Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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A BIG DAY IN OUR LIVES IT WAS a big day in our lives at Trafalgar when the Governor-General of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Vincent Massey, came to visit us. The time was 11.00 a.m. on February 10th, 1956; the place: our Gym; and the occasion: the official opening of the new wing of our school. A hush fell over the Gym as His Excellency, followed by our Dr. Foster and other distinguished guests, entered. We all sang God Save The Queen and then Mr. Massey was introduced to us by Archdeacon Gower-Rees — as if we didn ' t know him already! His Excellency ' s speech, or rather his talk, was wonderful — so informal! I am sure we all felt as if we had known him for years as a personal friend. He asked Dr. Foster if, to commemorate the occasion, she would give us a full holiday, a holiday which we are to call The Queen ' s Holiday . In spite of all the work we have to do in such a short time, Dr. Foster agreed, to the great joy of us all, especially the little Preparatories in the front row. Dr. Foster ' s address to the Governor-General was very appropriate for the occasion. It made us proud that she is our Principal. She looked so nice — as did everyone: the teachers with their gowns, caps and hoods showing their various degrees, we girls, with our tunics neatly pressed and shoes shined. Our Head Girl, Lynne Harrison, thanked His Excellency for us. She seemed to express exactly how we felt, and it made us proud of her when we afterwards learned that he, himself, had told her that she had done very well. Following this, we sang Come, Loyal Hearts , a closing prayer was said by Dr. Berlis, and O Canada was sung. The ceremony was over, but not the memories. Now, the Governor-General was taken through the new building by Dr. Foster while we patiently waited downstairs to see him off. Our prefects, staff members and special guests were presented to him upstairs, at this time. When the time came for Mr. Massey to leave, just before he went out of the door, we all gathered around him and gave him three cheers. Did we ever cheer, too! Then, as he got into his car, some of us went to the windows to wave good-bye. As his car started down the hill, he turned and waved back. This was the greatest — the perfect ending to a perfect day. Shall we ever forget it? Shirley Hatfield, Form Vb, Ross House. A few comments by the girls on our Big Day: — The thing that impressed me most about Friday was the teachers marching in wearing their caps, gowns and hoods, and sitting on the platform. The Governor-General laughed heartily when one of the Preparatory pupils stated in a loud voice as her picture was taken, I closed my eyes that time! Dr. Foster ' s speech was amusing when it came to the part where she said she was offered a job with the construction company. As the Governor-General was cheered away, the shining face I remember was Mr. King ' s as he proudly held the door for His Excellency. [17]

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THE PREFECTS Standing: Sandra Kovacs, Gail Fitzpatrick, Penelope Farndale, Margaret Clegg, M. G. Morton, Carol Clark. Sitting: Sandra Keymer, Lynne Harrison, Elizabeth Corken, Susan Kilburn. THE FIRST EVENT this year was the House Competition which took the form of a Variety Revue. After much arranging, secrecy and confusion, it was held on November 30th and was greatly enjoyed by all. We congratulate the winners — Fairley — for their wonderful boat-load of entertainment. The amount of Red Cross contributions shows that this year we have many enthusiastic workers. Our thanks go to the members of all Houses who have shown so much spirit, and especially to our untiring Red Cross Reps, who have done so much for the Houses and the school. Cumming and Barclay are proud to have completed afghans already. Congratulations to all the girls who received G badges, stars, and Honourable Mentions. We also welcomed those basketball points from school team members! We are all eagerly looking forward to the Inter-House Basket- ball and Tennis matches and Field Day, all coming up in the near future. [18]