Past and Present Residents of the Golden Dawn Senior Citizen Home
Submitted by Christie Amyot, Volunteer/Director,Golden Dawn – Editors/co-authors: Martha,Hazel, Holly, Gloria and Randy
Our Mission: Golden Dawn is a hub of support and empowerment for adults seeking care and those who care for them.
This brief story is the one of a series of articles featuring past and present residents of the Golden Dawn Senior Citizen Home in Lion’s Head, ON. Summarizing almost a century of life for any one person is intimidating, please consider that every effort has been taken to research and honor our interviewees in sharing a brief snippet of their personal life story.
Albert George Smith
Albert George Smith was born on April 12, 1929 in Tobermory, Ontario – the third, and only son, of four children to George (Dode) Smith and Gertrude (Tiny) Gibbons. They lived in a small house that still stands on Bay Street in Tobermory, on what was known as ‘the bank’ – a 30 foot high section of the Niagara Escarpment, and an epic location for young Albert to enjoy a view of the ‘Fathom Five’ islands, the beam of Cove Island lighthouse, the fish tugs and ferries.
At the early age of six, Albert’s first paid employment was fetching pails of water from the bay for his family and neighbours for a penny a pail. In Albert’s words… “Our drinking and wash water was obtained from the harbour by the use of a hoisting device positioned at the top of the bank. We called it a slide… in deep winter we could not use the hoisting device because the harbour would be frozen over. Winter water meant chopping a hole through the ice then carrying the buckets up…”
Most residents at the time worked very hard just to keep food on the table, children often working just as hard. Albert was no exception, working alongside his father on the fishing boats.
It was at this stage when he first noticed the young blond girl “from the other side.” The first account of his adoration for Gloria happened one summer. From the young age of eight, she occasionally accompanied her aunt by boat to the other side of the harbour. Albert had noticed Gloria’s beautiful, wavy blonde locks, and remarked “that’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen!”
Albert’s father George was a fisherman. As a youngster, Albert learned the tools of the trade, picking little fish and junk out of the nets, sorting corks, and ‘spinning’, or setting nets aboard the George H. The fishing industry in Tobermory died out when Albert was still a young man. At this time, there was also a mill, an ice house, and the promise of tourists to sustain bountiful summer months for the locals. In these formative years, Tobermory went from having a few small ferries that carried about 15 cars, to a new ferry called the Norisle, which could carry 50. However, in winter, paid employment was scarce and often difficult, and hunting a must to provide food.
After his school years, Albert chose to continue working. As his daughter Martha writes, “one of the things I admired most about my dad, besides that strong work ethic, was his endless love of learning… he never stopped reading, traveling, and opening our home to visitors from far away places who became lifelong friends.”
As a teenager during the war years 1939-1945, he got a summer job as assistant lighthouse keeper on Cove Island. By the summer of 1946, Albert gained employment with the Owen Sound Department of Highways Office, as assistant to the survey crew developing Highway 6. This ultimately became a career for Albert, who learned surveying skills by working with the engineers and university students.
During this time, Albert had been courting Gloria, and they were married in 1952. He had accepted a job stationed in Kashabowie, about 150 miles north of Thunder Bay, where Gloria would join him. In the remotest parts of Northern Ontario, accessible by boat and train only, Albert and Gloria had their son Randy in Port Arthur in 1953, and their daughter Holly in Atikokan in 1955. They stayed in the north until 1958. When Albert was offered a new job in Windsor, you can only imagine Gloria exclaiming, “when do you want him?” Living in the wilderness and in the remote north with two young children had certainly taken a toll.
Albert made the trek to Windsor first, while Gloria, Randy and Holly stayed in Tobermory, as the third child, Martha, was due very soon. Martha was born in Lion’s Head, in 1958. Despite many happy years in Windsor, and the birth of their fourth child, Hazel in 1961, it didn’t take long for Albert and Gloria to want to move back to Tobermory. They hatched a “Centennial Plan”, when Albert bought a bake shop next to where the Crowsnest sits now. The “Smith Family Bake Shop” was open for 3 years. All of the children were put to work. Randy woke up at 4 am and started working on prepping over 400 donuts in the deep fryer, and even little Hazel, who was 6 at the time, worked as the fly swatter! Even though the bake shop always sold out over the summer months, winters were lean. Albert took a variety of jobs over the winter months to survive.
By 1969, it was time for a change, and this time it was much more lucrative. Albert bought a boat, aptly named the “Captain Ahab”, after his favourite protagonist in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. He started to take divers, and eventually tourists, out to Flowerpot Island. He was taking 20-25 people out, 5 times a day. According to Martha, “I think it would have taken all summer long to put as many people on Flowerpot Island as we do now in just one day!”
Business was competitive, but consistent. One of the primary issues was docking; with all of the yachts and sailboats, space was limited and so naturally Albert and Gloria bought the Ferryview Motel – in partnership with lifelong friends they met in their Atikokan days. Part of their endeavours, as well as dockage for their boats, was the initial development of the waterfront where the Blue Heron Cruises now operate.
Their children continued to be involved in the family business. Randy had taken over the operation of the Capt. Ahab, when a second boat, the Arcturus, had been acquired. As Randy recalls, “Two things came to me about Dad – teaching me how to handle a boat, and teaching me firearm safety, which I took very seriously.”
From 1967-1989, Albert and Gloria volunteered in community and church work, Albert on the Board of Education for years, serving a term as Chairman. As Martha recalls, “With business booming, kids, etc, their love for each other was clear to see… mostly when there was some kind of travel or outdoor adventure happening… a family outing of some kind that involved being in nature, swimming, hiking, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.” “Travel consisted usually of winter trips to Cozumel, California, Florida and Arizona.” Eventually the couple landed on Pender Island, south of Vancouver in BC, where they ultimately decided to retire.
Albert spent his entire life working tirelessly and to the fullest, rendering himself immortal with innumerable historic contributions as one of the founders of Tobermory.
In January 2002, when Albert became gravely ill, the two returned to Owen Sound. When Albert needed care beyond what could be provided for him at home, he resided first in home care in Owen Sound, and eventually the Golden Dawn. Albert’s family express immense gratitude towards Golden Dawn, Martha writing, “We were always very happy with the level of kindness and high quality of care that he received there.” Martha’s vision for a redeveloped Golden Dawn facility is especially lovely, “I love the idea of honouring and recognizing the contributions of the Golden Dawn residents with photographs and plaques.” “Garden spaces with flowers and trees and bird feeders are bound to bring some peace and joy to our beloved elders. But the most important thing is to be able to continue to provide kind and respectful care.”
As Gloria relates: During Albert’s last weeks at Golden Dawn he had almost no conversation left, most days he slept through my visits. But one day I was standing at the foot of his bed as he slept, he opened his eyes and said “have you done something to your hair?”. I said “No, it got this way on its own!” He said “It’s not blonde is it?” “No” I told him, “it got this white on its own…” He said, “Most people look old when their hair goes white but you look just beautiful.” It is a heart touching memory for me.
“Albert was never lost… in all our travels,” Gloria says. “We often ventured into unknown, remote places which I could not find on the map!” I would say “We are lost!” Albert’s reply was always “We are not lost, we are going in the right direction.” Sure enough we always were.
According to Captain Ahab, “It is not down on any map; true places never are.”
About Golden Dawn
Golden Dawn Senior Citizen Home is a non-profit, registered charity – the only long-term care home and senior apartments complex in Northern Bruce. Located in the village of Lion’s Head, Ontario, it is also the largest year-round employer in Northern Bruce.
For more information, please contact: Christie Amyot, Volunteer/Director, 519-636-8505, christieamyot1@gmail.com or visit www.goldendawn.ca
