Chapter 12

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STAFF PARTIES
CHAPTER #12

        In the early 70’s we would organize parties for the whole company. Odd-Fellows hall was always a hit, rented juke-boxes and all. We even had a Gong Show at the Ukrainian Hall, with everyone invited of course, not just radio guys.
        Every Christmas we had our parties at the Parr’s.   Also at Christmas we were always invited up to the Okanagan Hangar, for a couple hours of drinks, and lively discussion. In 1970 I went to one of these with Birke Brookbank, and after a couple hours of filling my face with booze, I asked him to drive me home in my car. Which he did. I boarded with my brother and his wife on Sparks St. at the time. I remember getting home, and looking at the house and seeing all the lights off. Figuring it was late and everyone was sleeping , I proceeded to carefully open the door, and quietly as possible I crawled up the stairs, ( I was too drunk to walk!) down the hall, and into bed. The next morning at breakfast time everyone asked me why I was in bed at 7:00PM? Yes, they were out shopping and when they came home I was passed out in bed!    It must have been a good party!
       After one of these parties Ron Strumecki invited me to go to his place on Churchill Dr to have a drink before I went home. As if me, or him, needed another one! Anyway Rose his wife, said she had just the thing for us, Dandelion Wine! Well this wasn’t regular dandelion wine, for it was made out of the stems and flower!   I didn’t wander too far from a bathroom for 24 hours after!

In the late 60’s and early 70’s we had Communication Balls held once a year in the old Community hall, Where the George Little Park Saw Blade Sign is now. It was a large quansat style building. We had a different theme each year, Grecian I remember was one. I remember gluing huge tubes of cardboard together to make large Grecian pillars for that one. That was the year of the Parachute!

Jack Greaves ca 1988
photo by Brian Wolfe, Ladysmith BC
Jack Greaves was the big promoter of this event, and was always MC.

Bill Reynolds would also be involved in the organizing of this big party.

One year they needed something to cover the whole ceiling of the hall, I think it was the Grecian Theme Party. So Jack came up with the brain storm to buy a huge US Army nylon parachute, used to drop tanks in WWII. It came from the states, and was shipped in a wooden crate about 3-4 ft square. To save duty, they shipped it to Hyder as telephone equipment. Pat Coulter, the Stewart I&R guy, would then drive over the border and pick it up and bring it to Terrace for the party. One small problem occurred. The forklift on the dock put a small hole in the crate, and being nylon, this thing started to ooze out of the hole and by the time Pat got to the crate, half the chute was visible. So much for the bootlegging scam, they had to pay duty to get it to Canada. It burnt up in the crate in the Barn fire in 1974. Used once! I must admit, it was impressive in size, and quality. It covered the whole ceiling and the walls, and extra laid on the floor. It would have covered 2 halls!
My Original ticket from the Apollo Party
The First Annual one
Oct 25, 1969

All Pictures below courtesy Brian Wolfe, Ladysmith BC

Radio Christmas Party in Don Parr's Basement, ca 1970's
Every year we had a Christmas Party for Radio, Toll, and Mechanics

We did eat good!