Marguerite Baker:  

Hello class of 1966 and 1967. I spent two years at Notre Dame, the first as a boarder at Metcalfe St. and then at Campnille Campus on Heron Road. I was a day student in my repeat of grade 12. I had to make up for no 'New' Math or French for the previous three years due to living in Iqaluit, Nunavut (Frobisher Bay back then). After ND, I attended St. Pat's College and Carleton from 1967-1971. I studied Soc.,Psyche, and Lit. In my final year, I married Rick King. We moved to Toronto, and I started a 10 year career with the Royal Bank of Canada. I had been a loans officer to small business when I left there in 1980. During my uni summers, I worked for the CBC in Iqualuit and Ft. Churchill, Manitoba as a radio announcer/operator. It was a five year love affair. However, when it came to full time work, I lacked the confidence to break into the Toronto radio scene. So, I chose banking instead. Rick and I divorced in 1975. We had no children. It was an amicable parting, and we kept in touch for many years. Four years later I met my husband, Michael Baker while working at RBC Commercial Banking Centre in Mississauga. Mike, had been an engineer working for Shawinigan had recently transferred from Montreal. He had approached the RBC for a mortgage. The mortgage officer was away at the time so I loaned him the money. During the next two years, we became an 'item', and eventually I moved in with Mike and a year later, in 1982, we migrated to Brisbane, Australia,me here we now live. Mike started his own engineering business here while I was a marketing manager for a trading bank. I enjoyed my colleagues and the clientele and the interstate travel, but after two years we decided to start a family. Our biggest joy (and challenge) was to raise our two boys, Andrew and Matthew. Andrew is 29, a Quantity Surveyor living and working in London, UK; and Matt, 28 is a Chartered Accountatnt living, and working in Brisbane. Both boys are 'people' people, and are a joy to be with, when we see them. Fortunately, we have been able to travel back to Canada frequently to see family and friends. Last year, I took Mike on a 'Maggie tour' of my Ottawa student days. I was shocked to find that the old Metcalfe St. ND had been pulled down and replaced with Bell Canada's building. I wasn't shocked the building was pulled down, as it was partially 'condemned', when we were there, but I was shocked that there was no remnant of the old girl. I mean, not even a plaque or something. Such is the modern world! No respect for antiquity! LOL While our boys were growing up, I went back to uni and completed a degree in Journalism and business, and also did a post grad course as a Cambridge University external student, in English as a Second Lnguage. I only do volunteer work in those areas, but not too much of late. I have done volunteer work with schools and Meals on Wheels, and the odd project, such as when we had the 2011 floods. I started a charity with my wonderful neighbour's called Street Heart, and we adopted a flooded street in Ipsw...Expand for more