Al-Res-Tone Drop In Centre

Located at 309 Second Avenue in Reston, the Al-Res-Tone Drop In Centre has been at this spot since 1977. Two buildings in this same location have been the scene of many hours of community recreation and socialization.  Here's what I know today and please let me know what I'm missing.

John Rainnie purchased a building as army surplus and moved it to this lot in about 1970 where the Reston Recorder and Alfred Archer’s Tailor and Dry Cleaner Shop had recently been demolished.  He set up as Rainnie's Lumber and Supplies in the long narrow building and carried on business for a few years. In 1977, John sold it to a Seniors Club headed by President Art Smith with Rev. Ernie Schurman as Secretary-treasurer.  Roy Campbell was vice-president of this group who were on the hunt for a space for the community to use for various purposes. It was not exclusively for Seniors, anyone over the age of 16 was welcome to purchase a membership in 1981 for $10/year.  Youth were welcomed to play pool and learn a thing or two from their elders. The Reston Seniors club even hosted their Westman Winter Games from this building in 1981. Quilters used the facility faithfully every week like the group from 1996 in Laura Osterbeck’s picture below.  Thanks Laura! 

Ongoing fundraising events, grants and generous donations saw the building being used for many years until its condition was deemed too far gone to fix.  Walker Construction was hired to demolish the old and build a new 26 x 70 foot building on the same spot in 2002 at a cost of $92 000. I was lucky enough to spot the following news article in the archive Reston Recorders from the summer of 2002.

Clipping from Reston Recorder June 29, 2002

Generous community members gave support and the new building was quickly built. Pool tables, shuffleboard, carpet ball, card tables, public rest rooms and office space for Seniors Helping Hands were all part of the design. It is an interesting read to look back at the names on the plaques of the past members and supporters.  I was able to do that this week with a friendly game of pool going on in the background .   

Certificates of Seniors Games Accomplishments line the walls of the Drop In

President Elwyn McConnell welcomed everyone to the Opening Ceremony on December 9, 2002.  John Pearson cut the ribbon and Gwen Martin and Ethel Walker cut the cake.  The building was fully paid for shortly after. Many anniversaries, showers, birthdays and special occasions were celebrated and continue to be within the walls of the Drop In. Thanks to volunteer board members, the Al-Res-Tone Drop In continues to hold an important place in our community.     

Reston Schools’ History from the Pages of the Newspapers

Newspapers hold a wealth of old information and today's post began with a Brandon Sun article from July 25, 1968  that I found on Ancestry while researching Pushmobile winner Bruce Hunter from last week's post. I previously wrote a timeline of Reston Schools here but this article seemed to fill in a few more personal notes.  It was written by Helen (Manning) Ready, a sister to longtime publisher Russell Manning and lifelong Reston resident herself.  I have come across a few of her articles in the Brandon Sun's archives and they are always informative.  Helen ran the Reston Recorder with her Uncle Arthur in 1945 when her father Frank passed away and her brother Russell was still overseas. 

Thursday, July 25, 1968 The Brandon Sun : Start to Demolish School: By Mrs. J. D. Ready

Reston (Special) The two story four room yellow brick school which served as a landmark for 62 years is now being torn down and it is with a touch of nostalgia that the elder residents see this happening.

The school which dominated the landscape was built in 1905 and served as both public and high school until 1926 when a two room high was built.

Both schools were sold by auction last year and the two room school was torn down during the winter and the four room school went for the sum of $50 the original cost being about $5000.

Principal was the late Arthur J Manning until in 1928 when he was appointed inspector of schools and moved to Carmen. For years he taught all subjects in grade 9 to 11 before grade 12 was introduced. An excellent teacher and disciplinarian - his pupils usually passed.

From these halls of learning many went on to become teachers, doctors, scientist, bankers, office workers, and farmers and are scattered in all parts of the world.

Among those who went to the school here were Dr. Bruce Hunter, Brandon: Raymond Evans, now Queens printer: Tom Wilkins, editor of Killarney Guide: Burt McKay, editor of World-Spectator Moosomin, Sask: F. Russell Manning, editor of Reston Recorder.

Among the first primary teachers was Miss Z. Collins, still living in Miami, Manitoba. Miss A. H. Strachan, who came from Scotland and is now retired taught on two separate occasions. Her pupils remember her with affection. Miss Thomas - a gentle Welsh lady who also taught on two occasions.

The upper story was once the high school classes and grade 7 and 8, also a teachers room where necessary discipline was inflicted, also the small lab and Library and the room from which the bell tolled. Many pupils vied for the honour of pulling the bell rope, until they realized it was really work. Strange how the enthusiasm waned then.

The quickest way to get downstairs was found to slide down the broad bannister, that is unless a teacher happened to be at the bottom. The heating was steam and the radiators clanged, gurgled and hissed.

A story is told of boys pinning clothes pins on Mr. Manning‘s coat tails and as he walked up and down the clothes pins clanged on the radiators. As he was slightly deaf, this caused a lot of amusement, but it is probable he soon found the cause of the fun and quietly removed the pins, saying not a word. He had quite a sense of humor.

Another story tells how a boy was sent to get the strap for the teacher and Mr. Manning gave it to him instead. His remark was that while the boy might not have deserved it at that time he probably had at others. The boy happened to be his nephew. He was almost fair and always impartial.

Other principals who later became school inspectors included Clarence Voight of Dauphin, John C. Callander of Russell, and Robert McIntosh of Morden. A number of students paid the supreme sacrifice in the Two World Wars.  (Sharon - including Helen's own son Flight Officer Robert Franklin Ready) 

A modern elementary school with nine classrooms was opened in 1967 and cost $214,995. There is also a new Reston collegiate institute built a few years ago and enlarged in 1967.

As a link to the past with the present the bell and nameplate of the two room school is to be incorporated in a cairn in front of the new school.

Thanks to Delwyn and Shirley Bulloch for this picture of the high school on the left and elementary on the right. 

That reminded me of a couple of front page stories that I took pictures of with my phone while thumbing through the Recorder Archives in their office early in 2020.  In September of 1961,  P. Stuart Parker from Winnipeg was asked by the school board on to lay the cornerstone for the new school as part of his role of Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge.  This event captured by the Recorder just over 60 years ago was also witnessed by community members, the school children and Masonic Lodge members from all over Manitoba who had marched from the Lodge at the corner of Third Avenue and Fourth Street.  The Reston Junior School Band under Max White led their procession and provided music during the event as. Frank Patmore, vice chairman of Fort La Bosse School Division, Mason and Pipestone resident spoke on behalf of the board. Doug Watt, MLA spoke on behalf of the provincial government. The new collegiate was of the new one story stucco and brick design and served the entire district as a high school for Grades 9 to 12 under the authority of the Fort La Bosse School Division.  The school was enlarged in 1967, post-war baby boomers had the classrooms filled to the brim.   

Also in 1967, the community proudly saw the opening of Reston Elementary School.  The Opening Ceremony Committee gave a nod to the past and to the future with their choices of participants as noted in the clippings above. Jack Mayberry, a member of the school board, read a list of the contents of the cornerstone before it was laid by Master Mason Murdoch McIver. (Wouldn't you love to know what was on that list?)  Alvin Lazenby,  chair of the Fort La Bosse School Division was Master of Ceremonies which included O Canada, a scripture reading and prayer along with God Save the Queen at the end.  The girls in Grade 7 and 8 sang two numbers under the direction of Mrs. Inez McMorran. Ribbon cutting and key passing were also parts of the ceremony. 

Ceremonies, citizens and buildings come and go but I am so grateful that these days were recorded on the pages of newspapers that I have access to today.  Will that be the case with the digital social media news of today? 

Hang on for Pushmobiles!

The three pictures from the Pushmobile Races come courtesy of Verna and John Olenick. I might guess this one is from the 1940's looking at the skirt length of the spectators. 
Notice the cheering fans on the roof of the Guthrie-Bulloch Insurance building to the north of the bank!
  My hope today in writing about the exploits of Restonites from almost a century ago is that some family member googling their ancestor stumbles across this story online. I have found a few of my own connections that way and it makes you realize what a small world and big internet we have.

Pushmobile races were once an eagerly anticipated event in Reston in the early days. Youngsters built homemade soap box push cars and raced them on Fourth Street. If you’ve seen Reston Main Street, you know it’s as flat as tabletop so a strong pusher was key and gravity was not much help. Basics of each go cart were a seat, a steering system, and a pushing handle. After that other embellishments were up to the creators. Vehicles were often given names too.

The Trails Along the Pipestone 1981 history book on page 516 gives lots of details from a May 1929 story in the Winnipeg Free Press. Picture yourself on the south end of Main Street either as one of the group of thirteen excited pairs of competitors or one of the  450 spectators waiting for the starting signal.  Starters for the dusty race were Dave Anderson, the railway’s station master, and Jock Scougall (or maybe it was Jack Scholes) the mail clerk on the Peanut. Judges intently watching the finish line at the far end were Presbyterian church Reverend Robert Harvey, Jack McMurchy, Thomas Albert (T. A.) Bulloch and school teacher Harold Stinson.  I wonder if the race ended at Second Avenue or if it went up to the RM office corner on Third. One block would have been plenty long enough on the gravel street. 

Among the winners that day in 1929 were Reg Guthrie (1915-2002).  Reg was a nephew of T.A. and Ellen Bulloch who raised him after the death of his parents Jack and Maude.  They lived in the cement block house at 221 1st street.  A neighbour two houses over was his pusher,  Bert Mutter (1918 - 1991).  Bert was a son of Thomas and Margaret and lived in the red brick house at 114 2nd Avenue. Thomas Mutter was the agent at the Lake of the Woods elevator for over 2 decades and after a time in WW2, Bert did the same until it was destroyed by fire in 1950. Two more pushmobile winners that day were Ken (1920 - 1985) and Lew (1922 - 1997) Watt, sons of Hillview farmers William and Annabelle Watt.

The picture above looks like the Dads' Heat and #17 was able to race to the lead with the driver casually smoking his cigarette! Looks like he needed both hands to steer the car.  I am guessing this picture was taken in the late 1940's or early 50's but my readers may have better guesses.   

The big winner of the day in 1929 was a car named “I’m Alone” driven by 13 year old Bruce Hunter and pushed by Teddy Smith. Bruce was the son of Dr.Hugh and Nellie Hunter and went on to be a doctor himself in Brandon in the 60’s and 70’s. I found the photo of Bruce from a University of Manitoba yearbook from online ancestry tree of user lmmcrafts.

Pusher Edwin Earle Smith , known as Teddy, was son of Albert and Eliza Smith. A.E. Smith was an involved Reston citizen who ran the Meat Market and Eliza was a well liked and respected community nurse. Teddy went on to University of Manitoba (presumably with his buddy Bruce Hunter) and later trained with the Royal Air Force. He sustained serious injuries in an airplane crash in 1941 and spent over a year in hospital with a broken back. E.E. re-enlisted and was tragically killed over Burma, India in August of 1943 at age 28.  A sad ending to my research of the boys from 1929, I'm sorry to say.

 

Races continued through the years and it seems this one started at the corner of Fourth Sreet and Second Avenue and headed south.  The Red Rocket with the white round headlights and the number 711 had been identified as belonging to Sandy and Raymond White, sons of Max and Ida (Bigney) White in about 1950. The man pushing the baby stroller on the far end, I hope was a starter or else that baby had better hang on! Thanks to my readers who hung on this story to the end.  I'd love to hear from you at ssimms@escape.ca

Reston Masonic Lodge # 104

The flat front white building in the middle of this picture was Jackson Hall, later Mennie Hall where th Masons met until the construction of their hall in 1928. Photo thanks to the Olenicks.

 

Reston Masonic Lodge #104 started on July 6, 1906 with 14 charter members. These men had been affiliated with a lodge at their former homes mostly in Ontario and decided to start a local lodge here. The Masons have been described as the oldest social network in the world. The first Worshipful Master was Brother Frank Manning, editor of the Reston Recorder.  For the first 2 decades, meetings were held on the second floor of  the building pictured above on the southeast corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street. With larger attendance at the meetings, a bigger space was needed.  It may be that the soldiers returning from the First World War were seeking a sense of brotherhood like they had overseas. 

Picture dated 1912 taken from Trails Along the Pipestone

Brother Thomas Mutter and Worshipful Brother Ralph Shippam brought forward the motion in 1926 that they build a new Masonic Hall.  At that time, the Lodge was 130 members strong. Two years later, in March of 1928, work began.  A location beside the Baptist Church at the corner of Fourth Street and Third Avenue was chosen.  It was across the corner from the R.M. of Pipestone building.  A two storey stucco  building 26 x 60 feet was built at a cost of $5000 with plenty of volunteer labour from the members. Planning was put in the capable hands of Worshipful Brothert Doctor A.B. Chapman.  Brother John "Jack" Ludy was the head contractor of the construction.  Brother Arthur Bushby and Brother McIvor (or perhaps McIver?) did the main carpentering and plastering.

The June 4, 1928 laying of the cornerstone brought the entire Lodge on parade from their meeting room in Mennie Hall up Fourth Street to the new building. It would have been a much larger group than in the 1912 picture above and would have been an impressive sight.  A banquet was held afterward. At the special opening meeting in December of 1928, there were 177 members attending. 

The basement of the Masonic Hall was used for community gatherings and dances before the building of the Memorial Theatre across the street.  It was also meeting spot for other groups but the upstairs would have been reserved for the secret society’s meetings and rituals. (Full listing of the past masters is on page 521 of Trails Along the Pipestone (1981).  The Reston Oddfellows Lodge No. 59 and the Bluebell Rebekah Lodge No. 30 held their meetings there as well until both clubs folded in 1940.  The Orange Lodge No 2849 were very popular at one time and were known for their celebrations on July 12 every year. The Legion Ladies met in the Lodge as well. 

The Masons began in Manitoba in the Red River Settlement in 1813. Their website says 43 Lodges can still be found in Manitoba today. From the Manitoba Historcal Society website:

Freemasonry is the oldest, and estimated to be one of the largest male fraternal organizations in the world. Freemasonry is dedicated to promoting improvement in the character of its members. A Freemason, or Mason, is taught to be a good citizen of good character, to care for those less fortunate, and to give back to his community. Freemasonry traces its roots to the Middle Ages. It is from the guilds of operative, or stone masons, who built the cathedrals, castles, and monasteries of Europe from where the fraternity evolved. These guilds eventually began to accept members who were not actual working, but speculative Masons. At that time they adopted the term “Accepted” Masons, and Freemasonry was born.

In 1981, the Reston Masonic Lodge #104 had 94 members. The following picture from the collection of John and Verna Olenick captured the final meeting a decade later at the closing of the Lodge.  Any help with correcting and filling in names would be very welcome! 

October 8 1992 -  Last Meeting of Reston Masonic Lodge #104 in Lodge Hall

1  Reg Yeo                           2 Bill Coleman            3   ?                               4 ?

5  ?                                       6  ?                              7 Jim Forsyth                8 John Rainnie

9  John Thordarson            10 Francis Giles          11 Dennis Smith             12 Bert Pierce

13  Vern McConnell           14 Neuf Olenick         15  ?                                16 Frank Patmore

17  ?                                    18 Vern Murray           19  ?                                 20 Earl Halls

I have seen the special "throne" chairs from the Lodge in the Reston Museum along with pictures of the Masters.  A friend's father-in-law was a Mason and he always wore the Mason's ring.  He also said you can always tell a fellow Mason by their handshake. You can see more here.  Secret Handshakes began in Scotland as a way for Masons to identify themselves to each other and give proof you knew the masonry trade. The regalia and aprons all had meaning and were worn proudly by the members. 

Since the Reston Lodge folded, the building was renovated for use as a shop for Shurvell Electric  and it was also a residence. It is one of those places where you wish that the walls could talk! 

The Reston Masonic Lodge in the winter of 2022