A History of Bruce Beach/In Conclusion...

In Conclusion ...

I envy people with good memories, yet despite my deficiency in that area, I would like to contribute something tc the Reminiscences.

In 1920, the MacEachern family rented part of the McKerroll duplex cottage No. 41. However, my earliest recollections are of No. 43 which was purchased before Church Union in 1925. My father and brother Alex built a long, narrow boa1 which leaked badly but provided a great deal of enjoyment for the youngsters in the area. Much of our time was spent playing in Tout's gully or on McKerroll's rock which was well above the water line at the time.

McKerrol's Rock, 1926.

McKerrol's Rock, 1982.

When we moved to Winnipeg several years later our cottage was sold to the Ledingham family. Five years later, on our return, we acquired the Armstrong's No. 32.

During the thirties, the many teenagers enjoyed golfing, tennis and driving on the beach, although when there were older brothers and sisters, it wasn't always possible to borrow the family car. I can recall Lorraine Whalen in a Chevrolet coupe with as many as twenty-five teenagers standing on the running boards, sitting on the hood and bumpers and anywhere else where they could hang on. In those days the beach was wider and smoother than any of the roads in the area.

I also remember going on a double date with Bob Ledingham, Lorraine Whalen and Shirley Smith. Bob had "borrowed" the family car and I helped him push it quietly down the lane to a point where we could start the engine without alerting anyone.

There were few trees on the grazing land behind the cottages, and Tout's Grove, for the most part, was a huge sand bowl. On a really hot summer's day we would dare each other to run across the sand barefoot, before the soles of our feet were sufficiently hardened not to feel the heat. Needless to say, this game made for very fast running!

My wife, Joan, was introduced to Bruce Beach during our courtship shortly before World War II.• While I have said many times that the sun alw<;lys shines at Bruce Beach, the weekend of her first visit was the exception. I remember helping my Dad build an extension to the cottage and as the roof was only partially finished we had to use pots and pans• to catch the large amounts of rainwater.

Bruce Beach is also remembered for many a charivari when neighbours got together to celebrate a happy and important event. When Joan and I decided to spend our honeymoon there in August 1945, we were awakened by a din so great that we thought an atom bomb had landed. It was during that charivari that Joan •officially became a Bruce Beacher and she always will be grateful to Carolyn Fliim for the speed with which she introduced Joan to so many new people. For our honeymoon we had bought fruit juices, using up all our ration coupons. Before the charivari was over our stock had disappeared.

Our children have enjoyed many summers at the Beach and still recall the days when they rode tailgate on Dave Moore's horsedrawn wagon while he collected garbage along the beach. As they grew older, they enjoyed the club house dances organized by John Davidson. As every family had their own curfew hours for their teenaged daughters and sons, those that had to be in early often managed to climb through their bedroom windows to rejoin the fun.

Although there have been many changes at Bruce Beach it still amazes me that, over the years, the golfing, the tennis and the weekly ball games still are going strong. While the club house no longer is the centre of attraction as it was in earlier days, it still is the focal point for the annual barbecue which has replaced the annual concert as the main social event of the summer.

For the MacEachems, Bruce Beach always will be a home away from home. Some of us come every month of the year; to spend New Year's Eve at the cottage with our children and friends is a special joy.

Ian MacEachern (No. 41)

Annual barbecue, 1982