Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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MISS MacGACHEN It is with great pleasure that we present in our magazine a picture of Miss Freda MacGachen, tvho from 1940 until 1947 taught English to the senior classes at Trafalgar, and was for three years a very capable Honorary Adviser on the Staff of the magazine. At Trafalgar, Miss MacGachen became greatly esteemed by all those with whom she came in contact, and each one of us felt a personal loss in her resignation last June. Although she is no longer on the Staff of Trafalgar, Miss MacGachen nevertheless keeps up her interest in the school. As proof of this, she very kindly consented to judge the senior literary section of this year ' s magazine. The Staff and students of Trafalgar extend their very best wishes to Miss MacGachen for succecs and happiness in the future; and in appreciation for all that she has given us, we offer simply, Thank you . [16]

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gills ' school there, to be culled Ross Institute , but, because of the his- torical associations, he changed the name to Trafalgar Institute . He died in 1S77. leaving the matter of building in the hands of his executors. The purpose of his bequest was, as he expressed it, to qualify young per- sons for discharging, in the best man- ner, such duties as ordinarily devoh e upon the female sex . In 1S81. the Trafalgar property was placeil under the care of Ir. John Nairn, who had been gardener at Viewmount for 20 years. Tiie ex- ecutors transferred to this property a collection of plants which formerly adorned the Viewmount ' gardens. In 1890 the grounds and greenhouses were rented to McCiill University, to be used as botanical gardens. Professor Penhallow and Professor Carrie Derick took many groups of young men am! young women to those gardens for botanical lectures, and resident pupils of Trafalgar often went there to enjoy the beauty of the gardens, anil the fine view. In 1901 the proi erfy was sold, and is now tra- versed by ' cstmount Boulevard. ★ ★ ★ Chalderfon Lodge hen Rev. Dr. James Barclay came to Montreal in 1883, as minister of St. Paul ' s Presbyterian Church, he interested Sir Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona) wiio donated -SSCOOO. and with a legacy of .S16.000 from Miss Ann Scott, added to Mr. Ro.-s ' bequest, the trustees, at once, pre- pared to erect, or acquire a school building. The school could not be built on the Tral ' aigar property, as Sir Donald Smith had stipulated that it should be within the city limits, so a fine residential property was bought on Simpson street, and in 1887 the residential and day school opened in its present quarters. The land on which the school was built, had been part of a large farm, owned by Hertel de Rouville and Boucher de Boucherxille. The pro- perty was owned successively by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the explorer. Sir George Simpson, of the Hudson ' s Bay Company (hence the name Simpson street) and by Adjutant Cleneral Wetherall. who built the liresent residence, calling it Chalder- ton Lodge , a small replica of his old home in England. The grounds, which comprised four acres, with coach house, kitchen, garden and stables, extended to Redpath street. When General Wetherall returned to England in 1850. the property was bought by Mrs. Philip Holland. The next owner was Mr. Henry Thomas, and finally it was bought by Mr. Alexander Mitchell. The grounds on the Redpath street side were then .■;old for building lots, and the pro- perty was reiluced to its present size. In the early days families in the dis- trict tlrew water from a .small jirivati reser oir on the mountain. Whi n drain pipes weie laiil on Simpson street, soliil rock had to bo blastcil for the luupose. Mr. Mitchell sold the proi)erty to the trustees for a very moderate sum in 1887. and the buikling was used as residential and day school till 1902 when a new day school was erected, to which a large addition was made in 1914. The original build- ing (Cieneral Welherall ' s ChakU-r- ton Lodge ) is still the residential school. Sittings are retained for the resident pupils, in the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul (Probylerian) and in St. George ' s Anglican Church, ★ ★ ★ The Corporafion Mr. Ross foresaw the I rend of modern education when he pro id(-d scholarships for the daughters of the Protestant clergx-, especiall ' those of Presbyterian ministers. When the late IVIiss Fairley retired in 1913, her old pupils founded the ' Grace Fair- ley Trafalgar Scholarship , at McCiill, in her honor, and durinir the hist few years the members of ' The Old Girls ' .Association ha e established two scholarships for entrance to Form III, ;ind hope to add to the number. It may interest old friend.s to read the names of members of the original corporation (Act of Incorporation, 1871). Their successors in office were to constitute the corporations of the future. 1. Mr. Donald Ross. 2. Principal of McGill University, Montreal, (Sir) J. Wm. Dawson, LL.D. 3. Principal of Queen ' s University, Kingston, Veiv Re ' . Wm. Snodgrass, D.D. 4. The Archdeacon of Montreal, Ven. W. T. Leach. LL.D. 5. The Minister of St. Paul ' s Pres- byterian Church. Rev. John Jenkins, D.D. 6. The Minister of St. Andrew ' s Church (Church of Scotland), Rev. Gavin Lang. 7. Rev. Donald Ross, B.D., Chat- ham. 8. Mr. Alexander Mitchell, St. Andrew ' s Church. 9. Mr. Alexander Macpherson, St. Paul ' s Church. It is very interesting to note that the great great granddaughter of Archdeacon Leach, Philippa Hansard, is a pupil in the school today. [15]

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EDITORIAL THIS vear. rralaliiar has takt-ii another titep into the lutiire — aiul you have helped her to take that step, lor Trafalgar is as imieh a part of you as you are a part of Trafalgar. Vi hether. through your eftort, that tep has been hold and meritable. or. through Nour huk of eH ' ort. faltering and weak, you alone can answer. As the world travels in an orbit, an orbit eontrolled by wonderful forces, so a great coinitrv, eitv, anil institution ha e their orl)ils, and so ha e Trafalgar and vou. Just as Nour home, interests, and friends are our world, your orbit, so vou are a part of the orbit of Trafalgar, and just as one of these failing you fills ou with untold pain, so your breaking faith with Trafalgar ' s expectations of vou. aflects her mortally. The personalities wliieh constitute a boily of people are inevitably diverse, and thev must be diverse if that group is to have colour, imagination, and a future. Our school is no exception. Trafalgar has its illustrious members — those with outstaiuling talents, abilities, and leadership qualities. But she has also, in common with all other great institutions, her little people , and to be a success she nuist ha%e these little people . Most of us enter into this class. The strength of a avv is estinuited by the quality of the ratings, not by that of a few distinguished officers, and if Trafalgar is to go on as successfully and as profitablv in the future as she has tlone in the past, it is up to us — her ratings — to see that her high standards reign supreme throughout every incident in our lives here at Trafalgar. X e must not allow ourselves to think that because something was yesterday, it will be tomorrow. Too many people have thought that recently, and, as a result, the world is suffering unbelievably. Also we cannot leave the task to our few leaders, for they can achieve nothing alone. They can but show the w ay — it is up to lis to follow that way through to the end. If we are to be true upholders of the standards of Trafalgar, we must realize that each one of us counts vitally. The least of our thoughts and actions can affect our school — it is ours to decide w hether that effect w ill be injurious or beneficial. Ahead of us all lies a precarious future. The path we shall have to take is imcertain and will demand cautious stepping. By applying all of our efforts now to gather together what knowledge we can, we shall find, in the unsure days ahead, that that learning has been transformed into what will give us immeasur- able courage — it will have become the foundation of a physical, moral, and mental strength that will never leave us. We shall realize, when that time comes, the profound truth of the statement — In keeping yourself with labour, y ou are in truth loving life — And to love life is to be intimate with life ' s inmost secret . — Do you think it possible that, in the far-distant future, it may be said that Trafalgar ' s sixtieth anniversary was a milestone in her career — and if so, how many of us will be able to say I was a diamond in her Jubilee ? [HI