Herb Bechtel:  

Life Hi! I'm Herb Bechtel. I remeber the last days at Manchester. As I looked into the years that lay ahead I was scared. I got permissin to leave school and started a job at Savage Shoes in Preston believing I would be there for the remainder of my life. I had a friend in the factory who wanted to go into the navy, so did I. I tried to join at Star in Hamilton I was turned down because of my age. I then, along with some friends, went to Alberta visiting some former school chums along the way. I went to work at Burns Meat packers ranch shovelling grain from box cars until I was old enough to join. I started my career in Calgary, then to Cornwallis to numerous ships, Sioux, Jon Quiere, Crescent, Ontario as honour guard for QE 2, finally ending my time on the Athabaskan (2). I visited 12 different countries. I completed my enlistment in 1958 and went immediately on to the mission field doing children's work on the BC coast looking after and doing up keep on the mission boat "The Goforth" It was a wonderful six months. You got paid $9.00 per month if the money came in-it didn't! I left the boat and had to travel 100 miles to Vancouver to complete my high school. I completed grades 8-10 and was half way through Grade 11 when I got sick from the dampness of Vancouver. A young lady took me to her home on the Alaska Hiway, Ft. St. John, B.C. I was able to get employment at the CN Telecommunications radio-telephone-telegraph office at Mile 101 of the Highway. I was there for 10 years doing missionary work in my spare time, 1958 to 1970. I worked with 4 Indain tribes and 8 branch sunday school locations. The work was primarily with children from logging, oil camps as well as the reserves. It has been wonderful to re-meet so many of the children and their parents 30 years later. My wife and I are invited back for their reunions. I quit the CN and went to Bible College at Three Hills Al. The last evening of school I received a call from 101 ...Expand for more