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Margaret McGilvray was born in Company Cottage #15, Flin Flon, on October 24, 1931 to D. B. "Mac" and Irene (Judy) Judd McGilvray. Marg's dad, Mac, came to Flin Fon in 1926 from The Pas and worked in payroll at HBMS at the beginning. Marg laughs, "I can't imagine this, but I have been told that Dad actually took a dog team to issue some men their cheques!" Marg's mother, Judy, came to Flin Flon in 1929 and was the first nurse at the Company Hospital. Marg laughs, "I grew up on Company Row with younger brother Bill, who was born following the 1934 strike. In 1941 we moved to Cottage #1." Marg recalls going to Main School for grades 1-6 and having such teachers as Elsie Govenlock (1), Miss Persian (2), Miss Henderson (3), Marcella McDonald (4), Florence Adams (5) and Jon Wilson (6). Some of the kids Marg went to school with included Joan Sterlington, Pat Sparling, Doreen Preston, Barbara Kirkwood, Muriel Davis, as well as Mary Lou Akert, Jeanette and Liz Roche. Marg then moved to Hapnot High which was at that time located on the now empty lot at the corner of Terrace and Hiawatha for grades 7-12. In grade 7 Marg's classroom teacher was Monica Anderson with other teachers including Mrs. Wadell, Vi Anderson, Kay Hudson and Helen Smith (who would later become Marg's sister-in-law). In grade 8 Laura Glazier was the home economics teacher. See 'School' P.# Con't from P.# Then Marg made the "big move" upstairs to high school! In grade 8 her classroom teacher was Edna Medd, grade 9 it was Ernie Butterworth with other teachers being Esther Kiernan, John Kines (principal and math teacher), John Wilson taught history and later became the assistant superintendent with Ivan Hamilton as the superintendent. In grade 10 the classroom teacher was Betty Brown along with teachers such as Mr. Alpert, Carlyle Mayes, and Jim Allen. In grade 11 the classroom teacher was Mr. Claude Joyce and in grade 12 the classroom teacher was Betty Wilmot. Marg graduated from grade 12 at Hapnot in 1949 along with Clara Baker, Joan Setterington, Barbara Kirkwood, Louis Floch, Norm Anderson, Glen Szalay, Leion Clarkson, Norma and Lula Saddlemyer, Muriel Davis, Frankie Schieder, Arlie Welsh, June Ward, Nydia Kyba, Marian Michalkow, Jean Tikkanen and Mary Moore. During the high school years, the kids curled every Saturday morning, they went to Jubilee Jive on Friday night and Marg said, "I had to take figure skating, piano lessons as well as go to Girl Guides as Mother felt it was the thing to do!" And of course the gang went to all the Bomber games. "We congregated in the north end of the arena in those days," she laughs. Marg remembers a trip that the family made out of town with her brother Bill in about 1942. In order to get the car to The Pas (there were no roads out of Flin Flon in those days) the car had to be put on the train. After travelling about five hours the family, with their car, arrived in The Pas. The family got their car off the train and headed south. Marg with tight lips relates, "We finally saw lights indicating that we had reached habitation and thinking that we must have finally reached Winnipeg we were overjoyed, only to find out that we had just reached Swan River! That trip turned me off travelling by car from that day forward!" In 1946 Mac and Judy bought a cabin at Phantom Lake where the family could spend their summers. Well, neighbours Neva and Don Lockhart had a cabin just a few doors up from them and wouldn't you know it but a young man named Murray Smith would come for the summers and stay with them. An occurrence that did not go unnoticed by a certain young lady down the lane! Murray's first visit to Flin Flon in 1943 was to see his sister Helen who was teaching school at Hapnot. Murray liked the terrain so much that he decided to go to the University of Manitoba and study to become a geologist. He was hired on at HBMS as a summer student lifeguarding at Phantom Lake along with Vaughn Baird and Ed Noa, that is, when Murray wasn't working underground. Murray also coached and refereed basketball as well as holding gymnastics classes while Pinky Davie was the recreation director at the old Community Hall. Murray graduated in 1950-51 from the U of M. Marg went to United College in Winnipeg because, "that was the thing to do, but I really never wanted to attend and did not enjoy that year as all I wanted to do was work in an office." So Marg spent one year at United and then went to Angus School of Commerce. In February of 1950 a group of Flin Flon students hired a bus from Winnipeg to Flin Flon and back for a weekend. This was the first bus trip all the way to Flin Flon because the bridges at Bakers Narrows weren't completed yet. Being winter, the bus would come to the first bridge under construction, stop, everyone would get out and walk across the frozen lake. The bus driver would then drive the bus across, and everyone would get back on. And the same procedure would occur at the next bridge. None of the families knew the kids were coming and here they were driving down Main Street, the first time a bus had done that. "That made the trip!" laughs Marg. Marg got a job at HBMS as a steno and part-time timekeeper for the Mine Department working with Bob Ash, Charlie Robillard, Josie Reinhardt, George Lyons, O.K. Sorli, Tunny Horvorka, Pat Allen, Joyce Bloomfield, Jim Connor, Fred Burr, Johnny Mulhall and Vicki Nielsen. Marg's bosses were Jim Watt, Sandy Morrice and Hal McKenzie. She worked there from 1951-57. During that time, the Flin Flon Bombers were playing for the Memorial Cup. Tickets would go on sale at the Jubilee Hall in the morning before the game. People would line up the night before and play cards or try to sleep waiting all night for Mrs. Pinky Davie to open up the ticket box office. When the Bombers won the Memorial Cup the town was alive with enthusiasm. Everyone met them coming off the train. Marg says, "We all took time off work and watched them as the whole team brought the Memorial Cup trophy into the Company Hospital for the patients to see it. Then they paraded down Main Street to a big stage that was erected just outside the local post office. The whole town was waiting for them!" While Marg worked for the Mine Department there were about 900 employees working underground in such mines as Schist Lake, North Star, Don Jon, Birch Lake, and Coronation, as well as North and South Main. There were no electric typewriters back then and the stenos had to have nine copies of everything. "I became a real pounder at the typewriter," laughs Marg. It was during that time that Marg became involved with the Flin Flon Trout Festival and was secretary for them until 1972. Marg and Murray were married in 1952 in the basement of the Northminster United Church on Hill Street because the church was still under construction. They were married by Rev. Doug Rupp. Marg said, "I moved from Company Row to our present home on Princess Boulevard!" Murray was on the official board of Northminster United Church along with Clarence Merrell and Dave Semple. Murray and Marg both taught Sunday School at St. Luke's United Church for many years. Marg, along with Lois Kerslake, started a girls group called the Explorers for girls aged 9-11 in the church. See 'Heading' P.# Con't from P.# In the early years of their marriage Main Street was a very bustling place. There were no empty lots like there are today. There were five grocery stores on Main Street, along with ones in Ross Lake, Mile 84, Birchview and Willowvale. People could even purchase plumbing supplies from the Co-op. There were many residential homes on Main Street from where the Bakery is now to the Co-op. Then stores bought some of the buildings, tore them down and rebuilt businesses such as Eaton's, Kulbergs (which later became Sears) where we remember Jack Willis, Phil Einarson, Doris Baily, Eileen Harris, Josie Sexsmith, Lois Dutcawich, Mavis Lau and Irene Wolden working. During the '50s Murray was working in the bush a great deal. Marg left her job at HBMS and became almost a "freelance" secretary, doing typing and serving on the board of the Occupational Centre; she typed court cases for court recorder Rick Burton; worked with the Flin Flon Music Festival Committee as a steno for the adjudicators and rounded up helpers for this role; she helped with the Girl Guide movement by opening a Guide Company in Willowvale with Anne Booth. Marg had earned her gold cord in Guiding in 1948 along with Jean (Jamieson) Thompson, Donna Aspevig, Jean Tikkanen and Marion Ekstrom. They were all presented with their gold cords in an official ceremony at Foster Park with the presentations being made by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Alexander of Tunis. Marg trained new Guide leaders, travelling to Lynn Lake and Island Falls. Marg spent many a summer at Camp Whitney as a Guide and as a leader. It was "when you could only get there by train and there were no drop-in visits by parents to check on their young campers. There were no showers, you did your clean-up in the lake, the outdoor facilities consisted of one 'three holer' for some 30 girls and leader to share. Everyone went to bed early because it was pitch dark, you couldn't see!" laughs Marg. "There was no electricity in the early days of the camp. Now that was roughing it and such fun!" Murray worked at HBED until he retired in 1982. He was part of the bush crew that discovered Chisel Lake and other mines at Snow Lake. In 1957 he stayed mainly in town working exploration underground "on loan to the Mine Department," he laughs. Some of the fellows he worked with included Albert Kaufman, Ken Gamey, Jim Gibson. Bill Dix, Bob Cairns, Ron Price, Carl Miller and George Camsell. Murray's last 15 years at HBMS found him working in the office in charge of the Mine Geology Department, still going underground a couple times a week. Murray stated, "I have been in every mine except Namew in my career!" In the later years, he worked with Alistair Walker, Buzz Trevor, Chung Ko, Dayle Rusk, Don Colli and Pat Deveaux. Marg returned to work at HBMS as a casual in 1973 and started with filing for Mary Evans who was off with an injury, working with Mildred Reuter. Then Marg worked holiday relief in the majority of departments around the plant until being hired on permanently in 1974 in the Industrial Relations Department. Marg stated, "I worked with a great group of people such as Jim Connor, Dale Powell, Joe Lamb, Ron Watt, Ken Entwistle, John Watson, Stan Curtis, Rob Schiefele, Al Mealy, Bill Daniels, Linda Hinzman, Dot Anderson, Marj Hall, Evelyn Olineck, Maureen Lofgren, Karen Lemcke, Pat West, Margie Gibson, Megan Miller, Marlene Anderson, Faye Lofgren, Mildred Haugen, Judy Beauchamp, Arlene Jacobson, Maureen Thompson and Lorna Rice." Marg worked there until the fall of 1986. Murray retired in 1982 and became the "chief cook and bottle washer" at 394 Princess! Marg and Murray were both members of Willowpark Curling Club, taking executive positions and becoming presidents. Marg curled afternoons when it first began in 1958 and in the mid '70s she went to evening curling. She served as secretary along with Eva Krassilowsky who took the chairman's position for Central Governing the year it was formed. Whereas Murray was the second secretary of Willowpark taking over from Jim Cook. In those days the secretary was also in charge of the bar receipts. Murray was president of Willowpark in 1967. Murray was also on the board of the Flin Flon/Creighton Public Library along with Dorothy Bridges, Edra Johnson, Pat Gilmore, Del Baird, Joyce Henderson, Joe Sattelberger, Dick Lyons, Shirley Boyce, Bunny Burke, Gretta Redahl, Phyllis Stadnick, Buzz Trevor, Blaine Veitch, Val Dixon, Angie Simpson, Bob Frazier, Kathleen Delgatty, Bill Hanson and Therese Wheeler. Murray joined the Rotary Club once he retired from HBMS in 1982 so that he could put the proper time into the organization. He chaired radio bingo and continues to be an active member. He is presently on the Rotary Flin Flon Housing Committee. Both Marg and Murray have received the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award: Marg in 2002 and Murray in 2004. Marg also received the International Inner Wheel, the Margaretta Goulding Award in 2002. In the '70s Murray served on the Credit Union Board along with such people as Gunnar Folkestone, Jim Stevens, Stan Cox, Verne Searle, Bob McLachlin, Bill Duncan, Ejnar Crone, Ed Van Doorn and Johnny Zoretich. Murray is also still active with the Masonic Lodge, presently serving as their Master for the second time. He also participates in Pre-Cambrian Chapter #29, North of 53 Shrine Club and the Order of the Eastern Star. Marg keeps busy with Inner Wheel and participating and enjoying her monthly luncheons and her bridge club. They have travelled extensively, often meeting with ex-Flin Flonners and present Flin Flonners, admitting that cruises are one great way to spend a holiday. They have no plans of ever leaving Flin Flon, hoping to become residents in the proposed Rotary Seniors housing when it gets off the ground. Just a note for the many people in Flin Flon who remember Judy McGilvrayÉ this fine lady just celebrated her 100th birthday in Winnipeg. Thanks so much for such an interesting interview! The names... people just love to read the namesÉ and remember the fantastic days gone by. Thanks for sharing!
