Isabel (McMeekin) Fraser
Looking back over the years, I’m afraid, has become a way of life for me, so recalling the events of my teenage years is a real joy.
In the late fall of 1942 John Joseph McCormick came down to see my father and after the usual amount of “horse talk”, a subject dear to both of them, Mr. McCormick asked my father if there was any possibility of one of his girls working at “central” for a while. When my father spoke to us about it I jumped at the chance and so began some very happy years.
Mr. McCormick outlined the workload for us with the day’s work beginning at 7am until 9pm, working every second week. We had our room and board and a salary of ten dollars a week which for the time seemed ample pay.
I started shortly before Christmas with Jessie MacGillivray as my instructor. Unfortunately the sleet storm of 42/43 interrupted my work and I was put on hold for a short time. I believe there were only two or three lines in use when the storm was over. Even when I came back to work a great many flnes were out or partially so. I can remember Mr. McCormick starting out with a horse and cutter well before daylight in the morning and coming home well after dark in the evening. Even so it had to be well on into April before all the lines were repaired.
Those few years in the early forties seem in retrospect to be such happy innocent times for many of us. In spite of, or maybe because of terrible world events there seemed such a close-knit family kind of feeling in our communities. I wonder if the other “older” operators remember our umpteen early Sunday calls of “Could I have the correct time Central please?” one must not be late for church.
In those days as well a good many, especially of the older generation, could not see the need of looking up a number and instead just asked for the party by name. One gentleman I well remember used to call frequently and say “Get me Lauchie eh Central”. It was really no hardship for us since the numbers became clearly fixed in our minds. I remember too being asked to locate a nurse for an older person who was desperately ill. I rang several operators and finally having managed to secure one I made arrangements for her to be picked up at the station in the morning. All in a day’s work! Maybe Central was a good name for operators of that era because we almost felt that we were part of each community. I thoroughly enjoyed the years I spent at Lochiel. Being part of the McCormick household was part of that happy time. Very often Mrs. McCormick would take over the board for me and I would iron or do whatever household task needed doing. A change of pace for both of us. My relationship with the McCormick family was one of mutual respect and I cherish the memories of those years.