Easter, 1949) drove by horse and sleigh or buggy or walked to school. I can’t remember how Penny Patterson got to school. but there were no school buses in those days, so probably her parents drove her as she was only in grade one. Henry Rempei, in Grade Eight the first year I was there, probably walked. And of course, I had no car —— most rural teachers didn’t in those days, so when I wanted to go home to Boissevain for the weekend or holidays, Mr. Barkley - would drive me to the bus, and pick me up when I returned. What a change from the present when everyone has “wheels”.

Some of the highlights of those two years were ball games with Parkhill where Geraldine McMunn was teaching; visits to the Morden Experimental Farm; the Christmas the Barkleys took me to Winnipeg to see the Santa Claus parade; spring when Cheval Creek would rise; visiting with Grandma Barkley . across the road, and many other pleasant memories.

In winter the kids would bring toboggans, and I still remember the day when Janice Wiebe tobogganed down the banks of Cheval Creek and cracked a rib. I was so afraid that she might have been more seriously injured. In spring and fall we went on a few interesting hikes along the creek. When it was cold in the winter, I wore red ski pants and a red parka trimmed with white fur, and the Barkleys used to teasingly call me “their little Santa Claus”. Eileen Barkley was. attending high school in Morden, but she and I had good times together. '

After leaving Cheval I taught Grades Seven and Eight for two years in Elgin Consolidated School when I met Jack Tufts, whose home was at Fairfax, _ ten miles away. My teaching career ended here, as we were married November . 17, 1951.

Since then we have lived on the same farm, four miles south of Elgin, raisw ing wheat, barley, flax, rape, and kids. We have three children, James Arnold (1952), Phyllis May 6954). and Stephen William (1963). ,

At this present time our son Jim, his wife Valerie (married in 1973), and son. Daniel (1975), live across the road from us and farm also. Our daughter Phyllis, her husband Dick Armstrong, (married in 1973 also), and their daughter Kimberly, born on February 20, l97’7, live at Fairview, Alberta. Phyllis is a registered nurse. Our younger son, Stephen, is taking grade eight at Elgin School. His high school years will be spent at Hartney which is also part of Souris Valley Division.

The highlights of our life now are square dancing, travelling. our grandchildren, and Farming. I really much prefer farming to teaching.

Helen Penner -— i950 — It’s rather hard to believe that twenty seven years have passed since I began my first year of teaching after Normal School. I was ready to tackle my job as teacher at Cheval School in the fall of 1950, where I was to teach grades one to nine (a grade or two missing) with the annual salary of sixteen hundred and fifty dollars.

Full of ambition, excitement and hope, I arrived at the boarding place at the A. L. Barkley’s. Living in such a friendly family atmosphere proved to be a

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