Our Stories

It all started with a recipe.

The dog biscuit recipe was developed by Jackie, the daughter of a resident at Fox Ridge Care Community in Brantford. Fuelled by Jackie’s love of animals, the recipe made its rounds at her catering business, drew crowds at the Brantford Flee Market, and was eventually published in a cook book.

Her father, Leonard, told Caroline Casey, a program aid at Fox Ridge, about the recipe. Together they developed a plan to make the biscuits for the local SPCA animal shelter.

“Sadly, Jackie passed away, and it’s very emotional for Leonard,” Caroline said. “He’s very honoured to be able to do this in her memory… We discussed [making the bones] in November. The day we’re making the cookie bones is actually Jackie’s birthday. Leonard said it would kind of be like an honour to her, our doing this for the animals at the humane society, because one of her passions in life was to help animals.”

The only problem was Leonard no longer had a copy of the biscuit recipe, but he did remember the book it had been published in. Caroline was able to track the book to a local store. When they heard Leonard’s story, they photocopied the recipe and gave it to him free of charge.

But Caroline wanted to take it further, to do even more. She made plans to involve the entire care community in the project, and the end result is a true testament to what is possible if everyone works together.

Caroline spoke with family and staff. One family member said that she grew catnip in her back garden, and would be happy to dry some and bring it in. Help also came from a hymn singing group who come into Fox Ridge every week. One of the men in the group told Caroline that he made clothing for impoverished children, and that he’d be happy to donate material for them to make catnip sacks.

Residents were happy to make the sacks during a craft session — meanwhile, team members organized themselves for a cupcake-baking extravaganza. Fox Ridge’s industrial-sized ovens were commandeered to bake the cupcakes. Later, residents sold the cupcakes in the lobby.

Posters were also put up around Fox Ridge, asking family if they had spare bedding to donate, as the SPCA had identified that as one of their needs. Caroline said one family member in particular went above and beyond by placing an online ad looking for bedding, and then driving around the city to collect it all. It took them two trips to bring all the collected bedding to Fox Ridge.

Within a month, Fox Ridge had collected not only 48 of Jackie’s dog biscuits, but also: 170 home-made catnip sacks, 13 garbage-bags filled with bedding, 132 cans of cat food, 25 cans of dog food, 24 rolls of paper towel, four large containers of wipes, assorted dog toys, and $45 in cash and gift cards.

Caroline said that her contact at the Brant Country SPCA was “amazed and so thankful” for all they had done. Additionally, Brant Country SPCA posted a thank you to Fox Ridge on their Facebook page, saying “A special thank you to Fox Ridge Care Community for raising money, baking dog treats, sewing cat nip toys and gathering items from our Christmas wish list! We greatly appreciate the care and generosity from all the residents to help animals at the shelter!”

In return for Fox Ridge’s generosity, the SPCA brought a dog in to see the residents.

"It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed doing it,” said Christine, President of the Residents’ Council. “We all love animals and we were glad that we could make a difference,".

Caroline was recently told by one of the residents that, “we have to get away from thinking the [outside] community always has to help us… we need to start thinking of how we can help the community too. We’re capable of doing so many things, and just because we’re in our home here, that doesn’t mean we can’t do things for other people,” she said. It was part of what inspired her to start looking for ways Fox Ridge could give back, and also what eventually led to her conversation with Leonard about the dog biscuit recipe.

“We have to give all the recognition to Leonard,” Caroline said. “Because it was his idea, and his recipe — his daughter’s recipe, and without that it wouldn’t be so meaningful.”

The scissors glide along the paper seamlessly, cutting it to the perfect length. The screech of tape as it’s pulled from its roll is joined by the crinkling of folding paper. With deft hands, the box is turned into a present any child would be delighted to rip open.

“The residents wrapped all the gifts,” said Krista Hazelwood, lifestyle consultant at Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford. “It was completely resident committee funded… They use their funds however they choose, and this was one of the ways they chose to use their money.”

For the second year in a row, residents at Island Park decided to sponsor a local family in need for the Holidays. The family was comprised of two grandparents raising their four grandchildren, who are all under the age of 12.

“The Grandparents just couldn’t see them getting separated and put into different homes,” said Krista. “Our goal this year, other than to make the family’s Christmas a little brighter, was to shop locally.”

The Salvation Army provided Krista with a list of things the children had wished for. Armed with that list, a group of residents and Krista took to the town, determined to make the Holidays brighter. Krista said they managed to get nearly everything on the list, and also put together a gift bag for the entire family.

“A common theme sort of came up between all of the children, and it was that they all enjoyed doing art,” said Krista. “[The family gift] was full of art supplies — so adult colouring books, crayons, markers and construction paper.”

Some of the other gifts included treats from Dooher’s Bakery and six tickets to visit the local theatre. Krista said they were careful to make sure that the children had an equal number of presents. The gifts were also all colour-coded, so the grandparents would know who got each gift.

“It really is a heartwarming experience to be able to give back to the community… It’s probably one of the residents’ favourite things all year to do, is to be giving back to the community,” said Krista. “I definitely think we’ll be doing it again, for sure.”

Music takes many highs and lows; it can be flat or sharp, quick or slow, melodious or piercing. For Gisele, music’s unique ability to spread joy is its most important quality, and something worth sharing.

“Everyone has a voice,” said Gisele, a 91-year-old resident at Red Oak Retirement Residence. “Once you hear somebody else next to you sing, you sing. You don’t have to know how to sing, it’s the truth!”

Music has always been a part of Gisele’s life. As a child, everyone in her family played something, and she, herself, took piano lessons. As she got older music was something she had to try and find time for, but was often left by the wayside. When she moved into Red Oak seven years ago, reconnecting with music was one of her goals — and she certainly accomplished it. On top of hosting a monthly concert and sing-along, she also curates movies in the residence’s home theatre four times a week.

“I didn’t think [the music] would come back, but it did,” Gisele said. “I’m very involved here, you know. I don’t stay put very much, which is great. It’s wonderful, I do a lot of volunteer work and I love it.”

Gisele’s most recent sing-alongs have paid a special tribute to the food and beverage team at Red Oak.

“I found out from the people in the kitchen that they have beautiful voices, you know? And I thought, why not mix them up with the residents and enjoy it?” Gisele said. “So they came up the first time, and they enjoyed it so thoroughly, and they were singing! And the chef said, ‘my goodness, I’ve never seen them so happy.’ So I thought, this is a good thing for them, to show them what they can do.”

“The staff were full of smiles and enthusiasm,” Jennifer Nason, lifestyle consultant at Red Oak, said about the sing-along.

Four servers sang solos at the sing-along, and at the end of the night Gisele invited everyone left in the kitchens up to sing ‘My Way’.

“I told the chef bring them all up, all the ones that are still here at this time, I said bring them all and we’ll all sing together. And we did that, and they seemed to enjoy it,” Gisele said. “They have talent.”

Along with organizing a time for the program and rehearsals, Gisele also put all the lyrical books together. When she moved in, she asked someone at the residence to help her type up songs and bind them together. The resulting five books, filled with nearly 600 songs, have been well used.

Gisele works to keep the sing-along informal and inviting, firmly believing that “if it’s too formal then people back off, they’re shy and no, it doesn’t work. But if you lead them with their own talent and their own thing then well, everybody seemed to enjoy.”

She keeps statistics on all of the programs she runs, particularly the movie nights, to help her make her programing better. She said about 20-25 people turn-up to the movies four nights a week. Depending on the location of the sing-along, she can pull-in anywhere from 25-50 people.

“I find I’m always surprised whenever I see 20-25 people. I say ‘oh, my goodness, I never thought they would come’. But they do, and they enjoy it,” Gisele said.

Harp music floats over the babbling crowd, punctuated by laughter and the clink of golden spoons as they pile-up beside the bubbling pots.

“It was just such a fun night, you know?” said Jessica Andrusko, lifestyle consultant at Lincoln Park Retirement Residence in Grimsby. “Everyone was having a great time being together, and just enjoying the soups, the prizes, the atmosphere, everything.”

Over 100 people came out to Lincoln Park’s soup-tasting event. The event, named So You Think You Can Soup, brought local restaurants together in a competition for the title of The Best Soup in Grimsby. Participants were encouraged to try all of the soups at the event and vote for their favourite by placing a golden spoon in a box beside their chosen soup. Tickets to the event were $15, with all proceeds going to McNally House Hospice.

“The residents voted, and they chose the charity that they wanted to support,” Jessica said. “We’re a very small town, so everybody knows McNally house.”

A table was set-up to represent McNally House at the event. At the table guests could leave a donation, participate in a 50/50 draw, and get information. There was also a silent auction and raffle during the event, as well as four delicious soups to sample. De La Terre Kitchen offered a roasted fennel and tomato soup; The Judge & Jester had a pumpkin spice soup; The Forty Publichouse served a chicken and dumpling soup; and Lincoln Park brought out a black bean with crème fraiche soup.

“We actually did a taste testing each week so our residents were able to taste-test and vote on which soup they wanted us to enter into the competition, and we had a lot of hype, which was great,” Jessica said.

Though the black bean with crème fraiche soup won the best soup made at Lincoln Park, The Forty Publichouse’s chicken and dumpling soup collected the most spoons, winning it the title of Best Soup in Grimsby.

The event, which originally aimed to raise $1,500, wound-up raising $2,415 dollars for McNally House.

“We just blew that goal out of the water… the residents were absolutely floored with how much money we were in fact able to raise for McNally House,” Jessica said. “[The residents] were just so happy to be able to support McNally House in that way.”
Lincoln Park is already planning to hold another taste-testing competition.

“We definitely plan to do something next year, we’re actually thinking of doing pizza this time,” Jessica said with a laugh. “The best pizza in Grimsby.”

A hum, filled with excited chatter, permeates the room. Occasionally, laughter rings out as students document and listen to the stories their grandpal has to tell.

“The residents had a really good time. They love the kids; they absolutely love getting to see them and hang out with them and it’s just a good time,” said Laura Kennery, director of resident programs and admissions at Maple Grove Care Community in Brampton. “Any intergenerational program is amazing.”

The grandpal program paired residents at Maple Grove with Grade 7 students from Sunny View Middle School. Each resident was paired with a group of three to four students, who would ask them questions about their life.

“The residents were telling the students about their family and friends, what they did when they grew up, what they did for a living. If they were a truck driver, they spoke about all the things they got to see across Canada. Someone else talked about how many times they moved, and that they were actually from Germany,” said Laura. “It was interesting to hear some of the stories.”

Students did not have a list of questions, and instead the conversations were left to take on a life of their own. At the end of the three visits, the students created a mini-biography of the residents for their social studies class. A few weeks after their final interview, the students went back to Maple Grove to present their grandpal with their mini-biography.

“I really liked the book,” said Carmen, a resident who participated in the grandpal program. “My granddaughter, she’s 11, she read it all and she said, ‘Oh Nan, what you going to do with the book?’ I said, ‘I’ll put it in the library here, where others can read it.’”

Sixteen grandpals and 50 students took part in the program, which ran in two sessions. One class of 25 students would meet with eight grandpals in the morning, with the other class and grandpals meeting in the afternoon. While the intergenerational program has many benefits for both the residents and students, one unexpected benefit was that it gave two grandpals a chance to speak in their first language. 

“We were able to work it out so they were paired with students who could speak Punjabi, so they could actually talk in their mother tongue,” Laura said. “I thought that was really nice, because the residents were able to connect on a different level, instead of always having to think about what word to say in English.”

The students also had a great time in the program.

“They’re coming back again in December, just to do Christmas carols and see their friends again,” Laura said. “They’ve been very excited and very happy.”

When asked if she would do the program again, Laura’s answer was a resounding yes.

“YES! Absolutely, it was a wonderful!” she said. “I think any intergenerational program is amazing, and the residents have pride that they’re helping the students with a project… So yeah, we would definitely take on something like this again.”

“Okay, I’m bringing the Cheesies!”

That was the first reaction of one of the Barrie Colts players when Maria Morra, director of resident programs and admissions at Owen Hill Care Community in Barrie, said that the players would be welcome to join the residents for bingo. Cheesies are often used as prizes on bingo night, and the players were all excited about returning to the home for a second visit.

Their first visit saw the Colts surprising veterans, residents and family at Owen Hill with a three-hour visit, several boxes of pizza, and a signed jersey and poster. Residents gathered together in the multipurpose room, eager to meet a ‘surprise hockey guest,’ having no idea that the entire team would be coming in to see them.

“Oh it was a lovely surprise,” said Winnie, a resident at Owen Hill and veteran of WWII. “It was very nice of them to meet us and say thank you to me as a veteran.”

Maria scheduled the surprise visit in honour of Remembrance Day, thinking that it would be a nice tribute to the veterans.

“We thought, because it was Remembrance Day, it would be nice to have something to give tribute to our veterans, because they’re such a big part of our society,” she said. “It is so important to remember them and thank them.”

Owen Hill is a fairly small care community, so even though nearly half of the residents came to the event, everyone was able to get one-on-one time with one of the eight players. Most tables had about three residents and one or two players, who were quick to fill the room with chatter.

“It was very intimate, quaint, and very personable… the players didn’t feel like they were walking into this big auditorium,” Maria said. “The residents were in awe… because the Barrie colts are such a big part of Barrie, and a lot of these players get drafted for the NHL.”

Harry Hadden, a resident at the event, was president of the Barrie Colts hockey team when they won the championships in 1977-78. His wife was kind enough to bring in his jacket for him, something the players loved.

“It was very nice of the young men to come and visit,” Harry said. “You know they don’t have a lot of time, because they need to practice and they have a busy schedule. The advice I gave them is to go home every night and get rest… it’s important, you know.”

During their visit, the players asked the residents about their favourite activities, unsurprisingly, many residents mentioned bingo.

“The players turned to me, and I said, ‘Yep, you’re welcome to come,’” Maria said. “I even talked to the community outreach contact, and she said they had a great time, and that when they got back to the [hockey] club they were telling the other players how much fun they had and how great it was to meet the veterans and the other residents… So we’re going to plan in the new year to have a bingo night with the Barrie Colts.”

Opa’s trunk stands tall, its branches reaching up and away, trying to gently grasp the wispy clouds above. Heavily scarred, the trunk is so wide that 11 people could not wrap their arms around it. It is the truest symbol of this 1,000-year-old Douglas fir tree’s age.

Authors, poets and playwrights often visit Opa, hoping for inspiration. It is one of only two old-growth trees remaining on Bowen Island, which was cleared of almost all its old trees by the 20th century. 

Residents at Peninsula Retirement Residence in Surrey paid the Opa tree a surprise visit after exploring Snug Cove, a tiny town on Bowen Island. The group of 11 tried to wrap their arms around the tree, but could not quite make it. They described the tree as “awe inspiring”.

Below is the first-hand account of Peninsula resident Roy McLean’s encounter with Opa.

Roy McLean: “Certainly, for those of us who were viewing the tree for the first time it was an awe-inspiring sight, and the most noteworthy part of the trip.

Thinking back to my reaction at the time… I was amazed at its height, but after walking around it, I was even more impressed with its circumference.

As I viewed the various indentations and the scars on its surface, I thought of what the person, or persons, would be like, so long ago, as they attempted to cut it down with a crude axe, a cross-cut saw, or something even prior to their use.

I knew in advance that the tree was at least 1,000 years old, but as I stood there viewing it, it made me fully realize just how long it has been standing there with us. Wow, what a story it could tell.”

The near-beer flowed freely around the campfire as residents laughed and chatted over the crackling flames. Insects hummed in the distance, and delicious smores were liberally passed around.

“I enjoyed the whole day, it was very exciting,” said Irene, a resident at Trillium Retirement Residence and Care Community in Kingston. “The music was very good, weather was perfect and the food was good. The day went by too fast.”

“It’s just a really great day, and you know, weeks later we’ll still bring it up, what a great day it was,” said Jackie Arnott, director of resident programs at Trillium. “It’s a chance for residents to get outside and kind of get back to nature and enjoy the fresh air.”

Trillium’s third annual camp day, a brainchild of Carol-Anne Woodcock, was a huge success, with over 60 residents coming out to the campsite over the course of the day. The campsite, which is also the Rutherford Girl Guides site, is only a 15-minute drive from the residence, meaning that they can shuttle residents back and forth as the day goes on.

“We do a number or trips back and forth to Trillium,” Jackie said. “We’re lucky enough we have a site just on the edge of our town that feels very rustic… and we bring in entertainers that play guitar. We do bonfires at night, and have BBQs. The residents have a great time sitting by the water and enjoying the music and fresh air.”

There are usually 10 residents at the site during the day, but that number can swell to 24 around lunch and dinner, when they do a BBQ meal.

“[There’s] a lot of reminiscing going on,” Jackie said. She explained that a lot of people worked in factories around the site, or had connections to the Girl Guides, meaning that nearly everyone has a story to tell.

“They enjoy being by the water front,” Jackie said. “Just to come and enjoy the music, and sit and enjoy the fresh air and have those conversations and reminisce with each other.”

There are a few walking paths down near the water that residents can walk along, or they can tour the cabin.

“We often have family involved as well,” Jackie said. “We encourage family to come out… We have a large family participation that comes out and supports us.”


The team members at Trillium work together to keep the day running smoothly. The large event requires planning and hard work from everyone at Trillium, and they pull it off beautifully.

“It is quite an organizational feat, with lots of excel charts,” Jackie said. But it’s worth it.

“They really enjoyed being there, they enjoyed the music,” Jackie said. “One gentleman brought his harmonica and played along with the music and another one was tapping… and just really enjoying being in that space.”

The needle slides up and down through the fabric, pulling thread with it. Its rhythmic hum is a sound most of the residents are used to, having listened to it most of their lives.

“We’re a majority of an Italian home here, so [sewing is] one of these things that these ladies are used to and they did it in their home,” said Alexandra Gordon, manager of recreation and volunteer services at Villa Leonardo Gambin in Toronto. “That they’re still able to do it is really amazing.”

Villa Leonardo Gambin has a sewing station on one of their floors. Residents have been using it to develop wheelchair pillows and sensory blankets for other residents.

“Residents can walk down the hall and see another resident with the wheelchair cushion they made on their wheel chair and be proud of that work they did,” Alexandra said. “They’ve also been working on cushions for the bazar. So they’re producing things that they like to do and that helps them reminisce about what they did previously.”

Recently, Villa Leonardo Gambin had an art show to showcase work residents have been doing in the weekly art classes. Over 100 family and friends of residents were welcomed into the home where they enjoyed wine and harp music. They also had a chance to purchase artwork completed by the residents. The art was sold by donation, with all proceeds going back into the art program.

“We know how important it is to really have those different aspects of your loved one, so we had discussed what we would like if they were our family,” Alexandra said. “I said ‘you know what, if someone had given me the opportunity to purchase something that my grandmother had made I would do it in a heartbeat.’”

Colourful paintings, imaginative crafts, beautiful quilts and knitting designs were on display at the art show. 

“I am proud to show my work to others,” said Maria, a resident at Villa Leonardo Gambin who had several knit pieces in the art show. “Knitting is a pastime and a passion for me. I used to knit for my family and friends, and now I knit for my grandchildren.”

A photographer was at the show, and residents were asked to choose one of their pieces to be photographed with.

“That sense of pride is really there,” Alexandra said. “To be able to exemplify that was really nice.”

There was also a slide show of residents putting together some of their works – which included painting and building a Muskoka chair.

“We’ve been working closely with our art therapist as well as our recreation therapy assistants to create different pieces of art work,” Alexandra said. “Residents use different mediums, sewing materials, paint, crayons, tinfoil – really anything you can think of."

On top of weekly art sessions, Villa Leonardo Gambin also has an art therapist come in twice a month. The residents’ love of these programs is what inspired the art expose.

“We just saw the way that our residents responded to art, the impact that it was having on their social wellbeing … the happiness that it brings them. We decided that it would be really important for us to share that with their family and friends and for them to be able to show

off their skills and what they’re doing,” Alexandra said.

“It was a beautiful night, and I am so proud of the residents, as well as my team, for completing such a beautiful event,” Alexandra said.

The Olympic Games came to Cheltenham in a whirlwind of volleyball games, 100-metre dashes and javelin throws.

“Everyone had a blast, so we’re going to do it again,” said Sabrina Ruffolo, recreation aid at Cheltenham Care Community in Toronto. “The residents are already planning the winter Olympics.”


Cheltenham’s three floors went head-to-head in four Olympic events. The 1st floor’s Team Pleasantville, 2nd floor’s Team Cedar Trail and 3rd floor’s Team Rose Garden competed for a pizza party and ultimate bragging rights.

About 60 residents participated in the events. Thanks to the size of the games, residents got a chance to talk to people they wouldn’t normally see and get to know each other better.

“The Olympics were actually quite fun because the residents got into it and got competitive with one another on the floors,” Sabrina said. “While the events were happening there was a lot of chit-chat between the floors. They also encouraged each other, and of course encouraged their own floors.”


Cheltenham considers itself to be a sport-loving home, with many residents enjoying active games and activities, according to Sabrina.

The little boat sailed across the open water almost silently, having no idea of what could be waiting below.

In 1944, 18-year-old Mary Greenwood made the 70-killometer trip across the open waters of the Bay of Fundy in what she calls “lifeboat situations.” During the two-and-a-half hour trip she had no idea that German U-boats were likely slumbering beneath her.

“When I went to take my course we went from St. John, NB, to Digby, NS, in lifeboat situations with our life packs, sailing all the way across,” Mary said. “We were 18, we didn’t know why we were doing this, nobody told us. This is it, we’re doing it.”

Mary was born in August 1926 in Toronto, Ontario. Her grandfather and both of her brothers served in the Navy, so when she came of age, with WWII going on, there was no other logical choice.

“Well the war was on, I was very patriotic, and I am from a Navy family,” Mary said. “There was no way I’d do anything else.”

Mary signed up for the war in the fall of 1944, and was quickly drafted as a sick berth attendant, the equivalent of a civilian nursing assistant. During her training, she worked in Halifax, NS, where most of her patients came in because their feet were in terrible shape from working in submarines.

At the time, girls weren’t allowed on the ships, and because she was only 18, Mary never went overseas. Instead she worked in a hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, for most of the war where she often had as many as 12 patients to look after, with only one nurse on the floor for her to report to.

“We were very busy and we had a lot of responsibility,” she said. “We thought the nurses were gods. Whatever they said was right.”

The hardest patient Mary looked after during the war came wrapped in an oxygen tent. The tent came over the whole bed, giving him a personal no-smoking zone. He’d developed an infection in his lungs, slightly more severe than pneumonia.

“He was quite sick, he was the sickest person we had,” she said. “I was real nervous or him, like you know, keep alive ― and he wasn’t anywhere near dead, but to my 18-year-old mind it was a big responsibility.”

The soldier did survive, and was eventually sent back home.

Mary stayed in Victoria for half a year after the end of the war, waiting for those who had joined the service before her to get home first. She enjoyed her time there, and has fond memories of her stay.

“I can remember, because we did the same thing in Toronto for training, going out to the park to get a hotdog or hamburger or something to eat in my pyjamas with my overcoat on. I did the same thing in Toronto Western, we went up on the roof to watch the fireworks at exhibition time and stuff like that. There were little things we did that were a little off, but we got away with it.”

After the war she stayed on in the reserves, and finished her schooling at Toronto Western Hospital as a nurse.

“I always wanted to be a nurse. In my day you were either a nurse or a secretary. Those were the two fields that you were given. My mother wanted me to be a nurse, and I trained at a good hospital.”

She said that her work in civilian and navy hospitals were similar, except that in the navy hospitals her patients were generally between the ages of 18 and 25. After the war, most of her patients were Japanese prisoners of war. They were transferred to her from another hospital, and so were usually in good condition by the time she looked them over.

“I was treated very well,” she said. “In those days they treated nurses and ministers with respect.”
After she had completed her RNs, Mary worked in the Navy for another four years ― two in Halifax, NS, and two in Cornwallis, NS.

“Of course in Cornwallis, it was a training centre, so 90 per cent of people were 18 year olds,” Mary said. “They got a little rowdy… I was a little shy when I was a young lady, but when they got a little rowdy I’d go down and say ‘these aren’t nutty bars on my shoulder!’ because you had your stripes up on your shoulder, and they’d go ‘OH!’”

As a reserve nurse, she had to work two weeks in the summer and one evening a week at a military Naval Base in Hamilton on top of her civilian job. Still, there were some perks.

Whenever royalty came over from England, an ambulance was required at the airport, meaning that Mary saw her fair share of royalty.

“We saw Princess Anne on two different trips… and when I was on the reserve in Hamilton we got to see the Queen Mother.”

During her time in Hamilton, Mary was invited to dine at a hotel where the Queen Mother was staying. After the meal she was walking around, thinking of socializing with some peers, when the unbelievable happened.

“They laid a carpet right down beside me, a red carpet, and I looked over and there she came, she didn’t stop of course, but you could have touched her! They were exciting times.”

Mary never took a break from service or got married, and she believes it’s part of the reason she was promoted higher than her peers. After spending six months as a sub-lieutenant she became a lieutenant.

One year, during the New Year’s celebrations, Mary noticed that the commander of her base couldn’t stop grinning. When she asked him “what are you smiling about?” he said he’d seen the lists for the new year, and that she was up for a promotion to Commander.

“And my god, New Year’s came and we got the message and I was very happy. I didn’t have to do anything different, except what I was doing, but it was nice,” Mary said. “I’m proud of it, I’m proud of getting in. But I’m no better than anyone else.”

She was the only nursing commander in Canada’s reserve force.

A navy commander is the same rank as a lieutenant-colonel in the army. After eight more years in the navy, and now in her late 50s, Mary decided to leave. She had put in over 22 years of service.

“I left because I thought I’d been in long enough and there were other people coming up in through the service.”

She retired from civilian nursing at the age of 60.

Today, Mary is 90 years old and a resident at Woods Park Care Centre in Barrie, where she lives with her cat. She speaks to her many nieces and nephews fairly frequently, and has one good friend left from her time in the war, who she speaks to every night.

“It’s very nice to talk to her every day,” Mary said. “Every single day we talk.”

Outside the plane, the world was washed white.

Don Monroe, a Flying Officer and flight instructor in the Royal Canadian Air Force, squinted, trying to see past the blizzard that had destroyed his visibility. He had been doing a cross-country trip in Ontario near Godridge when the spotty weather turned into a full-blown storm.

“All of a sudden it was a blizzard! White out!” Don said. “I was flying and I couldn’t see anything. It was all white.”

He dropped his plane down to 100 feet, trying to find his way back to Godridge. He had to follow his compass until he hit the shoreline, after that he swung north.

“I couldn’t find Godridge, so I turned south and followed the coast along. Finally I could see it. It was a 10-hour flight.”

Don was born in London, Ontario in June 1918. He joined the reserves as a teenager and enjoyed taking the machine guns apart and putting them back together.

“When the war came along they took all these young guys into the army,” Don said. “And of course we had to have a medical, and I had a medical and they said ‘you can’t go.’”

When Don asked why, he was told he had flat feet, and that he wouldn’t be able to march. “I said, ‘I can walk from London to Toronto and back.’”

But he still wasn’t accepted, so Don took matters into his own hands and joined the air force, where marching wasn’t much of an issue. He was 21 years old.

Don got married in 1942, while he was in training for the air force. He and his wife met in 1940, while he was working as an accountant at an automotive factory. She was the foreman’s daughter, and the two crossed-paths when she came in to work.

In 1943, Don’s wings were presented to him by WWI hero Air Marshal Billy Bishop at Aylmer in Ontario. He then went to the airport in Oshawa, Ontario, where he trained young pilots to fly Tiger Moth airplanes. In the two years he served as a flight instructor, Don logged 1,500 hours in the air.

He was then sent to England as a Flying Officer, and flew Hurricane and Spitfire fighting planes. He was stationed in Germany while the Allies were doing the thousand-plane raids. Don said the airport he was at always kept their lights on, even at night, despite the danger of enemy attack, because their planes often came back with wounded men.

“I was the duty officer of the control room one night, and at about 2 o’clock in the morning a German plane came across,” he said. The German plane was shooting 200mm cannons.

“I could see the bullets coming right at me,” Don said, “but they were going by me, to the railway station.”

Though not the German pilot’s immediate target, Don wondered about his future plans. “I thought that guy was going to come back and get me, but he never did.”

After the war ended in 1945, Don left the air force. He moved to Oshawa with his wife and got a job at a car dealership. Together, he and his wife had three children. Now 98, Don is a resident at Traditions of Durham Retirement Residence in Oshawa, where he enjoys doing anything active. He regularly plays bocce ball and horseshoes with his neighbours.

When asked if he would change anything, Don said no.

“I would have lived the same,” he said. “I had a great life and a wonderful wife and I wouldn’t change a thing.”