St Johns Ravenscourt School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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THE MOST DANGEROUS FIRE IN THE UNIVERSE We were millions of light-years from our galaxy and our destination was another star system similar to our own. Our ship was exploring the least known sector of the universe and it made one feel lonely and helpless just to stare out at it. We were conquering the last frontier for it was our dream. We were there to fulfil an ultimate goal and if successful, it would be a fantastic achievement. Our tiny ship pushed on relentlessly, day after day, month after month, year after year. Th e monotonous hum of the reactors seemed to put me into deep trance for just the thought of them forced me to produce a sleepy yawn. Even in our experienced captain one could notice a slow down for time began to take its toll. But after a while, I suppose one would become used to the drowsy mood of the environment. Our technology, however, was not advanced enough to construct a spacecraft to overcome the light-barrier and thus the journey would drag through a span of over two hundred years. Each day I gazed through the telescope at our target and wondered what awaited us, another civilian? No one could even attempt to guess, the only thing to do was wait and that wasn’t difficult for I often sat in my quarters staring out through the window at the wonders of the universe, speculating as to what we would find. Soon, however, it became evident that our journey was reaching its completion. Finally after an almost indefinite period of two hundred and thirty-six years, we burst into the outer limits of the galaxy. We analyzed thousands of stars and solar systems, but the one which interested us the most was a tiny, yellow star situated in the outer realms of this island universe and although relatively small it possessed a family of nine planets. It seemed to emit an irresistable attraction for us, as if something strange was awaiting our arrival. So our ship turned toward this peculiar phenomenon with gathering speed. Suddenly we came in visual contact of the first three; they were cold, forbidding worlds, dead and silent. Thus we passed these globes of frozen ice unheadingly, and turned our eyes toward that warm, golden star with its gleaming light ruling this system. Then, unexpectedly, we came across two giant bodies much more inviting than the other three but still possessing unwelcoming qualities. Thus our course remained unchanged as we passed into the inner sector. There we found a tiny blood-red planet. However, the atmosphere readings proved this to be a hostile world as well, and once again we turned inward with the hope of success hanging on a thread. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere a blue-green disc came into view. As we neared this body we noticed great swirling masses of creamy, white clouds embracing this globe and that it was capped by sparkling ice at the poles. This world proved more than interesting and life conditions were ideal, so a landing party was immediately appointed. Once on the surface we discovered something even stranger than clouds. There were cities here, a civilization, but we noticed something else, also. There were giant craters completely covering the land and the huge structures in the cities were severely damaged. But the thing that rea lly impressed us was that there wasn’t a being for miles; it was as if the whole planet was dead. Then I began staring around desperately. Immediately my vision caught sight of something, some markings on a piece of oxidized metal. I picked it up anxiously and fumbled it between my fingers like a child with a new toy, then quickly brushed the dirt off it. There were three distinct markings on it that looked like U.S.A., but I couldn’t make anything out of it. Suddenly, clicks started coming in on the “radiation” meter. Just then the answer to the puzzle of what had occurred here flashed into my mind. It had been staring at me right in the eyes all the time. Nobody in sight, extensive damage, craters, radiation, that was it! This civilization had discovered the most dangerous fire in the universe and like a boy who had been playing with matches, carelessly burnt itself. Frank Jakovac 7EW NIAGARA FALLS Niagara Falls is a city to which every road leads. To the east is magnificent countryside. There are rolling hills past the meeting point of the sky and earth. To the south, across the Niagara River are the United States. To the north is the timber country and the west reveals its most famous area — the Great Lakes. There are many beautiful streets but the most beautiful is the one which runs along the mighty and ever rumbling Niagara River. The south side or side which runs along with the Niagara River is the most beautiful. The indescribable carpet of grass is always glistening from the cool but refreshing spray of water leaping off the top of the falls and plunging to the bottom. There are many magnificent trees along the side of the river as old as the city itself. The other side of the street doesn’t contain as many natural sites as the other side, but instead, it contains many natural substances combined to make man-made edifices. From this road you can see the city’s skyline which has one tall building towering above all the rest; this is the Skylon, a two-story disc shaped building atop a many hundred foot 78

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MR. SIMPKINS THE CAST Patch, afool .Gary Jacob Mr. Simpkins, an Old English Sheepdog . . . Frank Jakovic ADjinn .Mark Bredin Rougebucket, a herald.Gordon Finlay Sir Fenimore.Kurt Barkmann Sir Battledore .Graham Barrit Lady Fenella.Donald Guest Drusilla, a hag .Douglas Clark The Yale.Richard Klassen The Unicorn Knight .Allan Beech The Pelican.Peter Wood Basil, A Basilisk .Chris Dornan Costumes.Kathy Allen Properties.Hilda Ward Grant Ubell Prompter .Fred Young Lighting.Bernie Beare Sound Effects .Malcolm Cowie Mark Flett Set designed and executed by .Desmond Bevis assisted by . . Jim Hjartarson Ken Taylor Richard Krueger Joel Kobrinsky Trumpet played by.. . . Kent Stewart Make-up.Sheila Maurer Peggy Glegg Joanne Bevis Beth Beare Mollie Penaluna House Manager.Bruce Jackson Secretary .Ramona Brown Director.Harry Shepherd

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stem which is anchored into the main floor. The population of this tourist-filled city ranges from the poorest families to the most wealthy. At night you can see the less fortunate part of the population out on the streets. The men in their unbuttoned shirts reveal a filthy undershirt. The women in their ragged dresses and sweaters just walk around. The children wander about in groups, wasting time throughout the night for their parents have left them alone. Gary Jacob 7EW THE GEORGIAN ROOM The Georgian Room is a big restaurant located on the fifth floor of the downtown department store “The Bay”. Leading into the restaurant is a hall with sofas and easy chairs where customers, who do not want to eat right away, may rest their weary feet. In the hall there are also shiny cigarette machines, a counter where you may buy birthday cakes, and a cashier’s desk. Once inside the restaurant itself we see shining wooden tables while along the walls are booths with menus under their glass tabletops. In the center of the room stands a large circular shelf with many varieties of puddings, cakes, pies, cookies, fruit cocktail and melons: both water melon and cantaloupe. You may have all you want for only fifty cents! All over the restaurant there are waitresses taking orders and delivering food (that is, if you are not going to the buffet.) The waitresses wear white aprons over their black uniforms. It is easy to see that the waitresses like their jobs because they always have smiles on their happy faces. Beside the doorway stands a lady who tells customers which table or booth to sit at. She also gives balloons to young children. This lady wears black stockings, high heeled shoes and a black dress. Going out into the hall again to pay our bill we see yet another lady who takes orders for cakes and gives children packs of candy or gum. She is dressed almost the same as the lady at the restaurant door except that her stockings are different. The Georgian Room is a good restaurant to go to after a hard day of shopping. Daniel Woolf Form 5 THE FIRST MEAL An early spring had come and all through the forest, up to the tree tops of the elderly pine, animals and birds were awakening. The early robin sang out, so the whole woods were filled with music. Up in the clouds, the honking of the migration of geese as they flew past could be heard. Two squirrels, playing a game of chase around, stopped intermittently to occupy themselves with the hourly scratch. A mother raccoon, and two small babies shook off their sleepy feelings and wandered about their warren, in the knot of a fallen oak. The warren had been lined with dry grass and it stuck to their hides as though it were part of their fur. The mother, feeling the pangs of hunger under her hide, clambered out of the den to the ground. There, she proceeded to roll around, pushing off all the dry grass she could. Normally raccoons are nocturnal or night prowlers, but the present hunger changed this pattern. Finally after a lengthly session of rolling, she got up and poked around some nearby bushes. Finding only the odd grub or so she walked on. After wandering along, the pond soon came into view. The ice had thawed and ragged lumps of this cold substance could still be seen floating on the crystal water. Pausing after taking a drink, she scrambled into a pile of leaves on an outjuttingrock overlooking the pond. Patiently her small, mask-covered eyes scanned the surface of the transparent mass, waiting for the water fowl. The leaves were cold and damp as the sun had melted the snow which lay on top of them. Scant groups of frogs could be seen in the midst of the water, croaking and submerging. Few ducks had yet come in and others just flew past as if the pond wasn’t there. The ducks which had just landed stayed in the middle of the pond, and were at the moment, too hard to reach. The frog even looked to be tempting morsels of food. At last a small wood duck paddled closer to the rock and the pile of leaves, where the raccoon lay in wait. The raccoon fidgeted, waiting for the wood duck to come closer, The duck slid into shore pushing the water behind her. Silently the raccoon wiggled out of the leaves and set her black flashing eyes on the feathered morsel. Pouncing in front of the duck she clawed at her neck, but missed. The duck unfolded its wings and flapped them at the raccoon trying to scare her off. But she was too smart for that and hissed back repeatedly. Her savage menacing teeth drove far into the duck’s neck. The duck vigorously pecked at the raccoon but all in vain. The duck soon lay limp in the raccoon’s mouth. Following her instincts, the raccoon soused the duck in the water to clean it and carried it home for the first meal of the spring. Wes Christie Form 7EW 79