MARY and Chard SENIORS Sunday, April 2, 2000 — North Shore News - 23 and obtained his Second Class Mary moved to West Life-time Companions shaped by faith Brimacombe are unique and talented. Their warm personalities and sincerity are obvious as one enters their cosy and interesting: home. A chicken farm, a summer retreat, an. oil tanker, an. Istand in the middie ofan ocean and a musical group, all Ihave contributed to the personalities and talents of this extraordinary couple. A teaching Career, a special naval assignment, and their faith, also helped to shape the lives of Mary and Chard. Mary (Smyth) Brimacombe was born on a chicken farm at Nanaimo, B.C. in 1915. When Mary was the tender age of three months, her family moved to North Vancouver, into the Mount Crown Apartment building, im 100-block East Second Street Her grandfather had built the building around 1912. Later, they moved into ahome of their own, and Mary remembers, as a small gitl, going around kissing the beautiful flowers in her moth- er’s garden. Her grandfather had also built a little house on Gambier Island; just north of Bowen Island. Every summer her family would visit her grand ts and their farm aims. Sadly, when Marry was age five, her grandfather died, and the little Howse on Ganibier iland ‘was estroyed in a fire. Her grand- - mother rebuilt the house and Mary continued spending; her summers there, where she learned to swim and thor- oughly erjoyed boating. More important, they made happy memories there. - Mary was educated in a rivate school, the Crosby hool for Girls, in North Vancouver. Her favourite sub- ject was art and she was very good at it. After finishing school, she was employed by the school and taught kinder- ~ garten there unti! she married Chard in September 1939. Mary’s advice to others is the advice she, herself, follows "gach day: “Put God first” and - “Don’t be afraid to lend a : . hand to those in need. Chard was one in a family of three boys. He was born on Jan. 27, 1909 at the Jubilee Hospital in Vernon, B.C., but grew up at Enderby, where his father was an accountant with the Bank of Montreal. He had a happy childhood except for one incident that happened when he was about four. While playing with his go-cart, his right hand was turning the wheel when a spoke broke and split the mid- dle finger. His parents stretched him out on the din- ning room table and held him while the doctor stitched up his finger. He can still remem- ber the pain of that operation and the scar remains. The family relocated to New Westminster in 1917 during the First World War, and his father joined the ser- vices. Life evolved and Chard did well at school. His father returned from the war, rejoined the bank and was transferred to Port Alberni. This meant, for Chard, a new school and new friends. The family lived there from 1920 to °24. Ag the age of 15, Chard and a friend, Saville Garrard, joined the staff of Pacific Cable Board as probationers, at Bamfield, B.C. The Canadian Government opened up a training school at Barnfield, and Chard and Saville were the first two Canadians to have the oppor- tunity to train there. In November 1927, the two friends left Pacific Cable Board when the ruling was brought in that Canadians could only be stationed in Canada. In the fall of 1927, in North Vancouver, Chard found work with the Bank of PPING STONG'S? | WELL NOW YOU CAN AGAIN! |. SHOP 6Y PHONE, FAX, EMAIL OR ON-LINE! | TS THAT EAS?! - From Deep Cove to Lions Bay Stong's Express will deliver your groceries right to your front door. § _ PHONE: 266-5191 FAX: 266-5199 | EMAIL: cori_bonina@bc.sympatico.ca ON-LINE: www.stongs.com AVAILABLE MONDAY TO FRIDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS | CRDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:00 AM AND WILL 8E DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING DAY _ SATURDAY DELIVERIES ARE AVAILABLE BUT ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:00AM FRIDAY. Ca NEWS photo Cindy Goodman CHARD and Mary Brimacombe have enjoyed 61 years of marriage. before being transferred back to Honolulu for two years. The Depression came, and in 1933, the Commercial Pacific Cable Company cut the staff by six operators, of which Chard was one. In the Jong run this was fortunate for Chard. He was given six months’ salary and paid pas- sage to San Francisco. He attended radio school Montreal for a short time. On his three weeks’ leave from the bank in April 1929, he went to San Francisco and applied for work with the Commercial Facific Cable 4 Company and was accepte immediately with a five-year contract. After a year’s operat- ing in San Francisco, he was transferred to Honolulu for eight months before being transferred to Midway Istand located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Midway was a relay station for the cable to Guam, Manila, Tokyo and Shanghai. He was at Midway one year Stephen Wong Pharmacist CAPSULE COMMENTS y if you walk for exercise, try { | walking in sand for an even § | better workout than walking | i on solid ground. You'll bum | 20% more calories because | you have to work harder in sand. It doesn't pusis back on 5 your step as much as solid ground does. : © Men's fashions © Women’s fashions © Children’s fashions eluggage - © Jewellery & accessories How much fat is in red meats? Beef sirloin has 38% of its calories from fat. Beef top | round: 29%; Veal: 24%; § Venison: 18%; Buffalo sirloin: j 15%. Free Parking Free Delivery for P iy k | : fox Prescriptions H § nan “SEARS. OUTLET STORE.7.0f Pri a a Sove beg ba surplus (v9 $ 29 yy, SOVEC?- Onl a & — DAVIES PHARMACY 3401 St. Georges 985-8771 government wireless certifi- cate. This ticket allowed him to accept a wireless operator's job on the oil tanker SS Albertalite, chen the Marconi Company hired him as a wire- less operator aboard the CPR's Empress of Russia. For a short ume, Chard accepted a position with Trans Canada Air Lines at Calgary, working 16 hours per day, but left after seven months to join the navy when the Second World War broke out. The month of September 1939 was an eventful month in the lives of Mary and Chard Brimacombe. The Second World War broke out on Sept. 3, they were married on Sept. 5, moved to Victeria on the 27th, and Chard joined the navy on Sept. 29. The Brimacombes lived in Victoria for 10 years. For six of those years Chard was in the navy’s “Y” work, Foreign Interception, at Esquimalt and ~ Gordon Head, and worked on special assignment with the navy, intercepting war signals from the Germans and Japanese. Such work played a part in the sinking of the Biswarck, a German warship. After the war he spent four years at office work with Hobbs Glass in Victoria, now the Pinsburgh Paint and Glass Company, before joining the CPR Steamship Company where he stayed for 13 years as a wireless operator and assistant purser. He then transferred to the Canadian Pacific Transport to an office job and remained with them the 12 years leading up to his retirement at age 65. In January, 1950, he and - \@ Nursery furniture ¥ & accessories * «@ Bed & bath fashions © Housewares: © Kitchen textiles fas applies to morchuancisa in Seovs Outlet Stare. Offer does not epply to devecrol foes, moinienoars ogrerments, Vancouver. They have kept busy just fiving and enjoving each day as it comes. For 20 years, Chard was one of the 22-member musical group called the Singing Ukuleles under the direction of Alma Reynolds. The group per- formed at nursing homes, hospitals, and even at Government House in Victoria. Nowadays, Chard instructs beginners in snooker at the West Vancouver Seniors’ Centre, delights in playing his harmonica to his two-year-old great-grandson, and maintains the grounds around their home. Mary lovingly cares for their flower gardens, and con- tinues with her art, especially scenes with sheep in them — she loves sheep. She works in oil, water and acrylic and their home is filled with Mary’s paintings. She attends the art classes at West Van Seniors” Centre and has known the art teacher, Irene Poskitt, for many years. Chard’s advice to the young is: “Always tell the truth and have respect for others.” - The Brimacombes believe that with faith you can get through anything. It certainly is still working for this won- derful couple, after 61 years of marriage. and Chard have three daughters, three grandchildren and one great- grandchild. Vikki Finkbeiner is a North Vancouver writer. Ifyou know of somcone who might make an interesting profile, send your iden to Vikki c/o North Shore News. ON MERCHANDISE THROUGHOUT THE STORE INCLUDING: |° © Sporting goods 7 © Lawn & Garden Shop © Furniture © Family shoes © Kenmore® major appliances ~ *Sears will deduct from the item price the some dear amount os the GST & PST you will pay, so your totel purchase, induding the tax dollars, will be no more than the item price. Tax equivalent reduction does no? apply to purchase of =. able merchandise and purchases made under tox-exempt status. te Galivasy, or iestellotion chores of tctlogus pacha. ;