#office moving services toronto

[issrelocationsdubai]

Discover Exciting Things to Do in Toronto City After Relocating

Relocating to a new city brings with it the thrill of exploration, and Toronto is no exception. Known for its diverse cultural landscape and vibrant attractions, this city offers countless opportunities for discovery. As you settle into your new home, diving into the best things to do in Toronto city will not only help you connect with your surroundings but also make your transition exciting and enjoyable. Whether you’re drawn to urban landmarks or serene escapes, Toronto provides endless experiences to suit every preference.

Toronto is a city that never ceases to amaze, offering an incredible mix of cultural, natural, and urban experiences. Whether you’re walking through High Park, exploring Kensington Market, or taking a day trip to Niagara Falls, there’s no shortage of things to do in Toronto city. Let ISS Relocations handle your moving needs so you can focus on discovering all that this vibrant city has to offer.

[thejunkboys1]

When it comes to junk removal in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), traditional options like renting a dumpster can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. That's where The Junk Boys come in, offering a quick and convenient dumpster alternative. With their reliable services for appliance removal in GTA and garbage removal in Toronto and the GTA, The Junk Boys are revolutionising the way junk is disposed of. Here's why they are the go-to solution for hassle-free junk removal:

[emjcleaningservice]

Best Cleaning Service in Toronto 

EMJ Cleaning Services is a trusted name in the cleaning industry, providing top-notch cleaning services to clients in Toronto. Our team of experienced cleaners uses the latest techniques and equipment to ensure your space is spotless and sanitized. We offer customized cleaning plans to fit your specific needs and schedule. Our commitment to excellence has made us the best cleaning service in Toronto.

[wrapandmove]

Wrapandmove: Your One-Stop Solution for Office Moving in GTA Toronto

Your search for office movers in GTA Toronto ends here

Because of confidential records and delicate gear, moving your workplace is far more difficult than moving home. Let us explain why hiring office movers in GTA Toronto dependable office movers in Toronto would be wise for your relocation plans.

Moving to a city like Toronto GTA is undoubtedly a dream come true for any company, but it also brings with it a slew of new challenges. When you rush through commercial relocating, you put yourself at risk. It’s fine to be fast-paced if you only have a limited amount of time, but it’s not a good idea to overburden yourself.

To carry out a business transfer quickly and efficiently, careful planning is required; otherwise, mistakes might cost you far more than you can anticipate. When it comes to shifting IT infrastructure, there are numerous complexities to consider, and you must be extremely cautious in every step of the process.

Why Choose Wrap And Move As Your Commercial & Office Movers?

When hiring a business moving service, an organization must consider several crucial factors. It should only be done by someone who has handled such complicated work for years and would not jeopardize your well-being or image due to a minor oversight.

Here are some of the most compelling reasons to choose GTA Toronto office movers:

All commercial relocation services performed by our team are guaranteed to be safe. The objects that will be stored or moved will be handled with extreme caution. We obey the Carriage of Goods Acts, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board covers our employees.

In light of our high-quality services, we provide very reasonable charges.

Our customers have the unique chance to receive a free in-house estimate before hiring us.

Our knowledgeable staff can also assist with packing and storage. They’ve been taught to handle the equipment and documents with particular caution when packing and unpacking them.

We have a well-functioning communication system that allows our employees to complete the relocation in a way that no one else can.

Our team is made up of highly qualified and experienced professionals. We accept full responsibility for all of their tasks and actions performed throughout the relocation. Call us at 2265059270/ 6476670144.

Book your next move with us: https://wrapandmove.ca/office-movers-gta-toronto

[newsfromstolenland]

Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper chain is now officially owned by Toronto-based Postmedia Network Inc.

On Monday, Postmedia confirmed the closing of its $1-million purchase of SaltWire Network Inc. and the Halifax Herald Ltd. in a short statement on its website. The sale was approved by a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge on Aug. 8.

Andrew MacLeod, Postmedia's president and CEO, said his company is "delighted" to welcome the new media properties, saying the sale "preserves their vital role within the community."

Full article

Let's explore why this is a very bad thing.

Postmedia, the company that just bought a chain of over two dozen Atlantic canada newspapers, is known for many things- none of them good.

This is an incomplete list of harmful things that Postmedia and its executives have done/are known for:

Right-wing politics. "The National Post was founded in 1998 by Conrad Black, who has connections to conservative politics and sat as a Conservative Party member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords. The Post has always been aligned with the right side of the political spectrum. ..."Just in the past couple of years, Postmedia has issued an edict stating that they should move even farther to the right, so they're very reliably conservative," said [Media journalist Marc] Edge. "In fact, [they] endorse Conservative candidates often over the objections of their local editors.""

Union busting. "They employed a mix of cajoling (such as with buyouts and raises), entreaties to preserve the paper’s uniquely collegial newsroom culture, office-wide memos decrying the havoc a union would wreak, and, according to CWA Canada President Martin O’Hanlon, one-on-one meetings between staff and management."

Monopolization of canadian news media. "Postmedia Network’s purchase of Saltwire Network will extend its grip from coast to coast, as it already dominates Western Canada with eight of the nine largest dailies in the three westernmost provinces. This purchase will give Postmedia the largest dailies in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland to go along with the largest in New Brunswick, which it acquired from the Irving Oil family two years ago."

Cuts to pensions and benefits while giving large bonuses to executives. "...several top Postmedia executives had received enormous retention bonuses at a time of aggressive belt-tightening (after which many left regardless), and second, the March 2017 announcement that benefits and pensions would be curtailed significantly."

Already beginning to lay off staff from the Atlantic canada newspapers they now own. "...the long-term future of workers in departments like circulation, advertising, customer service, finance and production remains uncertain. "Staff believe maintaining local jobs in the community is critical to retaining both subscribers and clients," the union said. Last week, the union representing workers at The Telegram confirmed that four of the paper's 13 newsroom positions will be eliminated."

More reading: source 1, source 2

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[cityof2morrow]

CDK: Customer Service

Published: 9-14-2024 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY Use the Cubic Dynamics Kitbash (Simmons, 2023-2024) collection to set up corporate, exposition, and office environments. Envisioned as an add-on to the Cubic Dynamics set (EA/Maxis, archived at GOS), it features minimalist and retro-futuristic objects. Find more CC on this site under the #co2cdkseries tag. Read the Backstory and ‘Dev Notes’ HERE. Set up an area in your business for routine customer reception, processing, and other service-related work with the CUSTOMER SERVICE SET.

DETAILS All EPs/SPs. §See Catalog for Pricing | See Buy/Build Mode You need the Company Expo (Mesh Pack) set (Simmons, 2024) for TXTRs to show properly in game. ALL files with “MESH” in their name are REQUIRED. Several objects in this series are oversized/offset. You may need to shift an objects upwards once to level it, and you may need “move objects” and “grid on/off” cheats to place them to your liking. When placing partitions/floating shelves and tables/desks/counters on the same tile, place the partition/shelves first. I recommend using this set with Object Freedom 1.02 (Fway, 2023), which includes Numenor’s fix for OFB shelves (2006), for easier use overall. ITEMS Bench (1735 poly, HIGH) Comfort Chair (496 poly) Counter (610 poly) Counter Desk (288 poly) Counter Island (500 poly) Fence (~424 poly) – not included in collection file Partitions 001-003 (40-132 poly) SimSafety Glass Partition (48 poly) – thumbnail looks “blank” but isn’t Table (64 poly) DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA COMPATIBILITY AVOID DUPLICATES: The #co2cdkseries includes edited versions – replacements - for items in the following CC sets: 4ESF (office 3, other 1/artroom, other 2/build), All4Sims/MaleorderBride (miskatonic library, office, postmodern office), CycloneSue (never ending/privacy windows), derMarcel (inx office), Katy76/PC-Sims (bank/cash point, court/law school sets, sim cola machine), Marilu (immobilien office), Murano (ador office), Reflex Sims (giacondo office), Retail Sims/HChangeri (simEx, sps store), Simgedoehns/Tolli (focus kitchen, loft office, modus office), ShinySims (modern windows), SH (reverie office, step boxes/shelving), Spaik (sintesi study), Stylist Sims (offices 1,2, & 3, Toronto set), Tiggy027 (wall window frames 1-10), Wall Sims (holly architecture, Ibiza). *The goal is to link the objects to the recolors/new functions in the #co2cdkseries without re-inventing the wheel! Credit to the original creators.

CREDITS Thanks: ChocolateCitySim, HugeLunatic, Klaartje, Ocelotekatl, Whoward69, LoganSimmingWolf, Gayars, Ch4rmsing, Ranabluu, Gummilutt, Crisps&Kerosene, LordCrumps, PineappleForest. Sources: Any Color You Like (CuriousB, 2010), Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), EA/Maxis, Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik). SEE CREDITS (ALT)

[fatehbaz]

There are three reasons why an international audience should care about the otherwise insignificant Canadian city of Thunder Bay, a community of 120,000 souls 100km North of the American border right in the middle of the world’s second most spacious nation-state.

The first is that, as Canada’s murder and hate-crime capital, with the vast majority of these terrors directed at Indigenous people, roughly 13-20 percent of the population, its example has a lot to teach us about the dire failure of the Canadian model of liberal capitalism, corporate multiculturalism, and half-hearted “reconciliation.”

Second, as a troubled (post-)extractive and logistics-based economy in a “first-world” country — a country that exports and finances extractive industries around the world — its patterns of racist violence reveal something profound about capitalism today.

Finally, Thunder Bay’s problems demand, and are generating, the kind of radical, grassroots solutions that point towards the kind of transformations all communities need to embrace in the years to come to overcome the dangerous intertwined orders of contemporary colonialism and capitalism [...].

---

The isolation, the economic marginality, and the history of extraction and racial resentments all contribute to, but cannot completely explain, the staggering degree of racism in the city. [...] Like many police forces in Canada, officers in the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) have been known to drive Indigenous people out to the outskirts of town, take their shoes and coats, and leave them to walk back or freeze to death. Unlike most police forces in Canada, the TBPS has recently been found to be plagued with profound “systemic racism” by two independent and high-profile reports. [...] The real reason for the investigations was the deaths of seven Indigenous youth, most from remote Northern communities, most in the city to access high school education or medical services denied to them in their communities. [...]

---

As scholars Damien Lee and Jana-Rae Yerxa note, many precedents stand behind these fears. Indigenous people end up dead in Thunder Bay at staggering rates. [...] Just before the most recent police reports were issued, the mayor (a former Police Association president), the police chief (a fool) and the city’s most successful lawyer (a convicted child molestor) were all implicated in a scandal involving a blend of sexual abuse, extortion, and breach of trust. [...]

Meanwhile, just as I moved to the city in early 2017, an Indigenous woman was fatally injured in the street when one of a gang of white teenagers out joyriding threw a heavy metal trailer hitch at her from their speeding car. It took her several agonizing months to die from her internal injuries. [...]

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The rank, racist and reactionary hypocrisy so common in Canada and in Thunder Bay is, unfortunately, often mistaken for merely a cultural anachronism, which can be solved through better public education, greater cultural sensitivity and more opportunities to celebrate diversity. This has, for instance, been the approach to the problems of racist policing in the city: another “cultural competency” workshop [...].

In spite of a great deal of rhetoric about “nation-to-nation” negotiations by the Trudeau government, it is profoundly clear, as Mi’Kmaq lawyer and professor Pam Palmater warns, that the State does not and cannot accept the idea that Indigenous people would be allowed to say “no” to, for instance, mines, forestry, corporate fishing or pipelines [...].

---

To this day Canada is a key player in a global capitalist imperium that specializes in extractive industries and extractive forms of debt.

The Mining Association of Canada reports that “the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange accounted for 57 percent of the global mining equity raised in 2016.” As Alain Deneault and William Sacher have noted, Canada has historically structured its laws and commercial norms to empower the theft of indigenous lands to be violently transformed into “resources” for export, a specialization that is now itself exported around the world as Canadian-owned or -funded corporations are called upon to “develop” mines and extractive projects globally.

Every Canadian with savings is necessarily complicit: almost all pension funds, banks and other investment vehicles here are wrapped up in the TSX and therefore the extractive industry. Meanwhile, as Peter Hudson illustrates, Canada also has a long legacy of renovating national, municipal and personal debt into a tool of neocolonialism, notably in the Caribbean where Canadian banks have enjoyed profound influence, even monopolies. [...]

The ruling class and international capital, working hand in glove, have consistently used divide-and-conquer techniques to sew the seeds of racism that undermine solidarity. Thunder Bay is only a particularly poignant example, a place so small and marginalized that it cannot sustain the veneer of polite, civil, cheerful liberalism that is the country’s brand.

---

Text by: Max Haiven. “The colonial secrets of Canada’s most racist city.” ROAR Magazine. 13 February 2019. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

[scotianostra]

Marion Patterson nee Chalmers, was born on August 26th 1911 in Aberdeen.

Marions parents emigrated to canade in 1919, where she lived for 20 years, in August 1939, she, her husband Guthrie Patterson, (who hailed from Dundee,) and their son Douglas moved back to Aberdeen.

War broke out shortly after moving back to Aberdeen, Scotland in 1939, and Marion enlisted as an ambulance driver. She really enjoyed her job and attended classes when not on duty to become more proficient in her work. She became a lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star and belonged to the White Shrine. Marion was Queen in the order of the White Shrine for two years and was also Prelate in the Order of the Amaranth for a number of years. In the summer of 1942, an emergency bulletin was issued, "All Canadian children and parents wishing to return to Canada, should apply to a steamship office in Glasgow." Marion did not think the War would last very long, but, the thought of taking Douglas to the shelter every night, effects on his schooling and his health, made her decide to send him to her mother in Toronto. She wanted to stay with the ambulance service until the War was over so that she and her husband could return to Toronto together. The next day, two Red Cross ships carrying Canadian children and 200 wounded, were torpedoed in the Glasgow harbour. Her son Douglas was not injured. The damaged ships returned to Glasgow for 10 days for repair and eventually made their way safely to Toronto.

The War raged on, the damage to Aberdeen was indescribable and times were bleak. Marion decided to open her own Hairdressing salon, which had been a dream of hers for many years. She did this with enthusiasm and was very happy to be working at hairdressing again after such a long while. Marion wanted to contribute in some way and in October of 1942, became a Senior Fire Guard for the Civil Defence in Aberdeen, Scotland. One day, while on duty, Marion was using a stirrup pump to extinguish a burning building on South Market Street, when she heard cries for help coming from the building. With stirrup pump in hand, she could see a way to start burrowing under some walls that had collapsed. It took quite some time, but she managed to get to the sailor who was trapped below. Unfortunately, his legs were trapped under some timber beams and Marion could not free him. He was too weak to help. She looked around and found some loose pieces of wood and by pushing on the loose pieces, had enough leverage to partially lift the timber. At that point, the sailor was able to wiggle himself loose. Marion kept calling above for help and finally a rope was lowered through the damaged walls. She was able to tie the rope around the sailor's waist and with help got him out of the burning building. They were both exhausted, but safe. One minute after escaping from the building, it collapsed.

The incident was written up in the London Gazzette on December 4, 1942. Marion was invited to attend at Buckingham Palace on the 12th of February 1943 to receive a presentation of the George Medal by King George VI. During the presentation, it was announced that Marion was the first street Fire Guard to win a medal while engaged in fire duties. As part of the award, Marion was also selected for portraiture in a special section of the National Gallery of England set aside for heroes and heroines of the blitz. She was also invited to be a guest at Balmoral Castle so as to be able to visit at any time she wished, for the remainder of her life. The famous Scots Artist, Mr. Robert Sivell, R.S.A. had been commissioned by King George VI to paint Marion's portrait. Mr. Sivell worked at the Aberdeen College of Art and Marion was scheduled to meet with him for several sittings.

Marion kept the portrait a secret from her family because it came as such a surprise to her; she wanted it to be a big surprise to them too. She was able to dash away from her hairdressing shop to attend special sittings for the portrait. When it was finally completed, Marion again attended Buckingham Place for the presentation. The original painting was hung in the National Gallery, London, England and was shown in a Special Wing for Heroes and Heroines of the 1939-1945 War. Her portrait had the honour of hanging between General Eisenhower and General Montgomery. Two replicas were also created and a sketch in black and white. One replica is in the Ottawa, Ontario War Museum in Canada and was part of the Women at War Display in 1985. The black and white sketch was sent to the Gallery in Aberdeen, Scotland. Just under 40 women in UK were awarded the UK George Medal. Marion was awarded another 5 medals during WWII for her actions as a Civil Defence Senior Fire Guard. Her medals are on display at the Aberdeen Art Gallery having been purchased in 2005 by the Aberdeen City Council and the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. They form part of the Artists at War display.

Marion moved back to Toronto after the war where she worked as a hairdresser and lived with her family until her death. She enjoyed traveling and was able to make many trips to Scotland and England. She faced many challenges throughout her life during and after the war, including breast cancer in 1975, which she also battled and conquered. She had three grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. She is shown below in August of 1982 with husband Guthrie and great grandson Darryl James Wannamaker.

[issrelocationsdubai]

Exploring Toronto Suburbs: A Guide for Expats from Bahrain

Relocating to Toronto opens up new possibilities, especially for expats from Bahrain seeking a fresh lifestyle in Canada’s largest city. While Toronto’s downtown is known for its skyscrapers and business districts, Toronto suburbs offer an inviting balance between city access and suburban comforts, making them ideal for families, young professionals, and retirees alike. These suburbs each bring their own distinctive character, with scenic parks, cultural diversity, excellent schools, and tight-knit communities that provide newcomers with a welcoming environment to call home.

This guide is crafted for Bahrain expats to explore the best Toronto suburbs, with insights on living costs, housing options, local amenities, and transportation, along with key information about education, community activities, and employment opportunities. By partnering with ISS Relocations, expats can make this transition with ease, benefiting from a range of services that smooth the path from Bahrain to life in the Greater Toronto Area. Let’s explore how ISS Relocations and the vibrant suburbs around Toronto can help you make the most of your move.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"'LONGSHOREMEN HERE JOIN SHIPPING STRIKE," Toronto Star. September 13, 1943. Page 2. ---- Object to Labor Board Hearing Case Until Third Member Named ---- Montreal, Sept. 13 - (CP) National war labor board hearings of disputes involving "several thousand" freight handlers across Canada will await "the time when the board is fully constituted," F. H. Hall, vice-president of the International Brotherhood of Railway Clerks, so announced today.

He said he had sent a telegram to the labor board "declining to proceed with hearings scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday and had urged Hon. Humphrey Mitchell, minister of labor, "to take immediate steps to fully constitute the board."

The labor board now has only two members, as the service of J. L. Cohen, K.C., labor representative, was terminated by federal cabinet action.

Meanwhile Mr. Hall gave this picture of the situation as far as A.F.L. freight handlers are concerned:

The strike of 1.800 Canadian Steamship Lines freight handlers and sympathizers from the Clarke Steamship Line in various St. Lawrence waterway ports continues, virtually paralyzing the movement of waterborne freight from the lakehead to Quebec.

Representatives of 3.500 C.P.R. hourly-rated employees from coast to coast, demanding vacations with pay and scheduled to appear before the labor board tomorrow, will not appear.

Representatives of 650 stevedores, employed by the Eastern Canada Stevedoring Co. of Halifax and demanding wage increases, will not appear at a scheduled hearing before the labor board.

Representatives of 500 Canadian Pacific and Canadian National freight handlers of Montreal, demanding wage increases, will not appear at a scheduled hearing before the labor board.

Representatives of 250 Canadian Pacific longshoremen at Saint John. N.B., demanding wage increases, will not appear at a scheduled hearing before the labor board.

Strike Spreads Here One hundred and fifty longshoremen, all C.S.L. employees in Toronto today joined the shipping strike which has involved five Great Lakes and St. Lawrence river ports.

Frank H. Hall, president of the board of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employees union. an- nounced: "The national war labor board has set Wednesday for the hearing of the case and the union has declined to proceed until the board is fully constituted.

"By an order-in-council made public last week. J. L. Cohen is no longer a member of the board. The union, on my instructions, has declined to be heard until a labor representative is appointed."

Mr. Hall said that freight at the head of the lakes is "completely tied up" there. He said, longshoremen employed by the Canadian Pacific Steamships and the Canada Steamship lines are on strike. The Montreal strike included employees of the Clarke Steamship Lines Ltd.

A C.S.L. official said that freight loading and unloading "is moving as usual in Toronto. We have a permanent staff here," was his only comment. There are no picket lines, he added.

No lake ships were unloaded at Montreal during the week-end. But at Fort William, white collar workers turned out to move part of the cargo of the passenger and package freight carrier Keewatin. All package freight boats at Fort William are idle, a C.S.L. official said.

The Keewatin cleared Fort William several hours later and with part of her cargo unloaded after all available labor, including office workers, trucked freight from the vessel to the shed for hours. At Sarnia, the C.S.L. steamer Huronic remained unloaded after 75 dock handlers there walked out in sympathy.

[emjcleaningservice]

What Are the Benefits of Using Pro Cleaning Services?

It seems like no matter how frequently you clean your house, it is never sufficient. This could be really stressful, particularly when you’ve got a long list of other things to do. Think about employing a skilled cleaning agency rather than squandering your energy and time on never-ending domestic tasks.The following are a few of the clear advantages of hiring a professional for Residential cleaning in Toronto .

[oldbutnotyetwise]

My Friend Mary

     When we bought our old property up north you could tell just by looking at it that there would be a lot of history there.  A house that was around 100 years old, a barn that was around seventy years old, and bits of old farm equipment abandoned in what was once field but was now forest.  The old Barton Farm had a lot of history and sometimes as I wandered about the property or sat in the house or barn I thought of all of those who had come before us and lived, and died in this very special place.

     Shortly after moving in I was at the Township Office where I met Charles Barton who was related to the Bartons who had homesteaded our place.  I mentioned to him that I was curious about the history of our new home.  Charles mentioned my interest to his Aunt Mary, and that is how I ended up meeting Mary.

     Robin and I were getting ready to go out one day and upon opening our front door we were met by Mary and Lew Holotuk.  Mary was 91 and Lew was 96 at the time.  Mary had been born a Barton, and had written out a page and a half about the history of our property.  What follows is a bit of a story that I have pieced together about my dear friend Mary.  It comes from conversations I have had with her as well as stories about Mary I have picked up along the way.

     Mary tells me that she was born in our house on October 27, 1928, that she made her entrance into the world while the doctor was just pulling into her driveway.  As was often the case in those days she had several brothers and sisters, together they helped their parents look after their farm.  She was ten when she tasted her first beer, taken from where the spring water came out, and where the beer was stored to stay cold.  Before video games kids actually played outside, Mary and her brothers would walk along the peak of the metal roof on the family barn and do lots of other things that would make todays safety experts loose their minds.  

     Mary wanted to continue her schooling but in those days a higher education was something few farm kids got to pursue, and certainly even fewer females.  

     Now this might surprise the younger folk, but there was a time before cell phones, the internet and dating apps.  When the dating pool was rather small compared to what it is today.  You were likely to date and marry someone within a twenty mile radius of where you lived, someone you probably went to school with, and someone whose family was known to yours.  Mary tells me of how she came home from a date and found Lew waiting for her.  Lew had come for a visit and was none too pleased to find out she was out on a date with someone else.  Lew had his eyes set on Mary, 5 1/2 years his junior and stubbornly made it clear that he was the one she should be with.  Sure enough in time Lew convinced Mary of this and they got married when she was 19 in 1948.

     Lew was a mechanic by trade and was in the army serving overseas during WW2.   After the war they opened up Holotuk Service Center in Huntsville which they ran for twenty-eight years.  Lew did the vehicle repairs and drove the tow trucks.  Mary looked after the front of the shop, but she also would drive the tow truck picking vehicles up in Toronto or wherever they were.  They had the towing contract with the OPP so were friendly with the local officers.  It wouldn’t be unusual to find the officers visiting and playing cards with Mary in the shop.

     Over the years Lew and Mary had three children, Ron, Patsy and Ted.  Mary knew exactly when Ted was conceived, she said that Lew had snuck up on her while they were at the hunt camp, then she would laugh with a mischievous smile on her face.  Eventually Lew developed some heart problems and the Service Center was sold and they moved back to Hotham in 1982.  They bought Mary’s sisters out of her parents home after the parents passed away.  At one point in 1986 the hospital didn’t want to release Lew they felt he needed more care than she could provide.  That is when the hospital learned it wasn’t good to rile Mary up, and after the dust settled Mary brought Lew home where she looked after him.  Lew left this world on April 13, 2021 in his 98th year, Lew and Mary had been married almost 73 years by then.

     All the time I’ve known Mary she has been the one doing the driving, even when Lew was still alive.  Mary was pretty well known as a bit of a speed demon.  If the two of us were leaving the legion at the same time I used to wait until she left to avoid slowing her down on her way home.  Now over the last few years Mary has slowed down a lot and no longer drives at night, but just recently she had her licence renewed for another year.

     Now if I was to try to describe Mary, to help you form a picture  your mind I would describe her like this.  I would guess that she would be about five foot four, white curly hair, glasses if not on her face hanging down on her chest with the string running behind her neck, I would say she probably looks about twenty years younger than she is, and she has a lovely smile when she’s not trying to outplay you at Cribbage or Euchre.  She’s a determined lady who knows what she knows, and although I don’t know how far she went in school, she is wise from a life well lived.  Not too much that she hasn’t seen in her days.

     Now some of the Legend that circles around Mary, she is a Cribbage and Euchre Shark, and she is very competitive.  Now having said that she showed me tremendous patience while I was learning the game of Cribbage.  I suspect that Mary has recruited more new members for the Restoule Legion than anyone else.  When she brought me an application for the legion, well I didn’t get the impression it was optional.  I had quickly sensed that Mary was someone that I definitely wanted on my side.  Now there is some talk about some young guy once accusing Mary of cheating at Cards,  well lets just say that there was an altercation after that.  Mary never said too much about that, and I didn’t ask, but she did make mention of talking to a judge once and I suspected those two things might have been connected.  Refer back to the earlier comment about wanting Mary on your side.  Now there also is the stories about Lew running over Mary in the driveway once, and another time where Mary ran over Lew.  Yes after hearing those stories I would have been a little nervous to stand in their driveway when one of them was behind the wheel in their old silver Saturn SUV.  Mary kept her Hunting Licence well into her nineties, not sure when the last time she used it was, but I always considered her armed and dangerous.

     Over the time she lived down the road from me I would drop off the occasional Jigsaw Puzzle for Mary, always the 1,000 piece ones that she and friends would work on.  I would call around sometimes in the afternoon so Mary and I could share cup of tea and get a few Crib games in.  I enjoyed the crib games, although I suspected she went easy on me, but more than that I enjoyed her company and hearing her stories of times gone by.  Mary is a living history book of what had gone on in the Hotham area, and she knows just about everyone, and everyone knows her.  Although she can be as tough as nails, there is also a softer kinder side of her that I don’t think everyone gets to see.

     Sadly an era may be coming to an end.  Mary turns 95 shortly and she is coming to the conclusion that perhaps its time for her to move to move from her home to a seniors residence.  As I type this up she has temporarily moved out of her home into the Trout Creek Senior’s Residence, to try it out for a month.  She likes that they will do her laundry and meals, and I think she is looking forward to having company around her.  Even with all her visitors I think Mary found the days long and she was getting lonely.   When she spoke to me about it she said that if she decides to stay there she will miss her independence.  

     It seemed to me that Mary was the Matriarch of the area, and although I am no longer there I am saddened by the thought of this Matriarch moving away.  She was a large part of the whole experience of us living where we did, she was also one of the many reasons why we loved living there.  Although Mary may not live there anymore her presence will still be felt there for many, many years to come.  She will live on in the stories shared by neighbours around the legion tables on the Friday night pizza nights.  The legend of Mary lives on, and I am fortunate that I get to call her a trusted and well loved friend.