Petawawa

Hilda Young

Let’s welcome our neighbour, Hilda Young.

Hi, Hilda! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a baby boomer and an immigrant who came to Canada in the mid-1960s as part of the push to send skilled workers to various parts of the Commonwealth. I was born in North London, England. My father’s father was from a family who raised sheep in the Salisbury plains. He married a German lady whose family was part of the German diaspora in London. My father, Fred Young, was a Cockney, born within the sound of Bow Bells. My mother was from Norway. My parents met in London after World War II. My father’s parents were killed during the Blitz in London. He was an only child, as his father was injured during WWI.

I moved to Kitchener in 1965, to Elora in 1966, and to Waterloo in 1967. I attended high school and university in Waterloo, where I met my husband, Bruce Hanna. As Bruce has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, we followed his career path. He was hired by AECL-Whiteshell Labs in 1980, so we moved to Pinawa, Manitoba, where we resided for 20 years.

Pinawa is a unique place. It survived government cutbacks and has reinvented itself as a retirement and outdoor lifestyle community. Members of that community still keep in touch via Facebook, etc. We raised two children in Pinawa.

Bruce was transferred to AECL-Chalk River in 2001. My husband likes to tell the story of his first day of work at the new location — an office building (J.L. Gray) in downtown Deep River. It was 9/11. The media from Ottawa came to the community and asked interesting questions, such as, “Are there any nuclear materials in the office?” One person said, “He has just started working.”

Bruce survived the challenges until his retirement in 2014!  His prime passion has always been golf. So, he had his retirement party at the Petawawa golf course on base.

While we lived in Pinawa, I did a lot of volunteering. My longest commitment was to the Pinawa Christian Fellowship. I found that congregation fascinating, as the PCF in 1980 included the Presbyterian, United, Anglican, Mennonite, and Baptist denominations. At that time, the congregation was healthy with a large Sunday school, two choirs, and active missions and stewardship. When we moved to Petawawa in 2001, I became an active member of St. George’s Chapel Garrison Petawawa congregation, as the Protestant chapel acknowledged all the major Protestant denominations. I have had a hectic 25 years as a civilian member of a military congregation.

My other volunteer passions in Pinawa and Petawawa were mostly in the writing/ publicity side. While I lived in Pinawa, I became involved in several local groups promoting the town in reaction to the federal government’s cutbacks to AECL. These included the Trans Canada Trail and the Pinawa Suspension Bridge. I also wrote for several local weeklies at a time when print media was still relevant and local. Since moving to Petawawa, I have written about the town, the chapel, and more for various religious publications. I also pen two blogs, Confessions of a Golf Widow and Hilda Frances Young: Community Connector.

Currently, I am involved with the local Grandmothers’ group raising money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The Petawawa and Area Grannies have been around since 2008. We have raised a substantial amount of money through teas, dinners, and pie sales. We are always looking for new people who would like to support us.

I have also been involved with the WIN Women’s Initiative Network since 2001, when C.B. Pappin did a presentation on the British home children, as her mother was one.

I have found the Upper Ottawa valley fascinating, as there are people who have come from around the world in the military and AECL/ CNL, plus several generational families who have contributed to the length and breadth of this community. In some ways, our family has come home as my husband grew up in Smiths Falls, was born in Arnprior, and his family lives throughout the Ottawa valley.

What is your weirdest habit or trait?

Sneezing. I sneeze very loudly if I am cold and I have just eaten. It often happens when I am having dinner in a restaurant. My husband just laughs, but people get anxious as I get very loud!

Do you have any phobias?

I do not like driving on hills! I will avoid that as much as possible, especially during the winter months. I have been known to drive three blocks out of my way in downtown Pembroke to avoid going down the hills.

What three adjectives do you think your family and friends would use to describe you?

Social, loyal, proactive.

What strange food combination do you most enjoy?

My mother was from Norway. I still enjoy some of the Norwegian dishes she used to make. My favourite combination is of two ethnic groups, Norway and Low German — Norwegian brown cheese and Mennonite apple butter.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Grasshoppers, warthog, and crocodile in Africa???

Who is the best-known celebrity you have ever seen in person?

It depends on how you define “celebrity.” I have seen several well-known figures in Stratford. One year, we saw Stephen Harper and family watching Oliver. We also saw Stephen Lewis and Michele Landsberg Lewis in the lobby after watching Macbeth. In Manitoba, while covering elections for the local papers, I met Premier Gary Doer and our local politician, Darren Praznik. My most humorous and embarrassing event was having dinner in a restaurant in Winnipeg. Darren Praznik was there with a group of people, and he recognized us from Pinawa. He insisted on introducing us to his guests! I also rode in his car in a parade during an election cycle.

Do you own a piece of clothing that no longer fits?

I own two wrap-around skirts that still fit, but not well. I keep them as memories, as they were given to me by friends who went to India and Indonesia.

If you could be any animal, which one would you be?

Sloth, as I like to sleep a lot!

If you had a yacht, what name would you choose for it?

“Setting Sun” (We are at a turning point in the world. The West’s influence is waning, and we are in transition.)

What decade do you wish you had experienced? Why?

1880-90. It was a pivotal time in European history as Africa was carved up among the European powers in 1885. The ramifications are still being felt today.

Which of the seven dwarfs resembles you the most?

Droopy. I fall asleep very easily.

Thanks for sharing with us, neighbour Hilda.

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Next week, we welcome John Butler.