When most people think of grandmothers, their mind paints a typical picture of a little, elderly lady sitting in a rocking chair with a knitting project or a storybook in hand.
While that may be a nice warm picture, it’s not what Janet Brown is all about.
Having three children and six grandchildren definitely qualifies her as a super-parent, but slowing down is not part of her equation. Janet says she still has a lot of things she would like to do.
Janet’s family moved to Canim Lake from Mission when she was two years old. They moved to what is called the Cabbage Patch near the west end Canim Lake. They hung out there and in 100 Mile House while their home at Canim Lake Sawmill was being built.
Going to school from the Canim Lake area was no easier then than it is now. Getting up early to take a long school bus trip was a common practice throughout the school year.
Mr. Nadin, the bus driver, would pick them up at 7:30 a.m. and do his best to keep the bus on the narrow country roads. In the cold months, he had hot chocolate and extra blankets available to help the children cope with the “fun” of going to school.
Around 4:30 p.m., they would complete the cycle arriving back at Canim Lake and going to their homes, ready to repeat the process the next day.
At the age of 12, Janet and her family moved to Forest Grove where her Dad began farming. They became a local source of milk, cream, and butter for the “Grovers.”
Janet drove the milk route before she was 16 years old. “We can’t do that anymore.”
They didn’t have a truck at first, so when Janet’s dad decided to raise pigs, the family car became an interesting place.
On one occasion, she says, the sack containing wiener pigs somehow opened and little piglets were on the loose while they were driving back to the farm. One piglet got tangled up with the gas pedal and her dad had to do some fancy steering before the car was stopped and piglet had been re-sacked.
School activities frequently took the students away to places like William’s Lake, where they went for music and speech arts. Mrs. McLeod had them dressed in white shirts and black skirts or slacks.
They not only looked good, they were good. They were good enough to win trophies, and these are still on display at Forest Grove Elementary School.
At Christmas, concerts with skits and songs involved all grades. Costumes were taken care of by the Grade 7 and 8 students and their moms. Everyone had a great time, including Santa, who came with treats for everyone.
In Grade 8, they had monthly dinner/dances at the school. Parents and teachers helped the young eager children prepare different theme dinners to be enjoyed by everyone.
Friday nights were reserved for theatre night. Forest Grove Community Hall was the setting and Mr. Weaver would have movies, such as Ben Hur, Old Yeller, Lassie Come Home, shipped in, making those Friday nights memorable for these young Grovers.
Back then, there was a small racetrack between the school and the corner store where Mr. Redpath and Mr. Graham organized races and car derbies. Here, the warm summers brought large parades and gymkhana, attracting spectators from throughout the Cariboo.
In the summer, when school was out, moms would faithfully take their children to Ruth Lake for swimming lessons, rain or shine. Some of the moms even had a driver’s licence.
Swimming instructor Dot Langdon helped everyone learn how to swim; she made everyone feel special, Janet says.
When swimming lessons were completed, she held a large regatta, and awards day was celebrated. One year, they went to the Lac la Hache Regatta where Janet and her sister, Linda, won all the speed swim races, and felt they could have tried out for the Olympics.
In the fall, a fall fair was held, bringing in gardening and 4-H competitors. Janet won a sack of turnips and a tire ($10).
Halloween was also big at the Grove, with costume competitions.
A new Anglican Church in the Grove gave Mr. Dent an opportunity to start a teen club; thereby, giving the Forest Grove youth another opportunity to socialize at numerous chaperoned activities, Janet recalls.
“Growing up in the ’50s and ’60s was awesome. Life was not high-tech, but it was good.
“You could go out without locking your doors and you could leave the keys in your car ignition.”
After daily chores, two TV stations highlighted the week with Ed Sullivan, Bonanza, Red Skelton and Lassie.
It’s nice to know that memories keep the past alive.
