Chapter 5hh

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NASS LIGHT ROUTE
MICROWAVE SYSTEM
CHAPTER #5

MEZIADIN
FAREWELL PARTIES
and
ENTERTAINMENT

Meziadin became the site for farewells over the years.
Owen Jamieson had his going away party there,
as well as Don Parr and others.

Ron Strumecki, Bob Pegg, and Ray Homeniuk
enjoying a good joke at Meziadin

I still remember Ray Homeniuk blessing us all, at Don Parr's retirement party, and passing around “Holy Water” (Yeltsin calls it that too!) We had many fun nights at this site, saying goodbye, and reliving thousands of stories.
I even remember calling Birke Brookbank, on the radio phone, from a pickup one night, and chatting with him, until someone (mechanic named “Art” I think) fired off a Handgun in my ear. Haven’t been the same since!

Or how about the “arrow” through the window, of the pickup canopy???
Ask Brian Wolfe about that one!
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OUR
ENTERTAINMENT

During the summer there was the Van Dyke Camp, the Forestry Camp, Anderson Construction Camp (during the highway const) and a few other civilization spots. Most of these we had base stations installed, and they would provide our nightly entertainment,
listening to the boys call home on the radio phone, and talk about everything from love life to divorce! It was our Soap Opera, since we had no TV or radio, at any of the sites in the 60’s or early 70’s. I remember it was a big deal when we bought a shortband Receiver for Meziadin site. Wow, nothing like the BBC to get you going! We used to phone up the operators in Terrace just for conversation. If we were lucky enough to pick up a Vancouver radio station, especially in the winter, with the snow, we would phone in requests for songs. They couldn't believe where we were! They couldn't pronounce Meziadin, never mind know where it was! Remember one night Chuck ordered some old hit, about an old log house, just his style!

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Before the road was plowed to the new bridge we had to snowcat from Brown Bear to Meziadin, over the new Nass bridge. At one time, before the timbers were changed, there was snowcat track marks on the top of the timbers of the 3’ high railing. The snow was over the railing, and if you misjudged your edge of the snow, your track would be over the edge, with nothing between you and a long drop to the Nass river.