Please Note: This will be the last story for "Looking Back" for a few weeks. Yes, to all those who have asked, they are going to be put into a book once I have written 50. This is only 41 so I have a few to go! See you in May! Thanks for your interest! Ð Gail
