Happy Birthday Wanda (Barbour) Matthews

     Belated birthday greetings to Wanda who celebrated her 80th birthday on June 21, 2015.
     Last year on her 79th birthday she spent the day with her nieces at Avonlea Village in Cavendish.  Below is a photo submitted by Donna MacPhee... 

Front Row: Shirley Hardy and Wanda Matthews

Back Row: Donna MacPhee, Jean Oliver and Gwenda Doyle

     Wanda was born at the Barbour Homestead on the Western Road in Alma on June 21st, 1935 to Harry and Rachel (Hardy) Barbour.  She attended Alma School No. 43 at Alma Corner as did her father, Harry, and her four brothers and one sister Marion.

     Wanda moved from Alberton South to the Town of Alberton after Basil's passing.  Their daughter Diahan has two sons.

     Waldron and Daisy Barbour's four daughter are seen with their aunt Wanda in the photo above.

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Below: Sisters Wanda Matthews and Marion Donald

     Photo taken on March 30, 1993 on the occasion of the 45th wedding anniversary of Waldron and Daisy Barbour at Billy and Jean Olivers in Greenmount.

Montrose United Church

     Montrose United Church sits, facing east, in a grove of mostly maple trees at the far east end of the Centerline Road.  It served both Montrose and Alma communities as a regular place of worship until 1969 when amalgamating with Alberton Pastoral Charge, thus becoming known as the Alberton-Elmsdale Pastoral Charge.

     The church was erected in 1945 after fire destroyed the original church on May 21, 1944 – seventy (70) years ago.  The new church opened one and a half years later on November 11, 1945.

     The planning, faith, cooperation and hard work put into rebuilding was well worth the effort.  There was once again a place to give thanks and worship in Montrose.  Fellowship meetings for both the youth and adults (Sunday School, Young Peoples Society, Bible Study, etc.) resumed in the church.

     It must have been a glorious day as people congregated for that first service in 1945, in their new Montrose United Church.

     A couple of photos shows a few people of the congregation gathered at the church entrance following Sunday Worship.

     In this summer 1959 photo...

Muriel (Baker) Barbour – (wife of Roy Barbour); Marion Barbour – (later wife of Jack Donald); Ann Barbour – (later wife of Barry Sandercock); Shirley Barbour – (later wife of Leslie Hardy); Jean Barbour – (later wife of Billy Oliver); between Marion and Shirley, in the door, is “Artie” Arthur Pridham of Montrose – a faithful man to his church.

     The Rev. Robert A. Crooks served as Minister at the Montrose Pastoral Charge for the years 1959-61.

           

     Standing outside the church in this 1963 photo...

Lynda Bowness – ((later wife of Allan Leard); Donna Barbour  - (later wife of Ronnie MacPhee); Revada (Rayner) Barbour – (wife of George Bowness); Kay (Lockerby) Barbour – (wife of Jack Barbour); Daisy (Rix) Barbour – (wife of Waldron Barbour)

      Mr. Brown M. Jardine served as minister at the Montrose Pastoral Charge for the years 1962-65.

** The write-up,  pictures and 1950’s postcard of the Montrose United Church courtesy of Donna (Barbour) MacPhee.

Alma Folk

     Here are some photos from the Donna (Barbour) MacPhee collection of a few people around Alma and Laruetta.

 Above: Daisy (Rix) Barbour and Raigh Currie.

 Above: 25th Wedding Anniversary of Isaac and Edna (Herlihy) Dunbar.

    Above: Jean (Barbour) Oliver; Wanda (Barbour) Matthews; way in the back, Daisy (Rix) Barbour; Eva Jeffery; Geralda (Shields) Arsenault and Velda (Dunn) MacRae.  The date on the photos is 1962 - fifty years ago.

 Above: Mrs. Allan Clark; Blanche (Gordon) Clark and Scott Clark.

     Above:  Taking a break from planting potatoes - Leslie Mountain; Blanche (Mountain) Bowness; Sid Vincent: Lila Mountain; Geralda Shields; ? ; Preston Murphy.