Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Picnic at Winstanley Grove

Regular readers might recall that Winstanley Grove was the name that my great Uncle Arthur Nevard chose for his homestead. Named after his wife's maiden name of Winstanley. The date on this photo I am guessing to be about 1935. The occasion, a visit from the "city folks". Arthur would have been a widower by this time since his wife , Daisy, died in February of 1933.
Daisy's sister, May lived in Regina and most summers they would come out to the farm for a visit. I don't think they owned a car but would hire a neighbour for the long drive, in those days probably 2 hours of dusty roads at least.
I don't think it was a Sunday since some of the men are not wearing their "sunday suits or overalls". Maybe Dominion Day, or as we know it , Canada Day. Some of the farm machinery of the day sits in the background including the McCormick Deering tractor and a binder. The barn in the background is long gone having only cement footings in the ground remaining to mark where it stood.
Great Uncle Arthur Nevard sits at the left. Next is my grandmother, Alice Nevard. Beside her is May's husband, Eddie. Next is my grandfather, Horace Nevard in the white shirt and overalls. Beside him are his two sons, Roy and Don Nevard. Seated next to them is Dick Nevard in the white shirt, no hat and 'farmers tan'. My mother, Joy Nevard, looking none too happy to be in the photo is next. Behind her is Bill Nevard whose name has appeared in this blog more than a few times. Next to Bill, his mother, Mary Nevard. The lady on the right who unfortunately got cut off this scan of the negative I am not sure of but she could be Mrs. Hammil, who was an old friend of the family from Regina.
Missing from the photo is Ernest Nevard, father of Bill and Dick. Maybe he took the photo or else was away working at a brick laying or plastering job as he sometimes did. A bit of off-farm income would have been very welcome in the dry years of the 1930s.