Keeping the Connection
 by Warren Mackenzie -  Photo Editor

Keeping close from opposite ends of the world, the Ensios and Bunkers maintain their 50-year connection via phone, email and in-person.

Friends during high school, then as neighbours in St. Lambert, with both families raising four children, Paavo and Marguerite des Trois Maisons - Ensio, now living in Tucson, AZ., and Pamela Mockridge (all C-'58) and Donald Bunker (C-'57), who live in Dubai, UAE were together again this November 2007, when Pam and Don visited the Ensios while enroute to Montreal to spend Christmas with their children and grandchildren.

Jim Mayhew says, "Dave Erskine is the glue to our ex. CCHS and St. Lambert Combines players' golf and football get togethers. In 2006 he organized the last Alumni Golf Tournament held in Blenheim, ON. then later drove to Winnipeg to take in the Grey Cup game and to meet up with Rob Hilliard who now lives there.

Seen here, in 2007, on Grey Cup Sunday, are Jim Mayhew (C-'63), Rob Hilliard (C-'64), Bob Lomon and Dave Erskine, (both C-'63) meeting for breakfast prior to taking in the exciting game.

The group believes that next Fall when the Grey Cup is held in Montreal it would be a great opportunity for former players, cheerleaders and fans to meet again before the Grey Cup game.

Who's Who - December 2007  -  Thank you very much for your kind words. I really appreciate all the effort you put into the article. You guys were very professional to work with and I'm glad you're happy with the end result.

Thank you for helping CCHS students keep in touch with each other. You've done a great job and all the alumni appreciate it. - Bruce Hills  C'80

"Click" here to open on-line nomination form

Azeem Hussain, Matthew Magyar, Jeremy Poitras, Parveen Sandhu, Ashley Negro, Sarah Ondrick, Jessie Chiasson, Olivier Richard, Andrew Veiga, Grace Mahoney, Sophie Brault, and Safa Asif

This year, Chambly Academy welcomed to its leadership programme 12 student representatives known as the Chambly Academy Ambassadors.  These young students, six boys and six girls, from Secondary IV and V are our official student representatives who will be present to welcome all visitors to our school during in-school and after-school events.

Dressed in navy tailor-made jackets bearing the Chambly Academy crest, and beige pants or skirts, our Ambassadors will be easily recognizable. The jackets were made available to our students by Taylor's Clothing Store at a reduced cost and will be partially paid for by donations from Chambly County High School &Chambly Academy Alumni Association and a parent donor.  Our Ambassadors will be on hand at official functions such as musical productions, Awards Night, Graduation, etc. to seat guests, provide information about our school, and be of assistance in a variety of ways.

There was much interest in the programme at its conception, in that 29 students submitted their applications and participated in a selection interview.  The interviewers were so impressed by the candidates that the projected number of eight Ambassadors (4 boys and 4 girls) had to be increased to twelve.  During the interviews, the students demonstrated a high level of maturity, strong academic standing (although this was not necessarily a requirement), a very good understanding about all programmes and activities offered at Chambly Academy, and most importantly, a profound love for their school.  Alumni Association Secretary, Harvey Carter, was one of the interviewers and said that while all the candidates were outstanding, he was particularly impressed with the Secondary IV (otherwise known as Grade 10) students. They were appointed for a two year term and will carry on with their duties in Secondary V. This continuity, coupled with the strength of the students selected, bodes well for the long term success of the Ambassador's program.

To date, the Ambassadors have been involved in the Open House and greeted the Commissioners at their last meeting, which was held at Chambly Academy before Christmas.  Our Ambassadors, along with our other students who are involved in leadership activities will participate in a two-day leadership training retreat in St- Alphonse-Rodriguez just outside of Joliette this January.

Beverly Maize:
 Bev did not attend CCHS, she grew up and went to school in Granby, Quebec. She has, however, been employed for many years at the high school as a secretary. In addition to the employment connection to the school, Bev's two children, Cory and Cammy graduated from CCHS as did her husband, Lyndon back in the mid-sixties. And yes, Lyndon's sister, father and uncle also are alumni - god knows I probably missed a few relatives too. 

 Anyway, Bev was a major force on the 1995 reunion committee and oversaw the registration sub-committee. She contacted literally thousands of people and was responsible for building our initial data base of alumni names and addresses. Personal email was just getting started at the time and provided virtually no help. The work all had to be done by regular mail, by telephone or through personal contacts and networking.  It was a staggering job requiring hundreds and hundreds of hours.

 The grapevine has it that is her last year at the school land and is seems apropos to say thanks Bev for all your good work and dedication, the 1995 Reunion wouldn't have happened without you. The teachers, students and staff will all miss you.

John Ernst (1958) and Judy Ernst:
John served with distinction on the 2005 Reunion committee pulling double duty. He was responsible for organizing the Saturday morning breakfast and was the class contact for his graduating year, a job he still handles today. I think any of you who have worked as a class contact understand that while very rewarding, it can be a difficult and time consuming effort.

 Judy is another one of those non-CCHS graduates who have given so much to the school. She assisted John with his 2005 committee work and helped out whenever needed during the event.

 Both John and Judy were a source of many ideas and a steadying influence on the committee, attending meeting after meeting to make sure everything came out right.

 John and Judy still reside just down the road in Candiac and moved into a new house shortly after John's retirement.

 Thanks John and Judy for your great contribution.

Past Recipients

Fergus Groundwater (1956), Anthony McGarr (1977)

Barbados is a small island (11 by 14 miles) which is the most southerly and easterly in the Caribbean; actually, it's where the Caribbean Sea starts. We have a relatively small resident population of about 270,000 but during the winter, with the influx of tourists, the population soars to about 700,000! The weather is grand. In fact, like Hawaii, which is on the same parallel, the temperature is approximately 30C every day. Coldest it ever gets is about 25C and the hottest about 35C. In fact, the weather service never forecasts temperature, it only tells you what yesterday's was.

  The island is surrounded by beautiful beaches and they are all public. I'm able to play golf  year round and do. Cricket is the national sport. Polo, which Donna and I adore, is played from December until April during the so-called "Dry Season" not to be confused with the "Rainy Season" which runs from August until the end of October and sort of corresponds to the "Hurricane Season" although because of its position way out in the Atlantic, Barbados has not been hit since 1954.

I have had a business consulting on international tax matters to multinationals on the Island for about ten years which required me to come down from Montreal quite often. About five years ago with the growth in the business coupled with our children leaving home, Donna (nee Chartier, a St. Lambert girl who I married back in 1969) and I decided to do it the other way round and moved to Barbados. We have never regretted our decision. Golf, sailing, beaches, good climate, nice educated people; it's a paradise. Of course, we return to regularly to Montreal/ St. Lambert as friends, weddings, clients, etc., etc. dictate.

As I write this, I am watching "The National News" on CBC (yes, we get CBC Channel 6, Toronto and City TV, Toronto) and the big lead is the winter storm which hit, inter alia, Montreal. Our daughter, Christine, a consulting psychologist, called to say that she and her brother, Allan, a criminal and family lawyer, both of whom live in Montreal, were busy digging out. HA! They can't wait to get down here for Christmas. Their sister, Catherine, a gerontologist, lives in Naples, Florida. She too, like me, believes that snow is for skiing and that it's handy at Christmas but one can really do without it the rest of the year.

After living and working in San Francisco, I left for a 3 month trip to Japan in Sept. 1965 via passenger ship with a return ticket, $500 and a book, "Japan on $5 a Day" (at that time if you were careful you could actually manage to do that). Using that as my guide, I traveled throughout Japan until almost running out of money in mid November. For a couple of weeks I lived in a cheap Japanese Inn and once a day ate a bowl of soup (noodles with vegetables and meat) which cost 50 yen or 10 cents. The ship I was to return home on was not due for another 2 weeks, and since I had to return home immediately,  I headed for the American Express office to exchange my ticket for passage on a freighter, picking one leaving in 2 days - the "Hong Kong Bear" whose company, Pacific Far East Lines, was based in San Francisco. John Cotter was the captain. To me he seemed like a knight in shining armor saving me from destitution. We were married in 1969 and remained happily so for 38 years. In May of 2007, John passed away after a couple of years of deteriorating health. I miss him terribly. He was a wonderful husband and father and I am so thankful to God for blessing us so for all the years we shared together.

I did not want to be at home for the first Christmas without John so I went to be with my daughter, Julie, her husband, and four children, my precious grandchildren, in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was a delightful Christmas and comforting to be with them and share in the excitement and pleasure in the way only children have at Christmas. As an added bonus, it was a white Christmas! We shared together all the special holiday preparations - baking, shopping, wrapping, planning surprises and we sang, read stories, played games, ate a lot, viewed the area's lights and decorations, played and sled in the newly fallen snow and enjoyed quiet times by the fire. We three "girls" (Julie, Elizabeth, aged 3, and I) went to a Victorian Tea Room for a special High Tea on Boxing Day.

Since living in California, we have experienced snow at Christmas only twice, and that was during those spent with my parents in St. Lambert. Christmas in Colorado gave me new and precious memories and brought back, with nostalgia, those of my youth and Christmases past.

Wishing everyone from CCHS a happy and blessed 2008 to you and your loved ones.

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