JACK CARBUTT: And again, ladies and gentlemen, it is our pleasure to talk to one of the old-timers, one of the pioneers out of the City of Prince George and the surrounding area. This particular young lady that we’re going to speak to has, been in the City of Prince George for some 43 years. Amelia Eliza Van Dyke, Mrs. Van Dyke. Now, Mrs. Van Dyke, you came to Prince George in what year?
AMELIA VAN DYKE: In 1919, Jack.
JC: In 1919, and from where did you come from?
AV: London, England.
JC: What part of London, Mrs. Van Dyke?
AV: Well, I was at Hampstead Heath, and I’ve been near Stratton and other places.
JC: Um-hum. Now, at Hampstead Heath, could you just tell, I know there’s a lot of people around that just know where Hampstead Heath possibly is located. Just what part outside of, south, north, east, or west of London?
AV: It’s south. South of London. It’s a wonderful place. The Londoners
come up there on holiday time, and they have the roundabouts and the what-have-you.
And I remember an incident there, when I was young, they told me, you see
I was a, a person that lived on Tweed Hampstead, and we never came out
to the Heath on holiday time, because of the pickpockets. But I wanted
to see what it was like. So, I went on the roundabouts, and, as I got on,
I gave the man a half a crown. So, I said I wanted my change. And he said
he would get it. So off he goes and he never comes back.
And I’m centered on the roundabout, and goin’ around and presently,
he comes round again. He wants my money. I said, “I’ve given you ‘alf a
crown, and I want my change, and I’m stayin’ on the horse.”
So off he goes. And I still go round. And another man comes, and he
said he wanted my money. So, I said I’m waitin' for my change, and I’m
not getting’ off the horse until I get my change.
So this man wasn’t so good. He just pushed me off.
So, I was so mad, so I thought, I must look for a policeman. So, off
I go, and I look for a policeman, causin' a crowd to come, everybody buzzes
around. And the policeman comes and says, “Yes, Missie, and what’s the
matter?”
An’ I said, “Well, I paid my half a crown, and I couldn’t get my change,
they push me off the roundabout,” and so on and so forth.
So, he had everything stop. And we went to a little inlet, inside the
machines there. And here was the man counting the money at a little table.
So I pointed, I said, “Here’s the man, that owes me my change.”
So the policeman said to him, “Now you must give the lady her change.”
And he said, “She didn’t give me half a crown.”
And I said, “Yes, I did.”
So, the policeman took my side, and the man had a, and the policeman
said, “Now how many rides did you have?”
And I told him.
And then he said, “You pay for those rides.” And he said to the man,
“Now you give the lady her change.”
Which they did.
And when I came out, what do you think? Well, of course there’s a crowd,
with a bunch of children that follow me. And they put these here spitballs,
and spit all over the place. You know the idea, an, peashooters, and what
have you. So, it got so hot, I had to get off the grounds.
JC: Ha, ha, ha. You have never been back to Hampstead Heath, no doubt.
AV: Oh, no! But, my neighbor said, I should never have gone on the Heath in the first place.
JC: Ha, ha, ha, ha. Now when you came over here, how did you come over?
AV: I came by boat.
JC: Mm-hum.
AV: And, with my husband and little girl. We were married in England in 1917. My little girl was born in 1918. That was Matilda Mary. She’s dead now. She died of cancer. And, _______[unintelligible] a blank.
JC: You came over right to Prince George, did you Mrs. Van Dyke?
AV: Oh yes, I certainly did, Jack. I came to Prince George. Which was,
at the time, very few stores, and only the Alexandra Hotel. There was no
Prince George Hotel. The Prince George Hotel was empty at the time. Not
in use. And, the place was very lonely. I felt very lonely. Beautiful country.
And at first there was all kinds of mishaps I used to do, one way or
another in my speech. Which used to cause lots of laughter and anger, on
my part. There was many incidents that I didn’t like, but I’m glad now,
that I’ve stayed, because I love Canada.
JC: Now when you came, on the train, I understand that, you were met by, let’s say a Jitney or something?
AV: Oh, yes, we were met with a bus affair, which was like a black Mariah,
and it had straw, for to put your feet in, you know. And I wondered what
was happenin’. And then when we got to the hotel, it wasn’t the hotels
we have in the Old Country. It was of rough boards-- the floor was-- in
the entrance. You went up to the lobby, and, it was, well, a very poor
kind of hotel, I thought, the Alexandra Hotel. Although they said it was
a wonderful hotel. But to me, it was not. So, we went up to the room, and
of course, I’d been used to putting my shoes outside the door to get cleaned.
So, in the morning, I put, at nighttime, I put my shoes out. In the morning,
I go to get my shoes and they’re not cleaned. So I said to Dad, I said,
“They haven’t cleaned my shoes.”
“Well, Mum,” he says, “you must clean them yourself.”
JC: Ha. That was just one of the things, that start you--
AV: And one of the hardships I thought was really hard-- havin’ to clean the shoes.
JC: From there, you moved to where, Mrs. Van Dyke?
AV: Oh, from where?
JC: From the hotel, I mean, where first you--
AV: Oh, we moved into a place, I think it was on Fourth Avenue, at the time. The water was on the lot, at the end of the lot, a wee tap. Cold water. And, there was no, civilized places, no plumbin’ as Mrs. Peckham calls it. There was none of that in those days. And of course, you could be eaten up by the mosquitoes if you’d didn’t take care of yourself.
JC: In other words, there were giant bombers at that time, uh?
AV: Absolutely (laughing).
JC: Then, your husband was doing at that hour, at that time?
AV: A game warden. He worked himself up to Inspector of the Game Department. Inspector Gill has taken his place in Prince George.
JC: Mm-hum.
AV: My husband died in 1947.
JC: Mm-hum. He was also attached to the police force.
AV: Yes, he was. In the beginnin’, he was a policeman, a game warden, a gold commissioner, and also a Justice of the Peace. And I think, in those days, they paid $90 a month, for the whole outfit.
JC: Well, of course, possibly, would you say that, let’s say, groceries. I mean, you could take a bag full home for $25?
AV: Oh, when it was, groceries were very reasonable in those days, not like today. What you get today for $5, well, you’d get 4 or 5 bags in those days, for $5.
JC: Uh-huh. What did you find the best portion of your life over here in Prince George, at that, over the years, Mrs. Van Dyke?
AV: Well, it was taking care of my children, and lookin’ after my home and my husband. I enjoyed that very much.
JC: You would, uh. You don’t regret actually.
AV: I don’t regret. I don’t regret. I don’t want to go back to England. Not now, a--
JC: Had you, did you wish to, uh--
AV: Oh, yes! I was homesick for 2 years. And I tell you what I missed greatly, was the ringin' of the church bells. Sunday would come round; it would be dead and silent, and no, no nothing in the way of church history. You know? You could go to a little church, but then it wasn’t the church that I’d been used to.
JC: Mm-hum.
AV: And it was very lonely.
JC: But you actually, brought that period of time up, and you have lived your life, and you actually really haven’t re--
AV: Oh, I’ve enjoyed my life! I’ve enjoyed my life very much. Very much indeed. I’ve had lots to laugh out of myself, and out of others, and I’m always laughing.
JC: That is your philosophy.
AV: Yes, that’s that.
JC: I want to thank you very much, and we hope to have another chat with you in the future.
AV: Thank you, Jack.
JC: We have been speaking to Mrs. Van Dyke, who has been in the vicinity of Prince George, or in fact, right in Prince George, for the past some 43 years. Thank you. And we’ll be back with another one in this series of broadcasts tomorrow.