Election Day 70 Years Ago

June 11, 1945.
I plowed in the morning and in the afternoon Dad, both Uncles, Bud, and I went to vote at Balrobie in the democrat with Gleam and Embers. Mrs. Ernest Senft was D.R.O. and Bill Peake was polling clerk.
We saw Sid Phillips and his family there . Also Mrs. McCullough, Sam Smith, Bernice and their 2 children, Jack Mintzlar, Howard Van Luven, Robert Senft, Charlie Huber and Red Schmidt on the way home. Lutzs' overtook us and Bud went with them.
Didn't have time to do anything much after we got home. There was a letter from Dick in the mail. We were listening to election returns on the radio and heard that the Liberals are returned to power with a smaller majority.

This is actually a photo of Kate Hobetzeder in a "democrat" since I do not have one of the Nevard's conveyance. Chances are good that some time that same election day that Kate and family showed up at Balrobie to vote.

V.E. Day

Yesterday, May 8, 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of victory over Europe day. It was a momentous day and mention is made of it in a letter home from Dick Nevard who was stationed in England at the time.
Bill Nevard makes reference to the event in his journal on the 13th of May.
May 13, 1945: Sunday, a special Victory celebration service at Headlands school today at 2:00 pm. Dad and I went in the democrat. Bud and Carol rode with us. Uncle Arthur walked but we caught him up before we got to the school. Uncle Horrie, Joy and Donald went in the cart.  Mr. and Mrs. Tom North and daughters. Ed, Ethel and Bill Dodd. Mr. and Mrs. Millward and Ivadelle. Mr. and Mrs. Radwell and Mrs. Bowman and John. Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Barton and Geoffrey. Mrs. Bordass, Mamie and Malcolm. Mrs. Wheale, Mary and Shirley. Mr. Tingey and the same man who was with him the last time.
Roy was home for a while. He has been working for Tom Heggie and now he is going to work for Rudolph Hiske.
I finished writing my letter to Dick. In the evening I went and caught Firelight and Frank, who were both in Uncle Arthur's land, ready for work tomorrow.
Dad went up to Silver Birches.

. A photo of a Church service at Headlands school a few years later in 1951.

Photo At The San

1974 July 18
I walked over to Long's this morning and found out that there is to be a senior citizens meeting in the parish hall this afternoon. Went for the mail and got a letter from Koon-so. A man named Wotherspoon from Melville spoke to me and wanted to take some pictures of me.
3 lads with him and they all had cameras. Apparently they are studying photography with the summer school of the arts. So they took a few pictures up against the West wing. He is a cousin of Mrs. Ernest Senft.
Dick mowed the lawn. I drove down to the S.C meeting. 15 there. Just a business meeting. They are hoping to get the old Pioneer Store for their meeting hall. I got groceries at Suns when I came home.

Letter From Grove Farm to Indian Head

                                                                                     
                                                                                      Grove Farm
                                                                                       Saxmundham, Suffolk
                                                                                       October 23, 1906

I hope this will meet you all quite well as it leaves us. I received your letter this morning which I was very pleased to get.
I had ever such a long letter from Louie also. I expect she will be home again in a fortnight's time and your mother is coming back with her. I expect she will miss you all now more than ever after Louie and the baby come away.
Louie has had a lot of people come to see her and the baby. I expect it will seem rather dull down here to her after seeing such a lot of people but she will have the boy to cheer her up.
I was sorry to hear that Mary had not been very well. I expect little Ernie was pleased to see his Uncle Arthur wasn't he?
Is he helping to thresh? Is Ernie still away at work? He has had to go away quite a lot of times hasn't he?
I expect you are glad that you haven't had to go away much as it cost such a lot to live when you are away don't it?
I hope you won't upset the ink bottle anymore after you have wrote my letter as it must be very provoking to have to write your letter twice.
Willie and Dick have just had their dinner at 3 o'clock today as they have been working in the town. Willie has had the  toothache very bad so now he has been to the doctor's and had it drawn so it is better now.
Father is going to Rushmere on Saturday to see his brother and stay for the Sunday.
I had a nice letter from Annie last Sunday week and we heard from Mary last Saturday week.
I'm wondering if you will be at Indian Head when this letter comes but if not I daresay you will get it some time or other.
I was pleased to hear about your harvest festival and I would like to have been there but I can't come as its such a long long way and the wide sea in between. I do so long to see you some times and then I feel so pleased when your letters come.
I went to Saxmundham Church twice last Sunday but the Sunday before I did not go out only once.
Mr. Aldous who took the farm where we used to live came here last Sunday week and he say that his people don't like living there at all.
I expect that little rose which I sent in my last letter was quite dead by the time you got it wasn't it?
Dick is now just come in with the milk so I must not stop to write much more as I must look after the separator.
Do you have to walk a long way to work now or are you near the house? I suppose that little Ernie won't be able to play in the garden now that it is cold. It will be a year ago tomorrow since you and Louie went back to Lexden after your first stay at the Grove Farm.
And now dear Horrie I must bring my letter to a close and I hope I shan't upset the ink over it.
With love to all and my truest love to you I remain your ever loving Alice
P.S. Dick want me to tell you that he has got some great beets where you saw him digging in the garden.

1906 Letter from Alice Hall to Horace Nevard

                                                        Grove Farm Saxmundham
Suffolk, England
July 6, 1906
My Dear Horrie
I expect you are beginning to look for a letter from me but I did not receive your letter till this morning so I could not write before. It was an extra long while coming this time and I began to wonder if it was lost. I don't know what sort of flowers they are which you sent me which you got on the prairie but some sort of Canadian flower I should think. I am sending you two little pansys out of our garden just for a remembrance and two daisies off the meadow. The summer has really come now and we have had some hot weather since I wrote to you last.  I expect you find it very hot at work. I hope the mosquitoes don't worry you so much now. I expect you have seen Mary and Ernie by this time. I expect Ernie thought it took a rare long time to get  to Canada. I hope they got there alright. We shall not be able to hear yet for a few days I don't suppose. Mary sent a post card to Emily from Londonderry and Emily  forwarded it on to us. It was very good of Emily to go to Liverpool with them. Louie is home again now. She came back on Monday. I expect Cecil will be coming to stay with Louie for his holiday at the end of this month. Annie is coming home tomorrow just for the weekend and going back on the Monday and then she is coming home again on August the seventh for a fortnight's holiday. She told me when she wrote to me last that she wished to be remembered to you and to tell you that she would welcome you for a brother one of these days. I had been looking for the postman to bring me a letter for over a week before it came and Willie said he expected you had got another girl out there in Canada just to tease me. But Dick said I must not pay any regard to that  because they used to tease him just the same when Maud went to Derbyshire and he expected you were too busy to write. I was so pleased when Mother brought me the letter this morning. It came while I was turning the separator. I am writing this in a great hurry but I hope you will be able to understand it. I am going to the town this afternoon and I want to post it when I go. I have just had my dinner and I expect you have just had your breakfast but I don't know what time you have it though. We got 41 pounds of butter this week and we took 36 pounds of it to the town and my arm did just ache when I got there. Father was going to carry it for us and then they were so busy so I thought I could carry it. They are very busy with the hay now and we are having beautiful weather for it and hope it will continue to till the hay is done. Willie bought a clipper or grass mower at the show so that will help them on a bit. We have got such a lot of gooseberries in the garden but we didn't have many cherries. Although the tree was so full in bloom as I daresay you will remember and what few there was the birds were soon after them. I went to the Girl's Friendly Society Festival last Wednesday afternoon at Kelsale Rectory and I enjoyed myself very much. I saw my cousin Mary from Leiston. She is Daisy's sister you know who is at Colchester and we had quite a nice time together. I expect they are all coming here from Leiston on August Bank Holiday so we shall be quite a party. I had a nice big card given me at the festival for 5 years of faithful discharge of duties in the employment of my parents. I was quite surprised as I did not expect to get anything as I had always been at home.
Last Saturday week we had a lot of company. Father's brother from Ipswich and his wife and their son and his wife and three children came here and stayed to dinner and tea. My cousin Walter has not got any work and there is ever so many in Ipswich out of work. He is thinking of going out to Canada but I don't know whether he will. He is a bricklayer by trade, You can read some of this letter to Mary if you like or else tell her as I have no doubt she will like to hear all the news. Give our love to her and I hope she is better now and kiss dear little Ernie (Bill Nevard) for us all. I expect he will help to cheer you up and keep you lively. He didn't seem to mind leaving us at all but I don't suppose his little mind could realize that he would not be coming back again yet awhile. It is a good thing that he is so happy. I don't think he will ever really forget us. I am sure they must miss him very much at Lexden.
I don't think I must stop to write much more. I will keep the piece of Canadian money and the flowers for a keepsake . you pressed them out very nicely. I do so wish I could see you sometimes but I ought to not to write so I suppose. I hope you are not downhearted because although we cannot see each other we can write although its not quite like talking. I think of ever so much I want to tell sometimes and then I go and forget it. Annie said Herbert was quite well and was coming home in October I went to Saxmundham Church last Sunday morning and to Rendham Church in the evening. Is the Church you go to anything like Lexden Church?

Hoping this will meet you quite well. With love and kisses I remain your ever loving Alice.

Bill's November 21, 1944 Letter Continued

November 21, 1944 letter continued.

Yesterday as soon as I'd done the necessary chores I took the wagon up on 25 and got my first load of barley home ready for hauling. As soon as I got back Dad and Uncle Arthur hitched on to the democrat and drove off to the Goff sale which was supposed to start at 12 o'clock. Actually it didn't start til 2 o'clock. The Goffs had invited Dad over for dinner so he was able to put his team in the stable and have some dinner before the sale started. Dad bought 3 sections of spring tooth harrows for $42. He also bought a hammer, logging chain and neck yoke. We seem to have mysteriously lost both our hammer and logging chain and both are necessary things to have around the farm.  Hobetzeder bought the binder and paid $278 for it. Tom Goff paid $80 for the mower so things went plenty high enough. Dad said the drag harrows sold for a higher price than they cost new in March.

I finished fencing the oat straw yesterday.  Dad wants to make a wooden trough, then when we let the stock onto this quarter we will be able to water them from the cistern. I don't know if I told you this before but Dad bought some new harness this fall for a team as he thought our other harness wasn't strong enough for hauling.

I shall have to get busy as soon as I get the barley hauled and start wood chopping. Last year I had it all cut and piled in the yard by Dec. 14th but I haven't cut any yet this year.

It was snowing a little last night before they got home from the sale but not very much. It is rather unusual to get so far into the season without a fall of snow. However with these thick fogs we have the frost on the grass is almost like a snow and Andy Gray was telling me that some of the electric light wires have broken with the weight of the heavy frost on them. 

I guess that uses up the news for this week and I'll have to quit.  Hoping you are well I remain your loving brother..        

                                                                                                                              E.W. Nevard

Alf Goff on the left of photo

November 1944 Letter From Bill to Dick

                                                                                     Headlands, Sask.
                                                                                     Nov. 21, 1944

Dear Dick
I have only a week's news to write and nothing very exciting to report. On the 15th I took a load of wheat to Lipton and posted my last letter to you. Donald started out with me but John Senft overtook us in his truck so Donald rode the rest of the way in with him. He was hauling wheat for Uncle Arthur. At the big coulee I met John Senft coming back for another load with Donald. He hauled 4 loads for Uncle and Uncle rode with him the third trip and came home on the fourth.
I got bags of cement to finish the cistern and some planks to make a trough with.
On the 16th we finished the cistern bottom and top. A nice bright day. I had to get a tank of water afterwards. Donald was here to supper. Joy would have come too but she had a cold.
On the 17th I took another load of wheat to Lipton . There wasn't so much traffic on the road as before although it was a nice day. Donald had sent to Eaton's for a pair of skis and I picked them up at the station. Also a carton from Aunt Flo for Uncle A. containing her husband's clothes. Donald went for the mail at night,
On the 18th I was fencing a straw pile and hauling water. Dad making bread. Uncle A brought the mail and I got your letter.
This is now Wednesday morning, the 22nd and I'm eating breakfast. I got 567 bushels of barley. I'm hoping to take the first load of the company's share to Lipton today.
On Sunday the 19th Dad and both Uncles went to Goff's in the democrat. The sale to wind up Alf Goff's estate was held yesterday and Dad wanted to go over beforehand and look the stuff over.
On Monday I took another load of wheat to Lipton. Probably the last for this year. John Senft took two truck loads for Uncle Horrie which pretty well cleans him up.
There were more wagons in town than usual as people were bringing cattle and hogs in to the stock yards to ship. Also it was nomination day for the municipality.
Louis Cohen has injured his shoulder and is unable to use his left hand. He is intending to get an x-ray of it I think.

Back row, Ernest, Bill and Arthur Nevard.