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 sheep 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.

1908 New Year

Pretty sure I have posted this letter previously in this blog but figured I'd do a repeat since it is about the same time of year as the letter was written.
In fact it is on the back of a post card showing Kelsale School where, judging by the text, my grandmother and her sisters went to school.
111 years later the card is still in excellent condition.

Alice, the writer, was my grandmother. Still in England for another 11 years before coming to Canada. Mary, her sister, was already in Canada on the homestead with husband Ernest and son Ernie Junior for a few years. No doubt it was exciting news to get a post card from "the old country".