ESE FDS i ee ee a eT Page 6 November 1986 Cassiar Courier We focus our attention this month on one of the community's best-known health professionals, Margaret Lillian (Lil) Kamlah. A permanent resident of Cassiar for the past fourteen years, Lil’s face is known to everyone who has had occasion to visit the hospital. But there is much more to this lovely lady than meets the eye. In a small town in Saskatchewan, Lil arrived into a family of three boys. Her earliest memories were those of riding in a Model T and playing with her closest brother in the graden. She lived ona farm in a wood-frame house, surrounded by the prairie sounds of winter winds, coyote howls, sunshine and dust storms, geese flying south or honking their spring return. She particularly remembers the feeling of closeness and security she felt growing up. After graduating from Regina’s Balfour Technical Institute as a stenographer, Lil travelled to Ottawa for her first job, in the signal department of the navy. She made many friends in the nation’s capital, and enjoyed the life and beautiful scenery of the Ottawa valley. In 1947 she entered the rigorous life of a student nurse at the Ottawa Civic Hospital and graduated in the summer of 1950. The Christmas after her graduation she returned to Saskatche- wan. She worked one year in the newly-constructed Lanigan Union Hospital and had many stimulating ‘ex- periences for an inexperienced young nurse - including 4 months in charge of the hospital. Anyone who has worked at the hospital has heard about Lil’s first en- counter with a corpse, in which she managed to stay vertical while her strapping farmboy helpers all discovered the floor in a hurry. Along with two classmates she visited Vancouver for the first time. “It must have been this first enchantment of the B.C. mountainous country that later would draw me back to spend many years of my life here,” she told us.. Upon her return to Saskatchewan, she moved to Saskatoon where she nurse at.St. Paul’s and in the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Hsospital. She spent the next three years as an O.R. nurse for the D.V.A. She spent a lot of time inside the confines of the city’s curling rinks and, as well, joined the Y.W.C.A. for swimming sessions (a skill she has not abandoned). The close proximity of the hospital to the R.C_A.F. station drew her into the medical reserve and when an opportunity for summer relief arose, gneiss was among the first to board an old R.C.A.F. North ~~ ea Gt SOSOOSOY Round trip transportation. ‘WatsonLake -Van. return and Van-Reno return Accomodation at Delta River Inn Sands Regency > Prices based on double room occup. Return transportation betweenairports and hotels in Vancouver and Reno POSCOSSSSOSS9SOS 164 Elliot Street Cassiar (Trailer next to Curling Rink) 778 - 7220 Package Includes! Hotel and airport taxes inc. U.S. tax Medical and Cancellation Insurance _ HOURS: 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 Pm... Most of Cassiar first meets Lil at the hospital. Here she is, busy at her desk, trying to keep up with paper work. star and head for Paris and No. 2 Fighter Wing in Gros- tenquin, France. The following summer found her at No. 4 Fighter Wing in Baden Soellingen, where she spent the next two and a half years enjoying what were to her “probably the best years of my single life.’’ She travelled over most of western Europe .but liked best the area around Baden Baden, near the Black Forest. Lil bought a Volkswagon ‘Bug’ which took her through many border crossings and then followed her back to Canada. It carried her safety across the contin- ent from Chatham, N.B., through the northern states, and after a stop-over in Saskatchewan with her family, on to Vancouver. She nursed briefly at St. Vincent’s and learned what a green Christmas was like in Burnaby. Before leaving on a ski trip to Sun Valley, Lil did some- thing which would eventually change her life radically: she left her name registered with the Registered Nurses Association of B.C. We'll let her tell us about it. “7 met Gerry in January of 1958, during a 6-week nursing stint in Cassiar. After flying into Watson Lake, we made the four-hour drive into Cassiar on a winding, tree-lined road that was banked with more sparkling HOLT the details. 3 nights 4 nights INSURANCE LTD. What do you do when you have a home insurance claim? As soon as possible, you should contact your agent or broker and inform them of the nature of the claim. A claim adjuster may then be appointed to look after In the case of a burglary or a theft, the police must also be informed. It is your responsibility to take any steps possible to protect ‘against additional damage : window has been broken you should provide some temporary covering until the glass can be replaced white snow than I'd ever seen before. It was in the Cassiar Curling rink that Gerry and I met, and before six weeks were up, I had decided to stay and nurse for that year.” On a stormy afternoon, November 24th, 1958, Lil and Gerry were married in Lil’s hometown of Nokomis,. Saskatchewan, on her parent’s 49th wedding anniversary, in the same church (that, indeed, her father had helped to build). Her honeymoon was especially memorable for the 3-day prairie blizzard in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Their first home was at Tsawassen, south of Ladner and they later moved to Hawthorne Road where thev lived for four years™ They welcomed the arrival of Barbara and Gordon while in southern B.C. When Gordon was 7 months old, Lil moved back to Cassiar where Gerry was employed with the CC.C. Their youngest daughter, Lori, followed along shortly after. While Lil was pregnant, the family began putting in the foundations for what can truly be called Lil’s place in the sun, The cabin at Pine Tree Lake was com- , pleted in 1964,. although renovations and additions have been fairly frequent. Last fall the hot tub went in, and Lil spends many a weekend sitting around in the steam. This summer has seen the replacement of the fireplace. Lil loves the skiing, boating, fishing, canoeing and berry picking she finds time for out at the lake. In fact, while visiting for the interview, she showed me the jars of just-made cranberry jam for which the berries were picked outside the cabin. Lil curled with the Ladies’ and Mixed leagues in town for several years. She still gardens and skiis, and we ve all seen her on her way to the pool in the summer. ‘for her daily laps. She has spent a great deal of time with the All Saints’ Anglican Community Church, where she has played the organ for service almost since she arrived in Cassiar. “TI don’t know how the minister found out that I could play,” she says, “but he was on my door- step about two weeks later.”’ She has also been involved with the Ladies Auxiliary Group, and their rummage sales. It is through her nursing that most of Cassiar knows Lil, though. She was the Public Health Nurse part-time continued on page 16 — Marvel Travel ‘Service Lid AGENCIES For example, if a ‘DON’T FORGET YOUR AUTOPLAN RENEWALS AVAILABLE HERE 164 Elliott St., Cassiar , B.C. Phone 778-7220 Hours 9:30 - Noon and 1:00 - 5:30 p.m. + ,.,-Mon.. to Fri... . LLL LOL I | Cassiar Courier November 1986 Page 7 IN AND AROUND CASSIAR SECONDARY SCHOOL oe '#2 ATHLETICS The Boys’ and Girls’ Volleyball teams have had a busy month of practice. Their coaches (Mr. Trask, Mr. Alward, Mrs. Trask and Mr. van der Kamp) have kept all teams busy. On October 9, volleyball teams from Dease Lake visited Cassiar to play our teams. The matches were played in the Snowridge and CCC gyms with thanks to Mr. John and Mr. Periard. The teams were very competitive and a good quality of volleyball was enjoyed by all participants and spectators. The evening ended with a spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Cassiar Students’ Society and prepared, expertly, by the Cookery staff. The Cassiar teams travelled to Dease Lake on Tuesday, October 21st to renew the competition. The Junior Boys’ and Girls’ volleyball teams are planning a trip to Fort Nelson to compete in the Maroon and Grey Tournament to be held between November 12 and 16. GRADE 9 IMMUNIZATION Mrs. Marlene Hogg, the Ministry of Health nurse, immunized most grade’9 students in early October. Some students, however, did not return the Parent Consent Forms and have not been im- munized. Consent must be given prior to immun- ization. For more information please contact Mrs. Hogg at 778-7752. CAREER COUNSELLING Two Armed Forces representatives were at Cassiar Secondary October 7th to provide infor- mation to grade 11 and 12 students on a career in the Armed Forces. C.S.S. counsellors have some information available at the school. TELEVISION AUCTION The Cassiar Students’ Society are distribu- ting a survey in the community to get feedback on the Auction usually held in February. Please take a few minutes to respond to the questionaire and drop it in the collection box at the Cassiar aS Ce Me oAd< o, “as o, ? eS MOU CGY, MMe he te te tee te tote Mee Oo So- xX 3 eas : ¥e _Reservations/Ticket Office - Watson Lake Hotel Phone: 536-7455 x See & O, 2 , Saeed? ? Po } | | Wednesday, Friday - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. % 2, Sas o, aa & $ Airport Office | Phone 536-2581 & x Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Ds >< Wednesday, Friday, Sunday - 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m: & gS ~ SeSesesoeee Roateaho-teatoego foto Seshostostoatonfeneoseeseeteetoate rate atest oof oesteateateete coche shoatestosfoatonfoacteoseetestes Re RR BL Bs oe “o-