Arthur Moves To A New Home

The little house at Winstanley Grove may have been a little crowded by the fall of 1945. With his son, Bud, home from the army with his new bride, Arthur had been spending more time at "The Poplars", brother Ernest's home by day. At some point the decision was made that Arthur would begin living in the "shack" at the Poplars full time. It was a small building of log construction, originally intended to be a new chicken house but with a few improvements it became a fine dwelling. Here are excerpts from Bill Nevard's journal chronicling the renovations.

Oct. 29. Dad plastered one of the inside walls of the hen house. Uncle A and I helping.

November 12 We heated water and gravel and put some of the cement floor down in the shack.

November 19. Today being mild Dad, Uncle Arthur and I got to work and put some more of the cement floor down. Uncle Horrie and Uncle A got some lumber from an old bin to make a ceiling for the shack.

Nov. 24. Uncle Arthur was down to breakfast. As it was nice and mild we did some more plastering and so forth.

November 29. Finished plastering the shack today.

Dec. 11. After dinner I went and got a tank of water. Only about 60 pails this time. Brought Uncle Arthur's heater down on the tank.

Dec. 12. Dad and Uncle Arthur have got the heater fixed up in the shack.

Dec. 14, 1945. Decidedly colder today and a nasty Northeast wind. I cut my eleventh load of wood. Dad and Uncle Arthur putting up the ceiling in the shack.

Jan. 14, 1946 I went with Uncle Arthur in the sleigh up to Winstanley Grove and brought his bed and some of his stuff down so that he can start sleeping in his shack now and won't have to take his nightly walk.

Arthur with his dog in front of his new home at "The Poplars" 1946.

New Separator For Nevard Farm

In August of 1939 the Nevards purchased a Huber threshing machine (separator) from a local machinery dealer, L.D. Cohen. Here is the account from Bill Nevard's journal.
August 9, 1939

Louis Cohen was here with an agent from I.J. Haug trying to sell us a separator.

August 30

I finished stooking today. Dick hauling water. Dad, Uncle Horrie and Bud making the rack. In the afternoon a big truck brought the new separator from Regina and we unloaded it near the old sod stable.

August 31

Much activity in preparation for threshing. Dad, Uncle Horrie and Bud fixing up the engine. Dick and I blocked up the red bin and put it on skids. Then we pulled the bin from up the hill down to the 15 acres on 13 using Topsy, Gleam, Firelight and Violet with Glory and Barney in the lead.

After dinner Dick went to Goff's on Glory to phone Cohen and tell him to bring out gas. Bud helped me to move the red bin with his team. Dick got water after coming back. Cohen came along after dark with two drums of gas.

Tractor Farming at the Nevard Farm

After World War II ended there was a new air of optimism in farming. Tractor farming seemed like the way of the future and the Nevard's old McCormick Deering 15-30, previously only used for belt work, was put into field duty pulling a "tiller". Ernest and Bill Nevard had purchased a new Cockshutt tiller originally intending to pull it with horses. Bud Nevard, returning to the farm from the military wanted to farm with the tractor so here are a few excerpts from Bill's journal chronicling the ups and downs of early tractor farming.

July 11: Bud started off for Lipton with the tractor this morning but he only got as far as Bill Miller's, having considerable difficulty with it and returned home. John Fleming went to Lipton with his tractor in the evening, Bud going with him, and they brought the tiller home.

July 12: Dad and helped Bud get started with the tiller. He started on the basement 15 acres but didn't do much before dinner as the engine didn't go good and they had to do something to the magneto. After dinner I helped him get the lands all set out and he got on better. Dad helped him get the tiller adjusted and after supper Bud worked until almost dark.

July 13: Bud tillering today. He would probably have finished but hit a stone and broke a spool on the tiller.

July 14: Bud went to Keliher with Bartons this evening and got spools for the tiller. Bartons went to see a movie and Carol went too.

July 15: Bud put the new spool on the tiller. Dad and I went to Goffs in the afternoon in the democrat. Sandy is working for Van Luvens.

July 24: Bud tillering today but in the afternoon the tractor went on the blink so he got me to haul it up to the yard using my four horses so he could take it to pieces. Some of the bearings were gone. Bud and Carol down at our place tonight.

 A photo of a McCormick Deering 15-30 tractor like the Nevard's.
(This one is mine)

Dick Nevard Goes To England

Pte. Nevard R.A.
L154284, RCAMC
August, 1944
Canadian Army Overseas
Dear Bill
Well, the unexpected has happened and I am now on the high seas bound for the land of your birth I guess. I think from now I will give up trying to predict the future. That stiff medical at Debert never materialized. I guess that two or three weeks before you get this letter you and dad will get a telegram to say that I 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 three tiers high. They are of canvas stretched across an iron frame and I find them comfortable. The berth we are was reserved for corporals. When the corporals arrived they turned out to be privates. So in that manner we get 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 seven for 25 cents so we have nothing to kick about. We wear life belts or 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 am not allowed to say where. We were told that we will get no leaves so there is no prospect 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 trucks 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 is good at it but I think he is getting 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 wiill take long to get used to once one forgets about Canadian money.
I was 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 air graph but I couldn't get any forms so that was out of the question. I sent my iron home because the current is different over here and so it would not be any use.
I think I will like it over here because I will feel I am doing my part in a more necessary spot than back in Canada. The meals are good and they are better prepared than most camps that I have been in in Canada. We had mutton and what do you think? We had peanut butter. That is something I never had in the army in Canada. I hear that we can buy bars two at a time for three penny which is as cheap as in Canada.
Well everything is alright so don't worry. My letters will be as 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 post them.

Cheerio, your loving brother, Dick.

Dick Nevard with Uncle Will Hall, , cousin Muriel with her son Gifford Harrison.

High Water On The Qu'appelle Lakes

In spring of 1955 Bill Nevard was living just a stone's throw from the shore of Echo Lake. Here is Bill's account of a few days in May when he helped some of his neighbour's protect their property from the rising lake waters.
May 6: The rising waters of Echo Lake are getting close to his house so Tony Paidel moved all his stuff out today and stored it with his neighbours who helped him lay sandbags to try and keep the waters back. The Paidels will stay at Birns until they can get a place.

May 8: The neighbours are busy sandbagging their property trying to save it from the lake. Dick went down to help them at Bye's after he came home at 2 and I went down 2 hours later. Bye's have lost about 45 feet of their lake shore property they reckon.

May 9: I went to do some more sandbagging this evening. Dick had already been helping at Bye's. I went with others in John Strudwick's truck down to Regan's where they got the boat out of the boat house as the waves were washing in and threatening to wreck it. Then we went down to Ruddy's. A bulldozer was tearing out the side of a hill and banking the dirt around a house near Ruddy's which was pretty well awash. We came back and went to Hutchings and put a few sandbags down there. Frank Hutchings had come from Regina to help his father.


May 10: I went down to the Fort this morning and did some digging for Rev. Corkhill. I cashed Dad's pension cheque at the bank and got a ride most of the way home with Bennet. After dinner I went to help with sandbagging at Huber's and Bye's. The lake was not so rough as Monday but bad enough. Went back again after supper but did not do much.

Dick Nevard and my dad enjoying quieter times on the shore of Echo Lake in July of 1971.

Changes At Winstanley Grove

Arthur Nevard's son, Bud, came home from the army in January of 45 returning to Winstanley Grove farm , to be joined later by his wife,who he had met in England. Further details transcribed from Bill Nevard's journals.
April 18, 1945
I got a load of oat straw and hauled away cow manure in the morning. John Senft took two more loads of oats to Lipton for Jack Binnington. Uncle Horrie and Donald went to Lipton in the wagon and brought Bud home and a load of furniture for him. In the afternoon I put a tinful of gopher poison out on 13.
April 19
We sawed some of Uncle Horrie's wood today. Bud and Uncle Arthur busy house cleaning. Bud came along before dinner and helped us a bit but in the afternoon there were only 4 of us. Dad, Uncle Horrie , Donald and I. Joy rode over to Headlands post office and asked John Fleming to bring Bud's wife out as she is supposed to come from Regina tomorrow.
April 20
Sawing wood at Silver Birches. A little snow on the ground this morning but not to stay long. Binningtons went away today. John Fleming drove them to Lipton and Bud's wife came off the train from Regina and John Fleming brought her up to Winstanley Grove. Bud and Uncle Arthur busy getting the house ready. Joy went for the mail in the evening.

Springtime 69 Years Ago

 
Spring time 69 years ago
A letter from Bill Nevard to brother Dick in the army, April 1944.
Dear Dick, I am writing this letter by lamplight while eating my breakfast. It is just 5:20 a:m. Pretty well light enough to see outside but not indoors. I got your letter with the money orders and $5 war savings certificate. I don't know how soon this will get posted as everybody is busy on the land just now but I will send it on at the first opportunity.
On the 17th both uncles, Roy, Donald and Malcolm Bordass all went to Lipton in the wagon. Roy and Malcolm didn't come home with the others. They stayed to a dance. Fred Allen's daughter got married and they gave a free dance to celebrate the happy event.
Dad took 12 dozen eggs to town with him for which he received $2.60. I started picking stones off the fallow. I didn't waste much time on the small ones and I finished on the 18th.
On the 19th we chopped oats for ourselves and for Uncle H. It took longer than it should have because dad had to fix one of the valves
On the 20th dad killed our young sow with Uncle H. and I to help. Roy brought a boar home from Richard Supple's. Donald started disking Uncle Arthur's summerfallow. I brought a jag of hay home from the stack on 13. Dad has 3 hens set on 30 turkey eggs and one hen on hen's eggs.
On the 21st I went to Lipton with a jag of barley, the company being anxious to get their share (31 bushels). I sent them a storage ticket for that amount. Fred Engel has a new tractor which he got from Brinkworth's. The road to town has dried up good. Helen Wheale is working in the bank now. I brought home 4 bushels of registered Thatcher wheat and 3 bushels of Ajax oats which Uncle Arthur had bought and were waiting at the Pool elevator for him. Uncle A was disking and Uncle H was spring tooth harrowing. Uncle H was spring tooth harrowing.
On the 22nd I started cultivating summerfallow with Gleam, Embers, Firelight and Frank.
On the 23rd I found a turkey's nest with 7 eggs in it just behind the cement place.
On the 24th I was cultivating fallow on 13. I saw 16 planes that day which smashes all previous records.
On the 25th I was cultivatiing in the morning and cross harrowing in the afternoon as it was drying out pretty fast.
On the 26th both uncles were fanning wheat in Uncle Arthur's bin in the valley.
On the 28th I took the wagon up to the wheat bin and dad pickled some wheat ready to seed and in the afternoon dad started to seed. Uncle H had to go to Lipton as their seeder had went on the blink so he took one of the wheels down with him to get it fixed. Dad got 22 acres seeded by night time.
Got a letter from Aunt May who is now in Winnipeg looking after Aunt Flo who well down some stairs a while back. She was told by the doctor to go to bed but she didn't , and afterward, had a heart attack.
May 4th: I think I wiill be able to post this letter today as Roy figures on going to Lipton with Rusty and the cart.

                                        Arthur Nevard