ThE Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 25, 1999 - AS
CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

Tales from the past II

International Year of the Older Person celebrates memories of days gone by

4999 is International Year of the Older Person and the Tervace Standard has
taken the opportunity to tell the stories of people who have seen Terrace change

over the years.

; Their stories have been submitted by the Terrace Seniors Advisory Commission,
and this is the second of two issues in recognition of the commitments they have

Imade to the community,

Memories of Braun’s Island

' _. By BETTY BOLTON
‘Marie, the second of three daughters, was
‘born in the Terrace home of Fred and Cas-
sie Hall (after whom the school is named).
Marie spent cight years of her schooling
in what is now the School District Resource
Centre, and the other four ‘‘aczoss the
ditch.” She has lived most of ler life in
Terrace and still resides on Hall street,
named aller her parents.

“I chose to share some childhood recol-
lections of Braun's Island because it holds
fond memories for me,” Marie sald,

; When Marie-says Braun’s Island it comes
oul Brown’s, ‘We called it that even back
then. Everything was anglicized and no-
bady corrected us,’” she said.

' Braun’s Island was named after Rob and
Kathleen (he called ber Lily) Braun.

' The Brauns were the first homesteaders
on the island in the early 1900's. As did
many others, they thought something
tremendous was going to happen here in the
north aud they wanted to be a pari of it As
a young couple, they travelled from New
York City to set up house in Terrace, Marie
recalls that ‘‘they came with dollars,’’ be-
cause she can’l remember them working
anywhere for wages.

The Brauns were far-thinking people and
bought all the property on the north side of
Halliwell from Eby to Sparks, sceing the
polential for future expansion of the com-
munity. Marie's father ‘witched’ for waler
for her, but none was found.

The Brauns owned two houses which
they rented oul; one was on the current site
of Zydeco Joe’s and the other was on the
corner of Lazelle and Emerson. Their own
city home was located across from the pres-
ent Tillicum Theatre. The Halls pot to
~ know the Brauns when they rented: their
house in the Zydeco Joe location.

They -would regularly move between

fown and their house on Braun’s Island.
Marie can’t remember any particular sched-
ule to these moves, But, in the late ’20s, the
Halls and the Brauns became filends and
visits to the island and ‘downtown home'
were frequent, — - :

“The Halls didn’t own a car, but they often
walked to Braun’s Island fora visit. ‘For a
child it was a long way to walk, but no one
seemed to. pay any mind to that,’”” Maric
Tecalls.

A trail started behind the Keith house (on
the corer. of Molitor and Keith) and
meandered diagonally to Braun Street just
north of the Braun’s Island bridge,

Marie remembers that the timber on the
island was huge, The last logging was done
onthe north side of the island along the
slough, where the Hall children and others
used lo swim. Farmers planted around the
“‘moustrous black stumps,’’ and gradually
burned them away. -

On Braun’s Island, the Brauns had fruit
trees, strawberry fields, a cow and chick-
ens, In the fall of 1935, they had a premoni-
tion that the next high water would wash
away their island home if they didn’t move
il, So, with the help of some heavy equip-
meal and lots of man-power, they dragged
their home away from the shores of the
Skeena.

In the flood of ’36, the whole island was
under water, but the house was saved. Mr,
Braun stubbornly insisted on stay ing on the
farm, but under protest was removed by
boat. The island hasn’t changed much, but
the whole south side of it was washed away

‘in that flood.

Marie remembers Mrs. Braun being hot-
tempered atid Mr. Braun going deaf. ‘‘Man,
she could yell al bim,’’ Marie jokes. Both
Brauns died in the early fifties and their
farm is now owned by the Hockstra family.

® Yor

BACK IN THE DAY: That's what

Terrace looked like after pioneers came in to es-

i? EES

tablish themselves in a cily. Trees were cleared out to make room far buildings,
and were later burned out of the ground. B.C, Archives Photo 79497.

In the 1930s

a OR Ae

ge

4a

FLOOD OF 1936: If the Braun's

didn't move their

home away from the bank of the Skeena in 1935 their
home could have suffered a fate like this. Mr, Braun
didn't want to leave their island home, but was
grudgingly taken to safety in a. boat. B.C. Archives

Photo 78866,

The Day the
Roof Fell in

By J. SMITH

The snow storm of February
18, 1999 brought memories
of the big snow of the first
weck in March 1939 when
the roof of the Great War
Veterans Association Hall
collapsed.

The hall was built by the
Great War Velerans in
1921, a big undertaking for
such a small group. Before
the hall could be completely
finished, the veterans ran
out of money, so they lost
the building in 1928 to O.J.

Sundal who held the mart-
gage en

The GWVA Hall, as it
was always known, was the
social centre of the town.
The first floor held offices
on one side of a long hall. I
believe the library was there
for a while, and an eating
area on the other side, There
was a large kitchen across
the width of the back. When
Fall Fairs were held the
whole building was used, as
well as the area to the east,
The second floor was the
dance hall with a floor area
large enough for a basket-
ball court. One of the very
important functions of the
ball were the basketball
games, the only winter
recreation Terrace people
had, Teams from Vaarsdol
(Kitselus) and Prince Rupert
played there as well as our
local teams. Because the

building had never been

completed, it became unsafe
for the games and was con-
demned for that purpose

about 1934-35, though small

dances were held as late as
1937.

The storm which caused
the collapse of the roof was
of the late winter type —
very heavy, wel snow, and
about 18-24 inches fell over
night. The weight proved
too much for the roof of the
building and at about ten
A.M,, while the
townspeople waiched help-
lessly, the roof fell in. It was
a great loss to the com-
munity.

Mr. Sundal had the old
roof torn off and a new one
put on, making ita one story
building. With the demand
for housing during ‘‘army
days’? of World War I],
apartments were put in,
Later a restaurant occupied
the cast half and later still,
George McAdam put in a
furniture store and raised the
roofso it once again became
a two story building.

Larry Rugg took over the
store when McAdams lelt
Terrace, and when the store
on the corner of Clinton and
Aspley was built, Rugg
moved into it, The old hall
is now occupied by Ikon Of-
fice Solutions, on Lakelse
Ave., next door to the old
police station on the cast
side,

By JEAN THOMSON
When I was a child, in ihe
1930’s, there was what
people called a Great
Depression taking place in
Canada.

Many men used to go door
to door asking to work for a
meal, Some of these men
were married with children,
and desperate Cor work,

My family was fortsnate
in that we lived on a small
farm and could have a gar-
den-and cows for milk and
butter. When these poor
hoboes came to the door,
our father would give them
a loaf of mothers homemade
bread or a few eggs; a good
payment for chopping a
week's supply of firewood,

Jean Thomson
going to get on or off.

“One: time, some of the
hoboes set a forest fire on
part of our land to earn
money ‘fighting it, Our fa-
ther. was ‘charged with sct-
ting the fire and made to pay
a fine, That was a great
hardship, as he had to sell
his best cow, which meant
less butter to sell.

Some of these men would
travel great distances riding
on the top’ of railway box-
cars in all kinds of weather.
Some got quite good at this
kind of travel, but if they
got caught, they were put
off, which is why they
wailed until the train was

If there was a rumor there
was work in a certain city,
there would be dozens of
men tiding the rails.

All this ended with World
War I. Many of these men
joined the army and lost
their jiives. The ones -who
were not accepted into the
army got good paying jobs
in the city working in fac-

tories making war inaterlals.
Some made as muchas a.

dollar a day. working 12
hours, six days a week. on
the farms where they bad
previously begged for work
and food. : ,

BEFORE THE CAVE-IN: That's what the Great War Veteran's Association Hall
looked like before the heavy snow of 1939 collapsed the roof, The GWVA Hall

was used for social gatherings and basketball games in the 1930's,

Times have changed

By ELSIE FROESE

T remember when J worked
in the drug store in the early
fortles. It was the only drug
sore in Terrace then. There
were two of us on staff then,
plus the owner, Mr. Riley,
who was often there only
part-time because he was
elderly and in poor health.

- We. were open from 9
AM. to 9 P.M, daily, except
Sunday when 1 believe: it

_was a half day.

There was no Hydro in
Terrace those days, We had
a wood healer. Our wood
pile was in the middle of
Greig Ave., which was an
alley then. We had to chop
and carry our own wood of
course, and keep the fire
burning in the cool months.
In the winter time, when it
was very cold, we had to
walk down" -and stoke the
fire late at night so things
didn’t freeze,

The only washroom facil-
ity we had was a cold water
tap atid a galvanized sink,
We used gas lamps and lit
them when needed,

Business was slow at

times, but we were kept
busy in between customers
dusting, cleaning, filling
shelves, unpacking freight,
sorting magazines, helping
with prescriptions ete,

Those were the “good oid
days’??? 0

The Mail Bag

Beds cut on back
of a dying woman

Dear Sir:

As someone who has had a family member admitted
to this hospital’ twice in the last two months let me be
the first'to say that anyone who'says that patient care
will not suffer duc to the bed restriction is.a bald faced
liar. , 3

When the elderly find themselves seriously or possib-
ly terminally ill and they are too weak to undergo the
surgery that they require and their doctor bas told them
there is nothing more: they can do for their patient in
their current condition, the hospital will force them
home. © ,

This includes patients who can’t walk or cat or con-
trol bodily functions. ,

Mr. Leisinger stated in the paper a few wecks ago
that the reason the hospital has restricted its admittance
to the hospital was because they were under staffed in
the nursing department and-patient safety had become
an issue, re °

Weil what [ would like ta know is if you discharge
patients out of the hospital in the condition. that my
mother-in-law is in why‘is this not also considered a
safely issue? ,

Ou July 31st after a heated argument with the nursing
staff my father-in-law, Harry, simply refused to take
his wife of 53 years home. “

Unfortunately Helen Fortner passed away not more
than 12 hours later.

What the family does not understand-is how the nurs-
ing staff and the doctor failed to recognize how close to
death Helen was.

Helen Foriner believed in God and had a right to a
pastor or priest {0 provide her with some comfort be-
fore she passed,

We wish we could thank the doctor and ihe nursing
slaff for the compassion they showed but they didn’t.

We fail to understand the callousness that was shown

in the pursuit of freeing up an additional bed.

The administration at Mills Memorial can pat them-
selves on the their backs at achieving their goal of a 15-
bed restriction at all costs.

Let me say bluntly that the family has become bitter
that this was achieved on the back of an 81-ycar-old
dying woman.

If the administration at Mills had any conscience and
were truly interested in serving this community better
they would all resign before someone takes legal action
against the hospital.

Perhaps legal action is the only recourse the elderly
now have regarding the current state of affairs at our
hospital. Or perhaps the hospital takes comfort in the
knowledge that most senior citizens are on a fixed in-
come and can’t afford a lawyer.

Regardless, I can’t begin to tcll you how dishearten-
ing itis to even be contemplating such action at a time
when the family needs to be concentrating on their
loved ones on a compassionate level so that they have
some quality to their remaining time. ,

Elderly be wamed that unless you are related to
someone on the hospitals board you are at their mercy
and they haven't gotany, 7 4 ™

So be prepared to fight for medical care you deserve,
and if you can’t speak for yourself contact a senior
citizen advisory group, a lawyer or a friend who can
speak on your behall because the squeaky wheel gets
the grease and all the rest are left to rust.

When the hospital is looking to cut back it’s time to
start culling back in the administrative level. After all
how much administration is required at a hospital that
only has 15 beds available?

If you’re not willing to lessen your administrative
staif then how about 4 wage roll back until the hospital
is able to provide the services required? Maybe the
hospital should be looking at ways to generate revenue
with all that empty space they have or look at selling a
portion of that unused land they have silting there to
off set the costs of the cumbersome bureaucracy they
created,

Although [I’m sure the administration docs not look at
bureaucracy as 4 hindrance but rather job security, If
this all sounds too cynical to the average person just
hope that you or a loved one is not in need of medical
care any time soon or that you have enough moncy to
go elsewhere to get it.

Our local hospital is slowly becoming dysfunctional
and as soon as the doctors start pulling up stakes and
moving to greener pasturcs we can all look forward to
doling out large sums of money for airline tickets to get
the help you need.

The people of this community had better start making
noise in Victoria regarding our situation up here.

It's the doctors that should be making the admissions
and discharge decisions — not administrators or
government,

The hospital administrators had better make surc their
liability insurance is adequate because I’m sure if
someone sucs this hospital in its current state they will
be closing the doors. Personally, it wouldn’t hurt my
feelings at all lo see some bureaucrats on the unem-
ployment line with the rest of us. [ would welcome
them with open arms to the real world,

In closing Harty would like to thank Dr, Evans for
his frankuess through his ordeal. The family would also
like to thank the Redcross Loan Cupboard, Home Sup-
port and Home Care Nursing for their attempt to help
Harry deal with Helen’s initial discharge several wecks
ago before it was necessary to readmit her to the hospi-
tal.

Hopefully in writing this letter no one in this com-
munity will have to endure this kind of treatment or
lack there of,

Lorraine Fortner.,
Terrace BC,

It might be worth it
Dear Sirs

While E-was walking down a sidewalkless Park Ave.
near (his proposed new Elcphantplex, it struck me that
perhaps $375,000 isa bargain to ensure that this pres-

ent mayor and council are never re-elected again,
G. Maguire
Terrace B.C.

About the Mail Bag

Letters to the editor can be mailed to the
Terrace Standard at 3210 Clinton St. Ter-
race, B.C., V8G SR2. You can also fax let-
ters to us at 250-638-8432, Or you can emall
your letter to us at standard@kermode.net
Name, address and phone number Is re:
quired for verification. oe