Our Stories, Vignettes from Our Lives “contains a collection of poetry, prose and short stories by 29 of our members and is a tribute to all of our members, who have, since 1965, made remarkable contributions to our community.
“Canada, eh? … I found that Torontonians went to the cottage. This is a euphemism for a mansion by the lake in woods infested with flies and mosquitoes.” [Susan Beck]
“We couldn’t so much hear the bombs as feel them, the thuds and shudders of the ground shaking and the buildings vibrating. It was the first night of attacks on Cairo itself, so far confined to the airbase on the outskirts of the city.” [Jane Barclay]
“At some point during my experience at Queen’s, I realized that if I took two day-courses for the next three years, I could actually obtain a university degree. Each of my three daughters had degrees …. why not me?” [Lorna Thorburn]
“Exhilarating, stressful, and humbling, our year in Nigeria was all of these. Most of our students were earnest and keen, but in some we sensed smouldering tension. We witnessed incompetence and corruption but also compassion and tenacity. We went to teach but mostly we learned.” [Frances Warner]
“Having graduated from high school in 1943, I was hoping to start university studies in biochemistry. However, Belgium was under German occupation during the war, and our Université Libre de Bruxelles had been closed because of its resistance to the invaders.” [Nadine Poznanski]
“We were post-war and we had advantages our parents didn’t. The possibility of nuclear war hung over our heads. We rebelled, paraded in the streets, held sit-ins and love-ins and marched for peace and equality. We read the Unjust Society, the Population Bomb, and Silent Spring.” [Linda Peterat]
“Before my arrival, Grise Fjord had never had a medical professional. The school teacher had been dealing with any medical problems. He had to show me how to pull teeth, which was not something I ever learned in Med School.” [Jane Nielsen]
** You will no doubt note that the logo and colouring on the book cover is quite different than what appears on our website. This is because of a rebranding initiative undertaken in 2023, to modernize the our clubs.
