THE BEVERCOMBES - BUD, BEA AND BERNICE
My husband (Bud), our daughter Bernie (four years old) and I came to Heinsburg in the spring of 1946. We came from Edmonton. My husband worked for the C.N.R. so he was transferred quite a lot. We thought the country at Heinsburg was lovely. We brought with us a small trailer that we lived in and were fortunate to be able to set it on a piece of property that belonged to Mr. Evans.
I carried the drinking water from a well and it was clear and good. I didn't have a fridge so I had a hole dug in the ground with boards over the top for a lid. There I kept the bacon, eggs, fresh meat, etc. I never expected an intruder some night so I didn't bother to cover the hole too well. I went out one morning and found the meat, bacon and bread gone. I could tell by the claw marks and digging that it was a big dog, maybe two. The bread wrapper gave me a lead on their trail.
In the fall of the same year we bought a few acres of land by the river, and later the school was built near by. We built a small shack to live in and was it ever cold that winter! Before we got our well dug, we carried water from the river for cooking and washing. We used a coal oil lamp for light. We also bought a small building so I could keep some chickens and a cow. How good that homemade butter was, also the milk and cream. We had our dog Trixie for company.
Bernie 1947
Our close neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Jenner, and they were wonderful neighbors, always willing to give a helping hand. Harry always had a lovely garden and kept us in fresh vegetables in the summer. We always spent Christmas Day at their house. The nice thing that stands out in my mind was packing a big lunch on a nice sunny day when we would all go out to Lake Whitney; the sky would be clear and blue, the air so fresh and birds singing here and there.
At that time I didn't drive a car so Bernie and I walked to town. Most of my shopping was done in Gregor's store. It was pleasant shopping there, we always had a good laugh and went home feeling happy. I also enjoyed crossing the river on the ferry. My husband's job kept him away from home a lot, so most of my evenings were spent at home, doing fancy work, listening to the radio and reading.
How we enjoyed going down to the C.N.R. station to meet the train when we heard the old whistle blow! I think it was a fun thing for a lot of people. We hated to leave Heinsburg when we were just getting to know such nice people, but my husband's job took us back to Edmonton in the fall of 1949. We have nice memories of Heinsburg.
