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.
Shirley McKenzie was born to Helen and Angus McKenzie in a Forestry cabin approximately where Stittco Energy is situated now. Her dad, Angus, worked for the Forestry until he got on at HBMS. Shirley had three brothers, Morley, Spud and Ron and the family lived on Boam Street for many years, moving there when Shirley was five years old. Shirley attended Ross Lake School and then went on to Hapnot for grade 7 and up. Some of the teachers who she recalls were Nickel, Waddell, Maguire and Marshall. Some of the girls she went to school with were Ginny Goy, Julie Javorski, Linda Hood (Lautamus), Anne Dmytriw (Krysowaty), Eunice Davidson, Joan Bergman, Lois Fagrie and Gerry Kostigan (Russell). Bill and Tony Linnick came to Flin Flon from Cowan looking for work. Their sister Ann Rosiak lived in Channing at that time. When they weren't able to get on at HBMS right away, they worked in the bush cutting wood and peeling railway ties for the railroad in Channing, working for Orson Wright and Vancoughnett. Tony got hired on at HBMS in May of 1952 and worked in the Smelter for nine years and his brother Bill got hired on to work on the Flux Line. Tony also worked in the blacksmith shop and spent the last 20 years at HBMS working as a drill press operator. He remembers working with Archie Deans, Ray Grudgfield, Don Warren, Eddie Lengyel, Bob Taylor, Len Olson, Shortie Dwyer and Pat Delgatty. In 1952 he met Shirley McKenzie and they were married in 1955. While working, Tony met a man named Fred Barnovich and was amazed at how he could make his violins. Being a violin player, Tony got a book on violin making and started making them himself. To date he has made 13 violins, giving four to his sons. For 10 years Tony went to Emma Lake to the fiddle camp which is near Prince Albert. In Canada's Centennial year, 1967, he made a special violin with a buffalo and the Canadian flag carved into it. For many years Tony and a group of people would get together and entertain at seniors' homes and wherever they were invited to play. Some of the people that played were Rupert Neidmaier, Garry Overland, Lawrence Haldorson, Wayne Wallaker, Blue Teneycke, Bill Hanson, Fred Didyk and Merle Hedman who would sing. "One evening," Tony laughs, "there were more in the band than in the audience!" Although Tony retired in July of 1988 he keeps busy making his violins and something called 'love spoons'. This is a tradition in Wales. The spoons are intricate carvings out of walnut which is a very hard wood to work with. Tony has done some beautiful work. In 1987 Shirley and Tony traveled to the West Coast with one of their sons and then in 1989, they went to the East Coast. Shirley said, "I just wanted to put my feet in both oceans, and I did!" Unfortunately, their health isn't as good as they would like, and they don't travel as much as they used to. However, they still try to get to Saskatoon whenever possible to see their 13 year-old granddaughter. Besides their four sons, Steve, Gord, Larry and Paul, they also have seven grandchildren and are lucky enough to have six of them living here in Flin Flon. They have no intentions of leaving Flin Flon. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us! I really enjoyed seeing all those beautiful violins and the love spoons. A very interesting afternoon!
