Scope and Content
Set of correspondence from Harry Pack and his wife Clara (known as Ked) to Lily and Nora Grimmer:
1956: a Christmas card, signed from Ked, Bill (their son) and Harry, giving their address in Vancouver.
1967: 19th December: an airmail letter to the whole Grimmer family. Talks about planning for their forthcoming travels to New Zealand via Hawaii, Fiji, Australia and Japan. Also Mary has been confined to bed with heart problems, but she is now doing some work again with CARS (Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society). Thanks all the Grimmers for their hospitality whilst Harry and Ked were in Ampthill. Sends Christmas and New Year greetings.
1968: 10th January: an airmail letter to Lily. Talks about the plans for Australia in particular. Also, how much they enjoyed their time in Ampthill. They have heard on the radio about the bad snow conditions in England. Mary is getting better and working longer hours again now.
1969: 23rd March: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora. Sending sympathy for Mrs Grimmer's death. Pleased that Lily and Nora are planning to visit Mary in Canada and extending an invitation to visit them in Vancouver Island also. Harry and Ked are going to Vancouver to join Mary at the official opening of the CARS research facility that Mary has been working for. Their son Bill has broken his leg, but is back teaching now on crutches.
2nd April: a carbon copy of a letter to Harry and Ked, accepting their invitation to Vancouver Island for part of their trip. They will let them know of their departure dates once they have been booked. Sending wishes for a Happy Easter.
April: a letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for the First Day Cover and sending information on places in and around Vancouver which they may want to research for their trip.
29th April: a carbon copy of a letter to Harry and Ked thanking them for the above information and sending them details of the flights they are going to book.
2nd May: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora acknowledging the flight details and confirming that Harry and Ked will meet the flight. The plan is for a visit to Vancouver Island first, then to stay with Mary on the British Columbia mainland to see Vancouver itself. The letter includes some advice about the flights.
7th May: a carbon copy of a letter to Harry and Ked, thanking them for the above advice and saying how much they are looking forward to coming. They are also excited about Mary visiting Ampthill briefly in June.
27th May: a letter to Lily and Nora. Talks about the Vancouver weather and that they have had a postcard from Mary in Copenhagen. Discusses more plans for the trip to Vancouver Island in July. They enclose several clippings which will give Lily and Nora an idea about life in British Columbia and some more advice for the long flight.
30th June: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora, confirming the details for meeting them at Vancouver airport. They talk about the recent cool weather in England contrasting with especially hot weather in British Columbia; there's even been forest fires. Harry has been swimming in the sea with his brother-in-law. Also, the telephone company is on strike as are the supermarkets in Vancouver.
12th August: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for the letter they had sent from their flight home. Harry will be sending them some copies of slides he took during their visit. They are glad that Lily and Nora got to meet up with Jessie while they were staying with Mary, but it was a shame they didn't get to see George and Simone.
23rd October: a letter to Lily and Nora. Sending thanks for the First Day Cover for Bill. Talks about a trip to Vancouver made by a mutual friend Tom Hodgson, but the weather wasn't as favourable as it was for Lily and Nora's trip. They thank them for sending a copy of The History of Bedfordshire by Joyce Godber. They enclose two slides of Lily and Nora taken during their July visit. Talk about their forthcoming trip to Japan and of the beautiful autumn colours of the Canadian scenery.
12th November: a letter to Lily and Nora telling how much they are both enjoying Joyce Godber's book and reminiscing about Amphtill in the olden days. Harry especially remembers the Du Sautoys keeping an owl in a cage and its hoots would wake up the village.
1970: 13th July: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for their "River Ouse" birthday cards. Bill has been digging a well for them but has had to stop, awaiting a cement ring, however the cement workers are on strike. Bill will be moving further up north in September when he takes on a teaching job elsewhere in the province. Harry and Ked had an enjoyable trip to Japan, where they spent time at Expo'70 in Osaka.
13th October: an airmail letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for their hospitality during Harry and Ked's recent trip to England. Harry will be sending photos once he's had the film developed. They had good flight home, with wonderful views of the Rockies as they travelled in daylight and the skies were clear. Lots of animals like deer, duck and geese are migrating down from the mountains before winter approaches Vancouver Island. Bill is enjoying working in the north and has not had much snow yet.
1971: 25th July: a letter on headed paper from The Ritz in Vancouver where Harry and Ked have taken a suite. On 26th May Ked had a mastectomy operation and is now having radiotherapy treatments (3 per day) at the Vancouver Cancer Clinic. Apart from the weakening effects of the therapy, Ked is in good health and spirits. Joan is also recovering well from her cancer treatment and is now putting on weight again. She is also pleased that her oldest son Henry has been promoted to a senior position in the Falconbridge mining company. Her other son George has also got engaged to a girl named Janice, the daughter of the papermill owner, local to Powell River, where he lives and works. [Enclosed with this letter is a colour advertisment for the Falconbridge Toronto, the company for whom Henry Brehant works.]
1972: 6th September: a letter to Lily and Nora. Thanking them for remembering their birthdays. Harry and Ked have been over to the British Columbia mainland to their son Bill's wedding to his fiance Verna, who is also a teacher and whom he met at his school. Other family members at the wedding included Mary, Jessie, George and Simone and their two youngest children, David and Debbie. After the wedding, Harry and Ked went on a trip to Oregon and Washington states in the US. They came home via Idaho and Banff and Lake Louise. Joan has been to visit them, following long visits with her sons Henry and George and is looking and feeling very well. She intends for this to be her last year of teaching. Mary has had an eye infection which has halted progress on her book. Jessie is planning a trip to New Zealand to visit friends.
12th November: a letter to Lily, Nora, Ena and Ran. Harry and Ked have just returned from another trip to England and tell of their tiredness and jet lag upon arriving home. However, they have wonderful memories of their trip and loved meeting up with the Grimmer family again and thank them all for their wonderful hospitality. They send happiness for Christmas to all.
10th December: a letter to Lily and Nora. Harry and Ked have just returned from Vancouver where they have been visiting Verna's mother who is being treated at the CARS centre. She will probably have to stay there for Christmas. The weather is extremely cold, record-breaking for British Columbia, but not as cold as Bill and Verna up north. However, it is very hard on the birds of Vancouver Island and they make sure to feed them all the time. Harry was very interested to see the magazine papers which had been used to wrap up Mary's tea caddy when he visited Mary last. He recognised many of the Ampthill places: Market Square, Church Street, Woburn Street and St Andrew's Church from Maulden Road. Mary will be going with Jessie to Mary Lou and Rudy's for Christmas. While Joan will be going to George and Janice's, along with George and Simone's family (their other two children being Donald and Kathie). They hope that Ena and Ran had a good flight to Australia.
1973: 7th March: a letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for some prints and the first day cover. They symapthise with getting older and more forgetful and wonder for how long they will continue to be able to travel. They enclose a newspaper cutting with the details of Mary's honorary life membership of CARS on its 25th anniversary. Another newspaper cutting is a photograph of Vancouver city, showing how it has been changed by the development of high-rise buildings. Harry has annotated the clipping and provided a key to the buildings in his letter. Vancouver Island is enjoying some wonderful spring weather, with oysters being caught from the beaches. Ked has received a favourable report from the hospital following her latest cancer check-up.
26th July: a letter to Lily and Nora, sending thanks for the stamps and the copy of the Bedfordshire magazine. This has triggered a host of Ampthill memories, including burying Reverend Nichol in the snow! Although Harry and Ked are not planning to come to England soon, Bill and Verna will be. They have both resigned from their current teaching positions to do some travelling and will be arriving at Gatwick Airport on 16th September, staying until 13th October, aiming to see London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Bath, but possibly the West Country too. They may even drop in on Ampthill. In other news, Jessie and Joan have both retired this year and Jessie is now going on a trip to New Zealand for which she has been saving for years. Harry and Ked went on a driving tour of British Columbia on their way to visit Bill and Verna in Hudson Hope, before they left there. On their way home, they shared their ferry ride with a woman from Bedford, touring British Columbia in a camper van. They had her to stay overnight at their home and she was very interested to read the "History of Bedfordshire" book. They have also helped two families whose sailing boats were washed up on their beach after a violent storm at sea.
27th August: a letter to Lily and Nora, thanking them for the birthday card. Bill and Verna are busy making plans for their trip to the UK, including a visit to Ampthill. Meanwhile Harry and Ked are going on a trip to Europe, initially Amsterdam and Munich. They hope to come to the UK again next year.
24th December: a letter to Lily and Nora, sending thanks for the book "Harpur Trust" by Joyce Godber. Harry makes specific reference to two photographs in the book: the first being a picture of the house leased to Harry's uncle, Walter Watson Pack, cabinet maker and coffin maker, where he conducted his businesses [in 1972 this was a health clinic]; the second being the Almshouses in Dame Alice Street. Harry remembers his uncle with fondness and recalls being the only mourner at his funeral in 1937, apart from 60 fellow undertakers and a few local clergymen! Harry still uses the toolbox his uncle made him. Harry concludes by sending New Year greetings.
1974: 11th May: a letter to Lily and Nora replying to theirs of Easter Monday, received very late owing to Canadian air strikes and postal strikes. Bill and Verna have taken on a temporary teaching assignment at Fort St James in the far north of British Columbia, and a friend from England is flying into Vancouver, being looked after by Harry and Ked for a short while, then travelling north to visit Bill and Verna. They are experiencing very cold, wet weather in British Columbia and are anticpating floods when the snows start to melt. They include copies of the newspaper report and the invitations they have received to the ceremony and celebrations of Mary's honorary degree being awarded by the University of British Columbia later this month for her long years of work with CARS.
6th June: a letter to Lily and Nora. Harry and Ked have been very busy helping out her brothers. They have both been ill and needed help with the lambing on their farms. Unfortunately, Harry and Ked were then also struck down with the flu. They have also been hosting one of Harry's fellow apprentices from their "Igranic Bedford" days and touring British Columbia with him. George and Janice have also been on a visit, prior to a trip to Europe of their own. Harry and Ked have also been in Vancouver for Mary's degree ceremony. They thank Lily and Nora for the copy of "Home Rule for Ampthill" by Andrew Underwood, which they have been enjoying immensely. A large storm is heading towards Vancouver Island coming across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii. The local creek has been cleaned and cleared and Harry and Ked can now enjoy salmon swimming up river to spawn.
5th August: a letter to Lily and Nora thanking them for their birthday card. Bill and Verna have a new teaching contract for September and Harry and Ked are helping with the move to the new location. They send news that Mary has recently received the "Order of Canada" and also they have now received their copy of her book of the history of CARS.
December: a Christmas card and letter to Lily and Nora, hoping that they are not suffering too severe a winter. Ked has had another operation, but the tumour was non-malignant and her latest check-up was clear. Before then, they had a trip planned to to Eastern Europe which covered visiting Istanbul and Athens. But because of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, they received a full refund of their money. Harry and Ked, with help from Ked's brothers, have been working on a project clearing land to bring pure, fresh water directly to their door. They ask how Lily and Nora's trip to Eastern Canada went and how it compares with British Columbia. They also talk of a major Canadian project to move polar bears north as they have been causing problems in the south around rubbish dumps. They conclude with Christmas and New Year greetings.
1975: 3rd August: a letter to Lily and Nora. Bill and Verna are staying for a while, helping put in a water supply pipe to bring in fresh water from the springs up in the hills. The letter includes details and a sketched map of the pipeline. Verna is also taking some summer courses before they both return up north to teach again in September. Harry's nephew George, Joan's younger son, is expecting to become a father at the end of the year. He ends with thanks for his birthday card.
1976: 3rd January: a letter to Lily and Nora. Harry talks of the industrial strikes taking place over Canada at the moment. Ked and Harry have been busy "topping" all the trees near the house that could be dangerous in stormy weather. Bill and Verna had been staying for Christmas and had a rough passage back to Granisle afterwards. They send congratulations to Lily on becoming Mayor of Ampthill Town Council. Harry and Ked have been on a recent trip to Russia, Uzbekistan and Georgia and had a wonderful time, even tracing a distant uncle of Verna's.
1st May: a letter to Lily and Nora enclosing a newspaper clipping regarding a financial award being made to Mary by the Royal Bank of Canada as an "outstanding Canadian who has made and exceptional contribution to human welfare" in recognition of her work with CARS. The cutting is from the 14th April edition of the Alberni Valley Times. The award is for $50,000.
15th December: a letter to Lily and Nora enclosing a further newspaper cutting regarding Mary's award, from it's presentation in July, where she was interviewed and also received a gold medal. Harry and Ked also thank Lily and Nora for the books they have sent them: "Ampthill a Godly Heritage" by Andrew Underwood and "Old Bedfordshire" by Simon Houfe.
December: a Christmas card sending seasonal greetings and best wishes for 1977.
1977: 4th December: a short letter to Lily and Nora, wishing them health and happiness for Christmas and for 1978. They themselves are well but tell of Mary's fall at the CARS centre, resulting in her hip replacement operation. She is currently undergoing physiotherapy so that she can move back into her flat.
1978: 9th January: a letter to Lily and Nora, sending sympathy on Ena's death and also congratulations on the Chapter House having been completed in Ampthill.
22nd March: a letter to Lily and Nora. Harry and Ked are both well and hope the same for the Grimmers. They hope this letter will leave Canada before the next threatened postal strike. There have just been bus strikes and telephone strikes. In family news, George and Simone's children are doing well. Kathie is getting married in July. Debbie is doing really well and is on target for a limited place and the University of British Columbia and David's apprenticeship at the B.C. Telephone Co is going well. Mary is off on a trip to Eastern Canada soon. Vancouver Island is having lovely weather and their garden is growing well this year, although they are having to keep the deer off the vegetables with a new fence. Harry is really enjoying reading all the recent Ampthill history books.
9th October: a letter to Lily and Nora, reminiscing about their recent trip to Ampthill while they were in the UK, where they were so pleased to meet up with all the Grimmers and Underwoods. They used their rail passes to good effect: travelling from Cornwall to Scotland, Norfolk to Wales. Mary is contemplating a trip to New Zealand. Jessie and Joan are visiting in Eastern Canada.
1979: 7th December: a Christmas card, sending best wishes for Lily and Nora settling into their new home in Church Avenue. Harry and Ked are invited to Bill and Verna's for Christmas dinner this year as they now only live 5 miles away.
1980: 6th October: a letter to Lily and Nora. [After what must have been a trip to England] Clara says how much they enjoyed having tea with Lily and Nora and seeing their home and garden. Sadly, while they were away, Joan had a severe heart attack but has made a good recovery. However, she has chosen to sell her house and move into a residential home, which Harry and Clara have been to see. George is also in hospital and hoping to be out in time for his son David's wedding to Brenda. Harry is not well himself and has lost weight. He is waiting for an appointment with a specialist for some tests.
1981: 6th December: a letter to Lily and Nora, sending thanks for the "Diana" picture. They are both feeling well and are following doctors' advice to take a walk each day plus some gardening.
1982: 9th December: a letter to Lily and Nora from Clara informing them that Harry is very unwell and has lost significant weight. He is undergoing tests but no diagnosis has yet been made. She sends good wishes for 1983.