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.
Russell Storey arrived in Flin Flon from Grandview, Manitoba in 1928 looking for work. He got a job as a crane operator in the Smelter with HBMS. In September, 1929 his wife Eulia, son Bob who was a year-and-a-half, and daughter Betty who was six months old followed by train. As Betty recalls: "Prior to reaching Flin Flon, one of the train cars jumped the track, resulting in the passengers having to travel the rest of the way on a flatcar." Originally the family settled at what was known as the "Halfway", but then moved to 4 Main Street, "where we lived forever," stated Betty. Actually, the family didn't sell that property till 1989 when Dave Gunn bought it. The Storey family had only been in Flin Flon a short time when an epidemic of dysentery went through the town and both Bob and Betty contracted it. Unfortunately, Bob died of it, along with many other children, and was buried in the Baby Cemetery on South Main Street. Betty's younger brother Vernon was born in March of 1931. In 1934, Betty remembers there being a strike at the company, when she about five years old. She remembers taking a lunch to her dad who was on the picket line near the open pit, behind today's Super K. Betty went through the school system in Flin Flon, starting Kindergarten at the old community hall which was located close to where the new one was built. She attended grades 1 through 3 at Main School (situated where the newer part of the General Hospital was built). Then Betty attended Hapnot School from grade 4 through to grade 12. Back then, it was on Terrace Avenue. See 'Remembering' P.# Con't from P.# There was a school orchestra established in 1937 that went on into the 40s. The conductor was Bert Penman and the practices were held at Main School. Playing piano was Bernice Johnson, with Lawrence Haldorson on the violin and cornet. On saxophone was Bert Penman, on cornet was Virginia Block, on alto horn was Emily Block, on violins were Martha Kazinski, Mike Siryj, Joe Jacubak, Mary Elander, Mary Tremblay and Betty Storey. Some of the music teachers were Fred Young, Dorothy Greenway, and Grace Judd who taught violin and Bill Sonnichsen who taught piano. Some of the school teachers in those days were: Elsie Gownlock, Audrey Hall (later became Mrs. Clarence Merrell), Beatrice Persian, Margaret Bell, Mrs. M.A. Waddell, John Wilson, Frank Bothe, Miss Ferguson, Helen Smith, Anna Block, Betty Bracon, John Kines, Dorothy Martin, Mabel Fallis, Ernie Butterworth, Betty Wilmot and Rita Kelly. In those earlier years some of the residents on Main Street that Betty recalls, and has on one of her many lists, were from the east side of Main Street from #1 Main to the Co-op store: The Nelsons, Tynans, Norm 'Red' Bernard (he was in charge of the local blood donor program for many many years), Annie and Leo MacKonka, the Swedbergs, Bert and Tabby Miller, Asmus, Fagries, McCaigs, Toths, Kyles, Wicks, Orrs, Henry Thompson, Hartles, Peter and Mary McSheffrey, Camsells, Rogers, Mary Kuby and Dolly Lightfoot who roomed at MacKonka's. On the West side of Main Street from #2 Main to the Co-op Garage were: Ruby and Herb Randall, 'Shorty' and Bessie Russick, Margaret and Cyril Reader, June Grant (who was the lady barber and her daughter Patsy lived there while June's husband was overseas during the war), Norman Grave. See 'Rex' P.# Con't from P.# Bruce Muir, Chuck Donald, the Plantes, Nowasells, Alf and Ethel West, (roomers and boarders at the Storey's were Harold Palmer, of the North Star Fuel and Ice, 'Jumbo' Manns, Hugh Reid, Reg McBratney, Clarence Merrell, Jean Clements and Jim Ingram), Warnocks, Callins, Cluffs, Wheelers, Schanowskis, Bill and Grace Judd, Herb and Gertrude Kitchen, Genovys, Turners, Pedersens, Doverspikes, Atamonchucks, Jake and Eva Adams, Feldmans, Simons, Birds, Gourdines, Faktors, Nobles, Hopkins, Christiansons, Bennets, Leasks, Mohrs and Goldstrands. Families that lived between the Co-op Garage and the Post Office as Betty recalls were: Stonehouses, Snelgroves, Guymers and the McKennas. Betty also vividly remembers the Rex Theatre especially since she worked there as an usherette during her school days. Betty recalls that before Saul Nathanson managed the theatre there was a Mr. Besler, his wife and son Donny who were in charge. Also in the mid 40s the ticket seller was Doreen Randall, the usherettes beside herself were Ella Tickles and Bev Fryer with Louis Hurta looking after the signs and the marquee and Laurie Bridges ran the projector. Once Betty graduated from Hapnot School, she entered the nursing program at the old Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg. She graduated as a registered nurse in 1950. "The year of the flood," she said. Betty worked at various hospitals and even nursed a year in Bermuda. In 1956 Betty did a post graduate course in pediatrics in Montreal. She came back to Flin Flon for awhile before taking a post graduate course in psychiatry at the Brandon Mental. She then went on to work in Kelowna on the psychic ward for a year. Betty came back to Flin Flon where she worked in Pediatrics in 1965 and took over as head nurse in '69 when the Nuns left. Betty kept that position till she retired in 1983. Throughout those years Betty worked with many doctors and saw many come and go (in no specific order) they were: Doctors Stephansson, Johnson, Wilson, Redpath, Melanese, Killoch, Watson, Sandy Campbell, Noel and Sheldon Hershfield (locums), Ted Cuddy (locum) See 'Great' P.# Con't from P.# Stinson, Shnider, Smithen, Jones, MacCrander, D. Roberts, Covendon, Sood, Mrs Sood, Chris Finch, Esmail, Colburn, Sherridon, McNicol, Nicol, Kucparic, Moraes, Sethi, Mehra, Premachuck, Clayden, Donaldson, Bailey, Warma, Dias, Joy Wilson, Harms Grovenor, Prince-Phillips (locum), OMolley, Aylmer, Nugent, Williams (locum), Bland, Van Raffler, I. Roberts, Lovatt, Latta, McNey, Pat Cancilla, Diwan, Odabasin, Nath, Chua, Wong, Pearson, Moore, Kilby, Marrick, LaSchiazza, Amin, Kolesar, Lewis, Helen Troy, Hill, Tang Wei, Reimer and Cronin. And then there were the nurses that she interacted with throughout her nursing career. They were: Phillipine Schwabe, Judy McGilvary, Lila Green, Bella Akert, Peggy Barker, Alice West, Dorothy Biggs, Frances Sandford, Alice Tester, Ethel Brown, Margaret Vance, Marjorie Bloxom, Helen Neufeld/Heinz, Jean Van Ness, Edna Martin, Amy Dahlgren, Bessie Adams, Alice Darragh, Bernadette O'Reilly/Gibney/Reles, Freda Pearson, Leone Govenlock, Dorothy Hart, Addie Plummer, Doris Couples, Lil Schauman, Kay Killock, Alma Bloxom, Kay Laing, Thor Delgatty, Laura Imrie, Anne Gauthier, Bernice McMurdo, Anne Morrison, Mary Black, Sally Bauman, Jesse Shepherd, Joan Edwards, Donni Jobin, Ingi Rheaume/Bailey, Myrt (Effie) Avison, Shirley Goodman, Elma Wilson and Ruth Berthiame. Also the Nuns , who looked after the administrative side of things or who nursed for many years before leaving Flin Flon who are on one of Betty's lists were: Sr. Treherne, Sr. Vincent, Sr. Champoux, Sr. St. Francis, Sr. Tessier, Sr. Montminy, Sr. Boisseneau, Sr. Remillard, Sr. Morrisette, and Sr. Goyette. Some of the things that came to mind as I was talking to Betty about her nursing career were things like Sr. Boisseaneau putting a bowl on the heads of children who were admitted with head lice and cutting their hair. About one child who was nicknamed "bingo" because he would mysteriously show up for admission every time there was a bingo in town. About a young child who was admitted from Island Falls because he had swallowed a 'Corsage Pin'. Betty said "we stuffed him full of potatoes and rice and X-rayed him everyday and sure enough the problem was solved!" When asked what her most interesting case would be she said probably the case of Tetanus while nursing in Bermuda simply because it wasn't that common. She said nursing in Bermuda was a challenge in other ways because things like a flashlight are known as a torch and tongue blades were called spatulas there. Also the medications were named differently so you had to be really careful. Betty said that nursing used to be so much more hands on with things like "mustard Plasters" etc. Nowadays everything is so mechanized. Betty is enjoying her retirement in Flin Flon and doesn't seem to have any plans for leaving here. Thanks so much for sharing your many lists with us, Betty! Many of the names we've read will bring back great memories.
