VOL. 66 NO. 18
The Paper That ’s Going Places!
MONDAY, MAY 6, 2013
Highet’s higher ground Rosanne Fortier Nellie Highet is a Vegreville resident who has a warm and responsible demeanor. She accepts and appreciates the distinctiveness of every person. Nellie was born in January of 1932 in a very old hospital in Bentley, Alberta. This hospital looked like a house yet it wasn’t as big as the bungalows around Vegreville. Her father told her it was 40 below on the day she was born. There wasn’t a lot of money back when she was young. “Bentley is only 14 miles from Red Deer but we never traveled over there,” Nellie noted. “My earliest memory is riding a pony and walking four miles each way to school. This was a long ways in the wintertime because it was very cold. But our mother made us ski pants out of heavy wool and cloth so we were dressed warmly. We started out early in the morning. Then in the wintertime if there was a lot of snow, my Dad use to hook up the horses and take us to school.” Nellie recalled. “I had three sisters and a brother. I’m the oldest and I didn’t partially like this because there was more expected from me.” “My parents were farmers who worked very hard. They raised their own garden and we had chickens, turkeys, geese, the whole bit. So, we ate well. Dad said, I raised it, you’re going to eat it before it gets sold,” Nellie explained. “My mother sewed for us. We received one new dress a year. By town standards we were poor but by farm standards, we weren’t poor. We had enough.” “The area I grew up around was hilly. We had one big hill
Nellie Highet had many hardships in her lifetime that she overcame with her strong faith in God and in turn, herself. (Rosanne Fortier/Photo)
and somehow Dad got a pair of skis that were seven feet long,” Nellie chuckled at the memory. “We would downhill ski and sled down it. There was a pond around too and we would clean it off with an old scoop shovel. It took forever to clean it and we would maybe skate for a half hour because it was so cold outside.” “I liked the hills and trees
surrounding our place. I use to enjoy walking around the spruce trees, listening to the birds and coyotes.” Nellie added. “My parents were giving people so they set an example for this. Dad would give the shirt off his back. Mom gave neighbors garden produce all the time, even when we didn’t have much of a garden.” “I went to Junior/High
School at Bentley. There was only six in my grade all through school. Coming from the farm into town, I only had one friend because I was a farm girl and the ones in town were town girls who dressed differently and had a different culture. This made me feel very inferior and intimidated,” Nellie said. “God helped me overcome this with circumstances over
the years.” “I got married at 18 years old. I was naïve when I was young because we weren’t even allow in the barn yard. The marriage was a mistake but I didn’t learn from this because I remarried years later. From these mistakes, I learned not to make quick decisions. A person needs to think about it, pray about it, and allow God to help them. With my marriages, my partners before I married them made me feel like they were helping me but this never happened,” Nellie admitted. “My advice to young people is to be a friend first, get to know them in all circumstances, and don’t rush into intimacy. After a while, a person will show you their bad traits.” Nellie shook her head. “No, I have no intention of ever getting married again.” Nellie had six children. “I raised my six children by myself. From this experience, I had to make my own decisions, make them right and be forceful about it. Also, I had to stand up for myself and my children. This helped me not feel inferior anymore,” She said. “I supported my kids by working in the food industry. When I started out, I was a waitress and ended up as a cook. The ability to cook is a natural skill in my family. My grandma, and mom both liked to cook. This talent was a gift from God. I made a living doing this. I worked for the oil fields and rigs where I had my two sons with me. Then I also worked in two restaurants and I had
catering and concessions in Sherwood Park. The children were small when I did this and it was a lot of work.” “I’m not perfect. I have a fairly bad temper that God had to help me overcome. When I was standing up for myself while I supported my children, I was proud of it. But I knew this trait was wrong also and kept asking God to forgive me and help me go on from there,” Nellie admitted. There was tragedy in Nellie life also. “My youngest See Story.......................... Page 15
Breaking the tired/hungry cycle See page 3 for story
VCHS Europe Trip 2013 See page 12 for story
Showcase of authentic wares See page 22 for story