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.
Joan Trach was born in Flin Flon to Jack and Anne Trach. Joan was raised on Church Street attending Main School for grades 1-6. (Main School later became McIsaac School, named after Rod McIsaac). Joan went to Hudson School for grades 7 and 8 in the early '50s. During this time Joan remembers "messenger girls" who worked at HBMS coming along to warn people who lived on Church, Creighton, Main and Hapnot streets that HBMS would be blasting at the open pit. Huge chunks of rocks could be seen sailing through the air after such a blast. Joan attended Hapnot Collegiate for grades 9 through 12 and graduated in 1958. (In those days graduation was from grades 11 and 12). Some of the teachers that she recalls were Lynch, Nerring, Patterson, Hasselhan/ Johnson, Dzuman, Waddell, Pindera, Rhody, Marshall and Thom. Joan graduated with Ray Austin, Dennis Ballard, Charlie Brown, Don Eagleton, Ron Finnie, Bill Hamilton, Ed Hurta, Brian Kinsley, Ned Kurbatoff, Patsy Kwasnycia, Arden Longmore, Lorne Lulashnyk, Gerald Lynn, Glen Lowther, Brian Lyons, Reg Marchant, Mary Masson, Dale McFadden, Jim Middagh, Allen Mills, Carol-Ann Muggaberg, Diane Plante, Jim Searle, Harvey Schieff, Lorna Stevens, Edward Struch, Marie St. Pierre, Joe Sutherland, Francis Taylor, Ken Tusz, Keith Vancoughnett, Roy Walker, Gail Fenner, Wayne Graham, Ronald Himeny, John Powell, Edmond Torz and Arnold Williams. See 'Fries' P.# Con't from P.# Joan laughs as she remembers, "When the Bombers won the Memorial Cup and they got back to town, they came into the teen canteen, that was at the Jubilee Hall, and all went up on the stage and got brush cuts!" Joan met a man named Elmer Gohl in 1967. Elmer came to Flin Flon in the fall of 1949. (He could be heard saying over and over, 'Don't call me Mister, my name is Elmer!'). He worked in construction with Levesque, building the Parres' and Reitlo houses on Green Street. Elmer remembers Cyril Steventon was the mayor when he first came to town. He also remembers when Jack Freedman was mayor. He laughs when he recalls Freedman's Fall In where "the floors were so uneven that when standing at the pool tables, one side was 3.5 feet high and the other corner was at your chin. People would play cards or drink coffee and get ice cream up at the counter." Elmer also remembers Sam Hankin's, Sam Young's Auction Place (where the Bargain Shop is now) and Orville's Barber Shop. Also the four hotels Ñ Flin Flon, Richmond, Corona and the Royal Ð as well as Fruit and Produce, Northern Grocery, Sharon Gaye, Northland Theatre, Rex Theatre, Club News and Ladies Smart Shoppe. Cliff Campbell sold the best French fries at the bottom of the 100 stairs. "You'd get a bushel of fries for 25 cents!" He also remembers the library being in the Jubilee Hall. Elmer worked at Western Groceries until 1951 when he started at the local post office and worked until he retired in 1986 after 35 years. He remembers his first years as a letter carrier, stating that one Christmas he and Don Craig, the postmaster, came in to go over the improperly addressed packages and actually took them around to the proper homes. He said that the coldest day he ever delivered mail was -60F. Elmer laughs as he remembers, "Dennis Morgan came to town for a Trout Festival and I gave him 'refreshments' at the Jubilee Hall!" There was a group of bachelors who hung out together: Riff Russell, Baldy Jackson, Chip McKeen, Ivo Sattelberger, Paul Haugen, Bobo Chlan, and Hal Roberts. "Often we'd go paddling or golfing and one day after a conversation in the Richmond Hotel we started a golf game at 2 a.m. and golfed until 11 p.m. doing 81 holes! "I broke par the first year I golfed. I'd walk about 12 miles delivering mail and then walk out to Phantom, golf and then walk home. It is no wonder I have flat feet now!" he laughs. "We used to have a lot of fun at staff Christmas parties too, the staff was small enough. But once you just become a number, everything goes downhill from there!" Joan and Elmer were married in 1970. Elmer is very community minded. He ran for council in 1980 and served on council for 15 years. During his tenure on council, he was part of the organization for the new city hall and fire department. He was Deputy Mayor in 1990 when the Friendship Centre opened. Home Hardware opened while he was on council and Elmer represented the City at the Manitoba Association of Urban Municipalities for many years. He was a member of the Elks for a short while and then he joined the Rotary Club in 1992 and said he really enjoys that. Over the years, Elmer has been in charge of the Rotary float for the Trout Festival parade, worked on many pancake breakfasts, helped in fund raising by selling tickets, worked on Rotary Bingo, and is a member of the Rotary Housing Board as well as looking forward to the annual Seniors' Christmas party, helping out where he can. Elmer was chairman of the Hapnot Wildlife Association before the town was amalgamated into a city. He was chairman of the Flin Flon Housing Authority, director of the Trout Festival Committee as well as the parade marshall for several years. He was also involved with the Chamber of Commerce. "When thinking of volunteers, three people always come to mind: Eileen Munro, Lorna Rogan and Bunny Burke. Sometimes I'd stay on a committee just because I didn't want to let them down!" he smiles. "They were the first ones to volunteer no matter what!" "I would always make sure that the parade started right on time. When you set a time, you need to stay with it! That was my philosophy and then people knew you meant business!" stated Elmer. "Once on a five pin bowling outing to The Pas, we stated that the bus would be leaving at an agreed time. The bus pulled out of The Pas minus four people and let me tell you that never happened again!" Elmer had two brothers living here, Dennis has passed away but Bernie still lives in Flin Flon. Joan retired from the post office in 1993. She is involved with the Inner Wheel organization, which is the spouses/partners of Rotarians, and is presently serving a second term as the president. Flin Flon is home and they have no intention of ever leaving here. They have three grown daughters, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren and another one soon to make its appearance. Thanks so much for the interesting story!
