Getting our family history straight through the cars that we had, the trips we took, and the jobs we worked at.
1952 August we came to Canada and bought a 1947 Nash sedan.
After we moved to the lake, Dad bought the pregnant jellybean – a purple Nash station wagon.
The Nash was scrapped and pulled up to the dump across the road. The back axle
I lowered down the back of the house while the parents were away and took all the skin off my palms.
That didn’t last too long and was replaced by a brand new pale blue mini. This was the first car that
I drove. In July 1963 we went down to Oregon in it. All six of us.
Ten he bought a green Austin A40 Somerset (for Mum) that had liquid filled front shock absorbers that
leaked. It also had a copper wing. When I went to Vernon Grade 13 college at the army camp
(Sept '64-June '65) I drove both the mini and the Austin. I wonder if it was bought about then- that
would be late 1964? It ended it’s life on the Lumby road when I was on the way to work at the
lumber yard – my first job on return from University I think. Summer 1966.
I think I must have worked at the lumber yard in Lumby and then in Cherryville in the summer
before I went to university, and then at Donald all summer 1967 – I remember driving the Mini there.
Is it at this time that Dad bought a blue Pontiac from a woman who had kept it in her garage for
years? I believe that it developed problems once on the Hope-Princeton highway, but don’t know
it’s end.
Vivian rolled the mini on the way down from Silver Star, but with three/four? Lads in it the
y just righted it and carried on. He also knocked out the sump on a rock out towards Cosins Bay
and Dad got the guys at Galbraith’s to weld a patch on the sump where it was smashed.
It was an experiment in Aluminum welding for them.
I bent the mini badly on the Port Mann Bridge driving into Vancouver in September 1968.
I was carrying Beverly Ann Howe who had worked with me at the Army Camp Junior
ranks shop. Richard says that he was with me. I drove the mini back to Vernon and Dad
sold it. I am quite sure that Dad followed me home in the blue Pontiac.
This is correct. I lived at Union Street in Burnaby and was seeing Bev until I met Marian that year.
The next summer 1969 I worked first at the Sergeants Mess and then at the Jr. Ranks bar at the Army
camp. I can’t remember which car I drove then. It was always evening work.
Then he bought a brown Austin 1100. This lasted until Richard and the road to Whistler parted company
in 1974.
Dad had a Blue Pickup that he parked on the road for awhile. The key was broken off in the ignition and
the doors didn’t lock but that didn’t stop some yobbo from breaking the window and trying to get into it
just as the police came along!
1969-1976 my main transport was bicycle.
When I graduated from university 1976 Mom lent me the money to buy a brand new Mini, which I sold
when I left Canada in 1978. I won’t comment about Richard bending it.
