Some years later the Bridgeman Block was
built on the east corner of Fifth and Main. Here
the Union Bank of Canada replaced Blain’s
banking business, and hired McVicar as its first
manager. He was followed by S. W. Hardy in
1907.

In 1916 Hardy was succeeded as manager by
H. D. Smith, who remained in Wawanesa until
1927. Smith’s last two years were spent as man-
ager of the Royal Bank, which had taken over the
Union in 1925. With Smith’s move to the Royal
Bank in Waskada, J. D. Harrower, from Mini—
ota, became manager in Wawanesa.

In 1929 the Royal Bank opened its present
building on the corner of Fourth and Main, a
most fortunate move, as the Bridgeman Block
burned down five years later. Harrower con—
tinued as manager here until 1946, to be followed
by Howie Masson, whose stay in Wawanesa was
just two years.

 

Wawanesa Royal Bank.

Sam Hembroff, who had joined the Royal in
Winnipeg in 1926, came to Wawanesa in 1949. He
was manager here until his retirement to Win—
nipeg in 1970. To this date, no other manager has
remained as long. Hembroff was followed con—
secutively by Gaylord Stewart, Harry Mor—
combe, Marcel Normandeau, Cal Pritchard, and
at this date Ken Burnell is manager.

Meat and Dairy

In this modern age of refrigeration and pack—
aging, it is difficult to visualize Wawanesa as it
was in its early years. Many of its citizens owned
not only a house, but also a barn with horses for
driving, and a cow for milk. There were no
homogenized products and no inspection for

31

health purposes. The milk was cooled in an ice
box if one was available, or just by storing it in a
cool place until the temperature of the product
was reduced. Meat was treated the same way.

Many people in the district belonged to a Beef
Ring, one of which had its slaughter house on the
farm where Greg and Bonnie Downie now live.
Treesbank, Rounthwaite and Chesley had rings,
as well as many more districts. Members contrib—
uted a fattened steer each week, which was
slaughtered and divided in such a way that at the
end of the year, each would have received a
complete animal. This system worked quite suc—
cessfully, as it ensured fresh meat each week.

Generally the meat was of good quality, grain
fed, and properly finished. From time to time,
though, the quality did not measure up to the
accepted standard. This provided a challenge to
the head of the household to provide a palatable
meat dish from something that was tough and
tasteless. Not a house was without a meat
grinder, and a quantity of various types of sea—
sonings. It was a time of canning, as surplus
meats had to be preserved for the shortages of a
future date. Residents of the town, of course, had
their butcher shop, and the problems of keeping
meat for a period of time was not theirs.

The supply of locally produced milk and
cream was supplemented by deliveries from
farmers in the area. The earliest recorded dairy
was that of Raymond Stone, whose barn and
residence was on the lot where Bain and Maxine
Jackson now live. He had a very good herd of
Holstein coWs, from which he supplied most of
the town with milk in quart glass bottles, deliv—
ered to the houses on a daily basis. His dairy was
later sold to Fred Noton, who carried on this
business in a new location, close to the hospital.

 

Morley Roney delivering milk for Noton’s Dairy (1940).