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.
Doris Holmes, Flin Flon's first school teacher, will be celebrating her 100th birthday on June 27, 2004 in Winnipeg. Doris Foster came to Flin Flon in 1930 to teach school. There was only one problem, there was no school, no desks, just a few chairs, a piece of blackboard on a stage platform and very little heat. Once the word got out that there was a teacher in town and that she was at the old Salvation Army Hall, children began to arrive. On her first day, Doris had 40 children and the next day 10 more had arrived. Word got out by "Moccasin telegraph" and by Friday Doris had 70 children ready for grades 1, 2 and 3. Realizing that she needed help, Doris recruited another teacher, possibly Audrey Merrill, and sent the grades 2 and 3 to the United Church hall. Still the children kept coming and Doris found she still had 60 children who wanted to go to school. Doris discovered that a lady who ran the florist shop was also a teacher, so she pressed her into service. Doris then moved children over to what has become known as "the little red school house" which was actually an empty HBMS assay office. The office was pulled onto some empty property and set aside for a school. Then Doris had each of her students go to the grocery store and ask for an apple box. These boxes had dividers in them that could be used for desks. Doris taught in that "school room" till 1932 when an eight room school house was built. "People said we would never fill it!" Doris was reported to have said. However, before the year was out, the school trustees had to add two more rooms. By this time, the miners were sending for their families and more space was required. By now, there were eight school teachers on staff. In 1934 the Company went on strike. Once that was settled, and since it was the "dirty thirties" and word got out that there was plenty of work in Flin Flon, the population exploded and of course so did the schools. By the fall of 1936 there were 14 teachers on staff and Doris stopped teaching to get married. She married Monte Holmes, a mining engineer, and they raised two children, daughter Lynne and son Jack. In 1955, Doris was asked to come in as a substitute teacher till the end of the term for a teacher who had to go on medical/maternity leave. Well that few months ended up to be a few years. Doris retired from teaching in 1969. During her teaching career in Flin Flon, Doris taught two generations in some families such as Riff and Jamie Russell. A celebration of Doris' 100th birthday will take place at her residence at the Portsmouth Retirement Residence in Winnipeg. Gifts are gratefully declined. However, if you would like to send a card, the address is: Doris Holmes, Portsmouth Retirement Residence, 1160 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3P 2M3. If you would like to make a monetary donation in commemoration of Doris' 100th birthday you can send it to: The Nancy Fund of Cancer Care Manitoba, 109-100 Olivia Street Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0V9 For those who may not know, the Nancy Fund was established by a former Flin Flonner, Nancy Spencer Johnson, a nurse who worked for many years in the Oncology Department at the Cancer Clinic. Nancy was much loved by her patients, especially the children. (Personally, I have witnessed Nancy's care and compassion especially in dealing with children). Nancy and her husband Reg will be attending Doris' 100th birthday celebrations. A longer tribute to Doris Holmes will be printed in July's edition of Cottage North.
