Suzanne Cousineau Battle:
CLASS OF 1965
Saguenay Valley High SchoolClass of 1965
Jonquiere, QC
Holy Heart of Mary High SchoolClass of 1964
St. john's, NF
Dwight Ross Junior High SchoolClass of 1962
Kingston, NS
Suzanne's Story
Where do you begin. My school years are now so far in the past it's difficult to remember everyone. having been raised on air bases between 4 provinces and several schools only exacerbates the issue. I was born in Hull, Quebec on Jan 23 1948. Yep. That means I am 66 years of age. (years of age sounds better than years old, don't you think?) But, 66 is my age. From here on in each year is a victory. As many have not made it this long. So, I am grateful to be 66.
I started school in Lachine Que. and completed grade 3 there. My dad was then transferred with the air force to Greenwood Nova Scotia. But when we ar there were no vacant houses (married quarters) so he rented a house on a cliff at the top of the north mountain in a small fishing village called Harbourville. The house looked haunted. Honestly. I loved the main floor with it's rounded walls and big kitchen with a wood stove. A huge pantry room was right out of the movies. The upstairs was a completely different story. I had a brother Gord older by a year and a sister 3 and a half years younger than me. My parents bedroom was on the main floor. But us kids used the upstairs bedrooms. We each had our own. Then there was a door that when open revealed a stairway leading up to an attic. It was the attic that fuelled our overactive imaginations at night. Suffice it to say that we all woke up in the same bed each morning. My older brother's bed. He claims he was never scared. Sure.
We lived there for a very short time before moving onto the base but this little village left a lasting impression on all of us. The backyard was filled with raspberry bushes for about 1 hundred feet before you reached the top of a cliff. A sheer drop to the rocky beach below. It was the Bay of Fundy. When the tide was out it was a scary drop.
This is where we attended a one room schoolhouse. It had all the grades from kindergarten to grade 6 after which the kids were bussed down the mountain to school. I started grade 4 in that schoolhouse. It had a p...Expand for more
ot bellied woodstove in the centre of the room for heat. We had a giant waterfilled bottle with a spigot for water and two outhouses marked boys and girls. I visited the area a few years back after 42 years and was thrilled to see the building under construction. I figured it was finally getting plumbing as I could see the old outhouses still there.
From there we moved onto the airbase when a house became available. I attended AVM Morfee School for grades 4 to 6. Then Dwight Ross Junior High for grades 7 8 and 9. Next came a transfer to Torbay NFLD. We lived in St John's on Kenna's Hill. Down near the Water, The air force kids were living in several different pockets in the city including Fort Pepperell an old abandoned American base. We used to sneak into the old abandoned buildings there after dark. There was an old theatre with all the costumes and other paraphernalia still there. A recreation centre with a fully equipped gymnasium and bowling alley. We all knew when the security guards came around so we would hide then come out again and play.
There was a bus that would come and pick up us kids to take us out to Torbay where our fathers worked so that we could use the rec facilities there.
At the time we were there the schools were all separated by male/female and religion. I attended Holy Heart of Mary where we were taught by nuns. A girls school where we wore uniforms with brown tunics light blue long sleeved shirts and brown and white saddle shoes. Fern Vachon was a special friend from that time and Alannah Curry. We called her Peppy. Peppy was in grade 9, I was grade 10 and Fern was grade 11. I don't know where they are now. I wish I did. Last I heard of Fern she had married a McClafferty and lived in Lower Sackville Nova Scotia.
Then we moved again to Bagotville Que. I attended Saguenay Valley High in Arvida Quebec. I remember many from there. My special friends included Twyla Siddons, Adrienne Doucette, Heather Hargreaves and Bev Campbell ,Fred Walz and David Andrew.
Register for Free to view all details!
Reunions
Photos
Suzanne Cousineau Battle is on Classmates.
Register for free to join them.
Already registered? Sign in