A Tale for Baby Boomers by Steve Down
Does 663-J mean anything to you? Mull this over as you read on. The 1950s and ‘60s were a simpler time to grow up in a small town like Strathroy. There were no stoplights, no McDonalds, no Tim Hortons. What Strathroy had were magnificent tree-lined streets and a charming, friendly atmosphere. Children could ride their bicycles on any street with no concerns for safety. The era of the magnificent steam locomotives was nearing an end. Sitting on the front steps of my grandparents’ home on Oxford Street watching the billowing black smoke spiralling skyward from these iron beasts was a thrill. And it was fun to keep a list of the many different train cars from all over North America that went flying by on the rails. Once the train passed, I would look for the horse-drawn milk wagon to come down the street as it made its daily delivery to homes. The fascinating thing was to see this horse automatically stop in front of the right house as the delivery man jumped off. Each morning hundreds of glass bottles of milk were dropped off at Colborne School, too, to be given out to the students. This era was before in-town students rode school buses, so getting to Colborne was a matter of riding a bike, walking, or being driven by a parent a distance that by today’s standards would seem absurdly far. Colborne is featured in another mem- ory. An annual soap drive was held at the school, with literally hundreds of bars of soap being collected by the students and taken to Strathroy Hospital for use by patients. I once had the opportunity to accompany the school principal, Mr. MacVicar, on a soap delivery to the hospital. (He was one imposing principal because of his physical height!) Another school project involved students bringing in used fruit baskets. I guess it was both a fundraiser and an early form of recycling. In the 1950s, Strathroy Hospital was housed in a red, brick building across the street from the current SMGH. I had the mis - fortune of needing its services as a child. My only vivid recollec - tion was of riding up what seemed like an open freight elevator on a stretcher, then having a mask placed over my face with the never-to-be-forgotten stench of ether. Nurses back then wore immaculate white dresses and cute little white hats. For many years Strathroy Hospital was actually a training school for nurs- es, with a class graduating every year. How many people can remember visiting the Strathroy Zoo? It was known as the Pincombe Zoo – a fence-enclosed area at the bend of Front Street East which held peacocks, as well as deer and other local wildlife. And one of the town’s dentists was Dr. Tremner who had an office on the south side of Front Street ad - jacent to the Lamantia Hotel. Memories come to mind of either
Colborne Street School, Circa 1950s or 1960s.
being a patient or simply walking by his office. It was hard not to stare as his dentist chair was right in front of a big window with Venetian blinds, mere inches from the street. I recall the House of Refuge, now Strathmere Lodge, a scary place from a child’s point of view. This very old multi-storey brick building housed many unfortunate seniors and others with no place to live. Oh, and by the way, 663-J was our home phone number. Mak - ing a phone call involved talking to an operator at the local telephone exchange, who connected you manually to what- ever number you wished to reach. It was only later that the black rotary phones came into use. Now you can add your own memories! Published in The Age Dispatch, August 28, 2014
Page 14
Hometown Strathroy-Caradoc September 2025
To advertise here please contact Gloria@villagerpublications.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs