ClassNOTES
Scattered throughout these pages of news and photos are humorous anecdotes and memories of good times inside the classroom and beyond. These stories, submitted by alumnae, and accompanied by the cartooning skills of Laurie STEIN’78, will transport you back into the less serious side of school life — fun times that are so fondly remembered.
1941
Judith KNOX Young spent three
happy years at Branksome. Judith has five sons — the eldest, Ted, is chief of surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton; Scott is a professional actor and teaches theatre arts at Sheridan College; Denton is in construction; Terence is an MP for the Oakville Conservative riding, elected with a huge majority; and Peter is a recently retired Lt. Col. with the Air Force in Winnipeg. Judith lives in Oakville and has 12 grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
1945
On March 11, sisters Elspeth FAIRBAIRN Colebrook, left, and Agnes FAIRBAIRN Hopkins’48 enjoy a humorous moment (most likely something said by Elspeth’s husband, Peter Colebrook), following a delightful luncheon in Sherborne, England, with Toronto visitors Karen Murton, Jane CONNOR’84 and Tanya Pimenoff. 26
The READ Spring 2009
Budge ARCHIBALD Wilson is
still crisscrossing the country giving talks, workshops, readings and interviews in connection with Before Green Gables. In October, she received
an award from the Dalhousie University Alumni called The 2008 Dalhousie Alumna Achievement Award. A Japanese fi lm company is
making an animation of Before Green Gables, and Budge is required to check all 39 episodes as they dribble in one by one — the fi rst will be shown in April.
1954 NEWCOMER IN TOWN
hugging the ground in a temperature of -10C. In 1991, I was nursing As I stepped onto the at the Vancouver General wooden sidewalk, I heard Hospital, but I had itchy feet the voice of a young girl — a typical characteristic of who was perched on her “Vikings.” Since graduating bicycle. She was wearing a from UBC in 1959, I had pink jacket over her short always admired the Inuit skirt, leotards and boots. and dreamed of working in She greeted me with, the NWT someday, perhaps “Hi! Were you in the war? due to my Icelandic genes. Where did you get that So, I decided to enquire if Norma GUTTORMSSON’54 sheds her parka?” I cringed, realizing there were any job vacanheavy parka and enjoys a balmy day in that a newcomer in town cies in Yellowknife. The reply Inuvik. could be very conspicuwas that Inuvik was hiring. ous. I answered, “Oh, I bought it in a store in Before leaving, I had to buy suitable thermal Vancouver.” I asked her if she had gone to the apparel. I checked out trendy pastel ski jackets, “Muskrat Jamboree” the weekend before — an but when I explained to the clerk where I was annual event on the frozen MacKenzie River. going, he darted into the back of his shop and She smiled and said, “That’s where I saw you returned with, “I have just the thing for you!” before! I like your parka.” I told her that I was I groaned as he held up the khaki full-length a nurse at the hospital – to which she excitedly jacket with down insulation, draw-string waist replied, “I was born at the Inuvik General and protective hood — at half price! On April 1, Hospital!” Nolene, my new friend, and I walked I arrived in Inuvik, population 3,000, with along together in the sunshine. luggage and four boxes of possessions. — Norma GUTTORMSSON’54 One day I took a stroll about town bundled North Vancouver up in my Arctic clothes. Although it was spring, normaceline@telus.net there were still mounds of longstanding snow