NEW ADVENTURES - PART 2

1953-55 were significant years in Almonte for Marion and Doug.

They were fortunate to find a pleasant house to rent on Elgin Street. It had been owned by an older gentleman who died suddenly. Rent was modest and a one year lease was quickly arranged. The house, however, was old and in need of repair. They tired of putting mice poisoning in the attic. As well, the house was heated by furnace air which rose through the house through one central grid in the centre of the two floors. The winter cold immediately changed their habits so they closed off the upper floor and converted the living room to a bedroom and the bedroom to a living room. They survived but moved the next year.

In his first year of teaching, Doug received a salary of $2800 from the Lanark Board of Education. This was obviously going to be a challenge when Marion reported she was pregnant. Complicating matters further was the practice of paying teachers in ten months rather than twelve - $280 each month! They paid their first visit to the Bank of Montreal to borrow $100 to get through the first summer.

School life at the Almonte District High School under the principal ship of “Croochy” (Caruthers) was interesting. As the music teacher, Doug was expected to enter the school choir in a music festival in Ottawa. He decided to use the 16^th century madrigal, “Sing We and Chaunt It” by Thomas Morley, a lilting piece of music  but one that had a lot of repeats in it some of which were missed by Doug. The choir sang very well but at the end of the performance the judge said that as much as he enjoyed the choir, he had never heard the song sung like that before!
"Sing We and Chaunt It" (video)
 

 

The highlight of the year was the birth of David at the Rosamund Memorial Hospital on February 17, 1954. The doctor was Dr. Schulte, a German doctor who eventually returned to Germany. (His associate was Dr. Rolf Bach who remained a friend for many years until he died in 2010) Doug was busily teaching a class at school the afternoon that David was born. He was a wee one but the delight of family and new-found friends in Almonte.

At the end of the school year, the family moved around the corner to Church Street (two churches) where they occupied the bottom floor.

Life was good enhanced by the regular invitations from the family above them to join them on Sunday evenings to watch The Ed Sullivan Show at eight o’clock. Reception was not great but they enjoyed their first experience with TV.

During the autumn months and with the help of other teachers, Doug constructed a homemade Hi Fi system from a Heathkit which was popular at the time. It was a little like painting by numbers. For a modest amount of money, one could purchase all the necessary components for the electrical system. The task was to assemble the ingredients "by numbers". The most interesting instruction came at the end when you were asked to plug the machine into the wall. If it sounded as though something was “frying”, pull the plug out immediately. Fortunately, the assembly was a success. Once a month, they held a musical soiree in their homes to “appreciate” fine music. The group included a doctor and his wife, a pharmacist and his wife (he only came for the treats at 10 pm), an English teacher and the Rev. Llewellyn Graham and his wife (Head of English).
"Those Long-lost Hi-Fi Kits"

Throughout their stay in Almonte, Doug sang in the choir of St. Paul's Church and served frequently as the cantor (chanter) for sung services. All was well until the choirmaster suddenly disappeared when he ran away with one of the singers! (What is it with these musicians?)

On February 16, 1955, while he was teaching, Doug received the tragic news from Marion that his mother had died suddenly and unexpectedly in Kitchener. This was sad news for Doug and Marion and for the whole Gellatly family. Doug and Marion caught the next train to Kitchener and shared their sadness with his father, Harold and with his four sisters and three brothers.

At the end of the year, Marion and Doug decided to head further west to get closer to “home”. Doug accepted a position at the Guelph Collegiate for September 1955.