Balmoral Hall School - Optima Anni Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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VAIEDICTORY There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune . . Y' 'Julius Caesari' Though Form VI completes a twelve years segment of our life labelled Hschool-days , the end of this year for us is really a be- ginning. We have been preparing ourselves for the unknown fields of business, nursing or university, where perhaps some of us will make important contributions through science and the arts or in practical ways, to the com- munity where we find ourselves. At this turning point or tide in the careers and the lives of those of us who will be graduating let us review and assess our years at Balmoral Hall and by doing so try to enrich our future with some plan to carry on what we have learned here. No matter at what age we entered the school, and some of us started in kindergar- ten, we wereall eventually welcomed with a riotous Octo-ber ceremony called Initiation. In our final year at the school we were given the responsibility of running and planning this School Captain Head Girl event as well as other such s-tudent pro- JUDITH DOWLER NANCY LITTLE grammes. We have found many and various ways to serve our school. These opportunities have included singing in the school choir, serving on the library and magazine committees and playing on School or House teams. The house system at Balmoral Hall has given us an excellent means of working to- gether towards a common goal. When we were too young to participate in various school committees, we could serve our house and the school by keeping our shoes shiny and our names out of the Conduct Book. Some of us were called upon to be house heads or school leaders and some of us received the great honour of being appointed a prefect. It is not for us to judge how successful we have been but the experience of self-discipline and the opportunity to lead others has been both challenging and rewarding. These experiences we will take with us and hope to us in new fields. By the time we have reached Form VI, many of us have had a share in resident life. Boarding at school is one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences a girl of our age can enjoy. Who can forget the Christmas dinners, trips to the Ballet, to the Theatre Centre, and the impromptu pizza parties? No matter how far we spread afield what fun it will always be our B.H. friends all across the world. The memories of school prayers, the Christmas Carol Service, and the stirring an- thems the choir has sung, rush back to me as I reminisce and I know that the Closing Even- song and the last day of school prayers will mean more than ever to the graduating class, as it is we who must say farewell and you who must carry on. Even with the gateway to the future open before us, we take this backward glance at our happy days at this school. Be sure that in future years we will return for opening days, for special events and for House prayers. Whether or not this high moment in our life Hleads on to fortune we won't forget our school's traditions, its history and all that Balmoral Hall has given to us. JUDITH DOWLER - School Captain Iffllllt

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vvwvvv v vrvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vv v'v'vv vvvvvvvv -1.2 Balmoral Hall June, 1966 My dear Girls, My letter this year is set within the framework of some well - known phrases. There is something here for each of you. LET SOMETHING GOOD BE SAID. This well-known inscription, carved in the mantel-piece of the Music Room, is for all of us, but today it is for you who are graduating. As you enter the wider world b e y o n d your School days, the choice is yours to condemn, to criticize, to gossip, or ,whenever possible to let something good be said . My very best wishes go with you as you fare forth in new fields. MENS SANA IN CORPORE SAND A sound mind in a sound body Here is a phrase to think about. Canada's youth can well look with some dismay at to- day's world. Your chance to lead or to help your husbands who will be leaders, is coming. Lea- dership depends on a sound mind in a sound body. Use every opportunity to pursue knowledge and form habits of discipline and exercise to develop a sound body. LIFE OFFERS MANY AN EASY PRIZE, CHRIST POINTS THE HARDER WAYQ' This brings to mind the matter of choice. We are all free to be kind or unkind, to deceive or be honest, to be courteous or rude. The Christ in us speaks quite audibly and we hear Him, and yet to avoid punishment, to gain marks or to win t'friends we often choose the easy way. If you are ever in doubt be sure that He is a very safe leader. For those of you who reach the end of this letter I have a special message. It is written particularly for next yearls leaders, but it is for all of you who are returning. September will usher in a very special school year - a year filled with happy surprises ,different opportunities and new challenges. Together with all of Canada, Balmoral Hall is preparing for one of its most exciting years in history. Even now I can see today's graduates joining you with their alumnae- look as they return to honour our opening day on Thursday, September 8. Until then may you all have a happy, happy summer. Yours affectionately, A,A,A.AAA,4,,,. A,Av.-5 x,x.xA M.xAAA JSKAAAAJ AAA.4Af AAA xA,x,xfg4.A.4.4 .sw-

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7, 5lGN-E TS FORGET ME NOT Land ho! The cry, ringing through the early morn- ing mist, was caught up and spread over the deck, finally reaching the ears of the voyageurs sleeping in the crowded hold. A general clamour grew as shaking off their drowsiness, they jostled and shoved their way uo the ladder to the deck, eager for a glimpse of their new land after the long voyage from France. The New World! God be praised! Their excited cries echoed over the water. Although the hold was nearly empty now, its atmosphere remained oppressive, afford- ing no relief to the few people who had remained below. The debris littering the floor made free movement impossible, and the odour resulting from the two month voyage was suffocating. In a small alcove, a young girl shook her head and sighed as the last excited group disappeared up the ladder. In spite of the stench and filth, she welcomed a chance to compose herself before they landed, without the accustomed noise and confusion. Now as the door overhead closed, she sat in the semi- darkness lost in thought. Could it really be only two months ago the she, Helene Pascal, had bidden farewell to her home, her family, indeed, to her youth, and had set sail from France? It seemed an eternity had passed, and yet she could recall vividly, with nostalgia and some bitterness every detail of the events leading to her de- parture. She had been setting the table for dinner when her father had entered the cottage with 1 Q f N 'A 3? 5 as X R if his news. The little ones had run to meet him, and her mother, stirring the soup over the immense fireplace, had smiled her cus- tomary greeting. But that day, instead of swinging the childen to his shoulders, he had stood framed in the doorway, and taking a deep breath, had recited the news which had changed her life so drastically. Helene could still see his face and hear his excited voice as he related the story which was being spread through the village: Mon- sieur Talon, just returned from the colony across the sea, New France fdid not the very name suggest the youth and promise of the land?l was offering to pay one thou- sand francs to any family who would send a daughter to the colony. It seemed this new land, so wealthy in so many respects, lacked wives for her men, and mothers to raise the children who would become the heirs of her bounty. Would it not be a wonderful thing for Helene to travel to this New France, this land of opportunity and so play a part in building the king's empire? Until a suit- able husband was found, she would be able to live with Uncle Gaspar and Aunt Therese, who had sailed to Gaspe ten years previously. And so, scarcely before she had grasped the import of her father's words Helene had found her life completely altered. Of course, there had been a great deal of talk about the wonderful opportunity and experience her venture would provide, but she knew that the offer of money had been the main factor in her parents' decision and she had been hurt and indignant that her parents would sell her thus. Although they lived in need, like so many French peasants. she had always felt aloof from the grasping .Yin