Seniors Situation Room. By Dawn Ford – Remembrance Day 2019 & Celebrating Birthdays!

A very special man will be celebrating his birthday on Nov. 17th. – my brother Ron (Satch) Herrington. Ron has been the best brother anyone could ever have. He is now a patient at the Heartwood Nursing Home. Happy Happy Birthday, Ron.

This wonderful photo of Ron was taken at one of his birthday celebrations a few years ago when he was a bit younger… weren’t we all!!

Also a very big Happy Birthday to Robert Katz whose birthday was on Nov. 2nd. Bob has been very generous to often supply me with his photos for my columns. In this photo Bob is eating his very delicious birthday cake. He recently celebrated his birthday with his daughter, Lee Anne and family. We wish him a very Happy Belated Birthday.

“Lest We Forget.”

Nov 11th. this year will probably be another chilly day when people and Veterans from our community gather at the Cenotaph to honour those who gave their lives for our freedom and with gratitude for the lives of our soldiers that were saved.

It always brings back memories of other Nov. 11th. Remembrances. Even now when I attend the ceremonies, I look around but those familiar faces are gone. When I was in high school, in the CCVS band, the band played at the services. It was so cold, especially cold were our knees in our uniforms of tunics and kilts. The mouth pieces of our metal instruments were like ice cubes. But we were so glad to be part of something so important and meaningful. Other people were chilly also standing in the cold November air. But we all wanted to be there and to be part of the ceremonies.

CCVS High School Band in the 1950’s

In those days, I would look around and see my brother Sonny (Richard) Herrington( Navy)) and his wife Viola, Uncle Cecile Tardiff, (Navy )and his wife Myrtle and Uncle Art Tardiff,( Air Force ). My brother Gerry, a Boy Scout, would play The Last Post on his bugle. They are all gone now.

One thing that people say and it has been my experience also with family members who were Veterans, is that they didn’t talk about the war. Just too painful to talk about; they just probably talked amongst themselves. I knew nothing much about it from them. Probably what I did know of how awful it must have been, I saw in the movies. or heard from other people.

In the November issue of the Reader’s Digest is an article about a First World War soldier, Mervyn Naish, by Michael Shain, taken from the Globe and Mail (Nov. 4, 2018). Apparently in 1987, Mr.Shain’s wife had purchased an antique buffet at an auction. They found inside lodged at the back of a drawer, a much yellowed document, an original Canadian Expeditionary Force death certificate dated 1917 of Mervyn Naish. Naish was a soldier of the 1st. Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade. The story is about Mr. Shain’s quest to discover more about this soldier and to locate his family. Very interesting story to read.

In this photo are my late father Richard “Dick” Herrington (Lt) and “Chick” Herrington whom I believe was a cousin of my Dad’s. Dad had sent this photo to his mother, my Grandmother. He and Chick were stationed in England when this photo was taken on Nov. 7th, 1941.

And so, in the 11th. month, on the 11th. day, at the 11th hour once again we will come together as a community at the Cenotaph in Cornwall and at every Centotaph in every city and town in Canada to honour our Veterans and to hear once more Robert Laurence Binyon’s poem of 1914 ( Fourth verse):

” For the Fallen”

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them” …. all of them.

Sharyn, of Sharyn’s Pantry, sent me this lovely photo. She is standing in front of beautiful sunflowers she grew this summer – lots of seeds for the birds.

Samaritan’s Purse Canada is asking us to pack shoeboxes of toys etc., for children who are living in poverty, war and disaster, according to their pamphlet. Operation Christmas Child works with churches all over the world to deliver the boxes. You can pick up a box at The First Baptist Church in Cornwall at 310 York Street or phone the church 613-330-2720 for information or on line at: angels@bellnet.ca. Contact is Robert.

When I was in nurses training living at the Nurses Residence of the CGH, my room was on the first floor. Across the hall were the payphones. Other students would come in my room and wait for an expected call, especially one from a boyfriend. Some of them would get booted out by Alice, our housekeeper, if they were still there after 10, when it was bedtime. There was a supervisor of the hospital living in the room next to mine, so Alice would sometimes come in to tell us to” keep it down”, meaning too much noise. Some used to hide in my closet to escape her when they heard her knock on the door.

Here is a photo of one of my classmates, Jean Allen (Rt) and I (Lt). Jean was waiting for a phone call. I had just came in from a 7-3 shift and laid down for a bit of a rest before supper. Three classmates came in to wait for a phone call. Where to sit? One sat on my desk chair, one on the end of the bed and Jean plopped herself down beside me on the bed. One of the girls placed my cap back on my head ( sort of) and took the photo, just for fun and called the photo, “Two lazy student nurses, Dawn and Jean”.

Ah!! those were the days.

And what am I supposed to do with that?? Eat it or play with it?? I will have to ask Mommy.

Little Gabriella looks a bit confused with this little pumpkin. Eat it or play with it, Ma ??? So cute! Gabriella is the great granddaughter of Bob Katz. This photo was sent in by her grandmother, Lee Anne. Thanks so much for sharing such a sweet photo with us. What a little doll!!

A joke from a friend:

The poor man was such a habitual drinker that he was finally convinced that he was an alcoholic. At his family’s urging he went to see a psychiatrist. After a lengthy consultation, the doctor sternly ordered that hereafter every time the patient got drunk he was to report his transgression the very next day.

A few days later the patient staggered into the doctor’s office.

“I wanna report that I wash drunk last night”, he mumbled.

“For heaven’s sake, man, you’re drunk right now!”, cried the doctor.

“Yeah, I know”, said the patient, ” but I’m gonna report this tomorrow.”

Have a good week, Dawn

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