Anne Brigham

Stag Special

My family heard the next posting would be to Shilo, Manitoba, Canada — sounded like a fun place to go.

New was always good, because every military child understood how this was the routine every few years. We had just been living in Germany, and that was an amazing place to be as a kid.

So, why was Mom not happy with this news? This was going to be the third posting to Shilo for my parents. My father was excited, but having experienced the wilds of the prairies twice before, in somewhat basic conditions especially in 1946, my mother was not so enthused.

In fact, I recall her asking my father: “What had he done wrong?”

In 1969, we arrived at 1 London Rd., a home at the end of a long driveway, isolated from most things, but the vast prairie backyard. Seemed like a nice place. Our dog was having to stay outside in a fenced quarantine zone on our property.

Unfortunately, dachshunds are phenomenal diggers and each morning for the first few days he would have escaped his pen, and would be awaiting his breakfast at our back door.

The fence was extended deeper and deeper into the ground, but no depth would contain him. Quarantine was then continued in our house, and the dog was happy.

I was in Grade 4 in Shilo, and of course to get to know you, there would be questionnaires at the beginning of school.

Being a bit precocious, ahem, I chose to spice up my answers. One of the questions was “What do you drink for breakfast, lunch and supper?”

Instead of the mundane response of milk, I said for breakfast I drank coffee; for lunch I had beer and for supper I had wine.

Now there was a shred of truth there, on rare occasions, but that was by no means the norm. I would occasionally get a few drops of coffee in my breakfast milk.

Ironically, I have never chosen coffee as a drink of preference — even now.

The beer influence came from Germany, where they did have kinderbeer. It was a beer flavoured drink with a minute amount of alcohol and was served occasionally as a special beverage.

The wine was also European influenced. And on rare occasions I would get mineral water with a splash of wine in it.

So technically, I wrote the truth, but somehow my answers invited my parents for a special meeting with my teacher.

Sigh — the boring truth was revealed. I think this was just my revenge on milk to which I reacted in a lactose intolerant way.

With the large empty backyard, it was a great place to learn to golf. My brother and I would hit lots of balls into the nothingness.

Then the hardest job was to attempt their reclamation from the prairie ground squirrel holes. Never an easy task, but it kept us occupied for hours.

My mother enjoyed gardening, and the dry conditions of Shilo made gardening a challenge. I do recall some lovely flowers coaxed out of the earth after lots of mom’s effort.

In short order, the bed of colourful flowers was replaced by a bed of green stalks, as ground squirrels systematically sampled all the heads. I was beginning to understand why my mother wasn’t so keen on Shilo.

The summer also brought great clouds of mosquitos, and the mosquitos were fogged to get rid of them.

You could hear the fogging vehicle coming, and then there would be excited voices yelling for the windows to be shut.

Everyone would run around the house closing the windows, trying to minimize the toxic fog from settling inside. I am sure we breathed in some vile chemicals.

I also recall attending some sort of Base open house day featuring a “display of military might,” which people could ride on a tank etc.

That sounded like fun. It was fun, until the driver found out the Base Commander’s kid was on board, and we were given a more enthusiastic ride.

I held on for my life, and didn’t say anything to my dad post-fact, figuring I wouldn’t give the driver the satisfaction. I was very scared though.

My most vivid memory was of the visit of the Queen in 1970. That was a disaster weather-wise and my poor father had to stoically deal with it.

Then the finale was of my dad trying to protect a member of the royal family from helicopter generated winds, resulting in the paparazzi capturing images which caused my dad to be the brunt of many a ribbing.

I think that story is best told by my father from his memoir. I just remember his face was an odd colour purple from all the excitement and stress.

The weather was always a challenge in Shilo, and I think it has generated a lifelong fascination with inclement weather.

We would have storms that turned nighttime into daytime. My mom and I would watch from the upstairs windows.

I do recall the time that lightning hit a transformer down the street and my mother and I both jumped as the strike was felt by our elbows resting on our metal framed windows. Sparks flew from the transformer. Amazing.

I was given the honour of being the Brownie who was to present the Governor General’s wife a flower bouquet, when she and Governor General Roland Michener came to visit.

I think my father’s position as Base Commander influenced that. I recall the protocol lessons of curtseying.

Mrs. Michener was so elegant and in return gave me a rose from the bouquet.

I also received a thank-you from her lady in waiting after the fact. I still have both items.

I guess Shilo and the prairies wasn’t so bad from a kids’ perspective. My brother still lives in Brandon, while Saskatchewan has been my home for 32 years.

I still love good storms and battle with prairie ground squirrels for garden rights.

The Royal visit to CFB Shilo in July 1970 was plagued by heavy winds along with rainfall, but this prairie summer storm did not deter Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip when they arrived as guests of BComd Col Douglas Gunter. The Royal tour to Canada also included Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Anne Gunter wearing her favourite traditional German dirndl, which she still has today, during her father’s posting to Germany. Photos courtesy Anne (nee Gunter) Brigham