Photo ID
RD: Regarding your July-August issue, Nova Scotia 4-H centenary photo on page 40, I think the man is Premier Henry Hicks. He was minister of education, and premier in 1955. The girl on the left is a Trenholm (Catherine, I think), from Grand Pré; at centre is Eleanor Rand (Saxon Street in Canard, a family friend); and I can’t remember the name of the girl on the right, from my years as a 4-H leader. Great issue! I like the way you link the past with impending future issues. Keep it up!

Glenn Ells
Sheffield Mills, N.S.

(Thanks for the info, Glenn! We were reluctant to publish that photo without being able to name the people, but we figured our readers would help us out – and sure enough. This illustrates how the 4-H program helps to establish durable connections in rural communities – in addition to imparting agricultural knowledge and skills to young people. History buffs might be interested in the fact that Henry Hicks, from Bridgetown, was Nova Scotia’s very first minister of education – under Angus L. Macdonald, who preceded him as premier – and he went on to serve as president of Dalhousie University. Now, if someone would just step up and ID that girl on the right! DL)

Heavenly slice of rural life
RD: I would like to thank you sincerely for your magazine and its contents. Many years ago, my then husband and I had a small mixed farm, and although we didn’t last, the memories from our little slice of heaven did. We had two beef animals, one dairy cow, three pigs, two lambs, three dozen laying hens, one dog or two, and three beautiful children with the accompanying 100-foot-by-140-foot vegetable garden. We were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; a pair determined our offspring would eat only home-raised vegetables and meat. We also started an orchard of plums, apples, blueberries, strawberries, and rhubarb. Of course I made all our bread, brown and white, and plenty of stews. All this was not regarded as work, even when I ached from head to toes. Did I mention we were building our homestead at the same time? We were busy bees, you might say, even though we never raised bees. (I wanted to.) Your magazine helped us all through this.

Ann Winkels
Arcadia, N.S.