Barb Klick:
CLASS OF 1972
Norgate Elementary SchoolClass of 1972
North vancouver, BC
Barb's Story
I was born and raised in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada and went to Norgate Elementary, Queensbury Elementary, Sutherland Junior High School and graduated from Carson Graham Senior Secondary School in 1977. After that I went to the University of B.C. and Simon Fraser University where several violent things happened to me that forced me to quit university.
I met my future husband Paul at Simon Fraser University, where I stole his seat that he usually sat in in Physics class. We went out for a few months and became engaged in November of 1980. We got married February 28, 1981 and moved to Edmonton, where Paul had commitments to teach skydiving. He started skydiving in 1975. I found the sport exciting but due to injuries I was unable to actually do a jump due to my back, but I did everything that can be done on a drop zone. I did the ground school training, rigged students up, packed parachutes, picked up errant students who didn't follow ground control and ended up nowhere near the drop zone and lastly first aid along with Paul. Paul did just about everything but fly the airplane, but we had a fantastic jump pilot who was also an extremely experienced skydiver. After the skydiving season was over, Paul returned to working in a chemical plant called Celanese as an operator, working with a multitude of chemicals, most the average person would not want to get near, including the City of Edmonton Fire Department, as they were unfamiliar with the hazards, so they let the Celanese Fire Department (of which Paul was assistant Fire Captain) lead the way. Paul was the only full or part time employee who was qualified to work all of the fire fighting equipment and running of the ambulance. Only the captain was more qualified on paper.
I spent 11 years in Edmonton, where I did a variety of jobs, but got my Nursing Diploma from the Royal Alexandra Hospitals School of Nursing, graduating in 1987. I started straight into a critical care area right away (Post Anaesthetic Recovery Room). Since I trained at that hospital, the hospital knew the high training standards of our school and were comfortable hiring into critical care areas. I did my elective in Emergency. I would have been hired had there been a position. The staff there were disappointed that I wasn't hired. I had 7 years of ambulance experience and am a certified EMT-A (The equvialent of an EMA-2 here). I was one of the fortunate ones who had no loans to pay off. They denied me a loan because my HUSBAND made too much money. I'm the one applying for loan, not grant, but I was turned down none the less. My husband worked 2 jobs (in essence working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 3 years. He qualified for an EMT-A and worked part time for 2 years by choice, turning down full time by choice, until the 3rd they said full time or else. By doing so, he left a job and took a pay cut $15,000/year, but gained an incredible improvement in frame of mind as the chemical plant to the looney bin rather quickly. He was now doing a jog he liked and was damn...Expand for more
ed good at it. While in Edmonton, I took up Tai Chi. What an excellent sport. It was so good for the body and mind. I'll have to get back into it.
In 1992, both my parents were becoming quite ill. My mother was in an extended care home and my father was having a difficult time being on his own. My parents had always said they never wanted to be a burden to their children and it almost killed my father to ask if I could move back. I jumped at the chance. Things were not to be happy. We arrived on Good Friday and my mother died of a massive stroke on Easter Sunday. My father moved in with us. 7 months later on the day after what would have been my parents 52nd wedding anniversary, my father died of a massive heart attack. Suddenly I was alone. I am estranged from at least 2 of my brothers (1 brother we're working on rebuilding the relationship, both the other 2 no longer exist to me. Unfortunately that happens in some families.
A few months after I moved back, I got a job working as a Labour and delivery nurse at Grace hospital, now called B.C. Women's Hospital. I loved delivering babies. Due to an injury I've been off work for quite a few years but I am now working at getting my license back. I've done all the theory, laboratory and workshop. All I have to do now is finish my preceptorship of 14- 12 hour shifts. The problem is finding a preceptor. That is what's holding me back.
I've truly enjoyed meeting all the people on Classmates (with the exception of a few, but you find that anywhere). I've made some great friends that I'm sure I'll have for years and others I truly enjoy communicating by computer. I have difficulty figuring out Facebook, so I basically stick with what I know and enjoy, you all.
My husband and I have 2 cats. One is a black female DSH, who weighs about 6 lbs. We inherited her and her brother from Paul's mom after she passed away. We had to have the brother of hers put down for medical reasons. Our other cat is a 27 pound male DSH who was a rescue. He was pretty sick when the SPCA found him. They described him as a walking septic abscess. He spent 3 months at the vet before we got him. He has mangled paws and if you look at his face, one side is gorgeous, the other is the phantom of the opera. To us, he is gorgeous and we wouldn't have him any other way. He was fun to integrate into the household. He's extremely powerful and his favourite past time is how to ambush mommy and knock her down the stairs or just knock her over for that matter. Now we are trying to integrate another cat into the household. Not easy.
My oldest friend I have known for almost 40 years. We met in elementary school and just became the best of friends. We have been through ups and downs, and if it wasn't for her following the deaths of both my parents, I don't know what I would have done. Don't get me wrong. My husband of over 25 years was there for me, but it's different. I'll be there for her when her parents go.
That's all for now. I'll add more later. I think this is enough to read.
Register for Free to view all details!
Reunions
Register for Free to start a reunion event!
Photos