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Foreword by Rev. J. van Vliet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Editor's Foreword by K. Dobson-Golletz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
List of Interviewers and Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Memories of St. Andrew's:
"A Small Church with an Open Door" - Les Fraser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
"A Friendly Place" - Wilf and Kay Ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
"Make a Joyful Noise!" - Mrs. Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
"From the Cradle" - Margaret McBeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
"Memories..." - Hugh and Kay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
"Always at Home" - Opal Raymer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
"From the Ocean to the Prairie" - Jean McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1
"Surely to Goodness..." - Thelma Sherb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
"A 'Homey' Type of Place" —Joan and Cecil Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..14
"An Old Friend's Tale" - Esther Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
"The Scotsman's Favorite Pew" - Peter Pow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
"A Family Sort of Place" - Bill Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
"A Lot to Remember" - Joanne Bell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
"'Screaming' Through the Service" - Anne Hay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
"Just a Couple of Comments" - Joyce Lushaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
"A Happening Place" - Joan Chrun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
"Growing Up in St. Andrew's" - Susan Dobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
"The Reverend's Son" - David Inglis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Historical Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
"Fifty and More Historical Years" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
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At first glance, it might appear to be a bit odd that someone who has been involved with St. Andrew's, Brandon for approximately 0.5% of its history is the one being asked to write a foreword for this compilation of its accumulated
90-year history. But looking at it from a different perspective, maybe it's not that strange at all.
Jn several of his letters St. Paul writes of the Church by comparing it to a living, breathing body. We are all different parts of a greater, corporate whole, and each of us has a story to tell. Comparatively speaking, some of our members have long and powerful stories to tell, and some of us are more recent arrivals. But we are all important in our own way.
Of course, there is a second part to Paul's example. For if we are to be compared to a body, then we really must be described as a continuing corporate body, which means that individuals amongst us leave our earthly home and go on to become part of God's eternal body. But even as saints depart from us, they are still remembered. Their contribution to
Christ's body is remembered long after they have gone, because it is they who built the physical, emotional and spiritual home that our current body now occupies.
You have the opportunity to talk to the current members of St. Andrew's body on a daily basis. But this book of stories will help us to pull back the curtain of time for just a moment - long enough to catch a brief glimpse of what the living body of Christ at St. Andrew's looked like decades ago - to a time before some of us were even born.
-John van Vliet, Advent 2000
It is with great gratitude and humility that I write this passage. In the larger picture, 1 would likely not even be here in Brandon. Manitoba, Canada were it not for St. Andrew's; on the smaller scale, I am so pleased to have been able to help out with such an important historical work. It is exciting to think that all these cherished images and memories will be properly documented for posterity - and besides, it was fun communicating with others about the material!
I commend the interviewers who tackled this ambitious project and who faithfully typed up their passages for submission. The collection has taken a while to compile and edit, but in the end, this is a worthy project which will serve as an authentic and anecdotal document of the history of St. Andrew's. When I began to read, I quickly realized that the interviews were following a standard format, as the Youth Group had decided to draft a specific list of questions. As I read through the recurring answers, I found them somewhat reassuring, for they served as a yardstick by which to measure my own memories. Thus, the articles have been left virtually unaltered, in order to preserve the genuine tone of the interviews.
In addition, a few of the interviews were conducted by helpful parents and a couple were submitted in written format; in sum, the process has been a team effort. The list of questions follows, and indeed, 1 would encourage readers to continue to write down their memories of the Church and maybe keep them in the back of this edition. Who knows, a second volume, perhaps?...
It is of special interest to me that in editing the various pieces, another common but stronger thread ran through them all, anchored neatly at one end by the senior members of the Congregation, and at the other, by the young people conducting the interviews. It was this: St. Andrew's means family, fellowship and Christian faith, regardless of one's age or generation. All who come are welcomed and made to feel at home. This "little" Church has been, is, and will continue to be a special place of worship.
In closing, I would like to thank the following people:
• the Interviewees
• the Interviewers
• Joan Chrun
• My Uncle Jim (Rev. Inglis), who persuaded my parents (Peter & Dreena Dobson) to come to Brandon and to
St. Andrew's
• Whoever it was that hired Uncle Jim
Keay Dobson-Golletz
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Craig Brown*
Pam Brown*
Allison Reville*
Joan Chrun
Melissa Gates*
Colleen Gates
*These individuals are members of the St. Andrews' Youth Group ..
Mandy MacRae*
Danika MacRae*
Andrea Farquhar*
1. What was St. Andrew's like when you attended as a young person (Sunday School, youth groups, Choir)?
2. What sorts of things were done to raise money?
3. What was your earliest memory of St. Andrew's?
4. What was the most humorous incident you remember?
5. How did you get to Church?
6. What was it like being with this Congregation during the War?
7. Were you [married, baptised, confirmed] at St. Andrew's?
8. What is the most memorable service you have attended?
9. If you were married here, were you married before or after the renovations had taken place?
10. We realize that the Church was much more of a social outlet then than it is today. What were some of the social functions that took place?
11. What was the "dress code"?
12. What behaviour was expected of the children in the Sanctuary?
13. What is / was your occupation?
14. What prompted you to come to St. Andrew's?
15. What was your first impression of St. Andrew's?
W.A. = Women's Auxiliary N.S.F. = Nimble Sewing
Fingers C.G.I.T. = Canadian Girls in Training W.M.S.
= Women's Missionary Society
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I worked for CP rail, then I joined the Infantry, and then I came back to CP Rail. I started out as a coal boy going and calling the crews, and ended up as Assistant Supervisor of Car Management.
We transferred our membership to St. Andrew's from First Presbyterian in 1951. We came to St. Andrew's because we had two children (Pat and Joan) and no car, and First Presbyterian was over a mile away, which was too tiring for the kids to walk. It was really the distance, as we had no car, and it had to be a nice day to walk. My wife (Charlotte) came to St. Andrew's as a young girl, as her father was the Warden at the jail, just over two blocks away. So in those days, we walked to Church, as I lived on the corner by the skating rink
When 1 went to Church then, we wore suits and ties, although some gentlemen did wear sweaters.
The children were expected to sit with their parents and be quiet and not disturb the service. The little ones don't realize they are upsetting the service.
When I attended St. Andrew's as a young person [circa 1950], the building was different than it is now. The Church has been renovated and changed a few times. There used to be two aisles with a centre row of seats, with the Choir coming out of the parlour by a door that is no longer there. A coal furnace heated the Church in those days
To raise money for the Church, we used to have teas and the Turkey Dinners in the spring and fall. We did every person visitation, just as we do today*.
One of the most humorous incidents I remember (and I can laugh now but it was really serious at the time) was when we were painting the Church, and Charlie Wilson (David's father) was up on the scaffolding painting the front of the
Church. He could not reach the Cross, so he put a stepladder on top of the trestle and reached over and got it done. It would not have been so good if the ladder had tipped, but it was quite funny at the time.
My first impression of St. Andrew's was that it had a small congregation and was not as ornate as First
Presbyterian Church. I had no regrets coming to a small church, and now I prefer a small church.
*Editor’s note: "every person visitation " is when a Church volunteer visits every member of the Church in his or her home. In this fashion, everyone, whether or not they are able to attend the actual services, maintains a connection to the
Church. Often the person receiving the visit makes a monetary offering to the Church at this time, but it is not a necessary part of the visit
(Mrs. Ash) 1 was 30 years old when I came here. There was a fairly large congregation and a very large
Sunday School. It was much the same then as it is now, but there have been quite a few renovations done over the years.
When we were first at St. Andrew's I wasn't working, but later on I worked at McKenzie Seeds. Mr. Ash was a railroader. We came to St. Andrew's because I was always a Presbyterian and because I found the people very friendly. I joined the Church in May 1981, which was a very memorable service for me. Mr. was Anglican at first, and then he came to St. Andrew's too, joining in November of 1981.
When we first started coming to St. Andrew's, we walked, as we lived on the 800 block of Rosser Avenue East.
We remember bringing the children (Bob, Eugene and Eucilla) to Sunday School when our youngest was only four years
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old. It was difficult then as Church was at eleven o'clock and Sunday School was at twelve o'clock, and it was hard for the children to sit through it all. Our most memorable services at St. Andrew's have been our two sons' and our daughter's weddings.
Years ago, in the 1950s, to raise money the Scouts made doughnuts and went out and sold them. We would be here for three days making the doughnuts! Our son was in Cubs and Scouts. One of the many functions held at the Church was the teas. Years ago we all wore hats to Church and none of the - r -, ladies ever wore slacks. Now, they wear almost anything. The children were expected to behave in Church, and they were very good.
Our first impression of St. Andrew's was that it was a nice, small church and the people were very friendly. We always lived in the East End, so it was handy. Wilf was Anglican and I went with him to his Church sometimes, but I preferred to come here as the folk were more friendly.
Mrs. Wilson is nearing 92 years old and has some difficulty speaking, therefore, her son David was there to help out with the interview, ft was obvious that over the years Mrs. Wilson must have talked a lot about St.
Andrew's and the church life to her children, as David was able to recite her memories of the Church from her early years.
When asked what St. Andrew's was like when she was a young person, Mrs. Wilson replied that she did not start going to the Church until her early twenties [circa 1927], as she lived out of town. As a young person, however, she became involved with the Young People's Group, and took part in many of their parties, with fond memories of tobogganing at the jackslides [iced runs for toboggans].
Mrs. Wilson first came to the city as a Personal Adjunct to the Matron at the Brandon Mental Health Centre. When she first came to St. Andrew's, it was because she knew a family in Brandon (the MacMillans). As a young lady, she lived on the
100 block of 13 th Street, walking to Church and back in the morning, and there and back in the evening. Soon, Mrs.
Wilson began singing in the Choir, which had many members at that time and was a huge part of the Church. They were a very good Choir, performing the Messiah and entering the music festival. It was while singing in the Choir that Mrs.
Wilson met her future husband, Charlie, who was the Manager of the British American Oil Company. Once they were married, Mrs. Wilson became a stay-at-home mother to raise their five children.
Mrs. Wilson's early memories about the Church were of Rev. and his extremely long sermons and lengthy prayers. Church services were both morning and evening, with prayer groups held on Wednesday evenings. David remembers going to
Church on Saturdays, as his dad sang in the Choir. Mrs. Wilson's first impression of the Church was that this was a friendly congregation. They consisted of several generations of blue-collar families, most of whom were railroaders.
Fundraising for the Church was not something that was discussed; it just happened. The memories the Wilsons had were of the Fowl Suppers and the Irish Stew Dinners, which were very big events in the Church, and, as today, were always well attended. There were also concerts put on by the young people, which were great fun, and as this was a big part of their social life, they were considered a big deal.
Indeed, the Church at that time was much more of a social outlet than it is today, providing functions such as suppers and concerts as well as the mid-week service and Bible Study. Mr. Wilson Sr. was the Clerk of Session for approximately twenty-five years through the 1940s to the 1960s, and every time there was a guest Minister at the Church, Mr. Wilson would invite the individual home for lunch. This was a social event in itself.
The dress code at Church in the early years was the ladies in dresses and the men in their Sunday suits. Everyone wore hats; the men took theirs off before entering the Church, but ladies wore their hat throughout the service. The children were to be seen and not heard; indeed, the only time they were allowed to say anything or make any noise was during the Christmas
Pageant. For many years, the children at the Church never even came upstairs; they stayed downstairs at Sunday School for the entire service. The Wilson's children did not attend St. Andrew's very much when they were young, as they attended
First Presbyterian Church.
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Mrs. Wilson had no memories of the congregation and being at Church during the Second World War, as during that time she was at home with her five children. It was difficult to attend Church with all of the children, as there was no nursery school or accommodation for the very little ones.
Memories of humorous incidents from Mrs. Wilson were the practical jokes that were played at the Youth Group parties that were, of course, all dry. David recalled a time when Rev. Inglis was preaching a very important and serious service, when suddenly one of the Reverend's children [was it Andrew or was it David?] came running down the aisle, extremely excited to see his dad at the front of the Church. It was a very funny sight and provoked a few chuckles in the congregation.
Another memory David had was of a County Fair that was put on in the Church yard. It was a grand event and involved a lot of organization. Mr. Wilson and David got ahold of a tent and arranged a petting zoo of exotic animals. They had some chickens and such, and had borrowed a goat, which was the most popular creature... until it started to wreak havoc by eating some of the children's clothes! Only one County Fair was held at the Church.
The most memorable service that Mrs. Wilson could recall at St. Andrew's was her own wedding ceremony, which took place many years before the renovations of the 1950s. She was married on June 2, 1935, and the weather was miserable and poured rain all day. It had been a very late spring and the ladies were lucky to scrape together some Lily of the Valley flowers for the bridal bouquet. The weather was so bad and the roads such a mess that the new couple was unable to go on their honeymoon to Kenora.
Mrs. Wilson still attends the Church today, and her son David is presently the Music Director. Her daughter June delights the congregation with her presence on many occasions, and sings solo or with the Choir, as well as putting on concerts a couple of times a year.
Margaret McBeth's name has been on the Cradle Roll of this Church since 1929. Confirmed, married and still faithfully attending, Marg has contributed a lot more than her Sundays to this Sanctuary.
Marg was baptised at birth in Carberry, as her father was not a member of St. Andrew's then; later, however, she grew up only three blocks from the Church. Because walking was the most common method of transportation. St.
Andrew's had a neighbourhood congregation. Back then [circa 1930], Sunday School started at three o'clock, but was changed to one hour before the eleven o'clock service. (It was not until Marg had children of her own that Sunday School was held during the service) She attended baby class (similar to nursery school) until the age of six, in what is now the parlour, and Marg can remember big pictures of the life of Christ hung around the parlour walls. The Sunday School, that had a whopping attendance rate of two hundred children, was in the basement, separated into classrooms. Marg remained there until, at age 14, she started teaching students of her own, such as Joanne Bell.
After Sunday School was done, it was up to the Sanctuary for worship, which was always rather long for the children. Marg remembers her mother making dolls out of her handkerchiefs to entertain her (a necessity when Rev. ran to half-past twelve with his services. He was known to preach with vigour until his face was as red as a tomato!).
Everybody dressed up for Church on Sunday, with the women !•,•• wearing hats and dresses and the men in suits.
Margaret belonged to both the Junior and Senior Choirs. The Junior Choir wore white gowns with red bows and was taught by Mrs. Milburn. They only performed on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter. The Senior Choir wore its share of the rainbow, as their gowns changed from black to blue to gold to fuchsia!
There were many different organizations that sprang from the Church, and Marg had her finger in almost every one of them. She remembers Mission Band (ages six to ten) with Mrs. Watson, who made hot cocoa for the kids in the wintertime. Young People's Group is like the Youth Group now. They would get together every two weeks and have
Bible Study, wiener roasts, and evenings out with the group from First Presbyterian Church. Then there was the N.S.F.
Group for younger ladies. This was more of a working group, who put together teas, bazaars, and catered meals to raise money. And who could forget about the Beef Dinners (which began as Turkey Dinners)? Marg has helped with the
Dinners for a long time, and her mother had always been a part of it for as long as Marg can remember. Children would
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pay an admittance fee of lOc for leftovers; now Marg guards the pies and buns from hungry workers before the meal!
Other social occasions included frequent skits and concerts in the evenings.
There used to be three rows of pews when Marg and Dick walked down the aisle in Holy Matrimony. Their wedding photo even shows the front entrance facing south, as opposed to the west where it is now*. There was another door for the Choir to enter the Sanctuary, and that led directly to the loft.
But this all changed in 1956 when our Church underwent a major renovation to look basically the way it is now.
We owe thanks to Marg's father for donating $5.00 towards buying the land of our present address. It belonged to the Baptists, and was sold in 1910. Our Church holds many memories. Thankfully, we have people like Marg to help us hold on to them.
*Editor’s note: It seems that the entranceway was altered to face the same direction as the centre aisle, that is, west, as it was too difficult to manoeuvre a coffin in and out of the tight-fitting, south-facing vestibule.
Hugh and Kay Allen are both retired now. Kay began working when their youngest son turned ten (their children are daughter Pat and sons Dan and Craig). She was an office receptionist and spent twenty years at the Brandon
Clinic. Hugh was a shoe salesman, learning his trade from one company and then moving on to Baton's. Hugh was with
Baton's for sixteen years, during which time he oversaw the expansion of the shoe department.
Kay Allen has been attending St. Andrew's since she was a baby. Hugh came at the age of 15, when his father was called to be the Minister. Kay was baptised at home and when Hugh and Kay were married it was in her parents' home in Winnipeg. Back then most people were baptised or married in their homes or in the Manse, because it was too expensive to heat the Church.
Hugh and Kay remember when St. Andrew's had two services on Sunday. There was one in the morning, Sunday School was held in the afternoon, and then a larger service took place at seven o'clock in the evening. After television came on the scene, though, the congregation lost a lot of members for the evening service.
In those early days, the couple would walk to Church on a Sunday. Kay, as a girl, lived just down the street.
Hugh, of course, lived in the Manse behind the Church, on Frederick Street. After they were married, they moved to
Rideau Street and still walked to and from the Church.
The Sunday School and the Choir were very large. There was no youth group, but the Church did have a Young
Couple's Group, which would meet, play games and sometimes have a dance. There was also a men's club that would meet as a study group, tour new facilities in the area, and sometimes bring along their wives and have dances. These groups also held a tea where the men would dress up as ladies and serve the tea.
Hugh was an involved member and led a St. Andrew's hockey team, which would play against some of the other church teams. The rule was they had to attend Sunday School or they could not play. St. Andrew's also looked after the tennis courts that were situated at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Frederick Street. These were very popular, especially with the nurses from the hospital, a lot of whom used to attend our services.
The ladies of St. Andrew's had their groups as well: Groups 1, 2, 3, and the Women's Auxiliary. These groups would hold several teas throughout the year, as well as serving a Fowl Supper (as we do today). They would, however, also hold a Children's Supper the next day, using all of the leftovers to make turkey pie. The children from King George
School and the surrounding area would come and pay perhaps lOc or 25c a plate.
Hugh and Kay had several amusing images and memories of their days at St. Andrew's. Kay remembered a boy who never sat still. One Sunday he crawled under the pews and then stood up at the front and waved to everyone! She
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also laughs when she recalls having to take little ones to the bathroom during Sunday School. In the winter the teachers would have to take the children downstairs and hold the children over the coal pile for them to "go!" Hugh remembers two families who were having a feud. One Sunday the two men were going to "have it out" in the Church. They started with windmill swings, but never came within ten feet of each other!
One instance that really had Hugh scared was when he and another boy climbed up on top of the East End water tower, right up on top of the ball, where they even carved their initials. It was pretty funny to them... until the police arrived! They were going to take Hugh to his father (who, at the time, was busy with the Church Annual Meeting), but once at the door, they asked young Hugh if he had learned his lesson and let him go.
As the big fundraiser, St. Andrew's held the annual visitation, which has worked well for our Church. The congregation was also very supportive during the Second World War, and when several of St. Andrew's men went overseas, our congregation organized packages to send to them. Hugh and Kay always felt that St. Andrew's pulled together when times were tough or when things were needed.
When Rev. Margaret phoned my mom and asked if someone could interview Mrs. Raymer while she was in town from the lake, my mother volunteered me. I was a little shy, not knowing Mrs. Raymer very well, but my mom said she would go with me and help me along. So we arrived at Mrs. Raymer's apartment on a lovely spring day, where she greeted us warmly at the door and introduced us to some of her family, who were just leaving. We sat down at her dining room table in her neat, comfortable apartment, turned on the tape recorder and started the interview that has given me a deeper understanding of what St. Andrew's Church is all about...
"The first thing I can remember about St. Andrew's is going to Mission Band, when I was about eight years old.
I'm 78 years old now, so that was seventy years ago. I went to Mission Band and they had a huge attendance - probably forty-five kids - all from the ages of six to eleven. Then they had a Young People's Group after that when I got older. I was also going to Sunday School then and I have a certificate for seven years of perfect attendance. Then they gave me a large one for the next twenty-five years (but I can't find it). Sunday School was upstairs in the Church and it used to be so full that we had to go in classes.
My teacher, Mrs. Tait, was always moved right along with us. She used to take us on picnics. We went down to the iron bridge and that was the first time I ever had a smoke in my life. We were all about 11 years old and she wanted us to have a bonfire. She said to go into the woods and bring back some sticks... so we went into the woods and we got some dry leaves. We had some brown paper with us and we rolled the leaves into a cigarette. We lit it up. I can remember the girls as plain as could be. We lit the cigarette up, and of course, it was almost all fire, you know, and we breathed it in.
We were going to be tough young girls, yeah. So we went back to where Mrs. Tait was getting this bonfire all ready, and we all got sick [laugh]. I mean, the leaves just made us sick! We were able to eat our wieners, but Mrs. Tait kept saying
'I can't understand, you're all sick! There must be something wrong with the wieners... ' Oh, I'm telling you, years later
I told her about this. She said, 'Oh, Opal, 1 would never have thought that of you girls!' We had all been going to Sunday
School for years. Smoking was the most hilarious thing I can remember [laugh]. It was hilarious at the time; we thought we were really being smart, but after we got sick, it wasn't so funny... We just used to have fun and didn't need a lot of things to make us happy; besides, we didn't have that much. 1 wanted to tell you that story to say that kids aren't that different now than we were then.
In Sunday School, we would go into groups. We had to learn our catechisms, and when we came back the next
Sunday, we had to have our catechisms memorized. The teacher would give us so many to learn, and, ah, to be honest with you, I can't remember my catechisms now... but we had to know them then.
I went to Girl Guides at St. Mary's, for about five years. My daughters both went to C.G.I.T., as they didn't have
Girl Guides in our Church. And I went through St. John's Ambulance, where we learned a lot about First Aid. (That is also where I learned the Apostles' Creed by heart. I don't have to look it up like a lot of people do.) We had our picture taken with our leader, Mr. Sanderson, in front of their shield. Most of the girls were older than I am and most are still living.
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There were six in our family, we were poor, and we didn't have a lot of things to do, so the Church was our place to socialize. We used to have picnics and fishponds [games] and those kinds of things right out in the Church yard; some on one side of the Church and some on the other. It would be neat to have a picnic and games again, for the year 2000, like we did years and years ago.
I can remember they had big suppers, you know: the Turkey Dinners! We would have to clean the turkeys out ourselves. Nowadays, you wouldn't even think of bringing a bunch of turkeys in from the farm and cleaning the insides out! I can't remember, but we must have all taken turkeys home to cook them. I can remember my mother used to wash dishes. We had no sink then, just water brought in. We roughed it. .. and we think we're hard done by with the kitchen now.
We used to have women's groups, for the purpose of fundraising. I was in Group 2 for - heavens - years and years, and my mother was in Group 3. As a young married person, I was in a younger group. The groups used to put socials on and concerts where we all dressed funny. People came because it was something to do. I can remember being in the Choir, too, for a lot of years.
I remember our Superintendent, Mr. Manson. He was always sort of abrupt, but I imagine he was nice if you got to know him. There were so many children in Sunday School in those days. All was quiet; there was no talking or anything like that. If anyone talked, Mr. Manson would just bellow at them [laugh].
We walked to Church. We never had a car, ever, until I was married about eight years. We walked everywhere; I walked to work. I did housework when I was 16 years old, walking from Douglas Street to Second Street every morning at seven o'clock and walking home at seven o'clock at night. I was paid $12.00 a month to be the maid. 1 ate in the kitchen
[laugh]; there wasn't anything hilarious about that kind of life. Then I clerked at the Met Store, and worked at the Milk
Bar downtown during wartime. That's when all the Air Force boys were there, and we did have a good time because we were girls who liked to meet boys. I ended up at Stewart's Cigar Store when I got married. A few years later, when my girls got older, I worked at Baton's, part-time for twenty-seven years. In the meantime, I had Don and so had to quit for a few years in between, as I didn't work when the kids were small.
Wartime was when I was first married. Hugh 's dad married my husband (Howard) and me.
We were just married in the Manse and we had our little social at the house. My husband was in the Army, but he worked on the airports as a sheet metal worker. Finally, when all the airports were built out at
Rivers, and I had had my first child, Eleanor, Howard was sent away. I had my second daughter, Carol, when he was down east in Nova Scotia. That's fifty-three years ago. He was down there for about seven months and was just ready to go overseas when the war was over. I was lucky and he was lucky. Wartime was tough, money was scarce. But, wartime was wartime, and although everyone was out to have a good time, I can still remember going to Church. I never left the Church.
When we were first married we lived with my mother, who had remarried a member of our Church when they were both about fifty-five. After they moved to Vancouver, we had mother's house, but when my husband went away with the Army, I had to move. I moved to the house we were in for thirty-six years. We lived upstairs in three rooms, where we had a wood stove and cooked up there. But our water froze on the table when the people downstairs didn't keep the heat up. We had to put blankets around the kids to keep them warm in the morning when they got up. Wartime wasn't the greatest time of our lives.
I was married, baptised and confirmed at St. Andrew's. I was baptised there because when I was born I was down on the farm and we weren't baptised then. I joined the Church at the same time I was baptised; 1 think 1 was 12 or
13. I have been married fifty-seven years, but we had our 55th Anniversary before my husband passed away. My husband was not a church man. He would come on Mother's Day, sometimes on Father's Day or when the girls got a badge in
C.G.I.T. He was a believer; he just never went to church. He never, ever said anything about me going, or what I gave to the Church. It was a joke with the kids. I'd be baking an angel cake, doing a bunch of baking, and he'd say 'Don't touch that, it's for the Church.' [laugh]
Family Service was my favorite. We used to have Family Evening Service and the pews would be all family. It was so nice. Rev. was never short with his service [laugh]; he was always over the eight o'clock. My father had what they called sleeping sickness... we didn't ever want him to come to Church with us because he would fall asleep and snore. When he heard us say it was Family Service, he'd say 'Well, I'm going to go.' And once in a while he would go, but we tried to discourage him. Mother would sit one side of him with one of us girls on the other, and we would keep the elbows going. After the
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9 service, we would stand around and talk, as you knew everyone. The Church would be full; there were lots of families with five or six. My oldest brother and sister weren't home then, so there would be four of us with Mom and Dad.
Women wore hats to Church, and I always had a big hat on of some sort. I don't know how I could afford them at the time, as my girls were getting married and that's quite a few years ago.
I was a Sunday School teacher for the little ones for I don't know how many years. I took over from Jean McClure, and Darlene Cullen was my helper. I sometimes had eighteen to twenty-six kids.
They would sit on their little red chairs, and Kay would play the piano for us to sing. We learned about God and at Christmastime we'd have the kids come up and do their little presentation. I really enjoyed that, but I did it long enough that I didn't want to do it anymore. You had to be there all the time, and by that time we'd got a place at the lake. Sometimes you have to do what your husband wants to do, too.
Children were much better in the Sanctuary than they are right now. I'll tell you that kids were disciplined - let's face it; we just spanked them on their little bottoms once in a while. Probably nowadays people don't agree with that, but
I think a good smack doesn't hurt anyone... although I can't remember doing that to our kids. They just knew you didn't rare-and-tear in Sunday School.
When we first came to Brandon from the farm we went to First Presbyterian Church. We lived on 19 th Street and were very poor. We didn't live on 19 th long, as we moved out to the East End. We had nothing against First Presbyterian, but it was bigger and people had more money than we had. In the East End we ended up at St. Andrew's, where I've been attending Church ever since. Eventually, my husband and I sold our home, and went into a suite. Then, in the 1980s, after ten years in the suite, we decided that we'd get a place at the lake and go south for the winters. Everyone thought I was leaving the Church so the congregation had a special do for me, in September or October of 1990, and gave me earrings and a necklace and a St. Andrew's picture on a plate. When I came back in the spring I came to St. Andrew's, and in the fall when we stayed at our son's, I went to St. Andrew's. I never had any intention of leaving the Church, and in fact, when my husband got sick, I was back to the Church steady. I've always loved this Church."
To hear Mrs. Raytner talk about all the fun things she did and all the happy memories she has, you can’t 7 help but feel how deeply she loves St. Andrew's. It was a small church with a big heart that made a girl of modest means feel at home. So when I see Mrs. Raymer sitting in her spot every Sunday, at the back of St. Andrew's, I know that, over seventy years later, this is still her home.
The salty tang on the wind, the surf pounding on the beach... These are not sounds usually associated with the Prairies, least of all Brandon. Manitoba. These, however, were the sounds and smells with which Jean McClure grew up, and which were very much a part of her life. Her parents were both Maritimers; her mother hailed from New Glasgow and her father from Fredericton. So, although Jean was born in Alberta in 1912, the sea called them back to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where Jean grew up and went to school.
In 1950, Jean accepted the position of dietician at Brandon General Hospital. Thus began a very hectic career and life in this small prairie city. Finding a place to live and a church in which to worship was no easy task. Jean worked until six o'clock every other Sunday, so it was always a rush to get to service at seven o'clock. Having been raised a Baptist, Jean tried to attend their Church as often as possible, but the time and distance made the Baptist service difficult to attend. She soon discovered the little church just two blocks from the Hospital, down Russell Street. This, of course, was St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
She remembers the first service she attended: there were eleven people, including the Minister and the organist.
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As it happened, Jean was looking for rooms close to the Hospital. Her friend, Bunty McCrory, found her just the spot. The Minister of St. Andrew's, Rev. Jim Inglis, and his wife Esther, were willing to rent Jean two rooms in the
Manse on Frederick Street. Jean lived at the Manse until 1959, when she bought a home at 1021 Victoria Avenue East.
The friendship that started so many years ago between Jean, and the Inglis family [and later the Dobson family] continues to this day.
Jean was brought up with the belief that in order for one to gain peace and understanding in a church, it was necessary to become a part of that church. Jean jumped in and St. Andrew's has been a part of her life ever since.
Jean taught Sunday School. Her responsibilities were the beginners: the three to six-year-olds. Joanne Bell assisted her with the wee ones, as the three-year-olds couldn't do much more than crawl around on the floor. Jean remembers that Hugh had charge of the boys and Jean MacKay had the 12-year-old girls, who met upstairs in the choir loft. She listed Charlotte Kellie, Peter Dobson and Rev. Inglis as Superintendents of the Sunday School during her time, explaining that their role was to meet monthly with the teachers to discuss such issues as curriculum, whether new chairs were needed, various special activities, and, in general, "the business of the Sunday School."
Jean also became active with the Children of the Church, or Mission Band as it was originally called. She took on the Explorers, a group of eight to ten-year-old girls that fell under the responsibility of the Mission Society. Jean remembers Heather Dewar (nee Shelton), Carol, Betty and Marjorie Ross, and Carol Taylor (nee Collingwood) wearing their white blouses, navy skirts and red ties.
Jean has some very interesting and amusing memories of various St. Andrew's children over the years. One story she shared concerned Andrew Inglis, Rev. Inglis' eldest son. Summer at the Church meant no Sunday School, but both
Andrew and David were expected to attend service. They were, however, allowed to leave before the Sermon. Jim always offered a Pastoral Prayer before the Sermon, so the boys knew when it was time to be excused. On this particular Sunday,
Jim prayed and prayed. Andrew, getting fidgety, piped up and said, "Amen." Jim, thinking it was a visiting minister, continued on with his prayer. Finally, Andrew could stand it no more and burst out with "AMEN, Daddy, AMEN!"
Another incident involved Ted Cluett. The duetts were a large family of six boys and one girl, and they often arrived late for service. On this particular Sunday, there was a visiting Minister preaching.the children came in one by one, with young Ted coming in last. When he walked through the door, he took one look at the Minister and said in a loud voice,
"That's not God!"
Jean remembers lan Kirkwood with fondness. He was entrusted to Jean's care, as he could be quite a handful, and Jean always managed very well with him.
Fun could always be found at St. Andrew's: "Beetle Drives" were held, with Peter Dobson acting as the Master of Ceremonies. A grand time was had by all! The women had their various Groups, such as the Women's Auxiliary, the
W.M.S., the N.S.F., and Groups 1 and 2. They all had assorted fundraising activities, but also enjoyed socializing after the meetings and on special occasions.
Jean's memories include fundraising, catering for banquets, and afternoon teas where the men sometimes wore costumes such as a grass skirt overtop of a bathing suit! She recalls October 1959, and cooking two turkeys for the banquet of the Teachers' Convention. There was an exceptionally heavy snowfall that weekend, so David and Andrew
Inglis took their toboggan to Jean's house on Victoria Avenue. There, they loaded the turkeys onto the toboggan and the boys and Jean plodded back to the Church with their load, only to find that the banquet was cancelled due to the heavy snow!
Jean has vivid memories of some of the Church services over the years. She remembers Rev. Valerie Cotterill making a joke in Church one Sunday, just prior to Sadie Bride's marriage to Jack Dunn: "When is a Bride not a Bride?
When she's Dunn!" She also remembers Rev. Margaret Mullin's first Christmas Eve service. This was the last time the entire Inglis-Dobson family was all together for Christmas (this also included friends Christiane Grillon from France and
Jo Lu from Taiwan).
Walking to Church was always Jean's mode of transportation, until she moved to the West End of the city. She then drove her car and brought Esther Inglis with her. It was always hats, gloves and dresses — your Sunday Best - for
Church, and of course, you were always on your best behaviour!
Jean has always felt that St. Andrew's is a very friendly Church. The congregation, which has tended to be older, has often struggled to bring the people together, but in spite of this, the Church has always survived. Everyone shows an
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interest in each other and is truly concerned for one another's well-being. Jean has kept in touch with friends she has made over the years and even though she no longer attends Sunday service, she never fails to ask about the members of our congregation. She has been and will always be a vital member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
On the night that the youth were to meet and interview long-time members of St. Andrew's. there turned oui to be more seniors than youth to interview them. To keep the evening going and not keep the seniors waiting, a few of us parents had to conduct some of the interviews. It was my pleasure to interview
Thelma Sherb.
.
Thelma is a naturally happy person, and throughout the evening we shared quite a few laughs. She is a longstanding member of St. Andrew's and. as a result, had lots of stories to tell.
"I was a member of the Junior and Senior Choirs as a young person at St. Andrew's. In Junior Choir we wore white gowns with big bell sleeves. The Junior Choir only sang for special occasions. We had a big Sunday School, held before the service in those days, with many different classes. In 1937-1938, I received a plaque from my Sunday School teacher, Enid Blackwell, for attendance and memory work. For youth groups, we had the C.G.I.T., where we wore white shirts with blue collars. My mother belonged to some of the groups in the Church, such as Group 2.
I was christened at home by Rev. when I was 12 years old, the day before I joined the
Church. He came to the house and christened me in the kitchen, so that I could take Communion the next day [laugh]. That and attending Sunday School are my earliest memories of St. Andrew's.
The most humorous thing I can remember [laugh] was memory work. I had memorized Psalm 23 but when I went to say it, I said "Surely to goodness mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." At one time I could recite all of the Books of the Bible, in order[laugh]. Don't ask me to do it now, though! I walked to Sunday School with my sisters, as we lived on Douglas Street, and my mother would come along later.
During the war, I left Brandon to work in Hartney, in a bank. I love figures; things have to balance [chuckle]. I was a bookkeeper most of my life.
I was married in the Manse, but not by the Minister from St. Andrew's. Rev. Lookman was ill, so the Minister from St. Mary's performed the ceremony. The Manse was a big house out back of the Church, where both Rev. and Rev.
Lookman lived. My husband was Catholic, so he only came to Church to see our children christened.
I can remember Dad's funeral in 1940 at St. Andrew's, when I was 15 years old. I think it was
Rev. who performed the funeral. Eric Davies, who lived next door to us, sang a solo. We had tried to get George Dinsdale. I watched to see if Dad turned over in the coffin, as he and Eric didn't always see eye to eye!
We wore what we had to Church. We never, never wore pants. In the winter, the women wore
Lyle stockings, heavy coats and dresses, and hats. We were taught to sit quietly through the service; there was no whispering, or you would get a dirty look [chuckle]. On Sundays, we did not play cards, and my mother didn't even do her embroidery. :
I have always been a Presbyterian. That's all I can remember!"
The interview was over before I knew it. We had shared a lot of laughs and exchanged stones, some that I have not included here. ( Thelma told me to ask Hugh about hitting a hole-in-one on a Sunday. . .) I spent a memorable evening with someone whom I now view as an old friend.
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The reason 1 picked the Roberts to interview is that every Sunday Mrs. Roberts has a tendency to make me smile. I always laugh and get in trouble from the Choir ladies. So I decided that I might like to find out if the same thing happened back in the earlier years. We were at the Church one Wednesday night, and this is what the Roberts told me. ..
" We came here from North Battleford in 1959 as adults with young children. This was a small, home Church like we were used to, so this where we wanted to be. It was much like it is right now when we arrived, although the basement is more recent.
We used to have garden parties every year right out on the lawn, with a salad supper, strawberry shortcake, and games for the kids. Of course, all the Groups raised money: Group 2 used to make fruitcake and sell Christmas puddings.
We had Beef Suppers and Stew Suppers for St. Patrick's Day in March, dessert parties, and teas, which even the men would put on. The Board of Managers and the Kirk Session would help out with things like the Irish Tea, right about the time we came here. We used to have a lot more men in the Church; we don't have that many any more. The salad and casserole suppers in the early winter were successful; now they pretty well go with the two suppers and an occasional tea.
(Joan): My first memory is walking from the East End low rental apartments with our youngest, who was about three years old, and carrying two lemon pies for the Fall Supper [laugh]. That was .in November of 1959. The first person I saw when I walked into the Church was Mrs. Findlay, who is. long gone now. We came to the supper that night with our neighbours, and it was the only time I ever sat down at one of our Church Suppers as a guest [Cecil laughs]. Every other time, it's been work. We sat down there and that was the last time... [both laugh]. Any day now we will be ready to sit down again!
(Cecil): I can remember teaching Sunday School. We had a big group back then, and I had a class with maybe eight or nine boys of 10 or 11 years old. One of them brought a short-bladed hunting knife one day. The boys started horsing around and I had to take it away from them, although I gave it back after Sunday School was over with. Imagine taking a knife to Sunday School [laugh]! At that period of time, some of our teachers were Charlotte Kellie, Jean Bourque,
Hugh , Peter Dobson, Charlotte Fraser; they all had a fairly good class of nine or ten people. Jean McClure had the ittybitty children. We had a Sunday School group of well over a hundred. It was big when we first came here, but mind you,
I don't think any of the kids I taught are around here anymore. They've all grown up and moved away...
(Joan): We used to have both Cubs and Scouts here. Then, the Scouts went to St. Mary's and just gradually died out due to a lack of interest. I was the assistant at Cubs, where we had all the boys up to age 12. One day, one of the
Campbell boys brought his hamster. Well, of course, the hamster was getting passed around all over the place, and finally
I took charge of him and buttoned him in my shirt pocket. I didn't know until afterwards that they could bite, but that's when I found out they could be dangerous little critters! When I returned the hamster, a little fellow (I think it was
Dwight Carkener) said he didn't bite you, did he, Mrs. Roberts? I was all right, but it was funny. As they grew up, all the boys reminded me of that story.
We helped with the various children's groups, such as Sunday School and Junior Choir. We had a dandy little choir, and Cecil would drive them all home after practice. We had a lot of fun, and they were well-disciplined, good kids.
I also went with the C.G.I.T. girls to camp in tents out by the tracks at Grand Valley, even though I had never camped before.
We lived just two blocks away from the Church, in a house on Dennis Street. People picked each other up for
Church. We weren't here during the War; I was in my hometown in Saskatchewan and Cecil was in his hometown in
Ontario. When he went overseas, I went to Ontario and attended my grandmother's church. When I met Cecil, 1 went to his church, where we took pre-marital classes. We were married in Stratford, and came back west in 1948.
I was baptised and confirmed in St. Andrew's as an adult. I had been trying to get baptised, but something just kept happening to prevent it, like someone in the family getting sick. Then, one afternoon after Church, Rev. Inglis baptised me, with all my family present. Rev. Inglis, who was Scottish, called me by my real name, Genevia Joan, which is not an unusual name in Scotland. 1 was named after my mother, but her name was shortened to "Neva."
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(Cecil): I think some of the most memorable services were the ones I attended in Toronto at the General
Assembly. There was a service every morning at nine o'clock at the church just down from where we stayed. They often had the young people doing the service, and there was lots of upbeat music. Ministers are no different than anybody else.
I roomed with a Minister from Grand Prairie, who wasn't much for the robes and collar; he was just a normal person. The
Christmas services also stand out in our minds, when all our family could be here with us. It is pretty hard to get them all together now.
Most of the socializing was done while we were raising money. We've always had to raise money in this
Church, doing events such as the odd whist party. Basically, for all our years in Brandon, it has been St. Andrew's first.
Our friends came to St. Andrew's, and the school and the Church were the centre of our lives and of the community.
Everyone was involved with one or the other, but mostly both. When we first came to Brandon, we went to First
Presbyterian Church, but we didn't care for it. There was nothing wrong with it, but when we came to St. Andrew's, it seemed more like a "homey" type of place, and more like what we were used to, smaller and comfortable.
We wore good shoes and a nice-looking outfit to Sunday School, and changed after. Men wore suits, ladies wore hats. If you had a child that misbehaved, everybody would stare and think why don't you take that child downstairs or take it home and teach it some manners. That's the school of thought we had, and we have had some holy terrors over the years!
When I first came to Brandon, I was with Western Groceries Cash-and-Carry. After that, I travelled for five years, which Joan thinks was too long. Then I went to Simplot until I retired.
(Joan): I was a homemaker, which I still am, and 1 did daycare for a long time. Rev. and Mrs. Inglis and
Mrs. came to call one day to invite me to join the Ladies' Group. With the Church being well recommended, and the homey attitude, we felt like we belonged. From the start, it felt right and ever since, St. Andrew's has been a major part of our lives. We've been on the Board of Managers, Cecil has been on the Session, and has been to the
General Assembly four times."
In conclusion, I discovered that St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church has always been a very loving and caring family for all people. The Roberts helped me gain a better understanding of the people, of the wonderful history of the Church and the events that took place. I am very thankful that I was able to participate in this millenium project and to be a part of this history-making event for now and the future.
Have you ever wondered who waters the plants in the Sanctuary and keeps them looking so lovely? Or who organizes the Thanksgiving props? Have you ever wondered who plants the flowerbed and keeps it weeded and watered? Well, look no further — the person responsible is none other than Esther
Esther Allen is a woman of many talents and is always there to lend a hand. When asked if she would be willing to be interviewed for "Our Foundation," she was sure she had nothing to offer. As we talked, however, it was obvious that she was a fountain of interesting information.
Esther does not remember her "first impression" of the Church, as St. Andrew's was all she ever knew and was always a part of her life. Her parents began coming to St. Andrew's in 1911, but they originally attended St. Paul's, on the corner of 8 th Street and Louise Avenue. When asked if they would support a church in the East End, they readily replied that they would give it a try. Shortly after, St. Andrew's was moved to its present location, and the s became members.
Esther was christened at home, as were most babies at the time. Even weddings were performed at the Manse, not in the Church. Her first recollection of a wedding in the Church was that of Hugh 's sister. Esther was, however, confirmed in the Church when she was in her early 20s.
One of Esther's earliest memories is sitting with her grandparents in the third pew from the front, on the north side, where they always sat and where she would get a peppermint. The family walkecLto Church on Sundays, as did most
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members of the congregation, as there were few cars at the time.
Esther remembers St. Andrew's when she was a young girl. Sunday School was held from three to four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, and there was always a large turnout. The little children met in a room behind the Choir, where small red chairs were lined up. The rest of the classes met in the Sanctuary, with separate classes for boys and for girls. At one time, when the pews were all occupied, a class of girls had chairs in a semi-circle where the piano is now. Each child received a "Golden Text" card and a leaflet. The older classes received a story-type paper called "The Northern
Messenger."
The Jonathon Goforth Mission Band met once a month under the leadership of Mrs. Watson, who always had a candy for the members. Esther remembers Mrs. Watson standing at the top of the basement stairs on the night of the kids'
Hash Supper (always the night after the Fowl Supper) and reminding the children to not leave their manners in their pockets. The cost of the supper was 10c; A fundraising event that Esther remembers the Mission Band undertaking was the making and selling of crepe paper carnations for Mother's Day. The cost of the flowers was lOc apiece or three for
25c; if you wore a white carnation, it symbolized that your mother had died, but if you chose a red or pink one, she was still living.
There were also Junior and Senior Young Peoples' Groups, with the Juniors meeting after school. Esther also remembers the Senior Choir, of which Mr. Heselgrove was the Director (as well as having a band of his own). Every
Easter, the Senior Choir would perform a Cantata. The Junior Choir was under the direction of Mrs. Milburn.
Sunday School and Church picnics were held at different places, for example, at Patmore's Grove and the
Experimental Farm. There would be races and games of all sorts, along with ice cream for the kids. Each Christmas, a concert was held before a full house. Every Sunday School class performed a song, drill or skit. Mr. Manson, the Sunday
School Superintendent, would receive telegrams throughout the performances, reporting on Santa's progress from the
North Pole. The anticipation was thrilling!
Fundraising was a necessary part of the church year. The women of the Ladies' Aid would have teas in their own homes, but Mrs. Findlay even held one downtown, either in the Met or in Woolworth's! Quilts were made and sold for profit. Lawn socials were held on the north side of the Church, with games for the children. Concerts were held throughout the year; there were recitations (often by Alex Brown, the druggist, and by our own Kate Ramsey), solos and musical renditions. The biggest fundraisers were the Fowl Supper in the fall, the Irish Stew Dinner for St. Patrick's Day, and the Robbie Burns Dinner. The N.S.F. Club had bake sales, sold cards and put on comic short plays, among them
"Kidnapping Betty" and "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow." One of the fundraisers that has continued to this day is the annual visitation to -- members of the congregation, done in the fall.
Esther explained that new clothes were kept especially for Church, and that hats and gloves were expected.
Everyone wore "their best bib and tucker" on a Sunday! Children at Church were cautioned to be quiet and sit still during the service. Behaviour at Sunday School was sometimes a different matter entirely, with leaflets being launched as airplanes and flying in every direction!
One of Esther's funniest memories is that of a lad who came on his own, and while Mr. Manson was praying, he wandered up to the pulpit. He sat down in the Minister's chair and proceeded to empty his bag of penny candy. When the bag was empty, he blew it up and BANG! The whole Sunday School watched all of this with great merriment; as for Mr.
Manson, he was startled but took it all in stride.
Esther recalls the aftermath of one of the Fowl Suppers, when everyone was dashing off madly to the bathrooms.
It's easier to laugh at these episodes years later, but it probably was not too funny at the time!
During World War II, many of the young fellows joined the Army, married and moved away. The ladies of the
Church took up the knitting of scarves for the war effort, as well as sending parcels of socks, books and baked goodies.
Esther has many, many memories of St. Andrew's. She is one of the fortunate people who have grown up in and been enriched by her life at this Church. She has seen many Ministers come and go, congregations shrink and swell, and still today she remains a very active and vocal member of the Church family. Thanks for the memories, Esther!
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I first met Peter Pow not at St. Andrew's Church, but at a small cafe where 1 worked. Every day at eleven o'clock, Peter would arrive for his daily cup of tea and friendly banter. The waitress that served out front would greet him with the customary "Top of the day to you," to which Peter would reply, "and the rest of the day to yourself, lass." We all came to know Peter very well and referred to him fondly as Grandpa Peter. On his birthday, we would sing Happy
Birthday and present him with a raisin pie, which was his favorite. These daily and yearly traditions continued until Peter was no longer able to come. Sometimes his son, Dick, or his friend Irwin Eggleton would pick him up and bring him to the cafe. At times he would catch the bus, but even right up until Peter was in his 90s, he would walk.
Peter Pow was born in 1901. He first came to St. Andrew's in 1921. Peter lived in the same house two blocks from the Church until 1999. From the house, he would walk to Church every Sunday; he never owned nor drove a car.
The men, in the old days, always wore a suit and tie, a custom that Peter kept until he was no longer able to attend
Church. When he arrived at Church, he would sit in the same pew, even if it meant pushing whoever was sitting there further towards the wall. Peter was married in the Church in 1923, and all of his children were baptised there.
Helen, Peter's daughter, fondly remembers going to fall corn roasts at St. Andrew's, where the corn would be placed in big washtubs out on the lawn. She also recalls going with her family on sleigh rides and then returning to the
Church for scalloped potatoes and wieners. Helen, along with Peter's other daughter, Mary, both sang in the Junior Choir, and all of the children attended the large Sunday School. The Church was very much a social outlet for people of all ages.
Peter has always been a Presbyterian, even as a youngster in Scotland, and was always active in the Church. He sang in the Choir until he was 95 years old; he was an Elder and served on the Board of Managers. He always enjoyed
Palm Sunday, when Church members would come up from downstairs carrying palms. The Christmas Eve service was also one of Peter's favorites.
When he first came to Canada from Scotland, Peter worked installing the streetcar tracks on 6 th Street. Later, he worked for McDiarmid Lumber and North American Lumber. Ever since 1925, one thing Peter never missed was the opening day at the races, and if that happened to be a Sunday, you knew Peter would be absent from his favorite pew.
The first day my daughter and I attended St. Andrew's, who did I see when 1 turned around after the service but
Peter and his daughter, Helen. Making my way to the back, nervous and a little unsure in a new church, Peter met me, shook my hand and asked me what I was doing there - to which I replied that if it's a good enough church for you, I know it will be good enough for me. When I met Helen at Fairview Home to conduct this interview, Peter had to be reminded of who I was, but at 99 years old, the light of recognition still shone in his eyes. His hearing is poor, but he still looks the same as he did when I first met him at the cafe more than eighteen years ago. Peter still loves to come out to the Beef
Suppers, even if he can't get enough tea, at three or four cups. St. Andrew's has always been Peter's church home, and even though he is no longer able to attend, his spirit - and his own cushion - remain in his favorite pew at the back of the
Church.
"It was a small Presbyterian church," recalls Bill Hamilton, thinking back to his first impression of St. Andrew's.
Bill emigrated from Ireland at the age of 24 and began attending the Church with his aunt and uncle, James and Jane
Hamilton.
Bill, like most members, lived close to the Church and walked there and back, wearing his collar and tie as part of his Sunday apparel.
"The Sunday School was quite large when I first came," says Bill, "but you wouldn't find kids running around
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during the service." It was not only the children who were expected to behave; the adults too were to show proper decorum. The time before the service actually began was to be a quiet time for reflection. You were to come in quietly, take your place and perhaps whisper "Hello" to your neighbour. Bill is of the opinion that today it seems to be a time to set up meetings, catch up on news and generally have a good chin wag!
Bill attended many of the evening fundraising concerts that took place in the Church basement. He could even be found performing, singing old Irish tunes. He did one particular skit with Hugh > and (the other) Bill Hamilton, singing
"Lead Me Down to the Altar, Walter," dressed as a woman!
Bill wistfully wishes for the days when there was much more interaction outside the Sunday service and people visited with one another frequently. He loved to visit Rev. Inglis at the Manse, where he would also meet with other young people to talk. According to Bill, it was not an organized group -they were just "hanging out!"
Bill's closing comment on St. Andrew's sums it up: "It felt like family, everyone was nice." That still holds true today, for our small Church with a big heart.
Joanne Bell started attending St. Andrew's at the age of 12. She and her family had to walk to Church. . . all the way from right next door! They attended because they lived so close and because Joanne's father was Scottish.
Everyone was expected to sit still and be quiet during the service, which could be trying sometimes for a young person. Joanne's stepmother wore a muskrat fur and Joanne was often caught
"petting" it. Her stepmother said she would wear it out someday if she kept it up! Otherwise, the dress code was always your Sunday Best: hat, stockings, gloves and never slacks! The good clothes were set aside from one's everyday wardrobe. Joanne can remember one particular "special outfit" she donned to wear at a Christmas concert. She was 13 and wearing a pair of second-hand, high-heeled, platform shoes.
She was so excited that she raced up the front steps of the Church, tripped over her feet and fell flat on her face!
Joanne's first impression of the Church was that it was small. She had come from the much larger congregation of St. Paul's, which was two or three times the size of St. Andrew's. Perhaps that made belonging to all the different groups that much easier. Joanne started off in Sunday School with Marg McBeth as her teacher; she also began going to C.G.I.T. with other girls like Merle Fraser and Pat Findlay, and which Eva Fedoruk taught. When she was older, she took on the role of leader, starting before she graduated because they were losing Eva. After C.G.I.T., she went back to Sunday School, this time teaching bright pupils like Marilyn and Joan Shaw, Darlene Cullen, and my mom, Joan Chrun. Joanne also taught Mission Band, girls of four, five and six years old, as well as Explorers of ages seven to twelve.
When they assembled, she would teach the girls to knit, do crafts, organize carnivals, go on sleigh rides and throw parties. Once a year, the girls were even allowed to invite boys to their soirees! Rev. Inglis would also come and chaperone.
Joanne has always felt at home in our Church. She took confirmation classes and became a member at the same time as did Duncan Kellie, and then she was baptised and confirmed at the age of 16. Two years after that, she was married in the Church to David Bell. It was the second wedding to take place in the Church after the renovation from three aisles to two aisles (Joyce Lushaw was the first bride after the renovations). Because they lived so close to the Church, Joanne is probably one of very few brides who walked to her own wedding!
Joanne has been a very devoted worker in the Church, belonging to the N.S.F., the W.A., the Board of Managers
(for which she is currently the Chairperson), as well as serving as an Elder of the Kirk Session. She and her husband Dave have taken charge of the Christmas Cheer hampers and always manage to see that the families are well provided for.
If ever something needs doing, somewhere in the background, you will find Joanne. She will be organizing lunch, arranging for work crews, picking out carpet, getting estimates on windows and paint, or approving money to send one of our "kids" to a Church conference. Joanne helps to show the true spirit of our Church - whenever there is a change,
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we're there to meet it head on and find a solution. With people like Joanne in our congregation, we are assured of many long and happy years of Christian fellowship.
I have only fond and comforting memories of Sunday School and St. Andrew's. I am so glad I was raised in a family that felt Church and God were important parts of our family life. As for participating in groups, I attended a Sunday night Youth Group that was shared with Southminster Presbyterian Church. That was where I learned most of what I know about the Bible and its history. I was also in the Junior Choir for a couple of years, and although it was enjoyable, 1 never felt it was my "forte!"
My earliest memory of St. Andrew's is of sitting on Rev. Paterson's knee at the front of the Church, hearing him tell the Children's Story partway through the Sunday service. I also remember the little red chairs in the Sunday School, the summer picnics up at the Mental Hospital grounds, and wearing our "Sunday Best" to Church. As for funny incidents, I'll never forget sitting there in a pew and feeling behind my ear, only to find... a woodtick! I panicked and went screaming to the door right in mid-service, with Mum (Dreena Dobson) hot on my heels! And this in a place where we had been brought up to be quiet during the service and not so much as swing our feet while sitting there.
Our family has a long tie with St. Andrew's, as my Uncle Jim was the Minister for quite some time (Rev. Inglis).
I was baptised and confirmed in this Church, but Rev. Mullin performed my marriage to Doug in our home. Two services stick out in my mind as being very special: One I attended years ago with my mother. It was Easter, and to this day I remember the service and how happy Mum was that I was going to Church with her. I was a teenager then, and had not been attending Church much at all.
The second memorable service was when I joined the Church in 1998 and our son, Adam -Alexander was baptised the same day. That happy service will remain etched on my mind for years. My hope for the future is that Adam will grow up in the Church and in his faith with as many wonderful memories as what I have.
/ had a brief but amusing interview with Joyce. Here are some of her comments:
As to the children in the Sanctuary, it wasn't so different from now. There were always one or two anxious kids; one used to crawl under the pews and give his mother and father fits!
We had social evenings in the basement of the Church, such as playing "Beetle." You would roll a dice and draw a beetle according to the number; 5 for a head, 3 for a body and so on. Whoever made the first whole beetle was the winner. I also took part in a "Flapper Tea," where I danced the Charleston.
1 was always very fond of the Inglis family, as they were great fun and told many stories of their escapades
(which were many). My very first impression of St. Andrew's was that everyone was so friendly. You got to know everybody quickly.
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Sunday School was a happening place, when the basement was full of young people and patient teachers.
Filmstrips and the Sunday Pics were very popular. I belonged to the Junior Choir, of which Hugh Kirkwood was the leader. It was always a little scary and intimidating to join the Senior Choir on special occasions. While Rev. Bruce
Herrod was our Minister, we belonged to the "Hi C" Youth Group, and 1 can remember many heated theological discussions in the Church parlour on a Sunday night.
I also remember the summer lawn parties, where cold plate meals could be enjoyed at a table or eaten on the lawn. There was always a wonderful fishpond, lots of great games to play and prizes to win. Our wind-up picnics at the
Brandon Mental Hospital grounds were also terrific.
My parents brought me to St. Andrew's. We always walked to Church, but then, we only lived three blocks away. We wore a dress or skirt, and Easter Sunday always meant a new hat, white gloves, white shoes and a new dress. Of course we were expected to sit quietly through the service and show the proper respect. But one of my earliest memories is of sitting at the front with my 25c collection clutched in my hand, and dropping it down the register, by accident!
The various Groups (1, 2, 3 and the N.S.F.) have done a lot of fundraising. They would raise money and then turn it over to the Women's Auxiliary for its distribution. The women of the Church have put in a new furnace and put on a new roof, all with their rummages, teas, bazaars, dinners, lunches and even selling Christmas puddings.
I was confirmed in our Church by Rev. S. Patterson. It was one of the most earth-shaking experiences of my life: God really loves me! But the most memorable service for me was the Sunday my daughter Allison was confirmed.
My first impression of St. Andrew's? It was my Church.
"The funniest thing I remember," says Susan, "is the morning we were leaving for Church and got outside only to discover that the car had burned up!" Well, this was probably not too funny to Susan's parents (Dreena and Peter Dobson), but since Susan was only seven or eight years old at the time, she found it quite entertaining. "It burned to a crisp; the windows were black and the entire inside was torched!
Poor Miranda (the car's name)!"
Fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident and Susan went on to reminisce about other happier memories. Her most memorable service was the baptism of her nephew, Adam Hay. As well as enjoying Rev. Margaret's (Mullin) lovely service, Susan chuckled at the sight of Adam's godparents (Tracy Knickle and David Inglis) competing for who got to hold the baby.
Some of the special events Susan remembers the best are the Beef and Turkey Suppers, the Christmas Eve hymn singing service, the Christmas mitten tree (Susan always looks forward to finding just the right pair of mitts to donate), and of course, being in Sunday School. She rolls her eyes somewhat as she recalls having to dress up for Church - that was a part of the routine she did not particularly like - but at least once she got to Church she knew she had better be on her best behaviour. And for some reason she always enjoyed the part of the service where the Sunday School children got to file through the Parlour to go downstairs; it was a special privilege to be allowed back in those hallowed quarters.
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Susan also remembers attending the Church Picnics at the Brandon Mental Hospital grounds, and vaguely recalls a potato sack race or two. But the best part of these picnics, according to Susan, was the bread clip hunt, organized by her dad. Hundreds of those coloured plastic bread clips were carefully hidden all over the place - on little tree branches, between the red and green benches, under various picnic tables or rocks. It was a fierce race to collect the most bread clips in the time given, and the kids burned up a lot of energy on this one. Looking back on the event now, Susan realizes how her dad must have gone out to the grounds the day before to strategically place all of those tiny things ( and sure enough,
Peter collected bags and bags of them ahead of time); it certainly was a fun event.
Leaping forward in time, Susan recalls the basement renovations. She had gone along to the Church to lend a hand, and when she arrived, she found a number of the ladies carefully removing ceiling tiles, one at a time, nail by nail.
Susan found this to be a little too precise for her methods, so she took up her crowbar and proceeded to tear down the remaining half of the basement ceiling in no time flat! The next task that needed tackling was the creation of a window box, and some of the men were trying to figure out how best to do this. Susan joined in with a couple of suggestions, but it seemed that nothing was happening, the discussion was going on. . . Then it was decided that a saw was needed. It so happened that Susan had not only her saw with her, but all her usual tools too, but it seemed that the men were just too preoccupied with their discussion to absorb this information. So, off Susan went to her car, returning with her hefty toolbox, which she plunked down in front of the men - along with her very own circular saw and all its cords, blades and accessories. Well, the ladies were very pleased indeed, and the men immediately wrapped up their discussion and got
Susan to help with the framing of the window box. She really is quite the handywoman to have around!
Susan was baptised at St. Andrew's and, along with her two sisters, grew up there in her faith. In her childhood, the Church was a significant part of her family life, cultivated by Dreena and Peter, and encouraged also by Charlotte
Kellie, who was like a second mother to Susan ( "Auntie" Charlotte was the housekeeper with the Dobson family for many years). Today Susan is a Registered Respiratory Therapist at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, and she is still the person to turn to if you require a circular saw!
David Inglis was born in 1954 to Rev. J.B. and Esther Inglis, during the seven-year tenure of his father at St.
Andrew's (1953 - 1960). The family, including David's older brother Andrew, and later their grandfather, Andrew
Keay, lived in the Manse next door to the Church. I asked David what it was like living in the Manse, as far as he could recall:
"I remember the kitchen wasn't insulated. One day my mum decided to invite the Board Members over, but she washed the kitchen floor before they arrived. Well, it froze! When the Board saw that, they got on the ball to get the kitchen renovated.
Since it was the Manse, there was always lots of traffic, people coming and going, and everyone felt that they could "do stuff," in other words, make decisions and changes about the place. One day, we heard all this noise and commotion, voices and banging and ripping — and we discovered some of the members of the congregation demolishing the front porch. The only thing was, nobody had told my folks about it!"
Although David could not have remembered it, the service that he thought bore the most significance for him was in 1954, when he was baptised. That was in part because his maternal grandparents, Andrew and Ettie Keay, made the long voyage over to Canada from Scotland, on the boat. They came to witness the event and to meet the new grandson.
Mr. Keay himself was a Church Officer of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh and it was he and Ettie who donated the table that still graces the front of the Sanctuary in St. Andrew's.
Then, in 1956, thanks to a conversation between Rev. Inglis and the then Superintendent of schools, Mr. Carl
Bjarnason, David's aunt and uncle, Dreena and Peter Dobson, emigrated to Canada. Peter was to take up a two-year position as Physical Education Supervisor with the Brandon School Division [at the fantastic salary of $2500 - they would be rich!]. During that period, however, Ettie fell very ill back in Scotland, and Dreena hastily returned there to do what she could. Sadly, Ettie died just before her daughter could reach her. When Dreena returned again to Canada, she brought her father, Andrew, with her. They crossed the Atlantic by boat, on the Cunard Line, which rendered Dreena awfully seasick,
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but she was determined to maintain a cheerful disposition for the sake of her grieving father. In recounting these details,
David remembers fondly how when Grandad moved into the Manse, he cultivated the back yard into a wonderful vegetable garden; indeed, Andrew was a strong and beloved presence in both his grandsons' lives, including them in many of his walks and projects. Years later, after the Inglis moved to Montreal and Andrew Sr. came to live with the Dobson family, he did the same in their back yard at 424-16*. He was born and raised a farmer, and even in the city, turned his hand and his heart to the land. Andrew went briefly to Montreal, but came back to Brandon where he ended his days in
1965.
David's earliest memory of the actual Church is of being in the Nursery and Sunday School. He recalls the
Tricycle Parades where the children decorated their trikes under the watchful eye of Jean McClure; he remembers the
Sunday School Easter egg hunts on the north lawn, the Church picnics and teas and suppers (especially the incident of the
"toboggan turkey transport" - see Jean McClure's story). He . also described how his family naturally landed up at a lot of weddings, with Rev. Inglis officiating. If it was a small enough ceremony, his mother would be called upon to be a witness, and he recounts times when Mrs. Peggie Scott even had to stand in as a Best Man, as there were not enough men to go around!
As a child, one of David's favorite playspots was the furnace's coal chute and the coal piles on the north side of the kitchen. Mr. Cumming, of Gumming & Dobbie Coal, was a member of St. Andrew's, and a good friend of the
Reverend's, so young Andrew and David were often involved in the arrival of the coal supplies. Naturally, to their mother's chagrin, they would arrive back at the Manse covered in coal dust and black from head to toe!
Many of David's recollections centre around his father and the Reverend's role in the community. For the family, it meant taking part in a lot of social functions; being invited out required dressing up, eating everything on your plate whether you enjoyed it or detested it, and strictly minding your manners. People's expectations of the Minister's kids seemed to be that these children would be better behaved than others (personally, as David's cousin, I don't recall this ever being the case, and this did not seem particularly fair or reasonable to young David.
During this era, there was a church radio show on the Brandon airwaves, and David recalls how his dad would have to walk from the Manse, on Frederick Street, out past the city limits to the radio station whenever it was his turn to host the program. Rev. Inglis was also the Moderator of the Presbytery at various times in his career and had a wide circle of contacts both in the city and out in the surrounding area.
David recalls the Brandon Ministerial Association being quite prominent in his father's day, and that meant the Rev. had to travel out to various towns and farm communities to meet and greet rural congregations.
Nonetheless, being a prominent community member had its political moments too, and Rev. Inglis was asked first to run for the Liberal party and then for the NDP - this during a visit to the Manse by Tommy
Douglas himself.
If there was to be a Presbyterian funeral in a nearby town, Rev. Inglis would often be called upon to do the service. This brought the Rev. together into a lifelong friendship with the late Mr. Jack Donovan, of Brockie-Donovan
Funeral Chapel, as the pair of them travelled to and from these events in the Chapel hearse. We can be fairly certain that during those trips the conversation would centre on golf, politics and cars!
David's images and memories of the people of St. Andrew's at that time include such folk^as Kay and Hugh ,
Marj and Fred Constable, Charlotte and Les Fraser, Marg and Dick McBeth, Esther , Peter Pow - "He's seen it all, he is St.
Andrew's, seen them all come and go. . . We used to get Scottish mincemeat pies from the Pows every week" and
Charlotte and Angus Kellie. David recalls in an awed tone how his father and Mr. Kellie would spend hours and hours talking about books. Angus, a true Scot with a thick burr, was an exceptionally well-read man as well as a world traveller.
He had been with the British Army in India and had even slept in front of the Taj Mahal..
Of course, David's memories of St. Andrew's would not be complete without touching on one of the central figures of his childhood and of his life - Jean McClure. As his godmother, Jean was highly influential in raising young David, and she has faithfully played a constant and guiding role. Jean maintains a close daily contact with both David and his wife, Laurie, to this day.
As far as funny incidents go, it would be hard to top the story about the infamous trip to Clear
Lake. . . The men all went golfing (and as it was Rev. Inglis who taught Hugh how to golf in the first place, you can see where this is coming from. . . ), and they left the women and the kids at the beach and in the town of Wasagaming. At the end of the day, as they were travelling back to Brandon in their various
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cars - the men, that is - Mr. Keay (our grandad, who had not golfed but who was with the menfolk) was growing more and more agitated about the whereabouts of the womenfolk and the bairns. Somehow, there had been a miscommunication, everyone thinking that someone else was in charge, that the ladies were in someone else' s car. Well, the men all arrived safely back in Brandon. .. but with no women and bairns!
Naturally, they had to turn around and go right back up to Clear Lake, and as David recalls the situation, "It was pretty tense!"
In closing, some of the details that David mentioned to me bring to life a hazy picture of a bygone era - of the old
Brandon and the days of the Prince Edward Hotel, of ladies having fancy, complicated teas at each others' houses, of trips to Clear Lake by bus on the single lane road. . . each a story unto themselves, but for other pages. The major aspects of the
Church that have affected and formed David's life stem from his parents' involvement and devotion to their Church.
Obviously, David's life was touched by his father's choice to accept a ministry in a small, prairie town, and by his mother's role as the Minister's wife who took on the tasks of socialite and organizer, hostess and helper. He remembers aspects of the Church life beyond the Sunday service that were important to his parents: not just the events of baptisms and weddings and funerals, but the importance of attracting new members to the fold and of creating a new generation of Church-goers, of making sure people were included in events, of being receptive to new ideas in a young and growing country forging its own identity. I think that this interview has been a wonderful vehicle for some of David's unique memories of St.
Andrew's to be recorded, but, more importantly, our family has learned more about ourselves and our history. We have enjoyed looking fondly back and are grateful for this opportunity.
The Congregation was organized in September of 1909, sponsored by St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. Reverend
Donald McVicor of St. Paul's carried on the work of the mission for the first few weeks in a house on First Street. In
February' of 1910, Mr. Thos. Murphy, a student from Brandon College, was appointed as Minister for the summer months.
The services were moved to the Icelandic Church at 1410 — 2 nif Street in April of 1910.
The present site of Louise Avenue and Russell Street was chosen and the former building of Knox Presbyterian
Church was moved onto the foundation in the fall of 1910. The Church was opened and dedicated on December 19,
1910, with Rev. Geo. Edminson of St. Paul's conducting the service. The name of St. Andrew's was proposed by Mr.
Nicol. Rev. J. Knox Clark was the first ordained Minister and Mr. D. Creighton was the first Clerk of Session.
The Church Sanctuary was completely renovated in the summer of 1956 and the lower auditorium was remodelled in the summer of 1958.
MINISTERS
Mr. Thos. Murphy
(student Minister)
Rev. J. Knox Clark
Rev. R.J. Savage
Rev. R. Paterson
Rev. J.J. Cowan
Rev. W.J.
Rev. S.J. Lookman
Rev. J.B. Fox
Rev. J.B. Inglis
Rev. B. Herrod
Rev. D.S. Paterson
Rev. J.E. Riddell
Rev. W.M. Barber
1910
1911-1915
1915-1919
1919 - 1925
1925-1930
1931-1943
1944 - 1947
1949-1951
1953-1960
1960-1963
1964 - 1969
1969-1971
1972 - 1978
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Rev. M. McNabb
Rev. D.S. Wilson
Rev. V. Cottrill
Rev.M. Mullin
Rev. J. van Vliet
1979 - 1983
1984
1985-1991
1992-1999
2000 - present
ELDERS
1910
1911
1922
J. McChesney
G. Fingland
J. Baxter
D. Creighton (Clerk 6 years)
R. Stevenson
G.W. Manson (Clerk 28 years)
J Campbell
A. Blackwell
1938
1943
W. Buchanan
A. Carter
J. McDowell
C.R. Wilson (Clerk 17 years)
C. Harrold (Clerk 6 years)
D. McAuley
J. Boyle
1946
1950
H. Findlay
M. Rasmussen
J. Hamilton
P. Row (Emeritus)
H.W. (Emeritus)
A.Graham 1951
1955
1956
W. Howey
D. Johnston
O. Stapleton
Dr. J. Lockie
1957 P.R.R. Dobson
R. Dunlop
L.H. Fraser (Clerk 26 years)
1965
H. Kirkwood
G. Phillips
L. Black
A. Fraser
C.R. Roberts (Clerk 3 years)
M. Spratt
1970 R.J.Hamilton
1980
H.W.Stuart
E. Vashon
W.R. McBeth (Clerk)
1975 N. Ward
Dr. P. Chow
D. Kellie
A.S. Constable
W. Hamilton
D. Thickett
1987
F-H. Watt
Heather Dudley
Violet Stouffer
1991
Heather Shelton
Bonnie Bokhorst
Francis Stewart
Barbara Lovegrove
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1996
1999
2000
JoanneBell
MiloCale
Joan Chrun
Shirley McMullen
Colleen Gates
Connie Brown
Ellen Ewonchuk
Lisa MacRae
Connie Brown (Clerk)
Editor's note: What follows here is an exact reprint of St. Andrew's 50 th Anniversary History.
This Fiftieth Anniversary Sunday we are worshipping in our Church which, although it has been here for the last fifty years, was not always located on this site. Since its first construction, it had to be moved a couple of times before it was finally placed here, on the corner of Louise Avenue and Russell Street.
Our church building has quite a history in itself. It was built and opened as a Baptist church in the year 1885 on the southeast corner of Tenth Street and Princess Avenue. When the Baptist congregation built their existing church on
Eleventh Street, this building was sold to a non-denominational group who had it moved to the vicinity of 13 th Street around the 1100 block. Here, it was eventually turned over to the Presbyterian Presbytery, who operated it as a mission called Knox Church. In the year 1910, when the [then] new Knox Church was built on the corner of 15 th Street and
Victoria Avenue, "our" building was procured and moved to where it sits now.
The first Minister was Reverend Thomas Murphy. A Mr. William Nicol made a motion that the church be named St. Andrew's. It was Mr. Nicol's daughter, who is now Mrs. Mildrum, who was our first organist; Mr. Thomas
Tweedie was the first choir leader. A Reverend Mr. McVicar was the first Sunday School superintendent.
An amusing fact comes to light regarding the moving of the building from its 13 th Street location to its present one. On the 13 th Street site, the church was next to a barn that housed mules. One morning the Minister was preaching when he was interrupted by one of the mules braying, at which point the Rev. is alleged to have said, "At least I am getting through to somebody!" At its subsequent site, the church would be sitting next to an old machine shop, and one of the members of the board noted that at least there would not be any comments from the machinery during the
Minister's sermons.
The Rev. McVicar actually started St. Andrew's Sunday School at his own home, located on the southwest corner of First Street and Princess Avenue. Mr. McChesney was the first Sunday School superintendent in the Church from 1909 - 1914. How many of us remember the old stairs up to the vestry at the back of the Church, and our first days in Sunday School?
In December 1911, Mrs. Rev. Clark formed the first Women's Missionary Society. In 1912 the first Mission
Band was formed.
Came the First World War, which saw St. Andrew's give some of its congregation to fight for King and
Country, some never again to return. During the winters of 1918 and 1919, due to overcrowding in the schools, St.
Andrew's served as a day school for beginners
In 1921 the [then] mortgage was paid off and burned. Extensive remodelling took place in and around the
Church for the next three years. The basement was further excavated, a new floor was lain, and pews were installed to replace the chairs that had been used to this date.
In 1922 the Canadian Girls in Training was going strong. In 1925 the question of a union with the United
Church arose. It is said that three or four members of the congregation voted in favour of this.
Mrs. Sarah organized the Nimble Sewing Fingers club in 1930.
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Came the Second World War and again St. Andrew's bid farewell to some of its members. .. and again, some never returned.
In the 1950s extensive renovations to both up and downstairs were made. In the year 1960 (this year of the
Fiftieth Anniversary), we have sold the old manse that was originally purchased in 1920 and have now got a new home for our new Minister.
Many notable contributions and dedications have been made to St. Andrew's in the past. Some things we still have with us, others have given way to new changes or modifications, although many of us still treasure the old memories, too.
May this very brief history of our Church be dedicated to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. May it grow and prosper in God's work in the next fifty years so that we will again be able to look back as we do today, saying "many and great are the wonders of the Lord".
God Bless You All on this our Fiftieth Anniversary
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