Reference
AU10/148/1/6
Title
Letters from 1970s
Date free text
1970 to 1979
Production date
From: 1970 To: 1979
Scope and Content
Correspondence from Mary Pack in Canada to Lily & Nora Grimmer in Ampthill:
1970: Two items, the first being an airmail letter on 11th April with catching up wishes. Mary sends sympathy for Lily's chicken troubles. Sadly Andrew's art rubbings are not proving popular with Vancouver art dealers so Mary is going to frame them. Mary is writing a history of the Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society (CARS) and hopes that it might be published eventually. It's a big job and a friend is helping with the editing. In family news, Henry, Jenny and their son Paul came for Easter and they all went sightseeing. Jessie and Joan have both been suffering from the flu and Harry and Clara are away on a trip to Japan.
December - a CARS Christmas card with Christmas and New Year greetings. Mary reminisces about their 1969 holiday. Joan has a new grandson. Jessie's daughter Mary Lou and her husband Rudy Peters are moving. Mary's brother George, his wife Simone and two of their children David and Debbie are going on holiday to New Zealand. Mary has been watching cormorants from her apartment.
1971: Three items, first being an airmail letter on 13th July. Peggy has been offered tenure in cancer research at the University of Toronto and will begin PhD studies. Henry has won promotion at his mining company into a job which will involve much travel to Denver and the Dominican Republic. Joan has sadly had an operation for bowel cancer. She has recovered and is back at work but now has a colostomy. Clara has been treated for breast cancer and has had to have a mastectomy; she is in Vancouver for further treatment. Mary has only been making slow progress on her book. She asks after Ena and sends her love.
13th November - An airmail letter. CARSCRAFT cards are going very well this year. Mary sends Ena best wishes for her health problems. Joan's son George is getting married to a girl named Janice. Clara has had to have another mastectomy. Jessie's husband is having rectal surgery. Peggy is presenting a paper at the Canadian Medical Association conference and is then going on holiday on a trimaran to Bermuda. She has many hobbies: skiing, walking, swimming, tennis, photography. George's daughter Debbie is very ill in hospital and is undergoing tests. Her sister Kathie is ill too with a viral infection. Roger and his wife have moved to California. Mary is still progressing on her book. She is thankful for her letters from Ampthill and for the slides sent to her.
28th December - Mary sends thanks for her Christmas gift of a calendar. The family spent a good Christmas; Debbie, Joan and Clara are all a little better. Harry's son Bill is engaged to be married in April and Mary Lou is expecting a baby in May. Mary sends New Year greetings to all in Ampthill.
1972: Two letters. 12th August - an airmail letter written whilst watching the consecration of Coventry Cathedral by Queen Elizabeth II on television. Mary thank Lily and Nora for their letters and for Joyce Godber's history book which she is enjoying immensely. Mary's book is progressing slowly. Mary Lou and Rudy have had a baby boy called Michael. The whole family travelled to Bill's wedding to Verna, who have both qualified and are working as teachers. Joan is currently in Toronto with Henry's family. Debbie is much better and did some summer volunteering. David has won an award for best swimmer at his summer camp in Squamish. Clara is clear of cancer at the moment and Joan is much better too. Mary sends Ena much love in her illness. Mary has started to blend her own tea and asks that Lily and Nora look out for a suitable tea caddy for her to use.
23rd December - Thanks for her gift of the tea caddy, which reminds Mary of her Botsford grandmother. She sends sympathy to Ena and for the news of the child with cystic fybrosis. She enjoyed the magazines Lily and Nora sent, especially the ones on Ampthill and lacemaking. Jessie and Joan enjoyed them too. Mary is looking forward to a family Christmas. Verna's mother suffers from bad arthritis and is going into the CARS treatment centre.
1973: Two items. 7th July - apologies for not writing before but Mary has been looking after a close family friend who has now died. Mary was appointed executor for the will so she has been very busy. This has also slowed down her work on her book. All the family are well. Little Michael loves to sing and play the piano. Peggy is still working at the University and persuing all her hobbies. Joan has adjusted well to her colostomy bag and special diet. Her and Jessie are now retired and Jessie is planning a trip to Fiji and New Zealand. Harry and Clara are touring British Columbia and visiting Bill and Verna, who are planning their own trip to Europe. Mary says they may even turn up in Ampthill! George and his family are all well; David is at summer camp and Debbie taking a summer drama course and has secured a supermarket job to fund it.
December - a CARS Christmas card thanking Lily and Nora for looking after Bill and Verna in the summer. Verna's mother has had a knee replacement operation to help her arthritis but also has gall bladder problems. Joan and her family are all well. Jessie is en route back from New Zealand, where she has had a wonderful time. Mary Lou is expecting another baby in March. Mary continues to love her tea caddy and sends thanks for her birthday card. Her book is now with the publishers.
1974: Four items. 4th January - an airmail letter sending thanks for the further Joyce Godber book. She sends more sympathy re Ena. Verna's mother has sadly died, only in her early 50s. Mary enjoyed Christmas at Mary Lou's. Joan went to George and Janice's. Meanwhile brother George and family are all well. Donald came home for Christmas from his caribou trail home. David is very interested in photography and wants to build a darkroom. Debbie is enjoying her drama and singing. Mary's book has been accepted by the publishers, so there is now editorial work to be done.
Summer - a CARS greeting card thanking Lily and Nora for their gift of a book. Mary has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her work with CARS and tells of her day at the University accepting the award.
10th September - Mary is thrilled at news that Lily and Nora may be coming to Canada again later in the Autumn. There is the possibility of meeting up in Eastern Canada and it may coincide with Mary taking a trip to Ottowa.
October - a small card thanking Lily and Nora for their birthday greetings and hoping they are enjoying Eastern Canada. Mary's trip was postponed so no meet-up was possible.
1975: Two items. June - a CARS card congratulating Lily on being appointed Mayor of Ampthill. In addition, Mary sends news that Debbie has graduated high school and will be going to the University of Victoria in the autumn to study biology.
December - a CARS Christmas card. There has been a postal strike in Canada since September. Harry and Clara have been to Russia. Joan will become a grandmother again when George and Janice become parents in 1976. David is now driving and Debbie is busy studying at university. Sales of Mary's book have raised $12,000 so far for arthritis research. It has been reviewed by the British Physiotherapy Journal. Mary is currently recording an audio version. She admires Andrew's book greatly. Also sends Christmas and New Year greetings.
1976: Two items: October - a CARS card sending sympathy for a car accident. Mary had a similar experience in March and now has a new car. She sends her love to Ena and to the two youngsters with cystic fybrosis. She encloses a black and white photograph of Mary, Jessie and Mary Lou taken in 1974 at Mary's doctorate ceremony.
20th November - a CARS Christmas card. Also sending copies of the magazine Beautiful British Columbia that were missed during the postal strike and confirms renewal of the subscription for 1977 [a publisher's card is included]. All the family are well. Roger and Marie have bought a motel in Desert Springs, California. Mary is travelling soon to a research conference in Ottawa and is not looking forward to the Ontario winter.
1977: Six items. January - Mary sends Happy New Year greetings and thanks for the copy of Andrew's latest book. She spent all of New Year's Day reading it. The Pack family originally owned property on Park Hill above Woburn Street and it is possibly mentioned in the book. She is pleased to hear of the Preston bequest to enable the Chapter House to come about. Mary Lou, Rudy and their children Michael and David all came to watch the carol boats.
11th May - An airmail 1st Day Cover TO Mary commemorating the Silver Jubilee. Lily and Nora tell Mary of "Ran's" death [Frank Randall underwood, Ena's husband] of cancer and that Ena herself is now in a nursing home. Andrew and Rosemary have cleared out the family home. Lily and Nora have both had pneumonia. They welcome Mary to stay with them if she comes over to the UK for a visit.
26th June - Mary sends sympathy for Ran's death and love for Ena, Andrew and Rosemary. Her brother George is retiring in January. Joan is doing voluntary work and waiting for her family to arrive for the holidays. Jessie has also had pneumonia. Mary has had gastro-intestinal problems and is undergoing tests. She watched the Silver Jubilee celebrations on the television. She talks about issues with Quebec and separatist possibilities.
12th October - Mary has just returned from a month's tour of Eastern Canada. Whilst there she spent some time in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Ontario and saw two plays at the Shakespeare Festival. She is off again soon to Ottowa to give a paper on volunteering to a health conference. She sends her love to Ena.
24th November - a CARS Christmas card plus New Year greetings. She sends her sympathy and blessings on hearing of Ena's death. She wishes Lily and Nora good luck with house hunting. Mary has a new role on the Medical Research Council of Canada.
26th December - Mary sends thanks for the gift of the drawing of Ampthill Church. It arrived with her via the U.S. Post because of the Canadian postal strikes. Mary has had a fall while gardening and broke her hip. It resulted in an operation for a plastic replacement hip. But she is recovering well and is walking, climbing stairs and driving again already. All of the family has rallied round to help and spent Christmas at Mary Lou's.
1978: Three items. 13th January - Mary sends thanks for her gift of a calendar. There has been snow in Vancouver. Mary is continuing to gain strength following her fall. She enjoyed her latest reunion with old teaching colleagues. Joan has had winter flu. Debbie is doing really well at college and is planning to become an occupational therapist.
27th January - Mary sends thanks for the photographs she has been sent. She has been doing some decluttering. Regular exercise has really helped with the healing of her hip operation. All the family are well and George is retiring. Bill and Verna came for a visit.
6th March - Mary has been doing more decluttering. She sympathises with the feeling of getting older and having to change lifestyles i.e. discontinuing to drive. She sends congratulations on moving to the cottage in Church Avenue from Station Road. Mary is off to Ottowa again soon to attend the national Medical Research Council conference.
1979: 17th November - Sends thanks for the gift of Andrew's new book and hope Lily and Nora are comfortable in their new home. Although retired, George is now doing voluntary work. Debbie and David are both doing well. Joan has been in Eastern Canada with Henry, Jenny and her grandsons and is now with George, Janice and their children. Peggy has got married. Mary is off to a conference in Ottowa soon and has recently started watercolour painting lessons.
Level of description
sub-file