PUGH FAMILY HISTORY
Prepared as a Christmas Present
for Chris and David Richmond
and
Trevor, Kevin and Steven Pugh
by
Don Pugh
with thanks to Ernie and Hazel Pugh
PUGH FAMILY HISTORY --HAZEL
I was born
christened Hazel M Fuller after my mother Margaret M
McLander (many photos) (born about 1866) and father, Elton John
Fuller. (many photos) My mother was an attractive looking woman
with a beautiful complexion as were all the girls. She
was a hard worker, running a dress-maker business in Tatamouche,
Nova Scotia.
My parents were married in 1909. My father, an American, came
from Woodstock, Vermont where his sister Florence and brother
Stanley lived. We visited them in the 1950's. His ancestors had
emigrated to North America on the Mayflower in 1620 and the
Fuller name is engraved on Plymouth rock as one of the first
British emigrants. Elton later changed his last name to Gerry
and settled in Utah with my mother's sister Ruth (one photo)
where three children, Edward, Florence and John were born.
My grandfather on my mother's side was was George Mclander, a
blacksmith. My grandmother, Jenny MacKay whose photo exists in
my photo album produced twelve children including Minnie, Isabel,
Marion, Angus, Irene, George, Ruth and Elizabeth as well as my
mother, Margaret. One baby, died of diptheria. There are photos
of most of these relatives as well as their home and blacksmith
shop in Brule. I knew them all except Ruth and her brothers,
John, Arthur, Angus and George. They are now all dead, but
Elizabeth's daughter Minnie is alive and lives in Truro, N.S.
George M Junior and his wife Mazie settled in Vancouver
and following the death of their son Ken left me their house on
2026 West 48th Ave., now owned by George Pugh.
The graveyard in Brule, NS has the graves of grandpa and grandma Mclander
, of Dan Mackenzie, and my grandpa's parents. Their
graves are enclosed by iron fencing, probably made by grandpa,
George M. Also there are the graves of Walter
Mac, my grandpa's brother and his wife, Margaret who was
my grandma's sister!
I grew up in
grade 12 before entering Dalhousie University in 1927. I majored
in English, French and Latin while living in residence in
Sherriff Hall. I won a scholarship in my first year and was only
one month short from being the youngest girl in my graduating
class. See my graduation photo taken in 1930 sitting in front of
this residence. During this time my mother moved to Kaslo, BC on
Kootenay Lake and married Dan Mackenzie whose photos and a
picture of the large two story frame house are in my album. He
left his gold Masonic ring and watch to Donald after his death.
I visited my mother in BC from NS twice during university
travelling by CPR and steamship to Kaslo (see photo) where I
worked the summer making wooden fruit packing crates and picking
cherries and plums.
Upon graduation I was sad to leave my friends in NS, a region I
had enjoyed but was excited to enter UBC in Vancouver in 1930/31
to obtain a teacher's certificate. I taught primary school from
1931 to 1932 in Salmo, BC and at Anarchist Mountain from 1932 to
1934. My photo album shows pictures of numerous boy friends and
pictures of me playing babmington, golf and bridge as well as
skating. I loved teaching but was poorly paid.
From 1935 to 1940 I taught in Oliver, BC where I lived with Lucy
Crafter Hack (see photo) and met Ernie Pugh. He was tall, blue-
eyed and handsome. I decided I wanted to marry him and that he
would remain faithful. That he has done. We were married in
October, 1939 after four year's courtship, in spite of the
predictions by my friends that he wouldn't propose. He drove a
Model A Ford with rumble seat (see photo) and we led an active
life, teaching, marking papers and playing golf, badmington and
bridge.
In 1940, I moved to Vernon, BC to teach because Ernie had
obtained a higher paid teaching job there. On April 17th, 1941
Margaret was born. I finished teaching in May to become a
house wife. Ernie joined the Northern Electric Company in 1943
and moved East. I followed in early 1944, and lived in Toronto
until 1945. My mother died this year. (There is one photo
showing my mother as an older woman.) I then moved to Montreal
where Don was born on Jan. 3rd, 1947. In 1948 we moved to
Belleville and George was born August 3rd, 1949.
I supply taught in Belleville high schools during the 1950's
until 1966 and focussed my energies on raising our children, an
activity I enjoyed. Don recalls my teaching him Latin in grade
10 for one month. I worked very hard to assist my children
academically and was pleased that they all went to university
(Margaret Queen's BA B Ed 1961?) (Don Queen's BA BEd 1972,
Carleton MA 1972 Murdoch MEd 1979) (George Queen's B. B Ap Sc in
Elect Eng, M Ap Sc in Elect Eng 1972, UBC MD MBA)
During the late 1960's and early 1970's,I travelled broadly with
Ernie throughout the USA while driving to and from Los Angeles.
Ernie retired in 1968 and we have spent our retirement travelling
annually to see Don in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa
and George in Vancouver. We are also active bridge players.
Ernie and I have had a very happy life together and our proud of
our children and grand-children.
My first cousins who are still alive are:
Aunt Elizabeth"s Minnie Terry
Irene's Sheila Spence (Kars, Ont.)
Uncle John's Mydra Patriquin (Elliott Lake) and Jim Ross (North
Vancouver)
Walter MacLanders (NS)
Uncle Arthur's Gordon, Bill
Aunt Minnie's David Bowie (Ontario)
Marion's Anne (Ruetz-Ahaunavon, Sask.)
Fred, Emmett
Uncle Angus's Kent MacLanders (Pritchard, B.C.)
Ernie Pugh
I was born September 3rd, 1906 on Smithdown Road, Liverpool one
of two children, my brother Albert being four years the older.
My father was Robert Pugh (died 1941) and my mother was Agnes
Elizabeth Kerr (Bessie.)(died 1947, buried Colwood Cemetary,
Victoria.) (There is a family photo of me as a baby, Albert at
four years of age and my parents.) (A family tree which I have
shows my Dad as a single child.) I remenber Smithdown Road as a
cold rain swept desolate place and perhaps it was for this
reason that Robert left us for Canada in 1910. He worked in
Montreal, the Prairies, and Vancouver, before settling happily in
Victoria, BC as a labourer for the golf course green keeper. (It
was this profession which developed my interest in golf and made
me an excellent golfer. Handicap 3)
He sent for us in 1911. I remember my distress, losing my money,
two pennies on the Cunard liner as we left the Liverpool dock,
and breaking a jar of my mother's pickles on the CPR on route to
Victoria. We settled initially on Fiscard Street opposite the
Hudson Bay Company store until 1913. Then Dad built a home on
Florence Street, Oak Bay (photo in my album) followed by a new
home on Ann Street. (photo in album.) I attended Boys Central PS
followed by Oak Bay HS and one year at Victoria College.
Leaving Victoria College at 16 in 1922, my first job for a short
time was as a deck hand on the CPR boat Princess Ena (see photo)
with my brother Albert (see photo). He married Sarah McMurry, a
primary school teacher, and eventually became a captain before
his retirement in Westminster and death in 1965.) His two children
Robert and Shirley (see baby photos) keep in regular touch with
the Pughs. Robert is a professor of physics at University of
Toronto and has one child, Nina in Portland, Oregon.
From 1922 to 1926 I worked at the Bamberton Cement Plant on the
Malahat Trail outside Victoria as an electrican's helper while I
owned and operated a 28 foot ex-fishing boat. (Photos of plant
and boat.) The plant today is abandoned. In 1926 to 1927 I was
a helper at the Powell River Pulp and Paper Plant (see photo). A
friend of mine, a McGill engineering graduate started at at the
same time at Bamberton as I and ended up in four years as
manager, demonstrating to me the value of a university degree. I
was not a slow learner.
As a close friend of mine had enrolled at the University of
Washington, I saved my pay and attended the University of
Washington in Seattle from 1927 to 1931 in the electrical
engineering program. While there I played golf, hiked and
mountain climbed around Mt Baker, and Mount Rainier (numerous
photos) and rowed second place as a lightweight in the
university's rowing team. (see photo) This entitled me to stay
in the university rowing club's accommodation where I worked as
a waiter to obtain free room and board. Most of my time was
spent hard at work to master the engineering syllabus.
During the summer I was employed by the Pudget Sound Power
Company. In second year I joined the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and
lived in their accommodation for three years.
Finishing university in the middle of the depression, with no
engineering jobs in sight, I opted to attend teacher's college at
UBC from 1932 to 1933 to gain employment. My first job was as a
teacher in Duncan PS on Vancouver Island until 1934. I then
obtained a high school position in Oliver, BC for four years
until 1938 through tfriendship with John McLean, the principal, a
member of my fraternity at UBC.
During this time I continued hiking, mainly around Garibaldi and
the Forbidden Plateau (see photos) as well as playing golf and
dating Hazel (Hazel has some photos of me during this period.)
In 1938 I moved to Vernon, BC to teach industrial arts because of
an increase in pay and spent two summers training at Vancouver
Technical School. The following summer I worked for West
Canadian Hydro in Vernon and was introduced to a Northern
Electric salesperson who offered me an engineering job at much
better pay.
I had always wanted to practice engineering and flew east in 1943
to work on Lancaster bomber radios/intercoms and FM radio during
the war. I recall working on radios on board planes as they flew
from Toronto to Montreal, then on to Gander, Newfoundland. I was
told if I wasn't finished by then, the next stop was England.
My move to Belleville in 1948 was permanent since I liked the
location. It was an ideal place to play golf and I enjoyed
cottage life, poker and the local stamp club. I consistently
turned down promotions that would have meant transfers to big
cities and refused to leave Belleville. In 1952 I bought a
cottage at Oak Lake nearby and Margaret, Don and George spent
their summers there. The cottage was sold to Margaret and Ken in
1980.
During these years I was involved in a series of major electronic
projects. These were:
Power line carriers 1950
Radio compass construction
SPG 48 gun laying naval radar. This resulted in a family trip to
Ireland in 1956 for six months and to Halifax for two months in
1957. Don was trained in the use of this system as a naval cadet
in 1968.
FPS mid-Canada Radar Line in northern Ontario/Quebec
TACAN Radio Navigation, a eighteen million dollar order lasting
from 1960 to 1966
Interstat IV and Anik 1 satellites as senior project engineer
1966-1971 in Ottawa and Los Angeles. I obtained a patent at this
time. This project financed my 28 foot sailing sloop Anik
which I sailed on the Bay of Quinte during my retirement from
1971 until its sale in 1986.
With my work and retirement travel Hazel and I have driven almost
every interstate highway in the USA as well as many secondary
roads. Hazel and I have crossed the Rocky Mountain Continental
Divide by twenty three different passes, mostly in winter.
In retirement, I still participate regularly in a poker,
investment and stamp clubs as well as three duplicate bridge
clubs. Hazel and I experience good success in bridge although we
are not top raking as is Robert Pugh.
I have always enjoyed my work, particularly engineering and would
never consider a change to a managerial job. The depression
years were poverty stricken, but living in a small town provided
plenty of activity at little cost so I was happy.
I am also proud and happy with my three children (adults now) and
appreciate being invited to visit and accompany them on their
activities. While growing up they didn't give us any anxiety
about their associates, drugs, alcohol or academic aims.
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READ AT THE FUNERAL OF ERNIE PUGH, 12 Jan 1995 BY GEORGE PUGH
Greetings from Perth, Western Australia from Don Pugh and Lily Auld
Dad would have appreciated the weather here, as I write, blue skies,
hot sun, gentle sea breeze off the white flecked Indian Ocean and
32 degrees Celsius. With numerous trips to Australia he grew to
love this climate. I was pleased he was still strong enough to
visit in 1992, his last trip here.
For us, approaching the year 2000, it's interesting to reflect on
the amount of change in which Ernie witnessed and participated.
Ernie was born in Liverpool in 1906 at about the time of the
first airplane flight. He left with his mum and brother
Robert for Victoria BC by Cunard liner and the Canadian Pacific
Railway in 1911. Cars were not yet in widespread use. Ernie's
dad was to build a house in Oak Bay, Victoria near the golf
course, where he was a green keeper. Ernie grew to love golf
and his low 3 handicap was maintained by Ernie all his life,
even into his late 70's. As youth, he frequently took us golfing
at the Belleville Country Club but failed to develop in his
children the skills which he possessed.
From dad's stories of his youth, I am surprised that he survived
into manhood. He has related stories of finding and playing with
dynamite, and firing off bullets clamped into a vice.
Fortunately he was only 11 when conscription was introduced
in Canada in 1917, during world war I.
Ernie left school at 16 to work first as a deckhand hand, then as
an electrian's helper in a cement plant and pulp and paper factory.
He was a quick learner and soon saw the value of education. Saving
his pay, he enrolled at the age of 21 in an engineering course in
Seattle at University of Washington and graduated in 1931. I remember
his photos of his annual hiking trips through Mt Barker and Mt
Rainier, and his golfing and rowing during those 4 exciting years.
Graduating during the depression led to attendance in 1932 at
UBC for a teaching degree. He taught school in a primary school
in Duncan, Oliver and Vernon, BC where he met Hazel between
hiking and golf. I gained the impression that he didn't really
like teaching. With the industrial demands of world war II,
in 1943 he joined Northern Electric to install radios on
Lancaster bombers. This valuable employment with Northern was to
last until his retirement at 66 years of age. His retirement came
at a time just prior to the first personal computer.
His was a distinguished engineering career which spanned projects
from early tube radios, radio compass design, naval gun laying
radar, early warning radar in Northern Canada, TACAN aircraft
navigation, and Interstat and Anik satellite construction.
He started with tubes and moved on to transistors. We grew up
in a well equipped basement filled with surplus electronic gear
which had a habit of smoking or blowing the fuse, if I plugged
them in. George fixed them and made them work. Dad was
never impressed with water on his tools either. Dad also
fostered an interest in chemistry by purchasing and teaching
us how to use many volatile ingredients. He wasn't always
successful. George splashed sulfuric acid in his eyes
while I almost gassed myself distilling bromine. Ernie
always enjoyed hands-on engineering and never considered
a change to a managerial job or promotion outside Belleville.
I believe he greatly liked his work and career.
Ernie was primarily a family person. The 3 children arrived
during the 1940s. Ernie and Hazel have lived in Belleville since
1948, enjoying the small town life with the Oak Lake cottage,
family, duplicate bridge, poker and stamp club, and frequent
trips. Ernie belonged to an investment club and followed his
investments closely with good success. He has left behind him
a carefully catalogued stamp collection covering 90 years
and a lifetime of dedication. He was working on it to the end
with magnifying glasses, even though cataracts made vision
difficult. He expressed his hope that his hobby would be
carried on by his grandchildren.
Ernie stressed the value of education to us. He refused to have
a TV so we would read, and bought educational toys such as
meccano. Ernie and Hazel also loved travel and instilled that
interest in us, as children through trips to Ireland, Nova Scotia,
British Columbia, Bermuda, and later Florida. Perhaps, this is why
we are so widely separated. (smile) Travel was an accomplishment
considering Ernie's and Hazel's financial support in sending
all 3 children through Queen's University. Ernie and Hazel
have driven almost every interstate highway in the USA as well
as many secondary roads, crossing the Rocky Mountain Continental
Divide by twenty three different passes, mostly in winter.
Ernie and Hazel have managed 10 trips to Australia to see me,
including stop overs in South Africa, New Zealand, Egypt and
many other locations.
Ernie was fortunate to have enjoyed an exceptionally long
retirement marked by good health and an income sufficient to
make it satisfying. It was a retirement which we would
all hope to have for ourselves. He had his own home, Hazel,
interests and lifelong friends. He enjoyed good food, wines,
and conversation. I remember one party in Australia,
where Ernie got tipsy and fell down in the rose garden.
This didn't happen often. He was determined to live at
home to the end and not to move into a nursing home. I am happy
he achieved this wish. Only in the last 2 years has his health
been marginal, but even these years were brightened by his
companionship with William, a Chinese boarding student.
I was pleased to say my farewell to dad in person,
in June of this year rather than at this funeral. I was
saddened by his sudden physical decline, but amazed at his
independence and drive to accomplish his goals. In spite of
being unable to walk, he planted and maintained a magnificently
large flower bed outside the house last summer. I gained
the impression that he was at peace with himself and with the
world and was prepared for the end. The doctor had stated that
almost all his body organs were worn out. He was proud that
he had survived two years beyond his medically predicted
death to reach 89. He did not seem to fear the end. He
spoke with confidence about his arrangements for Hazel following
his departure and stated: "I'm proud and happy with my
three children (adults now) and have appreciated being invited
to visit and accompany them on their activities during
my long retirement." I am sure he is equally proud of his
five grand children here today.
When I left in June, I knew that our parting was final. As
humans we move forward to make our lives better by learning
from our past and from our parents. Ernie has made a
substantial contribution towards making the world a better
place for Hazel, the children and many others. He has
reached the end of a his last, long and satisfying journey. Go in peace.
3
EULOGY WRITTEN BY DONALD AND READ BY GEORGE PUGH AT THE FUNERAL OF HAZEL MACLANDERS PUGH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9TH, 2001
Donald and Lily Auld: Perth, Western Australia: I’m sorry to miss the funeral but leave you this brief account of Hazel’s life.
We will always remember Hazel Pugh for three things: A mother, a teacher, and her Determination.
Hazel was born May 11th, 1911 to Margaret MacLanders and Elton John Fuller in Brule, Nova Scotia. She was born into difficult times of which we can only imagine. World War I broke out three years after her birth. Elton John did not possess all of the attributes of his forbears… the Fullers arrived in Plymouth 1620 on the Mayflower as a member of the Puritans. He and Margaret went their separate ways by the time Hazel was three. The family house burned to the ground in 1928. No family records remained.
Despite all this, Hazel was kept in school by her mum, and graduated 1927, age 16, from Pictou Academy and Dalhousie University 1930, with a BC and teaching certificate. This was a rare achievement for a young lady in 1930, time of the Great Depression.
Mum and her mother then moved with the MacLanders Scottish Highland Clan, including long time friends Edith and Kent, to Kaslo, in the Silver Slocan, British Columbia, heart of the Kootenay Silver Rush. Here she taught school, moving to Oliver with the collapse of silver mining. Here she met and married John ‘Ernie’ Pugh 1939. He remained the light of her life until his death 1996. Their love never faltered through their relocation to Montreal in 1940’s and again to Belleville in 1948.
Their family was blessed with 3 children: Margaret 1943, Donald in 1947 and myself, George, in 1949. Hazel’s background lead to a somewhat, by today’s standards, unconventional upbringing of her children. Apparently we, as babies, were shown to friends and relatives through the glass doors of the dining room. No exposure to germs was allowed. The subjects of sex, allergies or mental illness were never discussed in our house. Unruly children were kept inline with a large wooden spoon wielded skillfully to our backsides. Despite Dad being a highly competent satellite engineer, no television set entered the house until we had long left the house. In retrospect her actions worked…none of us contacted polio, did not know of allergies and married happily!
We all experienced her teaching skills in the high school classrooms as mum chose to teach as a supply teacher – the better to hear the gossip and progress of her son’s and daughter. I well remember the embarrassment of her ripping my biology notes up in front of my classmates, declaring that they were poorly written, and that I would be rewriting them that night at home. I did. Don remembers doing high school work during summer holidays. Mum was determined that we would all attend university and pushed unmercifully to that end. Without Hazel’s unrelenting energy and drive, Don may not have been motivated enough to complete high school and is wholly grateful for mum’s persistence. We all graduated from University with assorted advanced degrees and training.
Amid the strain of raising 3 active children, Mum enjoyed bridge…however Hazel did not suffer fools gladly. She attained the rank of Senior Master in Duplicate Bridge. Ken Richmond well remembers sitting in the teachers lounge at Ridgetown High, idly listening to his teachers chatting as they played bridge during lunch break. One new teacher, recently moved from Belleville, was relating the “Legend of the Bridge Werewolf” of Belleville…a lady who was wonderfully pleasant and a gracious hostess… but once the game commenced was transformed into a monster that demanded the ultimate performance from her partner. Ken casually remarked…that wouldn’t have been Hazel Pugh would it? A detailed exposition followed. “That’s my Mother in Law” replied Ken!!!
Mum participated in the University Women’s Club, read numerous books, kept a complete diary and penned a fine bold readable script to over 200 friends and relatives. Annual Christmas cards hung on strings across our walls and garnered much enjoyment for mum. She enjoyed cottage life during summer months at Oak Lake – a mere 14 miles from our Belleville home.
Contributing to this satisfying and happy life was the excitement of travel. Hazel and Ernie spent 6 months in Northern Ireland in 1956 and enjoyed many trips to Florida during the 1960’s. Every major US highway was traversed during the 1970’s when Ernie relocated to Los Angles. With Don’s migration to Australia 1978, they traveled 10 times over 20 years to Perth with stops in Hong Kong, Vancouver, New Zealand, Egypt, Africa and other places. Pat, my wife, keeps a picture of Hazel riding a camel and frequently uses this to prod me into planning expensive trips.
Don recalls an incident traveling with Hazel through Kruger National Park, South Africa. There, tourists stayed in cars as lions roamed freely. Stopped cars meant game sightings. Needing relief, Hazel ordered a stop, braved the lions, and retreated behind a large termite mound. Imagine her surprise to find a busload of 30 tourists eyeing her termite mound suspiciously when she emerged from doing her business.
Hazel felt we had all married well and was delighted with her children’s spouses (George: “Yes, even you, Ken!” Ken: ”That’s not in the script”). She was greatly pleased with the achievements of her grandchildren Chris, David, Trevor, Kevin and Steven. The greatest stress in her life was injury and illness to her children. Devastated by Don’s spinal paralysis, 1978, she spent 6 months in Perth, Australia. Margaret’s fight with leukemia1998 was a further worry to her. However Mum was spared the pain of children dying prior to her, and left this world knowing all was well.
Mother was fortunate to live in her own home until 1996. After Dad’s death, and, being tired of cooking, she gracefully retired to the Village, Ridgetown. Here she forged new friendships, and continued reading and letter writing, secure that Ernie had left her in comfortable circumstances. Margaret visited regularly, and George and Don phoned frequently and visited as often as possible. Towards the end failing hearing and vision left her frustrated. Her death was sudden and peaceful, although she missed her 90th birthday by 5 days. Hazel attended Church regularly throughout her life and passed on secure in her Anglican faith that death marks a new beginning. We would like to believe Hazel is happily reunited with Ernie.
We remember her as a determined lady with a zest for life and with absolute commitment to her family. Hazel planned for her end and planted a copper beech tree 3 years ago at The Village, Ridgetown. This large slow growing tree will outlive all of us, an enduring testament to a remarkable lady.
Pugh Investments Pty Ltd
Peppermint Grove, West Australia 6011
Ph: (09) 384-9043, FAX (09) 385-2360