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. 

1937 Hospital Time

More from the journal of Bill Nevard......
1937 May 8: I went to Lipton in the democrat with Topsy and Violet starting out about 6 a:m. Taking Dick to catch the 9 a:m bus to Regina. Dick arrived ok and went into hospital after seeing Dr. Waddell.

May 24: As I am writing this on July 31 and have written down nothing in between , there will perforce be many gaps in my journals, but I will note down what I remember and let the rest slide.

May 25: I took Mother to Lipton with the democrat to catch the bus to Regina. Uncle Arthur rode down with us. We had to start early as the bus left at 9 a:m.

June 1: I went to Lipton with oats and Oswald Weiss rode down with me. We got a letter from Mother saying that Dick would be operated on Thursday, June 3.

June 2 &3: I hauled water and finished seeding using Gleam on the seeder for the first time. Dick had his goiter operation in Regina General hospital.

June 6, Sunday. Billy West came from Regina in a car and woke us up about 2 a:m this morning. Mary Wahl, her sister and another chap were with him. They took Dad back to Regina with them to see Dick as he was not doing very good , leaving me desolate. I went to John Senft's during the day to hear if they had seen Dick while in Regina but Mrs. Senft could not tell me very much.

Left to right Doris Creamer, Billy West, Mary Wahl, Aunt Flo Gerrard

June 7: I hauled six loads of water to day with Gleam and Violet. 24 barrels. Dad came back by train and got a ride to the farm with August Zielke. Dick is showing considerable improvement.
June 11: Dad kalsomining. I plowed in the morning and helped Dad in the afternoon. Seels brought Mother safely home in their car.

July 11: A somewhat eventful Sunday at home. The Frank Monks brought Dick home in their car about noon. Mr. and Mrs. Monk, Leslie and Aunt May all coming and we had a lunch outside. As a storm was coming up from the Northwest they left for home rather early. Between 3 and 4 p:m the rain came. It rained for about an hour. The biggest rain we have had for years, and when we went out afterwards we found the pasture sloughs nearly full of water. In one slough the water was higher than my knees. It had washed deep furrows out in the summerfallow and must have flowed in a stream 30 yards across down in our valley. Most
of our neighbors North and South of us didn't seem to get much rain.

Bill Leaves The Farm

Not forever but in September of 1948 Bill got a job working at the Fort Qu'appelle T.B. sanatorium where his brother, Dick, had been working since the spring of that year.
A few entries from his journal from that time...
Sept. 29, 1948:Dick came home after I got to bed tonight and told me that there was a job waiting for me at the San.
Sept. 30:This morning, after doing my necessary chores I went up to Silver Birches and told Roy I was going down to the San so that he would come and do my chores. I packed Dad's valise and started off walking but only had to walk to the gate as August Zielke came along in his truck hauling a load of wheat for Sam Wheale. Sam was with him so I got a ride all the way to Lipton. On arrival I walked down to Jack Goff's and found out that Dad and Uncle Horrie were working at Bailey's so I went there and saw them before starting out for the San. Once again I was in luck for a truck belonging to the San overtook me before I had got very far and gave me a lift right to the San. I went into the stores and saw Mr. Skinner. Then I was taken to Miss Biden , dietitician , who told me what I would have to do and as it was nearly dinner time, took me to the assembly room. After waiting there a little while I went in to dinner. It is quite a large dining room with 18 tables I think, seating 180 people. Bill Binnington was there at dinner. After that I walked pretty well all around the grounds and at 1:30 pm I was taken to the admitting office where they took a test and after a wait I had an x-ray of my chest. Then a longer wait before I was examined by Dr. McPherson and afterwards another x-ray. Then John Bailey, the head orderly, took me to the men's quarters and shew me my room. Dick got back about the same time and we went to supper. After supper we walked around a bit then went to the Grandview Lunch with Walter Underwood who comes from Northants.

November 28, 1943

Headlands P.O. Sask.
November 28, 1943
Dear Dick
Well its Sunday night again and as I am likely to go to Lipton again tomorrow I may as well send you another letter and keep you up to date on the latest local events. Before I forget it, Dad was suggesting that I should take a pair of your rubbers and felt socks to Lipton and leave them in Andy Gray's office for you to put on when you next come home and he wanted me to ask you if there was anything else you might want left there in the way of wearing apparel as it may be pretty cold when you come home.
This past week has been my town week as I made five trips with grain going every day but Friday. As the wheat quota has been raised again to 7 bushels per acre I may make four trips this coming week if the snow holds off. On Tuesday the 23rd I took a load of Dad's wheat to town. Andy Gray was filling a car with barley and he advised me to bring barley as he said he had plenty of room for wheat but only a limited amount of room for barley. So on Wednesday I took down a load of Dad's barley and had it stored making out the ticket to Osler-Hammond & Nanton as it was for the company's share of the crop on 25. Uncle Horrie went down too with a load of wheat. He overtook me on the way down. Donald was with him as he wanted to go to Lipton to get a sweater but he did not go all the way to town with his father as he got a ride in with a grain truck. On Thursday I took down another load of dad's barley but I could only deliver 100 bushels as the barley quota is 5 bushels per seeded acre and the rest of the load I sold for Dad.
Gleam was pretty sluggish on that trip as it was her fourth on successive days and the roads are hard and rough so I decided to let them have a rest and stayed home Friday doing chores .
Uncle Arthur went to Lipton with barley that day and brought home word that the quota has been raised from 5 to 7 bushels. He has arranged to have August Zielke take some of his wheat to Lipton by truck. On Saturday I went to Lipton with wheat and Uncle Horrie took a load of barley. Quite a lot of grain seemed to be going in to town owing to the quota having been raised. Fred Engel took a load down and broke the tire of his wagon at the big coulee so he had to borrow a wagon from Jack Mintzlar to get in with
Tehse, Red Schmidt's boy and Prairie Schmidt's boy are all hauling with wagons behind tractors. No less than 30 cars, trucks and tractors passed me on the way home so you see everybody are doing their best to save gas.
Today was dull but snow still holding off. Dad baked a cake. I went and cut holes in the slough on 13 for the animals. Fred Engel and Wm. Miller were trying to drive home a calf of Fred's that insists on being with our cattle but they didn't have any success then. Pat Neil came this evening just before dark and fixed our four little boars so that job is out of the way. They sure made a racket and the sow broke out of her pen and was rampaging around until we drove her back. I saw Bill Senft in town and he said that Arnold is alright again now. I never read your letter until I got home on Saturday night. Glad to hear that you are getting on ok.
The open weather is fine for the animals giving them a chance to clean up some of the food laying around. We haven't had any really cold weather yet although the wind is often a bit unpleasant when you're on the road. I paid up the taxes for Dad last week so they won't be able to turn us out of house and home for a while yet. Well I guess this is all for now Dick. Goodbye from your loving brother....
E.W. Nevard.