Olave's Journal, 1961-62
[Under construction - being transcribed by Michelle Jermy, to whom, grateful thanks !]
File 001
O.B-P.
North American tour
5th October 1961 - 17th March 1962
For convenience, I labelled the unmarked booklets, with Tippex.
Here's the first page:-
... and here is the transcribed text:-
File 002
THE TOUR OF 1961 – 1962
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
HOW IT ALL STARTED
How it all WENT on
How it all HAPPENED
Etc. etc.
A loving little reminder,
to dear Carl, of the many
varied and various doings and
vicissitudes as a marvellous
"pusher on-er" before, and also
a "holder-back" for
a change in 1961 and 1962
from Olave
File 0003
It all started with the invitation from the Girl Guides of Canada, to Olave, to come to do a tour all across Canada in 1960.
Other things were happening then – things in Great Britain, and a tour of Lebanon, Pakistan, India, Burma, Ceylon and India had to be done and so the reply was, yes, please! I'd love to come, and visit your Guides all over Canada whenever you like to arrange it – accepting to the very generous offer to defray the cost!
Dates were discussed, and the tour had to fit in with the SCHOOL VACATIONS, and weather conditions, and the time fixed eventually was to be from
September 27th to December 3rd, 1961.
I WROTE TO CARL , and suggested that PERHAPS we might do ANOTHER
File 0004 L
tour together – all are others having been so delightful, so fruitful, so enjoyable, and successful – in 1953 – 54 (with the Wilkinson's) all round the south and east, and the second tour in 1955 – 56 right across Canada, down the West Coast, South and East; and then the third tour – 1959 – being equally lovely beginning at Los Angeles, and all up the West, across the North, into the middle and ending at Washington (NOT so well!.)
Touring in England, & doing many miles there (in "JET") in 1957 had also been so wholly satisfactory!
AND SO NOW - here goes for a "repeat performance"!
File0005 to follow
Thes contain an Itinerary of the tour;
also, one line for each US State, giving the origin of the name, and the "Logo".
File0006 to follow
File0007
1960
I wrote to Carl. Carl wrote to me and the plan to “connect”, in Vancouver, at the end of my flying Guide tour, drive down the WEST COAST visit GIRL SCOUTS here and there, en route, stay with old friends, & spend Christmas once more in Southern California, STARTED to be made, and looked forward to.
“Remember remember, the 5th of November”; and that day when visiting “Roland House”, the Boy Scouts “Settlement” in London, with “P.B.” and Jpan Nevill, they mentioned that they had always wanted to SEE CANADA in the fall.
By that time I had rather wondered how it would be for Carl to DRIVE ALL ACROSS CANADA ALONE – and this chance remark stirred an IDEA; and I wrote to Carl, making the suggestion that, IF she felt it would be feasible & agreable, perhaps the TWO Nevills could come to Canada, drive to VANCOUVER from Toronto with her, PICK ME UP THERE, and then, ALL CONTINUE as a partie carree, for the ensuing months all round U.S.A.
By this time also I had heard from the U.S.A. that they would be glad for meto visit them again; and a short trip down to “OUR CABANA” would be included (for the three FLYING members of the quartette’.)
Letters with plans and programmes RUSHED across
File0008A
the ATLANTIC – programmes made and re-made – discussions, and plans galore; and, though I was told roughly that I would be a few days in teach PROVINCE in turn in CANADA, I had NO PROGRAMME WITH details until two weeks before I left England.
It had become a pretty gruelling itinerary; but, having the same thing happening through the past twenty and more years, I put it in my file as something SETTLED, and to be got through, & hoping that it might do some GOOD for Guiding in Canada.
Then the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. suggested that, as this tour plan really only touched the WEST & SOUTH, WOULD I COME over earlier, and visit a few places in the East, before starting the Canadian tour in NEWFOUNDLAND.
SO I agreed, and flew to NEWYORK on SEPT 12th, and visited & did Girl Scout functions in turn at Pleasantville, New York, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Rochester and Boston – flying thence on Sept. 27th, via Montreal, where I spent one night to talk with Miss Henrietta Osler, CANADA’s Chief Commissioner.
File0008B
NAMES OF PEOPLE IN BUFFALO
WEDNESDAY SEPT 20th 1961
Dear Carl telephoned that she was AT Niagara and she came along to LUNCH with the Girl Scout people –
Mrs Kellogg Mann
52 Lexington Ave
Buffalo
A great friend of Olave with whom she stayed here
Formerly International Commr
Mrs Dean Crandell
25 Middlesex Rd
Buffalo 16
GAVE LUNCH in her garden for us all Sept
Mrs Adam E. Hauck
49 Walton Drive
Snyden 26
Buffalo
Very nice and did planning of O’s visit
Mrs Richard Glazier
Girl Scout Office
296 Linwood Avenue
Buffalo 9
President 1952, and a very nice person. “Alice” managed Olave on this visit!
Mrs Rich
282 Linwood Avenue
Buffalo 9
Vice Pres. Met at the lunch & very friendly. Sept 1961
Mrs Moyer
63 Rogers Ave
Buffalo 11
Good Leader. An “Old hand” & reads B-P. books!
Mrs Wilford Clark - Chairman in 1951. Met at lunch
File009L
THURSDAY SEPT 21st and Friday 22nd
ROCHESTER
Staying with Elaine Clark.
OLAVE JOINED US and we had a lovely happy good time. and we did “press” and meeting with Senior Girl Scouts and dinner with Mrs Harold Hartt the President, whose husband does important work with KODAK.
SATURDAY 23rd
Went out with Elaine to see the Girl Scouts having a CAMP TRAINING DAY, at their lovely Camp Ground. They were all dressed all ANYHOW O and all looking pretty scruffy, and only ONE of the Leaders wearing uniform!
Very hot, but got them into the shade of the Hut, and Olave stood on a chair and talked to them.
Later Carl asked whether they did not HAVE and/or wear UNIFORM when coming to Camp, and the reply was “Oh yes. We have uniforms, but keep them for SPECIAL OCCASIONS!”
File009R
Meanwhile the Nevills had made all their plans, with Carl, and with Boy Scouts, and sailed from England to Quebec.
HERE is a resume of THEIR doings, from their arrival until the EVENING of Friday October 13th
They arrived in Quebec on Sepy 26th, in the “Ivernia”, and left Quebec by bus on the 30th for Montreal.
The visit to Quebec included a trip to Aroida, to see the Aluminum Works – the largest in the world.
There were also various SCOUT engagements, both in Quebec and Montreal, until they went on by train on OCTOBER 5th to OTTAWA.
Here, at last, they met CARL, at the Green Valley Motel (where we had stayed together in September 1959) and were kept busy with Scout engagements, visiting the CANADIAN BOY SCOUTS NEW Headquarters, the WORLD BUREAU in Ottawa calling on Lord Amory, the newly appointed “High Commissioner for G.B. in Canada (and a former Scout Commissioner for Devon etf)
Carl then drove them down to Toronto, on October 11th, where they stayed with her in her home.
Visited with SAL and Lyn and Harold; and P.B. did his OLD SCHOOL (Mill Hill) OLD BOYS’ DINNER party.
File0010L - left blank
File0010R
The end SEPTEMBER and then INTO OCTOBER
and Olave did two or three OR MORE Guide events per day in St. John's, Grand Falls, Gander, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, Staphenville, Haligax, Lunnburg, Moncton, Fredericton; and arrived, with MRS TAMPION LONDON (who had come across from her homein Vancouver to be my "A.D.C." for the whoole tour) at Charlottetown, as fit as fiddles, and going very strong, and stayed with His Honour and Mrs Hyndman, at Government House.
FRIDAY OCTOBER the 13th
Press interview, and Press photographer in the morning, and then to lunch with GUIDES at the Y.W.C.A.
and then, completely without any warning whatsoever, utterly suddenly and un-expectedly I felt hot, and FAINTED - (for a second or two!)
Being queitly removed to lie down, a doctor (Dr Cudmore) came quickly, he got me moved to Dr Drysdale's clinic - and he being a heart specialist - said HOSPITAL theere and then ! I did two TAPE RECORDED talks there first, and then retired to BED - and the bad news went out over the air !!
Telephones BUZZED, and I LAY STILL !!
File011L
A CARDEOGRAPH and SOME REST was needed at once; but I only thought that this would mean a FEW DAYS only, and entail cancelling the QUEBEC PROVINCE programme (due in three days’ time) and PERHAPS the Ontario one, but that I could CATCH UP ON it after a SHORT pause.
CANADIAN GUIDE HEADQUARTERS COMMITTEE thought OTHERWISE, and to save me from myself CANCELLED THE WHOLE TOUR; and within days (without my knowing and/or my sanctioning it) the U.S.A. Girl Scouts Association in New York cancelled the WEST COAST lap of the tour for December.
This NEARLY GAVE ME ANOTHER HEART ATTACK I!!
I realise it was MEANT kindly, and out of their generous consideration for my well-being and I value and appreciate their KINDNESS BUT – Well – that is another story!
So now we come to the FEARFULLY annoying and trying UPSET that MY “behaviour” caused to CARL, AND P.B. and JOAN – in TORONTO –
File0011R
Here we have the record of JOAN AND “P.B” – staying at 586 AVENUE ROAD, Toronto and the breaking of the news to CARL, of the complete UPSETATION of the WELL LAID PLANS!!
OCTOBER 13th. Went to Niagara Falls (200 miles)
Had dinner, and after it was over Louie came in, looking very solemn and said she had bad news – and then told them that Olave had had a heart attack in P.E.I. (but she had waited until they had EATEN, before breaking this nasty news to them) CARL got busy on the telephone, and then days went by of horrid UNCERTAINTY as to “WHAT, WHERE, HOW, and WHEN”!
After anxious thinkings and great consideration they decided they would not anyway go off to the WEST – as had been PLANNED –
P.B. did various SCOUT engagements, including a trip up to NORTH BAY; and then with the news of Olave’s staying on longer in HOSPITAL, they decided to GO TO P.E.I. and it was all MOST trying and worrying, and also rather HURRIED, when the decision was made to GO EAST instead of WEST!
File0012L
OCTOBER 25th
PACKED MALEETA, and drove (fast) to
(281 miles)
OCTOBER 26th
On to BOSTON via Thruway
(356 miles)
October 26th
ON TO FREDERICTON
(434 miles – MUCH TOO far!)
October 28th
Right on to CHARLOTTETOWN with a nasty crossing to the Island, in a small FERRY!
P B., Joan & Carl were asked to go to P.E.I. as soon as possible. [penciled in]
File0012R
IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND HOSPITAL, at Charlottetown, I lay in bed, worrying, and miserable at having at long last FAILED TO fulfill my task, upsetting well laid plans, disappointing hosts of Guides, Brownies, Rangers, letting people down, causing endless BOTHER, giving cause too for expenditure of money on telephones etc. AND ALL frustrated and disappointed beyond measure.
On the telephone I BEGGED Miss Olser to NOT shut down the WHOLE thing; but they felt it safest and dared not take the risk of allowing me to go on.
The KINDEST of messages flow in, urging me to GET WELL, etc. and the answering of these several hundred kept me busy – all SO sweet – showing such TOUCHING affection – BUT this “bolt from the blue” will take some time to get adjusted to!!
Dr Drysdale, Dr Lea and Dr Cudmore, advise that, as the tour HAS BEEN CANCELLED, I might as well have longer REST PAUSE – and so I just go on lying in bed – And then with this PROLONGED stay in hospital going on, I talked to CARL at TORONTO, on Monday Oct 23rd, about them all coming TO COLLECT ME IN P.E.I. – and DEAR blessed CARL says THEY ARE COMING – and we will DRIVE across U.S.A. for WEEKS together!
This is to be a COMPLETE HOLIDAY!!
More to follow
