Category: Lives

Post UPDATED…

Suzan was the daughter of Brenda Canning and the granddaughter of Phyllis Vera Peters.

Suzan Birdsall Obituary, Death – January 21, 2024 – London, England – Suzan Birdsall, who was affectionately known as Sue, passed away, and it is with profound grief and heavy hearts that we share this news with you. Earlier today, at 16:46, she left this world while surrounded by her devoted family, bringing an end to her time on earth. Her departure occurred in the embrace of her family. We are acutely aware that many of you had a great connection with Sue, and while we are conveying this sad news through this medium, we are also grateful for your support. We like to express our deepest condolences to her family and friends on the demise of this beloved member of our family.

Sue was a treasured friend, a confidante, and a source of delight for those who had the luxury of knowing her. She was more than just a coworker; she was a source of joy. There was a big turning point in the lives of individuals who worked with Sue because her presence at the workplace lasted for more than a decade. Beyond the domain of professional endeavours, our connections became stronger, and they eventually developed into a friendship that endured the ups and downs of life. We were able to lean on each other in times of need and celebrate the basic joys that life had to offer, which was frequently accompanied by laughing and the occasional drink that was shared.

We have been overcome with grief, and the vacuum that it has left in our hearts is unimaginable. All of you who knew and loved Sue are experiencing a profound sense of disbelief and shock as a result of this tragic loss. A heartbreaking reminder of the camaraderie that characterised our friendship was provided by the opportunity to see her in the hospital during her final hours. This opened the door for the interchange of memories that we both shared.

Sue was more than simply a friend or a colleague; she was a lovely spirit who left an unforgettable effect on our lives. Her legacy will live on forever. As we say our goodbyes, we will carry in our memories the warmth, the generosity, and the innumerable moments that we enjoyed together that characterised our time spent together. The melancholy departure of our wonderful friend will constantly be tempered with the experience of having Christmas tea with Santa, which was an event in which she participated as a joyful participant.

As we go through this period of grieving, let us come together to pay tribute to Sue’s memory. It is my hope that the joy and companionship that we experienced together will be the enduring legacy that will outweigh the sorrow that we feel over her absence. Dear Sue, may you rest in peace knowing that your memory will live on in the hearts of those who had the privilege of being able to include you in their circle of friends.

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Suzan is survived by her husband Mark Birdsall, brother Paul Canning and sister Shelly Canning. She has 5 children.

When I first connected with Suzan in November 2021, she let me know that her Mom, Brenda Thorpe was adopted.  Phyllis (who had married Bernard Bramwell Thorpe) had a son, Phillip, who only lived a few days, and after adopted Brenda.  I was a little disappointed but Suzan also told me that her “Gran” (Phyllis) was very dear to her and she had great memories of her.  Brenda died a couple of years ago (around 2020ish).

Suzan also had very fond memories of Aunt Edie and then revealed the open family secret:  Brenda was actually the daughter of Aunt Edie and when Aunt Edie was dying she told Brenda that she was real family – not an outsider.  Edie was born in 1903 and Brenda was born in 1943.  The story is likely true.  Phyllis would have known that when SHE was born, her mother Hannah adopted her to save the fallout of the scandal and the reputations of Florence or Ellen.  So Phyllis likely didn’t think twice to adopt Aunt Edie’s baby as her own, her only son having died as an infant.

Suzan was born Canning and married Jonathan Dove (not the composer).  They had 3 children and then Jonathan died.  Suzan entered into a relationship with Giovanni Lisi and had 2 more children.  She is now with Mark Birdsall and goes by Suzan Birdsall.

Shortly after this, Shelley Canning, Suzan’s younger sister, reached out to me on Facebook. Shelley has Aunt Edie’s scrapbook which is where the drawing of Gramma Gallson came from.  I hope to get more insight into this scrapbook.

Updates

The memorabilia collection that Suzan had was passed onto her brother, Paul, in the fall of 2023. Now I’m waiting for Paul to get through the photos. So far, Paul has sent me an additional picture of Florence standing beside a chair and a picture of Edie, Ellen and Phyllis sitting on a park bench dressed in their Sunday best.

On February 2, 2024: Suzan’s husband Mark Birdsall committed suicide. This information is from Paul Canning, Suzan’s brother. He also sent me a picture of Suzan’s three oldest children. Note Samantha’s red hair. Paul also said in his message that Auntie Edie had “really red hair.”

March 17, 2024: I convinced and offered to pay for an Ancestry DNA kit for Shelly Canning, Suzan’s sister. I’m hoping this will answer the question: Was Brenda Canning (nee Thorpe) adopted or was she actually Edith Peter’s daughter?

Uncle Jake is not blood related, but a dear uncle who married my Aunty Jo, Georgena Smith.

Uncle Jake was a larger-than-life personality. He was kind, funny, sweet, loving, generous in spirit (not money because Aunty Jo only allotted him 25 cents per week).

He loved to play the bag pipes and the fiddle and was so proud of his Scottish heritage, although he was born in Westmeath, Ontario. He was a member of the Sons of Scotland, both his sons play the bag pipes and know how to dance the “Highland Fling”. Aunty Jo was also a member of the Daughters of Scotland.

Even the switch plate going into their home bore the Buchanan plaid.

He was in the North Bay parades and at events playing the bagpipes, something we always had to go and see.

Uncle Jake played the pipes everywhere he could.

Uncle Jake’s sister, Norma Durrell lived in a beautiful house on the east side of the Buchanan cottage, while on the west side was Uncle Jake’s brother, Peter Buchanan and his wife Queenie. Norma Durrell’s colour television was the first one I ever saw. Both the Durrell’s and Peter’s house were beautiful “modern” homes compared to our farmhouse.

Sometimes, Uncle Jake would play his bagpipes around the cottage. He’d walk and play along the dock right to the end, and stand there, playing. The sound of the pipes was beautifully haunting echoing across the lake. I loved it. This is a beautiful memory.

A great story that my Mom told me, was the day my parents were married.

Uncle Jake proposed a plan that when my parents came back to Rutherglen from North Bay after taking vows, he would pipe them up the long driveway to the house where the wedding party was to take place. The plan was set and when my parents arrived at the gate, Uncle Jake was waiting to precede them. However, my Dad, being a quiet shy man not prone to ostentatious behavior, saw Uncle Jake waiting, he said to Mom, “Ta’hell with that!” and drove straight up the driveway, not waiting for Uncle Jake.

Uncle Jake was a showman. He and Aunty Jo took ballroom dancing lessons and they would always take to the floor to whirl about around the room at weddings. My first childhood waltzing experience was standing on Uncle Jake’s shoes. They also taught square dancing and Uncle Jake would call the dance. He was a music lover and in particular, he loved Connie Frances.

Uncle Jake’s Obituary

Jake was born on July 25, 1915 in the little pioneer town of Westmeath, 45 miles east of Pembroke, on the Ottawa River. A year and a half later, he moved to North Bay with his parents.

During his early school days, Jake contracted everything going: Scarlet Fever, St. Vitus Dance, Mumps, Measles, you name it. In spite of these difficulties, he still managed to enjoy his childhood. He attended King George and Worthington Street schools, and later Algonquin Collegiate.

In the 1930’s Depression era, when there were few luxuries, Jake roade a bicycle everywhere – to Kirkland Lake, Sudbury, Toronto, looking for work. He eventually returned to North Bay where he began at Canadian Longyear as “Cost Accountant”. He was there for 43 years, ending his career as Canadian Purchasing Agent.

He attended St. Andrew’s United Church where he and Jo have been wonderful and faithful “spiritual elders” to so many. Jake served the church in various capacities, from running off the worship bulletin every Saturday to tallying the offering. In recent years, with Jo, he would play the violin for background music at The Company of Good Cheer and at our hymn sings and Casselholm worship services.

In 1927, Jake started playing the bagpipes for entertainment. He was with the North Bay Pipe Band for 25 years. He also learned the violin in high school, just for fun.

Did we mention Jake loved to dance? He was always interested in both Round and Square dancing. In 1950, he started Square dancing with the Recreational Council. After several years as instructor, he danced with R.C.A.F. Squares at the local air base. The “Squarenaders”, “Gateway Swingers” on Thursday P.M. (Round, Square and Scottish Folk Dancing) and later The Gateway Gliders. He also was an avid Bridge player, an enthusiastic member of the Golden Age Club and of the Sons of Scotland.

On Christmas Eve 1937, in the old St. Andrew’s manse on Worthington Street, Jake married Georgina “Jo” Smith. They have been blessed with two devoted sons, wonderful daughters-in-law and five attentive and exciting grandchildren.

With thanks to an earlier article by Flo Skerrett.

“A Service In Loving Memory Of Jake Buchanan” St. Andrew’s United Church, North Bay, Ontario

Uncle Jake died September 26, 1995.

Cecil was born February 1, 1898 in Rutherglen, Ontario, to Eliza (nee Pennell) and John “Jack” James.

Cecil married Marie Tremblay and had two sons. From his will below, I can only make out the name of his 2nd son, Leonard.

He fought in World War I in the 12th Reserve, 1st Corp., 75th Battalion CEF, D Co., #3035764 and held the rank of Private. He was discharged May 12, 1919 and returned home in June of 1919 on the R.M.S. Mauretania.

In 1950, Cecil was living in Kapuskasing, and later in New Toronto. He died February 12, 1959.

Cecil-James-2Marie-James-parcel-318

James was born December 27, 1889 to Mary Ann Pennell and William James of Rutherglen, Ontario. He married Margaret I. McDonald and died October 12, 1976. James served in World War I. In 1953, he lived in Englehart and operated Tray Express Company.

John was born December 29, 1887 in Rutherglen, Ontario. He served in the 59th Battalion during World War I. He was a member of Branch 23 of the Royal Canadian Legion in North Bay where he received a 50-year pin. He was also a member of the Orange Lodge and a founding member of the Elk Lake Masonic Lodge No. 507. John also spent some time in jail and he worked for the ONR as an engineer.

He married Annie Gertrude “Gerti” Smith, who was the daughter of Willard Smith and Mary Johnson on Rutherglen. Gerti was a widow, having married William Daniel Smith, and had one some “Billy”. Gerti and John had two daughters: Eleanor James and Ruth James. Gerti died in 1926.

John then married Julia McNulty and had three sons: Jack James, Dale James, Darwin James. All three of these sons spent time in jail and were known to be part of the notorious “Kelly Gang” of North Bay.

William was the son of Mary Ann Pennell and William James of Rutherglen, Ontario.

William was born January 12, 1900 and served in World War I. He lived in Lac Vert, Sask, and died February 10, 1978 in Miracom, Sask.

The following is extracted from my book STIGMA (V3), so some of the content may feel out of content.

Phillip John Gallson was born in Zolpho Spring, Florida on March 18, 1926.  Part of Uncle Phill’s story is pivotal to GG’s story even though he was only three and a half years old when he last saw her.   

Uncle Phill also related his memories of abuse which Sharlene put to paper.  The following is an excerpt:

[When my Dad’s father] went into the bush, food was rationed and the children were fed very little.  Maw would even put marks on the food containers so she could tell if one of the children snuck something.  If she found food missing she would ask who took it and this child would receive a beating with a cat-of-nine-tails which was a leather strap with nine smaller strips attached.  If no one would confess, they would all be beaten.  My Dad and his sisters resorted to sneaking and eating raw eggs from the hen house or raw potatoes from the ground.  They were clever enough to put the tops of the potatoes back in the ground so the area appeared undisturbed.  Beatings were frequent for all sorts of reasons.  To avoid such a beating, my Dad once stitched a small chick together after accidentally squashing it with a cellar door.  Amazingly, the chick survived!  Maw refused to call my Dad, Phillip, his given name, saying that he would never be “filled up”.

This is likely the reason why Uncle Phill was called “Bobby” as a child.

Both my mother and Uncle Phill were accelerated by a grade or two when they entered public school after being home schooled by Mary. That alone is cause for pause. Mom graduated from Mattawa Public School with honours. When Uncle Phil graduated from grade 8, called “Senior fourth grade” at that time, he was also exempt from writing the high school entrance exam because of his high marks, but like her, he never attended. 

Being an American citizen by birth, the US Army came looking for him in Canada in 1946. By the end of 1947, he had completed basic training, surgical tech school in Denver, Colorado, served at the 172nd Station Hospital in Sendai, Japan, then honourably discharged. As exhausting as this sounds, upon his discharge, he enrolled himself into a 6-month photography course in Memphis, Tennessee after which he returned to Mattawa to open his own photography studio in the summer of 1948.

Pardon the military pun, but why the about-face? Why then? In November 1947, his father had disappeared and by the summer of 1948, had not been found. 

Earlier letters from Grampa’s siblings in Estonia were addressed to merely “John Gallson, Mattawa, Ontario” but by 1956, Box 306 had been added. It may be possible that Grampa arranged for certain mail to be delivered to the box while other mail was delivered to merely “Mattawa, Ontario”. Was Grampa secretly sending money to St. Thomas Hospital and corresponding with his Estonian siblings?

Uncle Phill was an honourable man, who would do the right thing for his family.  Grampa’s disappearance meant that Mary, who Uncle Phill still thought of as being his mother, and his younger half siblings had no one to look after them. Mary’s son Jackie would have been 18-19 at the time and his whereabouts were unknown to me.  It is not unreasonable to assume that Uncle Phill came back to Canada and opened a photography studio in Mattawa, to be close to his family and help out.  

Gallson Studio was a busy business between 1948 and 1950 in Mattawa.  Phill Gallson or Gallson Studio were credited with many photos in the North Bay Nugget during those years. But Uncle Phill had become a man of the world and once you leave your small hometown, as they say, you can never go back. After Christmas of 1948, Uncle Phill took a few months away from his business to be with his father in the bush. In November 1948, Grampa wrote to Mom that he thought Bobby (Uncle Phill) was not going to do well in his job after Christmas and that he’d be wise to go “to work for 3 months” so he’d be “making something”.  I believe this meant that Uncle Phill would be joining Grampa in the bush which he did, returning in March 1949.

The story relayed to me from Mom was that an invoice addressed to Grampa from St. Thomas Mental Hospital was mistakenly delivered to Uncle Phill.  It requested money to pay for night gowns for a patient by the name of Flora Gallson.  It seems very plausible that the mail sorter could have easily mixed up the Gallson boxes at the post office – after all they would have been the only two Gallson boxes around 1948. 

Was this when Grampa told Uncle Phill about how the couple who wanted to adopt him separately from the girls when GG was institutionalized? 

I can only imagine the shock and disbelief that Uncle Phill felt upon reading that letter from St. Thomas Hospital.  He called the hospital and tried to arrange a visit with his mother but was discouraged by someone who said she was “too far gone” and visiting would only upset her and him. He made the decision not to go.

When Grampa returned to Mattawa, Uncle Phill headed back to the U.S. to reenlist in the army. In 1953, after serving in Korea and Japan and while on leave, he returned to Mattawa and met the most beautiful woman in town and a recent England emigrant, Marian Gamble. 

If Grampa and Uncle Phill bonded during the several months they were in the bush together, something happened after this that led to Grampa not being invited or not attending Uncle Phill’s marriage to Marian in 1953. Barbara confirmed that they (Mary and the half-siblings) were not invited to this wedding. Uncle Phill’s wedding announcement says he is the son of “Mr. J. Gallson and THE LATE MRS. GALLSON of Mattawa.” Mattawa residents who knew the Gallsons must have thought Mary had died.  This announcement made a very clear statement.

Uncle Phill’s sister-in-law, Helen Gamble, was 15 years old when she was Marian’s maid of honour.  Helen revealed to Sharlene on a 2024 visit that the only family members that were welcome at the wedding were Mom and Aunt Jean under no uncertain terms.  The wedding was held in Mattawa, a small enough village that everyone knew everyone. Mary, Grampa and all her children lived in Mattawa, but were not invited.

When Uncle Phill and his family came to our farm for visits, Sharlene and Phillip (Jr.) addressed their parents with “Yes, Sir” and “No, Ma’am”.  Also, “May I be excused from the table?” caused Wayne and I, who had already left the table, to pause with “What’s happened?” looks on our faces.

Did Uncle Phill have any signs of childhood trauma?  He, like my mother, suffered from the need to be perfect.  He dressed impeccably at all times.  Even in his pictures of horseback riding and tricks, he’s in a suit jacket.  Sharlene said his closet was filled with many suits, meticulously rotated according to use.  His house was immaculate, a strong compulsion from him that thankfully equalled the desires of Aunt Marian. When he was in the hospital just before he died, the nurses commented on how handsome he was, and how soft and well manicured his hands were!  Uncle Phill never had a hair out of place.

Thus, the reason why the story of Mary sending him upstairs to put on a decent pair of pants when the minister came to visit, knowing he only had the ones he was wearing, was such a memorable event for him.

Sharlene Buszka wrote an amazing memorial to her mother, Aunt Marian, which contains a lot of information about Uncle Phill. Click the button below to see that memorial.

Alexander Pennell, b. 1892, son of George Matthew Pennell (Gramma Smith’s brother) and Charlotte Edmunds.  This Alex served 4 years in WW1 as a gunner.  He was severely wounded twice and sent to England where he met his future wife, Dorothy Rhodes, a nurse.  Alex worked as a Game Warden in Gravenhurst.  He had one child, Gabriel Pennell.  Alexander’s brother was Herb Pennell, who also served in WW1.

Alexander Pennell’s brother, Richard William Pennell married Carrie Sullivan (Melvin’s sister). He was a Fireman. Their children were Walter Pennell and Austin Pennell. Then Richard married Mary Ellen Farmer (Aunt Hazel’s sister).  One of their children was Alex Cecil Pennell who would be the Alex Pennell who is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. 

Throughout my childhood, I had no idea I was related to the Hones, much the same as I was totally naive to the fact I was related to Alice McLaren and her family. Yet I knew I was related to Alice’s sisters out west because I didn’t clue in that they were all siblings. Stupid. Alice and Kenny McLaren were always at all the family functions and I always wondered why.

HOWEVER, the Hones were never at family functions. I guess once relatives get too many times removed, they stop being invited or an imaginary line is drawn. I seem to remember Jim Hone telling me at some community function that we were cousins. In my mind, it was so distant that it was a gossamer relationship.

James Hone’s wife, Eliza Crew, was Rachel Crew’s (my great-grandmother) sister. The Hones and the Pennells came together to Canada on the S. S. Niger in 1871. They opened a brickmaking business in Carlton Place, but it didn’t work out. So they applied for land grants in Nipissing District and moved to the Rutherglen area to farm and built log homes. They were from London, England and could not have had any idea how to farm, as I suppose was the case with most British pioneers.

1. Bill Hatton 2.James Hone, young 3. Sarah Hone Wallace, 4.Maria Hone Carpenter, 5. Susan Hone Hatton, 6. Dick Carpenter and the 7. other – not sure. 8. Effie, Euphemia Hatton Scott (Frank Scott’s Mother)

Gathered at Pinelake to build the newer Hatton/Hone farmstead. The old log house where George Hone was born is in the background. George, son of James and Florence Gooderham Hone.
They built the new cedar farmhouse that we all visited and which is still standing at Pinelake.

Word document text sent with the photo

Effie is the original source of the deFawcett story and the Rutland story. http://nide.ca/2023/03/08/crew-history-tales-truths/(opens in a new tab)

I just watched a series on TV call 1883 – it was one of the most depressing depictions of pioneers trying to settle in American that I’ve ever seen. The Europeans who had such dreams and hopes for freedom and land ownership, so few actually made it to their destinations. They just didn’t have a clue what they were doing. I would hope that my pioneer ancestors didn’t have to deal with cold hearted bandits who would shoot you dead for your supplies and horses. At least I like to think Canada was a better place – naive?

One of my good friends in primary school in Rutherglen was Susie Hone. She was a petite little thing and super sweet. How I wish I’d realized she was my cousin! I remember my parents talking about George Hone, but really it was never “H”one, it was always George ‘Own – the H was always silent to my ears – funny to think that with an thick English accent, the H would be dropped and the phonetics was handed down for future generations outside of England.

Its only when I began the huge task of laying out the Hone family and their descendants that it is evident that the Hones are interwoven within the fabric of Rutherglen more so than the Crews or the Pennells. Their children’s, children’s, children’s, children still live in Rutherglen.

James and Eliza Hone are buried in St. Margaret’s Anglican Church cemetery in Rutherglen. When they immigrated to Canada, leaving their oldest, Elizabeth, behind, but bringing with them: Sarah, Susan, Job and Maria, then they had 4 more children in Canada: George, Elizabeth, Annie and James. My notes (from Myrtle Connolly) say that James “had a brickyard at Greenwich before moving to Estney Street, London”. Their oldest, Elizabeth married William Charles Higgs Owen on April 23, 1871, about 2 weeks before the S. S. Niger set sail. Myrtle’s notes say that Elizabeth moved into the Hone home (77 Estney Street?) when they left for Canada.

James and Eliza Hone’s children were:

• Elizabeth b. 1849 m. William Owen
• Sarah b. 1854 m. Edwin Nolan
  • James Hone (not a Nolan) (father: Best)
• Susan b. 1856 m. William Hatton
  • Eliza “Effie” b. 1896 m. Henry Scott (lived on Hwy. 17 next to Aunt Sadie “Sarah”)
  • Sarah “Sadie” m. Frank Wallace 1905 Andover, Maine
    • Robert Wesley b. 1920 m. Stella Sawchuck
    • James b. 1922 m. Edith Hone (cousins)
      • Stanley b, 1947 m. Sharon McClellan
    • Lois m. Wayne Graham
    • Dawn b. 1957
  • Frank b. 1935
• Job b. 1860
• Maria b. 1862 m. Richard Carpentor
• George
• Annie d. infancy
• James d. infancy

Sarah Hone had an illegitimate son in 1883 – James William Hone. Sarah then married Edwin Nolan, but Edwin Nolan refused to raise young James, so Eliza and James Sr. continued to keep him.¹ Kaye Edmonds found out from Iva Hone that the biological father of James Hones was Best who could have been from the Perth area.

¹ Kaye Edmonds, Email, January 13, 2001 “I know that they tell me in England that he was referred to as ‘a boy they where raising’. You know how it was in those days.”

George’s dad had no father, his mother was Sarah who married Noland after. He was raised by is grandfather James Hone and his grandmother Eliza Crew.

September 1994 Letter from Irene Hone

James married Florence Gooderham and they had the following children:

• George b. 1913 m. Irene Tyler
  • James Harvey m. Dorothy Oglestone
  • Ruth m. Wesley Sullivan
• Reuben b. 1914 m. Iva Livingston
  • Joyce m. George Cook
  • Judy
  • Linda m. Wayne Green (son of Andy Green)
  • Danny w. Patsy Backer
  • Susan (Susie) m. Randy Furlani
• Edith b. 1920 m. James Scott (her cousin)
  • Stan m. Sharon McLellan
  • Lois m. Wayne Graham
  • Dawn never married
  • Valerie (Edith’s obit says Valerie was her daughter)
• Florence b. 1916 m. Gordon Donaldson
  • Ann
  • Lynn
• Irene b. 1922 m. Kenneth Prescott
  • Richard m. Anna Foley
  • Valerie m. Warren James (son of Christy James, so distance cousins)
  • Ken
  • Kaye m. William Edmonds**

** Kaye is a brilliant amateur photographer and an avid genealogist. She’s done and shared a lot of research into the Hones, Prescotts and Edmonds. You can find Kaye on Facebook (20+) Kaye Edmonds | Facebook

Below are some memories of Jim and Dorothy’s wedding. As of this year (2023), they will have been married 60 years. Beautiful couple – beautiful people.

Below are memories of George and Irene Hone’s 60th Anniversary. Irene provided a lot of genealogy data to me.

Below is an article about Danny Hone from 2003. Danny is the son of Reuben Hone, nephew of George Hone above, and great-great-grandson of James and Eliza Hone.

Iva Hone (nee Livingston) – wife of Reuben Hone, great-grandson to James Hone and Eliza Crew

Thanks Mom for all the years of always saving the newspaper clippings at first for yourself and then for me.

J. J. C. Bradfield is by far our family history’s “claim to fame”. Its unfortunate that he is not known by the Canadian Crew descendants unless they read any family genealogy about the Australian immigration in the mid to late 1800s.

I’m not going into the history and stories surrounding J. J. C. Bradfield here because you can simply Google his name or buy or borrow a book about him from the library. I’ll only summarize:

John Job Crew Bradfield was the engineer behind the building the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the engineer behind creating the specs for another famous bridge in Australia – Story Bridge.

I will relate how I found out about him.

After my Dad died in 1988, and I began to deep-dive into my family history, I visited my cousin Myrtle Connolly in Ottawa. She was an avid family historian and she shared many documents and pictures with me, including letters she’d received from an Alice MacGregor in Australia. I then began to write to Alice myself. It was very exciting to get mail from Australia and, like Myrtle, Alice was very keen to share her family’s history with me – and the biggest story was John Job Crew Bradfield.

I didn’t dwell on it a lot then. I just thought it was great to have a smart relative who had a high-up job building a big bridge in a far off country.

A few years later my mom is remarried and takes a trip with her new husband overseas. She starts chatting with an Australian guy sitting beside her on the plane. My mom knew my Dad’s family history and knew that his grandmother was Rachel Crew and knew that some of the Crew’s immigrated to Australia. So that began the fateful conversation. This guy was over the moon that he was sitting beside a “relative” of J. J. C. Bradfield. I think he could have been Bradfield Fan Club president if there was one. He insisted on getting my mom’s address and sent her photocopies of information on Bradfield, including one of a book on him. It was then that I realized the J. J. C. Bradfield was somewhat of an Australian hero.

Of course, television has made our world so much smaller and “far away countries” are not so far anymore. I usually try and watch the New Years celebrations every year being broadcast from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and it really is a spectacular bridge.