Chapleau High School at turning point in its history in 1961-62 as enrolment jumped significantly, new course added

Merrick Goldstein 1960s

Chapleau High School took its first small step towards bilingualism - French and English - in the 1961-62 school year with the arrival of Luther Emerson as principal.

Susan Cecile, a Grade 13 student, who wrote a column in the short lived Chapleau Press explained that students who had graduated from the bilingual program at the separate school would be able to take "advanced French instead of the ordinary elementary French", in Grade 9. Plans were to continue it through to Grade 13 for these students.

At that time there were no plans to offer other courses in French, but it was the start of courses for those who spoke French as a first language.

Interestingly, Susan points out that enrolment has jumped to 201 as compared to 136 in the previous year. There were three Grade 9 classes, two Grade 10 and one each for Grades 11, 12 and 13.

Innocents John Murray, Jim Anderson, Peter Simpson Frank Bignucolo

For those who started at CHS in 1961-62, you may recall the teachers who were Mr. Emerson, Jean Hattie, Sheila Kingston, Raymond Achurch, Yvon Charbonneau, Marcel Gelinas, Clement Miron, Gladys Bowles, and George Evans in his first year at the school.

Susan commented: "We have found our new teachers enthusiastic, cooperative and just plain terrific".


Susan noted the importance of physical education courses, which were compulsory from grades 9 to 12, with two qualified teachers -- Mr. Gelinas and Miss Kingston. Activities would be held on the playing field and in the "cellar gym".

A skating rink was planned behind the school while there was also a school bowling league with games scheduled once a week at the YMCA lanes.  The fee for students was $2.00 a month.

Curling was also popular with 16 teams competing at the Pine Street curling rink after school on weekdays. Playoffs were planned for the end of the season.

Religious instruction classes were held weekly conducted by Father R. Marchand of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Rev. J.G.M. Doolan of St. John's Anglican Church and Rev. M.A. McBride of Trinity United Church.

To mark the start of the school year, Branch Number 5 of the Royal Canadian Legion dedicated a new flag and flagpole in front of the school, according to the Sudbury Star.

Gerry Boucher

Legion member Ken Encil headed a team which erected the flagpole. The dedication ceremonies were conducted by branch president Herbert Doig assisted by Scotty Welch. The flag was raised by Wilfred Simpson.

The occasion was also an opportunity to present awards to four members of 1181 Chapleau High School Cadet Corps for proficiency in Morse Code training while at Camp Ipperwash. They were Wayne Midkiff, K. Knorz, Danny Mizuguchi and Edward Beynon, who won an additional award for work at Camp Borden.

The 1961-62 year at CHS marked a turning point in the history of secondary school education in Chapleau in more ways than one, but that is a story for another day,  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Photos from Lark Ritchie collection

Friday Morning Coffee Club meets in new location with visit from The Sound Principle

Friday Morning Coffee Club, aka FMCC,  met for the first time in its new location at the White Spot, Triple O, with a special musical moment for Valentine's Day provided by 'The Sound Principle'.

'The Sound Principle', a very popular Cranbrook barber shop quartet, with FMCC founding member Joel Vinge as a member was making its annual rounds for Valentine's Day to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. All funds raised go to the foundation.

It takes them two days to visit all those who sign up in Cranbrook and Kimberley  to have the quartet visit in person and present a rose to a loved one and sing two appropriate songs for the occasion.

 In fact, they even sing for the mother of Jim Roberts, another FMCC founding member, who lives in Oregon, Technology assists greatly!

They found time to visit White Spot Triple O, and present a rose and sing two songs, which were greeted by loud applause by the FMCC members, staff and customers. Members of 'The Sound Principle' are: lead, Gert DeGroot; bass, Rollie Cummins; bass, Michael Jones, and tenor, Joel Vinge.

Thanks so much.

FMCC had to move after two years when the Starbucks in Target closed as part of the store closing.

Thanks to the staff who made us feel so welcome at the new location.

Also, thanks to 'The Sound Principle' who bring moments of delight into the lives of so many people all year round, but especially on Valentine's Day.

They remind me of a quote attributed to Etienne de Grellet, a Quaker missionary:

I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Etienne de Grellet
Quaker Missionary

Red light on top of water tower signalled call for police in Chapleau during 1950s

Red light on old water tower far left seen all over town

If you were watching police action television shows in the 1970s, it is most likely that  one of your favourites was "Startsky and Hutch" starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul. It ran from 1975 to 1979.

 

Bet you didn't know that Chapleau had its version of the popular television show in the 1950s, although in upholding law and order, their duties may not have been as exciting.

 

In fact, when I was a teenager in the 1950s, we had two versions of "Startsky and Hutch". One consisted of Jim Collings and Don Houghton, who out of ear shot we referred to as"Collings and Houghton", and they were local constables.

 

The other was Ron Lewis and John Craig,  commonly referred to as "Lewis and Craig" the two Ontario Provincial Police officers whose patrol area was vast as the surrounding communities like Sultan, Nemegos, Pineal Lake, Kormak and Island Lake were busy places.

 

The town police force consisted of Jim and Don, another constable, and the chief. They had one patrol car. Ron and John were the only OPP officers and had one cruiser. Neither cars were radio equipped.

 

If you needed the town police, you would call their office and leave a message. To let the officers know there was a call, a red light turned on, on top of the water tower.

 

They would proceed to the town hall office to answer the phone.

 

Some evenings when they had set up a speed trap usually on Mill Road, pranksters would call the number, wait until they headed to the town hall, and then zoomed to Bucciarelli's Beach. To this day, I am not going to reveal the names of those who were guilty of sending Jim and Don off to answer a fake phone call.

 

All in all though, as those of us growing up in Chapleau in the 1950s drove around  town pretty aimlessly, of an evening, but never too far from Main Street in case something really exciting happened, we had a pretty good relationship with both Jim and Don and Ron and John.

 

In fact, on occasion, they did us favours, and all these years later I remember them most fondly.

 

In his book "Pioneering in Northern Ontario", Vince Crichton includes a chapter on the Law in Chapleau starting in 1886.

 

According to Vince, Harry West was the first police officer who had come to the community and built a small hotel which eventually became known as the Sportsman. He was appointed by the province, but apparently little law enforcement was done as it would have been "detrimental to the hotel business or shall we say the bar business."

 

Another early officer was a Thomas Lanergan, who according to Vince was a good policeman.

 

"His favourite expression was 'Halt' when he wished to question or stop someone... The prevalent use of this utterance resulted in him being known by the townsfolk as 'Old Halt'"

 

Having served in the military during the Riel Rebellion, when on duty, he wore his uniform complete with medals, clasps and service ribbons.

 

Percy E. Scott, who had been working on the CPR was appointed Chief of Police, sanitary inspector, weed control officer, truant officer and other duties. Vince noted that he was a "pretty good sort of chap to the younger people of Chapleau..." Mr. Scott later became town foreman (public works superintendent), a position Jim Collings also held  some years after serving on the Chapleau ;police force.

 

Through much of its history, it seems that Chapleau had a chief of police and perhaps a "night constable." If my memory serves me right, the police got their first patrol car in 1952.

 

Previously, If the officer needed to get somewhere in a hurry, he would call a taxi.

 

In 1967, the Ontario Provincial Police took over all policing duties in Chapleau.

 

And just a few words about the town jail located for many years in the basement of the old fire hall at Lorne and Pine streets. As Vince noted, it was "something to behold". It consisted of three cells side by side "with a cold cement floor which was far from dty in the spring of the year." Each cell was about six feet long and four feet wide with a small bed made of strap iron on which there was usually a far from clean blanket."

 

If two or more were lodged in the same cell, one got the bed and the rest the floor.

 

Vince summed up the jail: " A night spent in this sin bin was equivalent to a term of incarceration of many days in other jails." This jail ceased to be in use with the completion of the OPP building in 1957.

 

 I had often thought through the years about the Chapleau' versions of "Startsky and Hutch" and after thumbing through Vince's book again, decided to share a bit about law and order. My email is mj.morris@live.ca