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.
In 1928 when Jack Larsson was two years old and his sister Lilly was four, they and their mother (Agnes) left Norway for Canada. All their worldly possessions were in a couple of suitcases and a truck, plus a hand operated Singer sewing machine that Jack still has today. After what Jack describes as "a very rough sea voyage", the family landed at the famous Pier 21 in Halifax. Then the family travelled by train to The Pas and then on to Cranberry Portage, and all the while Jack's mother could not speak a word of English. Jack's dad (August or Gus as he was known) was working at Cranberry Portage on the railway line to Flin Flon. Shortly after the family arrived there was a terrible bush fire at Cranberry Porage and many of the people had to leave by train and travel up the rail, while many others got into boats and went out onto Lake Athapap. Lilly and Jack started school in Cranberry Portage with Len Dowler being their first teacher. Mr. Dowler admitted to Jack in later years that he had a very hard time getting through to the children because of the language problem. Some years later the family moved to Garney Gold Mine just a few miles off the Sherridon rail line. Other people there at that time were Stewart Crerar and Doug Slater, as well Curly Gummerson had relatives there. See 'Tobacco' P.# Con't from P.# Jack's dad also worked at Century Gold on Elbow Lake that was also off the rail line. The family moved there by freighter canoe from Cranberry Portage. In 1942 Jack's dad hired on at HBMS and the family followed later. Their first home was on Tobacco Road, now called South Hudson Street. Some of their first neighbours were Julius Martin, Harry Hill, Frank Hart (Jerry's dad), the Haggartys, Corbetts, Steve and Tony Woroniuk, John and Nestor Dolinsky, as well as Ann and John Balabas. Jack's dad, Gus, passed away in 1960. Jack's mom lived in her wee house on South Hudson till she was 90 years old and then she moved into the Manor where she lived till she was over 100 when she passed away. When Jack finished school, his first job was for North Star Fuel and Ice, which was owned by Harold Palmer. Jack stated that, "every winter hundreds of tons of ice was put up at Spirit Lake." He went on to say that "L.D. Lofgren taught me to drive and I would deliver coal and ice to the households. Another driver was Bill Middleton, and Phyllis Hume was Mr. Palmer's secretary." Jack hired on at HBMS when he was 17 and worked on the junior bull gang with his boss being George Lewis Sr. "Most of the work was sanding paths and clearing snow," stated Jack. In 1944, Jack turned 18 and went to work in the zinc plant. He remembers some of the men in the casting plant such as Mac McCaig, Fred LeClerc, Nick Brodack, Al Hillier, and Slim Campbell. Jack also recalls some of the ladies working there such as Kay (Locker) Einarson, Mrs. Kulcher and Ruth Setherington. Jack joined the military service in December 1944 along with Doug Dawson, Don Donaldson and Chip McKeen. After advanced training, Jack was stationed at Neyes, Ontario guarding German prisoners of war who, once the war was over, were sent back to Germany. Once Jack was discharged in 1946, he returned to HBMS for a short while and then he went to B.C. where he worked on the Hart Highway near Prince George, along with a former Flin Flonner, Bob Gray. Later, Jack returned to Flin Flon where he drove taxi for Joe's along with Don McLaren, Mike Garuk and Norm Bevans. Besides Joe's Taxi in those days there were also Blackie's Taxi Service, Mel's Taxi and Diamond Taxi operated by Al and Lefty Jacobson. Jack stated that he also worked on the road from Beaver Lake to the South Weir for the Ryder brothers for a few months. He rehired on at HBMS in 1950 at the casting plant, working with Bill Fraser, Leo Hillman, Earl Chamberlin, Joe Lambert, Adam Keller, Hector LeBlanc, Al Lindgren, Fred Blanchette, Joe Sikler, Joe Parasiuk, Charlie Nelson, as well as Bernie and Jim Reagan. A few years later, Jack transferred to the surface bull gang for awhile driving truck. Some of the guys he worked with there included Leo Cooper, Ben Grimmalt, Wayne Shomperlin, Casey Mills, Jack Trach, Bill Kostik, Scottie Boyes, Jim McDonald, Dave McDonald, Frank Norquay, Pete Mahoney, Bob Njegovan as well as Harold Bowman. Jack went on to say that, "in the mid fifties another unit was built at Island Falls and I was on the freight haul. It was a 24/7 operation and there were three trucks pulling three sleighs of cement, steel and lumber as well as other equipment for construction. Our camp was at Marie Lake where everything was loaded at the end of the flux line railroad. It was quite an impressive undertaking with a grader snow plow and two drivers, Fred Anderson and Bob McLaughlin, who pulled a caboose and while one slept the other plowed the lake road. Other driver's helpers were Frankie Blackmon, Bill Novasel, Tom Scott, Hanly Dahl, Bob Hart, George Chornoby, Sandy Davie, Paul Haugen, Ab Judd, Spud McKenzie, Gordon Richardson, as well as Paul Beauchamp." Jack went on to say, "a few years later I drove a U.S. army truck for winter testing also on the freight haul. It had a canvas roof and I carried a very sharp knife in case we went through the ice!" During the years of the 1950s there was "live" music at all the dances at the Elks Hall, the Legion, Labour Temple, Creighton Hall and the Lobstick. Some of the bands were Wes Vickery, Fred Barnowich, Pete Steventon, Bob Warren and his wife, Les Fredeen, Stu Ballard, as well as Herb and George Jaszan. See 'Walking' P.# Con't from P.# You see, Jack would know because he was courting a young lady named Kay Currie who was working in Burkett's Drug Store which happened to be just across the street from the taxi stand that Jack was working for. Kay Currie came to Flin Flon in 1947 from Gilbert Plains and she began her working career for Earl Burkett in Burkett's Drug Store. She met Jack in 1949. Besides going to the dances that Jack mentioned, they would walk out to Phantom Lake, which was very popular in those days. It was well taken care of with lots of flowers and live music in the bandstand on special occasions. On Main Street they recalled such places as Donni and Red Donaldson's Shamrock Meat Market with the shavings on the floor, also the Blue and White General Store, Tubby's Ladies Wear, Mary Jayne Shoppe, the two theatres, Royal Billiards as well as the Stag Bowling and Pool Hall, Kulberg's Furniture, Northern Grocery run by Jack Rosen, George Lewis' Jewellery Store, Golden Gate Café, the Northern Café, and Gunston's Photo Studio (his son Frank invented the plastic knee that many Flin Flonners now own including Jack himself). There were also P&G Bakery, Barney Holmes Barber Shop, Sam Hankin's, Frank Schieder's Men's Wear, Ross' Men's Wear, Dembinsky's Men's Wear (at that time), as well as Don D. Ross lawyer's office. There were the Corona, Richmond, Royal and Flin Flon hotels, as well as Ostry's, Club News, Milt's Sweet Shop, Sharon Gay, Swick's Grocery Store that later became the Central Meat and Grocery, as well as Fruit and Produce. Flin Flon was a thriving place! There was also Robertson's Hospital, later to be torn down and the Co-op built there. Jack and Kay were married in Gilbert Plains in 1951, making their first home on Church Street at a place owned by the Porteous' by the Masonic Hall. They moved into their present home in 1955 where they raised their two children, Laurie, born in 1955 and Marsha, born in 1961. In 1952 Jack joined the Flin Flon Volunteer Fire Department and served there for 26.5 years, "with a great bunch of guys." Walter Redman was the fire chief when Jack started, followed by Fred Livesay and Don Still, then Reuben Hagan, Gord Donaghy, Don Trudeau and today Jim Petrie. "We had some big fires," stated Jack, "such as the Corona Hotel, the Richmond Hotel, the Royal Hotel, the Legion Hall, Terrace School, Willowvale School, Flin Flon Dairy, one of the lumber yards, Flin Flon Motors and the Elks Hall. Some used to say, 'Well, you guys saved the basement!'" In 1978 Jack became the assistant fire chief at HBMS under Norm Murphy, and when Norm retired Jack became fire chief and the family moved uptown to the Company apartments. Mike Trubiak was the assistant fire chief. Jack retired in 1985 and Kay and Jack moved back to their home on Wright Avenue. Both Jack and Kay have curled for many years. Kay curled for 15 years at Ross Lake Curling Club, curling with Anita Garuk, Gladys Tucker and Marion Still. Jack curled at Ross Lake as well until he moved to Willow Park where he curls in the Hot Stove League. Kay moved to Uptown to curl for a few years and then she also went to Willow Park, curling with the Golden Girls representing District One three times with Mary Windjack, Vi McElroy and Joyce Cooper. Kay is back Uptown this year with Joyce Cooper, Marilyn Reader, Linda Davidson and Vi McElroy, a five-member team. Throughout the years Jack and Kay have attended many firemen's socials, with Jack belonging to the IOOB's, the Masons and the Shriners as well as the Legion for 49 years. Kay belongs to the Hospital Auxiliary, taking the presidency for the third time. She plays bridge every other week, and both are very active in the Lutheran Church. They have travelled extensively, including trips to Texas, twice to Hawaii, Arizona, Palm Springs and they travelled the Panama Canal. One of the highlight trips was going to Norway to see where Jack was born and baptized, and meeting 40 relatives on his mother's side of the family. They saw museums in which there were Viking ships. They also saw many old wooden churches. Jack relates another highlight for him "was a Pro Am golf team of Pro Jim Lazarko, Randy Matzer, Todd Quinn and myself playing off against 49 other golf teams in Manitoba and winning to represent Manitoba Crown Life Insurance with all expenses being paid to St. John's, Newfoundland and playing nine provinces for the championship and coming fifth! "We kissed the cod and drank screech! Todd and I jigged for cod in the Atlantic Ocean. The people and the golfers were fabulous!" Jack and Kay still golf and sometimes go out of town to golf. Jack had a knee replacement in June of 2004 so "no golf for me this summer" and he gets his other knee done in December 2004. "I'll make up for games next year!" he laughs. Jack and Kay have no plans of leaving Flin Flon. Jack's sister Lilly lives in Vernon, B.C., while their son Laurie lives in Vancouver. Marsha, her husband Russ Reeves and two daughters Kayla and Jennifer live in Flin Flon as well. Thanks so much for the memories, you guys! What a great story and great memories!
