My memories of the 1959 winter season were marked by intense, long-lasting storms and heavy snowfall, which created extensive, hard-packed snowbanks. This caused significant challenges for Father as he drove to and from work in Truro. Driving was difficult at times, especially when the plows hadn’t been out yet and there were whiteout conditions. But for my brother and me, that particular winter was ideal, with long-lasting snow suitable for building forts and sledding.
Winter soon turned into spring, and then, because of so many ice jams on the river, several residents in the area faced flooding, especially in and around Truro and the neighbouring community of Bible Hill. Heavy rainfall added to the spring runoff, which caused more flooded basements.
The summer was, for the most part, long, hot, and dry. It was noted as exceptionally dry in the Maritimes, with some sources calling it one of the driest on record, contributing to a “very dry” spell. In August of ’59, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Nova Scotia as part of a 45-day tour of Canada. They were in Halifax on August 7th–8th, facing high winds and rain, yet according to the news reports, tens of thousands turned out to greet them.
However, the highlight of my summer came in September of that year: a Friday-to-Sunday family getaway. September 4th, 5th, and 6th, to be exact, was a weekend trip to the farm of our favourite aunt and uncle, who lived in Sackville, N.B., had been planned. They had several children—ten, if I remember correctly—and all except one were older than my brother and me, so they kept us well entertained. Looking back, I guess it gave Mother and Dad a chance to spend some time with our aunt and uncle, knowing we were in good hands with our older cousins. Those were great times; even though as I write this story, I can’t remember what we did that was so entertaining. Visiting there was always a fun time, and I always hated to leave.
Those kids, during certain parts of the day, all had farm chores to do. Uncle Richard made it quite clear that just because we were there, goofing off at chore time was not acceptable. Our job was to stay out of the way, but we would help if asked. The sooner their chores were completed, the more time they could spend with us. The boys had chickens to feed, eggs to gather, and cows to be milked and fed. I don’t know what else they had to do, as Father would always pitch in to give Uncle Richard a helping hand. The girls had their kitchen chores: peeling vegetables and making apple pies while the roast was in the oven and Aunt Mary was making biscuits.
Every time we went to Aunt Mary and Uncle Richard’s, Mother always took a few minutes to visit a neighbour whom Mom had known long before she was married. That visit was no exception. Since Mother was not needed in the kitchen to help Aunt Mary with meal preparations, we walked over to visit Lil and Clark. Lil was a short, older lady with graying hair, not much taller than me, and Clark was thin and tall. The visit wasn’t long, and soon we were back in Aunt Mary’s kitchen. Their dining room was off from the pantry, and in the centre of the dining room was a long table with room for all of us to be seated at mealtime. When it came bedtime, I spent the night in the girls’ bedroom, and my brother stayed with the boys in theirs. That Friday, Saturday, and Sunday went much too fast, and before we knew it, it was time to pack up, say our goodbyes, climb into the car, and head back to Nova Scotia.
By then darkness had fallen, and as we approached Folly Lake, we could see multiple flashing lights ahead of us. Traffic had slowed, and as we reached the area, there were vehicles parked on both sides of the road. Brother and I were oblivious in the back seat, but as we passed by slowly, Father glanced down the hill to the left, where he saw headlights facing the railway tracks. Train cars were turned over on their sides, along with a couple of ambulances with their lights flashing. We could hear the blaring sirens as more first responders arrived. The headline news report on CKCL, the radio station in Truro, the following morning was of a Canadian National Railway freight train derailment which had occurred at Folly Lake, Nova Scotia, on the evening of September 6th, resulting in injuries to five employees. No explanation was given for the cause of the accident, and to my knowledge, no further updates were issued.
Here in Nova Scotia, summer holidays from school concluded in early September, with students returning to classes following the Labour Day weekend. After roughly eight to ten weeks of break, the start of the new school year involved readjusting to morning routines: Mother packing our lunches, waiting for the school bus at the end of our driveway, and once classes began, meeting our teachers, who issued us our textbooks for the coming year.
