The Tidridge Family Website

COMMEMORATIVE , SIGNS, OF THE
HIGHLANDS-BELLEVUE COMMUNITY

HOMEPAGE

BERT HASWELL CHURCH SIGN The sign is displayed at the Highlands United Church at 113 avenue and 64 street, Plumber Extraordinaire

John Herbert "Bert" Haswell, believed to be the oldest working plumber in Canada, died January 12, 2005, at the age of 91. Haswell, who died Wednesday of influenza, made his last service call on New Year's Eve installing a new toilet for a customer, says daughter Darlene Vassos. "Then he went dancing."

He couldn't stop working because he didn't want to let his customers down, Vassos said, though he joked with Cliff Chow, his number 1 customer, that when he turned 100 he might finally put his plunger away for good. Haswell was Chow's plumber for 45 years. "No matter what day of the week or what time of day you called him he was always there," Chow said, though maybe not right away.

Besides his trademark bow tie, Haswell came to be known for always being late. "Be right there," could mean two days later, Chow said with a chuckle. But his work was always the best. "He was more than my plumber. We became good friends over the years and I miss him."

Haswell was born in Edmonton in 1913, the oldest of five children. He was 12 when he and his brother, Fred, began learning the family business from their father. "Plumbing runs in the family like wooden legs," he quipped on his 80^th birthday. He took over his father's business in 1956 and renamed it Ability Plumbing. When he turned 65 he saw no reason to retire, arguing that age is just a number.

Bert met Marjorie Cardall at a dance and they married in 1939. Their marriage lasted 56 years. Their family included two children, Darlene and Raymond, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Marjorie died in 1995.

Rev. John Burrill of Highlands United Church was Bert's minister and friend, as well as a customer. He says he got to know Bert as the chapel steward. "He was the first one at church to get there and open up and the last one to leave, shutting the lights out. He called himself The Prince of Darkness," Burrill remembered with a chuckle. He called Bert a saint and "a servant," saying "if anyone depicted Jesus for me, it was Bert. He had such a reverence for life. If ants needed to be removed from his kitchen he'd vacuum them up, take them to the back alley and let them go."

The nonagenarian and widower was a member of the Minus One Club, where he was a popular dance partner with women of all ages. Even men approached him, asking him to dance with their wives because they didn't dance, Vassos said. Haswell had a good sense of rhythm but was a "free spirit" who made it up as he went along, remembered friend Isobel Duffy. On New Year's Eve he was the last one off the dance floor, closing the place down at 1 a.m. she said.

He was also known for his cartooning -- "doodling" he called it, which accented the social club's newsletters. "He never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He had a great sense of humour. I loved everything about him." Duffy said. "There's going to be a big hole (at the club) without him."

Credits:Material from the library of the Edmonton Journal Writers:Chris ZDEB-MONTGOMERY & Ed Kaiser. Used with permission to adapt as necessary.
Photo of Bert: Yvonne Chan, permission to use sought

Henry MARTELL PARK 6415-ADA BOULEVARD NW (Approved June 26, 2002)

Henry Martell Park: The plaque shown below says it all... as it happens, and not by coincidence, the Park is immediately north of the Highlands Golf Course and slightly east of the entrance. A fitting location! This park is small but honours a man large in the golf history of this city...

Nicely situated between 65 and 66 streets bordering the north edge of Ada Boulevard, the park contains the Singer bench... and therefore not only do you have the park you have place so sit to watch not only golfers coming and going but the 'regulars' who walk the boulevard. Included in this number would be Clyde and Maureen Martell, Clyde is Henry's son.

Although small as previously noted the park contains a goodly number of mature trees. Community Services say it is likely there are poplar, Colorado spruce and may days. A quick check by the author revealed 38 trees.

September 2015: Tidridge received an e-mail from Kim Lawrence, Visitor Services, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame& Museum requesting the date of death of Henry Martell. [she had taken the time to open this site.] It had come to light in her research there were several dates quoted at different sources. What to do? A name immediately came to mind... Ted Smith. The answer came from Ted the same day, he contacted Maureen Martell Henry's daughter in law and the date was discovered to be June 12, 1984.

I think Howard Lawrence would be pleased to read of this as it came about because some people take the time to nod, stop and chat... and share. Thank you Ted and especially Maureen.

GABY HAAS PARK park located at 55 Street and 112 Avenue (5434-112 Avenue-1.5 ha-approved October 1, 2003)

The MAN

THE LONGEST-RUNNING RADIO PROGRAM IN THE WORLD
By N. Breuer and J. Rollans (original source not known)

On Sunday, September 15, 1946, at 8.00 p.m. a voice was heard on CKUA making an announcement that would become a standard opening phrase: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Continental Musicale, an hour of European music and songs. I'm your host, Gaby Haas".

On Sunday, September 21, 1986, at 8.00 p.m. - for the 2081 st time - this same voice welcomed listeners to the same program. That marked the beginning of Gaby's 41 st year of broadcasting his program to Albertans, sharing with them a wide variety of recordings both old and new.

Gaby emigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia in July 1939, and his radio career began that same year. For quite a while, he played in bands, often juggling gigs with radio shows. He recalls those early days with a smile: "We were playing on five radio stations at a time, making anywhere from $3 to $5 a show - a lot of money in those days. At that time, a full-course meal, including pie and coffee, was only 35 cents." Gaby actually began his CKUA career in 1940, when the

station was located on the U of A campus. He had about 50 records he had brought over from Europe. The music he plays is still his own, but the collection has expanded to include about 35,000 selections that he stores at home.

In 1945 Gaby played on "Alberta Ranch House", a program that was carried by the CBC Trans-Canada network from Vancouver to Montreal. He has fond memories of fellow performer Ameen (King) Ganam, who went on to start "Country Hoedown" on CBC. After King Ganam went east, Gaby became leader of the band, changing its name to the "The Barn Dance Gang." (Former CKUA sportscaster Art Ward played trombone with this band from 1945 to 1946.) Gaby recalls Harry Boone's contribution to the program with a mischievous smile. "He used to arrange our music. The man was very good, but the arrangements he wrote were tough. He knew that I couldn't read music very well = not enough to hurt my playing."

Gaby Haas is well known throughout Canada and the United States as Canada's "Mr. Polka". He has released 57 record albums and is looking forward to "50 years on Radio, 40 years on records, and 35 years on TV," All this will happen in 1989 and then, having achieved nice, round figures", I'll retire." With some of his albums being re-released, Gaby's music will be heard for many years to come.

The future? All the pertinent data on "Continental Musicale" has been forwarded to the editors of the "Guinness World Book of Records" in England. The New Zealand supplement to that publication lists a radio program in Wellington that was launched July 2, 1937, and ended on July 4, 1977 - but Gaby has topped that one. On that September Sunday in 1986, Gaby has established a new record: the longest-running radio program in the world - same air time, same day of broadcast, same host and producer.

ACTION
(Perhaps a Q.C.F.M news release, undated.)

To satisfy the cultural and linguistic desires of the ethnic people Q.C.F.M. has hired the services of Canada's Mr. Polka, Gaby Haas

Mr. Haas is a Canadian recording artist with the distinction of having produced the largest number of records by any Canadian artist; to date he has recorded 51 albums. Besides being an accomplished musician, Gaby has a rare and comprehensive record collection containing over 100,00 "ethnic" records.

For 15 years, he has produced a weekly radio program called Polka Party. This program can be heard on several Canadian radio stations. Before that time, he produced a program called Memories of Europe, where he played music from all the European countries.

For Q.C.F.M. Gaby produces The World Showcase of Music, a mixture of music from all corners of the world. On a weekly basis he receives newspapers and letters from most of the European countries, subscribes to European music magazines., as well as most Canadian music publications.

In addition to being an expert on music around the world, Gaby speaks eight languages fluently, and reads several more. Since starting his program Gaby has also generated interest from the Ethnic communities to produce their own programs. So far Gaby features a Pakistani Program, an Arabian Program. A German Features, A Scandinavian Show, and is presently negotiating a Chinese Show.

Daily, Gaby does on hour request show, taking calls from listeners and playing their favourite music from "home", occasionally inserting some good old Canadian recordings.

GULLION FAMILY BENCH (Located on the south side boulevard of Ada Boulevard just west of 64 Street

)

NEW BENCH ON ADA BOULEVARD RECOGNIZES THE HIGHLANDS FIRST SETTLERS

Funded by the Highlands Historical Society, the City of Edmonton has recently installed a new bench on Ada Blvd. at the intersection of 64^th Street. This bench marks the site where the Gullions settled, the first family that lived on this land. James Ingram Gullion was a native of Orkney Islands, Scotland. He joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1856 and was stationed at Fort Edmonton from 1857 to 1874, working as a boat builder from 1863 to 1874. James claimed this land, River Lot 32, in the early 1870s when the land was first surveyed, divided, and then made available to Hudson’s Bay Company employees.


		Flora Fraser [Gullion] with some of her children

James married Flora Fraser in 1867 and they lived within Fort Edmonton before moving to the river lot. They were the parents of 10 children. The first two were born at Fort Edmonton and the remaining 8 were born on the river lot. The family cleared land and farmed here, from 1873 until James' death in 1902, approximately 30 years. James was one of the first members of Rev. George McDougall's Methodist Church in the early 1870s. (The original church is now in Fort Edmonton Park.)

The bench is in an open spot, facing north. It provided\s an excellent view of Ada Boulevard. It has a superb view of one of the boulevard's finest homes.

James' and Flora’s neighbours, along what is now Ada Blvd., were all ex-Hudson’s Bay Company employees. James' brother George and his family lived on River Lot 34. Flora’s sister Betsy was married to William Borwick and they lived on River Lot 30. John Fraser, brother of Flora and Betsy, lived on River Lot 28, where Concordia College stands today.

Flora died in 1899 and James died in 1902. Ownership of River Lots 32 and 34 eventually passed to Magrath and Holgate who began development of The Highlands in 1912.

Carol Snyder. Oral History, Highlands Historical Society