Bill's Grim Reaper Comment

A February 1971 entry in Bill Nevard's journal. This time in his own printing.

87 Years Ago In Nevard Farm History

November 28, 1936 Uncle Horrie went to town with wheat and Dad went with him. Prince and Dixie got scared by a truck loaded with furniture on 35 highway near the cemetery and tipped the wagon and load over into the ditch causing much trouble and delay. It was Dad's new box. If it had been one of the old boxes it would probably have been demolished. I hauled water and got a jag of dry wood home. Karl Miller re-elected councillor. Bud got the mail home. November 29, Sunday. Church service at Headlands. Mr. Hillary. Dad, Dick, Uncle Arthur and I all walked. Others attending were Tom and Ed North, John Leslie, Mrs. Binnington, Agnes and Bert, Cliff Barton and Paul Morrison. Uncle Horrie, Roy and Joy here to supper. Dick and Uncle A. stayed at Murphy Newton's. Bud fixing up a radio he bought somewhere.

Looking For Horses etc.

February 24, 1948 and Dick and I got the fanning mill and the wild oat separator home this morning. After dinner I went for a drive in the sleigh to try and find Eddie Miller's horses and see if the mare that little Henry Schmidt was willing to trade was with them. I went to where Ed Miller is now living on 13 and saw his wife. She told me that their horses are on 21 and that Eddie had gone to K.D's to borrow the tractor for sawing wood so I went in there and saw Alfred and Eddie. They told me I would have to go through Manuel's yard and through Hobetzeder's so I went out on the road past Bill Senft's and called in at Manuel's where his wife told me that he was in Saskatoon and showed me which trail to take to Hobetzeder's. When I got there Hobetzeder was outside getting feed in the stable He showed me 9 young lambs (Shropshires). 5 ewes had ten lambs but one died. He offered to go with me on 21 and look for the horses. Grace was outside with the pony and he asked her to do the chores while he went with me. We drove across 21 but coud not see any horses so we went through the North line onto 28, then East to 35 highway where we saw a bunch of horses on 27 but when we got up close enough we saw they were not the right ones so we started back for Hobetzeder's along the highway. On the way we saw the horses over on 21 so we went through a gate and took a look at them. There were 8. Two of Hobetzeder's, 5 of Ed Miller's and little Henry's gray mare. Then we went back to Hobetzeder's where I stayed to supper. Both of the girls are home. August Hepting came over from McCullough's on horseback while I was there and was still there when I left. I got home in time to milk.

Charlie and Kate Hobetzeder with daughter, Ivy.

Bill Turns 65

February 23, 1967
At last I have attained my 65th birthday and retirement. Laurence Robillard worked for me so I could have the day free and after dinner I walked up to the San for my party in the assembly room.
It was also a party for Mrs. Regal who is being retired on account of ill health. Her son-in-law and daughter, Brodners from Dysart brought her.
A good representation of the staff turned up to wish us well. Someone said there was over 100 present. Dr. Barnett handed me a purse from the staff with $103 in it and of course we had coffee and cakes.
February 25
My last day of work at the San and I managed to get through it without  collapsing. Dick went to a Church school meeting this afternoon. It was a beautiful moonlight morning when I went to work.

Studio portrait from 1975.

Group photo of some of the Fort San workers including Bill Nevard upper right. Early 1950s.

Across The Atlantic in 1944

A letter from Dick Nevard to his brother Bill in August of 1944.
                                                                                                               Private Nevard, R. A.
                                                                                                               L154284
                                                                                                               RCAMC
                                                                                                               Canadian Army Overseas           
Dear Bill:
Well the unexpected has happened and I'm on the high seas bound for the land of your birth I guess. I think from now on I'll give up trying  to predict the future. That stiff medical at Debert never materialized. I guess that 2 or 3 weeks before you get the letter you and dad will get a telegram to say that I have arrived overseas safely.
I expected to be quarantined on the ship for a week or two because Lambier broke out with measles yesterday. But we have heard nothing so I guess nothing will be done.
Next day. Lambier's measles turned out to be something else so don't worry. I won't catch measles.
Our beds are 3 tiers high. They are of canvas stretched across an iron frame and I find them comfortable. The berth we are was reserved for corporals but when the corporals arrived they turned out to be privates. So in that manner we got better beds than some of the officers.
We only get two meals a day but they are pretty fair meals. We can buy chocolate bars and oranges quite cheap here on  board ship. Oranges are 7 for 25 cents so we have nothing to kick about. We wear life preservers as a safety measure although there is no danger.
Well I have landed overseas and am quite ok. I had no sea-sickness. I am in a camp but not allowed to say where. We were told that we would get no leaves so there are no prospects of seeing our relations in England for a while. I will write to Aunt Louie and tell her I am in the land of your birth.
The countryside was pretty and I admired everything. We would wave to men standing near the tracks and they would give us the thumbs up.
I got a five dollar bill changed into English money and got a one pound note and a florin and a penny. We have quite a time talking about and figuring out the English money. Lambier I think is good at but I think he got kind of annoyed because the boys kept coming over to him this afternoon when he wanted to sleep and asked him how much was such and such an amount until he got sick of it. Still I don't think it will take long to get used to once one forgets about Canadian money.
I was not going to send a telegram but then they said that letters get there just as fast sometimes so I thought I would write instead. The quickest way is by airgraph but I couldn't get any forms.
I sent my iron home because the current is different over here and so it would not be any use.
I think I'll like it over here because I will feel I am doing my part in a more necessary spot than back in the army in Canada.
The meals are good and they are better prepared than most camps that I have been in Canada. We had mutton and what do you think? We had peanut butter and that is something I have never had in Canada. I hear that we can buy chocolate bars, two at a time for 3 penny which is as cheap as in Canada.
Well everything is alright so don't worry. My letter will not be so long as usual because in the interests of security we must not mention anything about what we are doing. Just our personal life.
I wrote about six letters on the voyage so I am well up with my correspondence. I just have to finish them off and post them.
                                                                                                                           Cheerio
                                                                                                         Your loving brother, Dick

He did get to visit the English relatives eventually.

New Years Day 1971

From Bill Nevard's journal.
January 1: Started the new year off by resuming work on "The Burning Mountain", second book in the Allader series. The day being fine, we decided to go North and started off just before noonn. I took the 1967 geographics for the Goffs and the 1968s for Silver Birches.
We called in on Mrs. Goff at Lipton and Doris phoned the farm to find out if the road was alright. Getting a good report we continued our journey. Turning West at the German Church we had no trouble. We found the family at home. Also Gladys. When we were nearly through dinner, Uncle and the boys came along. Then later Les drove to Hobetzeders to bring Grace and Ivy over and they were there for a while but Les took them back early to do their chores. Then he drove Gladys down to Belle Van Luven's for supper. Belle had visited Grace and Ivy on Christmas day and got stuck coming home in the evening on old 35. So Les had to go with the tractor and blade and open a road for her to our North grid road. It was 11:30 when he got home.
Our cousins went home in fair time having chores to do and we left about 9:30.
I turned off at the wrong place before we got to the road and Dick pushed on the front so I could back the car up and get on the right track. After that we had no more trouble.

Bill and Dick arrive at the farm New Years day in the 56 Chev.

Bill Nevard's Birthday

Today, February 23, was E.W. , or as everybody knew him "Bill" , Nevard's birthday. Depending on how correct my information is, he would be 116 or 117 years old. Born at Lexden, Colchester, Essex, he came to Canada in 1906. Bill was my inspiration for this Nevardblog. He was the most prolific writer in the family. His daily journals from 1930 until the year he died (1975) are a constant source of family history and information. Much of it has already appeared here in the Nevardblog.
He drew amazing, science fiction type pictures. Even wrote his own version of some Edgar Rice Burroughs type stories. All written in hard times on the backs of old envelopes, cement bags, any sort of paper that was available for free.
Bill had a major change of occupation in 1948 when he quit the farm and went to work at the Fort (TB) sanatorium for the next 20 years until he retired.
Hard to find a picture that I haven't already used but these are some I like.

Mary, Daisy, Arthur and Bill Nevard in the very early days on the homestead.

The Nevard Birthday Calendar

January 19 would have marked the 142nd birthday of Mary (Hall) Nevard. Wife of Ernest Samuel Nevard, mother of Bill and Dick Nevard. Born at Saxmundham, Suffolk, England, she came to Canada to join Ernest on  the homestead in what eventually would become Saskatchewan in 1905.
This photo from the early forties  is possibly one of the last pictures of her. She died in September of 1943.

November 1951, Business as Usual At Fort San

November 16: Dad went to Regina on the bus today and bought a new coat and several other items. We had a union meeting at Birn's house tonight but not many there.

November 17: I went to Lipton on the bus this morning. Charlie Bull also went to Lipton and Cecilia Tomack went on to Regina apparently. I went to the Post Office to try and trace the missing money order I had sent to Uncle Arthur. I also visited Fishers and Mrs. Fisher told me that Kenny has another son born on the 9th. I started walking back to the San but got a ride on an oil truck most of the way. There was an amateur hour on in Lipton tonight. Bob Smith and Darlene took part in it.

November 18: Sunday. Dad went to a morning service in Lipton with Mr. Corkhill. Dick and I walked down to an evening service at St. John's and rode back with Mr. Stiff. Laura Motherwell also got a ride back to the San. Sandy Goff came along tonight to ask Dad to go to Lipton tomorrow and help them fix up their furnace so Mr. and Mrs. Goff can move into town.

November 19: Dad went to Lipton to help Goffs fix up their furnace. He missed the bus so Sandy came and fetched him and he came home on the bus at night.

Building T. Goff house in 1951. From left: Ernest Nevard, Mary Goff, Grace Hobetzeder, Les Goff, Horace Nevard. 

65 Years Ago In Bill's Journal

1952
November 5: The two Indian women recently admitted to East 3 are Mrs. Nellie O'Watch and Lena Peigan. The latter being Tommy John's cousin.
Dick voted at Bye's today. Dad and I got driven to Balrobie in Sandy Goff's car to vote. Mrs. Wheale and her grandson, Wayne Fushtey, went with us to vote. Then he drove up back to Lipton where Dad bought some groceries. Roy was in town with both Uncles. We had supper at Tom Goff's , then waited for Sandy to drive us home, which he did eventually. We got home around 9 pm. Fred Senft got elected as reeve but the contest between Sandy Goff and August Zielke was in doubt.

Sandy Goff and his Model T Ford with a few friends a few years earlier. 

Tears Of Israel

Every year at this time, the Jewish holidays between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I'm reminded of a quote that (great) uncle Ernest Nevard would mention. It is a common belief that it will always rain during the Jewish holidays so farmers liked to be done harvest before that time if possible. Or they expected to be shut down by rain for a while until the crops dried enough to re-start harvest. Uncle Ernie used to refer to the rain (when it fell) as "the tears of Israel". I don't know if there is a story behind that saying and there is nobody to ask now. I only recall this from stories told to me by my parents as I was not even 4 years when uncle Ernie died.
This photo of him from the late 1940s Ernest left and son, Bill, on the right.

Visitors From The City

From left: Roy, Alice, Horace at back. Front row Donald and Joy. Seated on the running board?Arthur? Ernest Nevard?

Notice the "HSD" patch on Donald's overalls which stood for Headlands School District.

As seen above, my Nevard grandparents, mother and  two uncles. As none of the Nevards owned a car at the time, approximately 1937,  I'm guessing the occasion was  a  visit from  the Regina relatives, Uncle Eddie and Aunt May Edwards. May was a sister to Arthur Nevard's wife, Daisy. I don't even know if they owned a car but they always had a neighbour drive  them out to the farm for a  visit each summer. Here is an entry from Bill Nevard's journal which describes the day,or one much like it.
August 3, 1937: Dad left off cutting the pasture 20 acres and started on the basement 13 acres. Uncle Arthur and Roy went to Lipton and Uncle got his wagon wheels fixed. The Normans and Billy West came up from Regina in their car bringing Uncle Eddie and Aunt Flo with them. They arrived about dinner  time and had dinner here, going up to Silver Birches (H. Nevard's farm) after dinner for a visit. After they had left Dad went back  and cut wheat for about an  hour.

Heading Home On The Queen Elizabeth

From Dick Nevard's journal. Although the war ended in May of 1945 it was January of 1946 before he  left England on the RMS Queen Elizabeth

January 28
We set sail for New York and said goodbye to dear old England. Saw a cruiser, a destroyer, and a submarine.
January 29
Some of the boys started to get sick but I was ok right through the journey never missing a meal. Went to bible study and sing song.
January 30
Bought a calendar and post cards of RMS Queen Elizabeth. Also a box of 24 chocolate bars. Saw another picture show. Went to bible study at night.

January 31
Sat up on the promenade deck all morning. We had boat drill and then I stayed on deck and took in a picture show. Sweeping promenade deck at 10:00 pm.
February 3
Arrived in New York harbour. Left the ship about 11:00 at night. Had donuts , coffee and fresh milk. Crossed the harbour on ferry and got on board the train.
February 4
Travelling all day across New York. Arrived in Hamilton and had an orange and apple. Arrived at Toronto by dark.
February 5
Travelling all day. It was raining when we arrived at Fort William. Heard the Fort William girls band which I had heard before at Camp Shilo.
February 6
Arrived at Winnipeg and then Regina at 7:00 in the evening. Got blankets and made my bed up in barracks. Then went to Aunt May's.
February 8
Chatted on train with George Macknack on the way to Lipton. Went to Mr. Gray's for lunch. Jim Millward and I hired Campbell to drive us home. I walked in on Dad, Bill, and Uncle Arthur unexpectedly.

Trip To Lipton January 1948

January 26: Roy came along in the closed in cutter about 8 AM and I went to Lipton with him. It was a cold day with a North wind blowing but with a fire on we were quite comfortable. The road was heavy and we could not make very fast progress. I went to the station and paid the freight. Then we put the two 100 pound boxes of fish out on the platform ready.
We went to the post office where I saw our new post master, Reg Waters for the first time as it was my first trip to Lipton since July 30, 1946.
We went to Charles Brinkworth's cafe for dinner (55 cents). Then I went to the bank, had my book fixed up and put $100 into a savings account. I hunted up where Fishers live and paid them a visit. Mr. Fisher showed me his encyclopedia and Mrs. Fisher gave me some tea and cake. Philip Fisher has two youngsters, both girls, and Kenny has a son. Will Lutz and Malcom Bordass were in town with Ed Miller's closed in cutter. Oshowey also in town. And Charlie Hook.
I went into the barber shop and pool room for the first time and saw pool being played. Charlie Bull was playing with another guy. Bill Miller and Robert Senft at another table. Jack Goff, Joe Kelsey and others in there looking on,
When we left town little Henry Schmidt rode with us to Jack Mintzler's. He was after a horse for his foxes. He has an 8 year old mare he is willing to trade off for an old horse.

January 27: Dick and I got two loads of wheat straw home this morning and put it in the loft. In the afternoon I went for a tank of water. In Uncle Arthur's pasture I got stuck as the sleighs cut off. Bud came along with the scoop shovel and dug some snow away so I could get started again and managed to get home. Bud was screening barley out of his straw pile.

Jack Goff in the 1940s

Vintage Nevard Christmas

Vintage Christmas cards sent to the Sask. Nevards by their family still back in Essex, U.K. in the early days of the 1900s.
This one from Uncle Cecil Nevard in 1907 to nephew Bill. (E.W. Nevard).

December 17, 1907

My Dear little E.

I hope you will like this card but I am afraid you will not receive it in time for Xmas. I suppose you have plenty of snow now but we have not seen any yet. I hope you received the order I sent for you. I am very sorry that you have had the toothache. Please wish your Uncles Arthur, Horrie, your Mother and Father a very happy Christmas from us all and give them our love and accept the same for yourself. 

With much love, Cecil

Cecil Nevard 

A Trip To The Clinic

November 12 1964
This evening Dick and I drove down to Lebret to Stan's garage as the automatic transmission was leaking and getting quite low. Stan advised taking the car in to Regina to an automatic drive clinic and he phoned to the place arranging an appointment for next Monday.

November 16
I got up at 4 am, had my breakfast, shaved and got ready and started out for Regina at 6 am. I did not know what the roads would be like so I drove slow and got to Regina by 7:30. The road was good and I made most of the trip before daybreak. I had to wait a while at the transmission clinic before anybody showed up but they were not too long getting at work on it. The foreman, Gerard Hooey, took it for a short drive to test it before they took the transmission out. After this was done he showed me different parts which needed repairing and figured that the total cost would be about $175. He said they would put a rebuilt transmission in for $185 so I agreed to that.
One of the mechanics, David Fraser drove me to the geriatric centre in his truck and I saw Uncle Arthur and Jack Fitch and Mr. Hutchings. They reckon that Uncle is a bit better than he was. He was sitting in an arm chair but he can't talk much and he seems to be pretty helpless. An orderly fed him with a spoon while I was there.
It had warmed up and was quite pleasant walking back to the clinic which is close to the new Leader Post building on Park street. They had the car all ready for me when I got back so I gave Hooey a cheque for the job and drove home getting back before 4 pm. As I'd had no dinner I made some cream of mushroom soup.

Late Harvest and Municipal Election

November 12, 1946
Bud came along before daylight this morning trying to start the tractor so he could take the outfit up to John Senft's. He couldn't get it started so he asked me to come out and help and eventually he had to put a fire under it to warm it up before he could start. Then he went down after the separator. He succeeded in getting it to the yard but the radiator was freezing up on him so he had to give it up as a bad job and went up to John Senft's. They both came back with John's team to haul the separator but when they started off one of John's horses was scared of the separator behind him so they had to take him off and borrow Roy's horse, Duke, before they could get away.
I got a tank of water and then turned the team out and did some fencing. They got John's oats threshed. Bud running the machine and John Senft, Kreutzer and Donald having racks. John Senft and Bud brought the separator back at night with the John Deere tractor. They threshed about 15 loads of sheaves.

November 12, 1946
The great municipal election day. Robert Senft and Mike Engel came after Uncle Arthur in a car and took him to Hobetzeder's  to be D.R.O. I went and did a bit more fencing on the East line of 13. John Senft hauled a load of wheat for Bud. and while we were having dinner he came along to haul a load for Dad. So I went to the bin with him and helped load up. Dad went off to Lipton with him. They didn't get back until nearly 6 pm and Edwin Senft came along in a car right behind them to take them back to Balrobie to vote. They only just got there in time. Bill Senft brought them and Uncle Arthur back. Manuel Miller won the election.

Bud Nevard on a newer tractor (Ford 9N). Not the one referred to in the above journal entries which was a McCormick Deering 15-30.

Nevards Trip To England

June 4: Gifford took us to see Carlton Church. We saw Aunt Annie's and her parent's graves. After dinner we helped in the garden. I took a snap of Walnut Tree House.

June 5: We walked to East Green Farm and took a snap of it. We visited Sammy and Violet after supper and saw Leslie there too.
June 7: Christine drove us to Sternfield. Later to Benhall and Framlingham. We visited Leslie and Martha after dinner.

1975 Trip To England

Bill Nevard returned to visit the land of his birth , Suffolk and Essex, U.K. in the summer of 1975. A few entries from his brother's journal follow.
May 27: John Strudwick drove us to the airport and we had a nice trip over.
May 28: We landed at Heathrow at 11 am. I phoned Muriel. We went and saw Buckingham Palace.
May 30: We went to the National Maritime museum at Greenwich by river boat. We went to Foyle's book store and then to The Book restaurant for supper. I phoned Kelsale and Gifford answered.
June 1: We went to Holy Communion in St.Paul's cathedral. After dinner we went to Trafalgar Square and saw Nelson's monument and the four lions guarding it. Then on to the National Art gallery.
June 3: We went by taxi to Liverpool Street station and then to Saxmundham where we were met by Gifford. We had a royal welcome at Walnut Tree House. Gifford took us to see Kelsale Church.

Headlands Picnic 1943

From the daily journal of Bill Nevard.
June 29, 1943
Dad and Uncle Horrie both went to Lipton with wheat. I was cultivating. Jubilee seemed to find it hard work so I let him out after dinner and got Spark instead. I found out this afternoon that Violet has a wire cut in her fetlock so I let her out tonight.
Roy and Joy went to Balrobie dance.

June 30: I caught Embers this morning and went on 25 with the John Deere gang plow. Dad had put the new shares on but it soon cleaned and is working alright though plowing rather deep. Not an awful lot of tall growth on the stubble yet excepting stinkweed. Joy and Donald went to Headlands picnic and all three of them went to the dance.