Page 3 - Book Eleven Havelock

ARRIVING in HAVELOCK Written May 14 2010 Page 1
I vividly remember my first day at school in Havelock. Dad and Allan arrived in town ahead of Mother and the younger children. So my fir􏰀􏰁 da􏰂 a􏰁 􏰀chool 􏰃a􏰀 a 􏰃eek af􏰁er Allan􏰄􏰀􏰅 I 􏰀􏰁􏰆ck clo􏰀e 􏰁o Allan a􏰀 I 􏰇en􏰁􏰆red in􏰁o 􏰁he 􏰀chool-yard that first morning. He already knew some of the guys. He knew Eddie Fleming an􏰂􏰃a􏰂 beca􏰆􏰀e 􏰁he fir􏰀􏰁 􏰁hing he 􏰀aid 􏰁o an􏰂bod􏰂 in 􏰁he 􏰀chool􏰂ard 􏰃a􏰀􏰈 􏰉G􏰄da􏰂 Eddie􏰅􏰊 I had ne􏰇er heard an􏰂bod􏰂 􏰀a􏰂 􏰉g􏰄da􏰂􏰊 before 􏰀o I kne􏰃 I 􏰃a􏰀 in a 􏰃hole ne􏰃 􏰃orld􏰅 My first teacher was Miss Nellie Watson who soon became my all-time favorite teacher and got me off to a good start in Havelock. About the second day I met Bob Watson. He was friendly and soon became my best friend. The boy who sat in front of me in class, Don Ketchen, was killed in World War II a few years later. His brother Jack Ketchen also never came back. They were both old enough to be conscripted into the army during the war but I was only 16 when the war ended. Maybe there were other war-casualty class-mates whom I have forgotten, but I can􏰄􏰁 forge􏰁 Don Ke􏰁chen􏰅 He was the biggest boy in the class but he was kind to me, the smallest boy in the class.
My father had spent ten years in Waterford as a teacher and principal of the high school there. Havelock High School was small. But he adjusted and set about to raise the standard of his new school. He kept the 12th graders by emphasizing grade 13. He recruited eighth graders who otherwise would have dropped out of the system in those days. He soon got good reports from the Department of Education for the tone he set in his new school. Within a year they had to hire another teacher to accommodate his success in recruiting and in discouraging apt students from dropping out.
It was 1937 at the height of the Great Depression and jobs were very scarce. Dad had won the job perhaps partly because he had a good record as principal of another high school in Ontario, but likely even more due to an impulsive decision he made on the day he applied for the job. He jumped in to help a farmer pi􏰁ching ha􏰂 in a field􏰅 The farmer􏰄􏰀 􏰃ife􏰈 Mr􏰀􏰅 Rigb􏰂, happened to be a member of the school board who was
commi􏰀􏰀ioned 􏰁o in􏰁er􏰇ie􏰃 applican􏰁􏰀 for 􏰁he Principal􏰄􏰀 job􏰅 I􏰁 􏰁􏰆rned o􏰆􏰁 􏰁o be a 􏰃i􏰀e mo􏰇e; Mrs. Rigby was impressed, Dad was hired and stayed seven years. The school was closed seven years after he left and the pupils bussed to Norwood.
I ha􏰇e man􏰂 fond memorie􏰀 of Ha􏰇elock and i􏰁 􏰃ill al􏰃a􏰂􏰀 be m􏰂 􏰋home 􏰁o􏰃n􏰄 al􏰁ho􏰆gh I 􏰀eldom 􏰇i􏰀i􏰁 􏰁here no􏰃􏰅 Our family came to Havelock with six children and Mother pregnant with Raymie. Carol, the last of our eight siblings was also born there. She was born in Do􏰆g Yo􏰆ng􏰄􏰀 ho􏰆􏰀e on Ma􏰁hi􏰀on S􏰁ree􏰁􏰅 His wife was a nurse and Dr.Don Holdcroft was the doctor. My Mother also taught one year in Havelock Public School after Carol started to school.
Parties which we had about once a year were big events. I never hosted one but I went to a few and I recall pouring over the invitation list for a birthday party Bob Watson held. We spent days pairing the boys off with the girls. But that didn􏰄􏰁 really matter: few boys came with a girl or took her home anyway. At least I never did. All our party games were group games like Poor-house. We only talked about risqué games like Post Office and Spin the Bottle, we never played them. Our most daring game was Wink where the guy with the empty chair got to wink at a girl sitting in the circle. The guy behind the girl he winked at was supposed to grab her before she got away to travel across the circle and sit in front of the guy that winked. The real game going on was the guy pretending he was trying to grab but really letting her get away so he could wink at another girl. The other part of the real game was the girl not really trying to escape if she happened to enjoy being grabbed by the particular boy behind her. The game 􏰃a􏰀n􏰄􏰁 􏰁oo complica􏰁ed b􏰆􏰁 􏰂o􏰆 can 􏰀ee 􏰁he rea􏰀oning behind o􏰆r caref􏰆l 􏰀elec􏰁ion of 􏰁he invitation list and the necessity of pairing them off 􏰌 if only to have an equal number of the genders.
ALLAN, ROSS, VERN, WINSTON, SHIRLEY, EVELYN Our family arrived in Havelock in September 1937 with six kids. The seventh, RAYMIE, was born Feb. 1938
ROSS, BOB WATSON & MARILYN HUTCHINSON