Having lived here all my life, I only heard of places like Ontario, or other provinces in Canada. Then I met my husband Lloyd, and through him my life changed.
We met, became close friends, and then we decided to get married. We were married at Corbet Lake Lodge, with his friends from the mine, and my family attending. His best man was a close friend of his, Sandy York. Lloyd trained this young man to be a miner.
We planned to go to Hawaii for one week after our wedding, but cancelled our plans when there was an emergency at the mine where Lloyd was employed. His boss phoned him and told him, they needed him back to work as soon as possible. We had three days to ourselves, and then he was back to work.
That job lasted for one year, then the mine closed down, and Lloyd had to look elsewhere for employment. He sent out his resume to several mines – at that time, jobs were plentiful and a miner could quit one job, and be hired on the next day at another mine. They called this “tramp mining.”
One day Lloyd received two calls, one from a gold mine up north in Cassiar, B.C. and the other was from Campbell River, B.C.
He was at a cross roads. He did need job, but didn’t know which of the two choices was best. We had a family meeting, talked it over, then he decided to take the offer from Campbell River, which he felt was closer to home. If he had accepted the one up north, he would have to fly in, and fly out, with ten days working, and four days off.
He phoned the office at the mine in Campbell River, accepted the job, and got directions where to go. We looked on the map and discovered that Campbell River was on the Island. Neither of us had ever been to the Island, so we were excited. He packed his mining duffel bag, which carried his tools, a bag of personal stuff and his mining certificate, then I drove him to Spences Bridge where he caught the bus.
I cried but he told me,”Don’t cry, soon we will be together again. When school is out, I will come and get you and the girls and move to the Island.”
When Lloyd arrived in Campbell River he called me and said he wasn’t so sure about the new location – it was raining hard, and cold.
He had a doctor’s appointment, to have a chest x-ray, because his health had to be in excellent shape. Then he went back to his hotel room. Next, Lloyd needed to find a ride to the mine camp, which was 50 miles out of town. Luckily, the next morning when he was having coffee in the restaurant, two men offered him a ride to the mine after he asked them for directions.
That was the beginning of our married life, I never knew when he would come home and tell me, ‘pack up my dear wife, we are moving.’ It was an exciting life, and I have no regrets.
Lloyd moved us to the Island when school was out that summer. Our two daughters did not want to leave their friends, but they soon made new ones at the high school there. One of our daughters still lives on the Island. She loves it there, has raised her family there, and has a great job.
We lived on the Island for awhile, then Lloyd decided to leave the mine, and apply for work in Ontario, so we moved again. We ended up living at Timmins, Ontario, where he worked at a small mine, for one year. It was close to his home town where his mom lived. We would fly over to Brighton from Timmins, to visit her as often as we could because she was not well. She was 80 years old, when she passed away that same year. After the funeral, we decided to move back to British Columbia. Our daughter Cindy told us the Campbell River mine was still hiring.
While at Timmins, I met several native people who lived there. They moved to the city from their village called Moose Factory. Before we left Timmins, this family had a farewell dinner for both of us at their home. They said, “You are family now, we will never forget you.”
Our lives have many pages filled with many good memories.
We hired a moving van to deliver our clothes and furniture to Campbell River, then we drove home. Each mile was like a heart beat, closer to home. We made a stop in Merritt to meet our new grand-children, who were born while we were away, then carried on to the Island, where we remained for last 18 years of Lloyd’s mining days.
I truly believe the word of God that tells us in Jeremiah chapter 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Also, Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in your book all the days of my life were written, before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.”
While living in Campbell River, I met many great people who I will never forget. I am glad we moved around like we did. I saw places that I only heard about on the news, met people, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, heard their stories, learned of their culture and traditions. Being a miner’s wife has given me a perspective of many cultures.
We did live in Creston, B.C. for one year. That is a beautiful place, the people were very kind, we loved the orchards, and the farmers there had the best vegetables and potatoes.
I will continue this story as a two-part, so look for it in the Merritt Herald.
As Always in Friendship.
