A22 - North Shore News - Sunday, December 2, 2012
SENIORS
Lifelong friends have much to reflect on From page 21
‘I’ and a small ‘c’ — on the boys’ sweaters. Club activities revolved around the acquisition of food and its consumption, and playing poker for pennies. Caddying was a good source of cash to cover dues, especially if the boys carried the clubs of a “two-bitter” who could afford to pay them 50 cents. Club funds were held in a wooden box and club minutes were recorded in a black notebook, which Arthur handed on to Harold a year or two ago. Harold lived on 12th Avenue in Vancouver with his four sisters and their parents. His father, William Plumsteel, had served in the Boer War as a fireman and joined the Vancouver Fire Department in 1902, rising to the position of assistant chief. As Harold grew older, his visits to West Vancouver continued. He and his pals were regulars on the Ambleside ferry and the blue buses. Winters, they would hike to Circle 5, the cabin they built on Hollyburn Mountain. Summers, they camped at Eagle Harbour and went dancing at Horseshoe Bay. At one of those dances, Harold met Dorothy Hooper, his wife of 55 years. Together, they had two sons, Ron and Doug. Harold graduated from King Edward high school, just across the street from his home, and got a job at The Scale Shop. “I was too skinny to be a fireman,” he laughs, “and was lucky to get any job at all.” In 1938, the company won the bid to install tolls on the new Lions Gate Bridge. Until Canada entered the Second World War, Harold was responsible for maintaining the toll cash registers and training the toll takers. During the war, Harold was a war production manager at the Boeing plant at Sea Island and after, a weights and measures inspector for the federal government, visiting canneries and marine fuel stations along the Coast. Harold moved on to finish his career at the BC Electric Company, now BC Hydro. In 1965, two years after the Lions Gate Bridge tolls were removed, Harold and Dorothy moved to West Vancouver. Forty years ago, at the age of 60, Harold retired from work but not from his social life. He sang in a barbershop quartet and Dorothy sang with the Sweet Adelines until her death in 1994. Harold was a volunteer for 25 years at the West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre, where he continues to play bridge regularly and is active in the North Shore Stamp Club. Harold and his friend, Arthur Harper, 98, the two surviving members of the Iroquois Club, have a lunch date coming up. Will beans be on the menu? Laura Anderson works with and for seniors on the North Shore. Contact her at 778-279-2275 or email her at lander1@shaw.ca.
photo supplied
HAROLD Plumsteel (front row second from right) and lifelong friend Arthur Harper (to his right), now 100 and 98 respectively, are shown in this 1926 photo of Vancouver’s Cecil Rhodes school cadet program.
what’s going on for seniors
Vancouver. A walk will follow if weather permits. Registration required: 604-986-4892 or eliseroberts@shaw.ca.
The Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia will host a free presentation with nature photographer John Lowman Sunday, Dec. 2, 11 a.m. at the Heritage Centre, 1620 Mount Seymour Rd., North
Home for the Holidays: Nurse Next Door is holding a contest to help one senior go home for the holidays rather than stay in a hospital or facility. The contest winner will receive two days of complimentary
home care services. Submissions of 300 words or less can be sent to homefortheholidays@nursenextdoor.com until Dec. 19. The winner will be announced Dec. 20. Info: 604961-9171. Chess: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m. at Parkgate Community Centre, 3625 Banff Court, North Vancouver. Drop-in fee: $1. Info: 604983-6362 or kshubert@myparkgate.com. Chess:Instructionforbeginners and intermediates Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon at Silver Harbour Centre, 144 East 22nd St., North Vancouver. Free. Info: 604-980-2474 or silverharbourcentre.com.
25yrs exp
It’s worth a trip across the bridge! Wir sprechen Deutsch. NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
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Contract Bridge: Modified Chicago-style bridge for experienced players, Mondays-Thursdays, 12:30-3 p.m. at Delbrook Community Centre, 600 West Queens Rd., North Vancouver. Drop-in fee: $2. Info: 604983-6362 or kshubert@myparkgate.com. Cribbage: Mondays and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. at Parkgate Community Centre, 3625 Banff Court, North Vancouver. Drop-in fee: $1. Info: 604983-6362 or kshubert@myparkgate.com. — compiled by Debbie Caldwell Email information for your non-profit, by donation or nominal fee event to listings@ nsnews.com.
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