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

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father, old and worn from years of labour, fasten a sack onto his back, kiss his wife, and silently leave the hut. He watched his elder brother, who, from labour and hunger, had become old without being young, do the same as his father. His sister, just two years older than he, sat in a corner pounding grain to pulp in order to make cakes. He knew that this was the last of their grain, and no one knew how long that little bit was going to have to last. His mother came to him, kissed his forehead, and set a small piece of cake in his hand. Tiny held it, knowing this was his meal for the day-all he would get to soothe those unending hunger pains. Perhaps today would be the day his father and brother would come home with full sacks. If I had my way, thought Tiny, I would earn all the grain in the land for my family and our friends. Then Tiny heard a strange noise. It sounded like thunder. It became louder and louder. Suddenly from out of the jungle came a monster, heading straight for the little hut. Tiny ran and clung to his sister and mother. The monster stopped within a few yards of the hut, and Tiny's brown eyes widened as two men got off its back, walked round to the side, opened a door, and began to pull out some boxes. Tiny smiled that night when his family were sitting on the fioor eagerly eating the food that was in those boxes. It was the first time he had smiled for months. I have had my way, he thought. JANET CAMPBELL-Grade IX Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Everyone was party dress as the group from Grades IV, V and VI excitedly rode in the bus to the Playhouse. we were given programmes, dressed in white gloves and When we arrived went to our seats and talked till the two lights clicked. The first ballet was called Jeux d'Arlequins and in it the harlequins played around some boards. The boards were light blue and this gave a soothing feeling. Suddenly the corps de ballet turned the boards over and made them vivid orange. The music also changed to a harsh mood. This dance was very colourful and the dancers received great applause. The second dance was called Etude , In it a young girl dressed in black was taught exercises at the bar by an older ballerina. The bar was held by two men. The third ballet was called Sea Gallows . It was about a young man who was murdered. 31 A year later his wife married again. When she realized that this man was the one who had killed her husband, she killed him but she is killed too. The last play, La Fille Mal Cai-dee , is the oldest ballet in Canada. It is about a girl whose mother wants her to marry a comical vine- grower's son because he is very rich. The mother does not watch Lise carefully enough, and she manages to marry the boy she is in love with. As We left the Playhouse on the bus for Dalton House tired faces smiled in Il18ID0l'y of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. CATHERINE Woon CoNs'rANCE VINCENT SUSAN SAUNDERS DEBORAH RILEY DEBORAH CASEY NANCY CULVI-:R Grade Y Cupid Capers, 1962 On a rather chilly Friday, February 145, wc held our annual Valentine dance. The guests passed through an entrace of red and white streamers into a hall very effectively decorated as a Roman temple. On the back wall, in large white letters, was HTEMPLUM AMORIS- BEATI VALENTINIH. A heart tree placed at the head of the hall Illitlllllftlllitll the Valentine spirit. White streamers, strung from all four walls, were fastened at the centre to form a massive white basket trimmed with streamers and red hearts, and filled with balloons. Throughout the evening a variety of dances were played, including the Tango, the Polka, and the Cha-Cha. One selection caught Mrs. Byrne doing the new for 'li2 dance, The Twist. Jane McDiarInid and Alan Lauder won the Treasure Hunt which was the special event of the evening. All too quickly came the finale, which consisted of the releasing of the basket of balloons. Then everyone left after spending a very pleasant evening at Cupid Capers, 1962. BRENDA SIMIIIE

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30 Dolls of many lands visited us during February, while books, posters, maps and pamphlets about Japan, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Eng- land and Italy were being displayed. By means of story books that month we boarded a magic carpet each library period and visited all these countries. We would like to thank the owners of the dolls who kindly let them stay with us so long. Especially we would like to thank Mrs. Sumida, whose many Japanese objects were the main attraction. Our large selection of French books and records were displayed during Education Week. The younger grades listened to and helped trans- late stories read to them in French. A great deal of progress has been made on the vertical file, thanks to the committee of mothers who worked hard clipping interesting bits of information from a great variety of magazines. A subject file is nearing completion as well. It consists of two drawers of cards indexed according to subject matter so that both staff and girls can quickly find out what books we have on any topic, from Africa to Zoos. With so many more books going out of the Library, the jobs to be done, such as returning the books to the shelves, tidying, and repairing torn covers, have increased. Many thanks to Carol Albertsen and her committee for their many hours of work. Tribute to Alec Alexander Romaniuk has been a very im- portant part of Balmoral Hall since the amalga- tion in 1950. One of the few things I can remember of my first day at School is my mother's asking me if I knew Alec. I did. To me, Alec was almost as important as my teacher. His connection with the School gardens is much older than Balmoral Hall. He took care of the gardens when Riverbend School was there. That was a long time ago, but Alec's association with those gardens goes back even further than that. As a young man, Alec started working at Riverbend when it was a private house. I wonder if the children who lived there then had their leaf-houses raked up as we always had! During the summer months, Alec has always kept the gardens at Balmoral Hall in glorious bloom. Each spring, he spent long hours planting his precious petunias. In autumn, when the leaves started fluttering to the ground, he raked them into piles for burning. His ruthless destroying of leaf-houses has often frustrated the Juniors, but nevertheless, Alec raked on because of his wish for a lovely garden. The coming of winter always meant a different kind of work for Alec. Instead of working in the garden, he was faced with the doubtful pleasures of shovelling snow, or flooding the skating rink, but he is one of the few people who never grumble about the cold weather. The benevolent old man's talents have always been applied to repairs as well as to gardening. How often he has repaired a broken desk, mended a bed, or replaced a light bulb! He was also compelled to be a heating specialist in order to put a faulty thermostat in order, and keep the scattered buildings comfortable. Many are the night trips he has made in answer to emergency calls when the furnace had stopped. Few situa- tions arose when Alec could not put things right. This grand old man has withstood a great deal of teasing from the girls. When his bicycle was missing, he knew that one of the girls was merely trying his patience. He continued about his work with the knowledge that the bicycle would return just as the perennials appear each spring. Once a girl discovered that Alec would not become irritated, he became her friend. At first appearance, he looks stern, but anyone seeing him lovingly caring for the garden cannot help realizing how great his heart must be. This autumn, Alec retired. He left quietly. Few people noticed his disappearance until perhaps a desk needed mending. All that had often been taken for granted has gone. Never again will we look upon his broad back as he pedals through the gate. No more will his bicycle stand in its accustomed place. Alec's slow deliberate footsteps will not echo through the halls again. He can no longer be found in his workshop by the laundry room. It used to be hard to imagine Balmoral Hall without Alec, and now we know the gap he has left. The girls of Balmoral Hall all miss him, and wish him the best of luck. JOAN SELLERS If I Had My Way Tiny opened his big brown eyes to witness the breaking of another day. He lay on his mat trying to dream away the dull ache which always haunted his six-year-old body. lt did not help. His stomach still hurt. He rolled off his mat, folded it, and put it in the corner of the room on the mud floor. Tiny wandered into the other room. It was the only other room the hut had. The floor was pressed mud which became soft when it rained. The walls of the hut were made of vines and branches woven together and plastered with mud. A thatched roof kept the sunlight and rain from directly entering the two small rooms. Tiny watched his family prepare for another day. Not a word was spoken. He saw his

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32 Excitement in The Forest It was a pleasant evening in the settlement of Teulon as Jeanette finished helping her mother, and stood by the door of the one-roomed cottage. Maman, I am going to look for the cat, Mimi. I cannot find her anywhere. She may have wandered near the forest,', Jeanette said. Do not wander too far, ma chere. Monsieur La Blanche said that the Iroquois have been very restless lately. As she passed the Huron camp at the edge of the village she waved to her Indian friend, Minawaha, and told her where she was going. Jeanette walked to the edge of the forest but she could not Hnd a trace of the cat. Since it was not quite dark, she decided to go down the path in the forest to search for her. Tall trees reached endlessly up towards the star-studded sky. Their huge branches nearly blocked the ground of any light, but here and there shafts of soft silver moonlight stole through the branches. Jeanette was blind to this magical beauty around her as she walked farther and farther into the forest. Mimi, you naughty cat! cried Jeanette as she picked up the cat from the rock where it dozed. Now, let's go home, she said turning around. As she turned around she realized that while looking for Mimi, she had wandered off the path. Knowing she would not be able to find the path at night, the young girl lay down under a shelter- ing pine tree and fell asleep with the cat clutched tightly in her arms. The next morning Jeanette rose with the sun. As she hunted for the path, she heard two men coming towards her and so she quickly hid behind a tree. Now, we'll get rid of those pesky settlers, said a heavily built man with black hair, dressed in dirty buckskin and carrying a fierce looking rifie. That was a good idea of yours-stirring up the Iroquois and selling them rifles. Now they are going to burn the whole village and kill all the people. We can leave town this evening-a few hours before the Indians visit on 'urgent business', laughed his companion. Meanwhile Jeanette realized that these two men were Pierre and Jean Taleau, the twin brothers who owned a branch of the North-West Company in Teulon. The brothers had never liked the new settlers because, since they had come, the fur-bearing animals had retreated and were harder and harder to find. In her astonishment, Jeanette glanced around the tree. Too late, she realized that she might be seen. Well, what have we here? Pierre asked his brother as he roughly pulled the girl from behind the tree, Hal A spy. What shall we do with her? asked Jean. We can't kill her. We will tie her up to this tree. As there is no one around, no one can release her, and by morning the whole settlement will be burnt to ashes. After tying the girl securely to a tree, the two evildoers left. Jeanette could not say low long she was tied there. The ropes bit into her skin very painfully and the sun shining relentlessly burnt her skin. Suddenly she heard a voice calling her. In a few minutes the caller appeared. Oh-there you are, Jeanette! What hap- pened? I will untie the ropes! It was Mina- waha, her Indian friend. When your mother told me you did not return last night, I went to look for you. I thought you might be in trouble. It is not I who am in trouble. It is the settlement, said Jeanette. Come, I will tell you what happened but we must warn the settle- ment. Jean and Pierre Taleau have stirred up the Iroquois and they are going to burn down the settlement tonight. Come, let us hurry. Until they died, Minawaha and Jeanette never tired of telling their children and grand- children about the fierce battle against the Iroquois. The Iroquois had sneaked up to the fort intending to surprise the settlers, but were instead themselves surprised. The settlers were prepared and they had completely defeated the attackers. The two heroines often showed the people the medal given to them by the governor. Engraved on the medal were the words, To the two brave girls who saved the settlement of Teulon from the Iroquois in July, 1765. JUDIT1-I DOWLER-Grade VIII Enchanting Switzerland On Tuesday, February 20, Mr. Anton Lendi brought to the school a wonderful film about his native Switzerland. Throughout, he kept up a lively commentary which was often amusing. Mr. Lendi told us a legend concerning the birth of Switzerland. The Lord created the world in six days and when he had finished, he found that he had a small amount of all the beautiful elements left over. On Sunday, he made Switzer- land for his own enjoyment. I quite believed this myth as I watched his film. I had never seen such enchanting sights as Goschernon, the second longest tunnel in the world, and Devil's Bridge, crossing a raging torrent and surrounded by majestic mountains. I watched a folk dance, and saw many traditional