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Jack Downey Comments on Canadian Issues
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Photo by Julie Ann Biggs |
Maggie's Back in Town
Thursday, October 24, 2001
Great Canadian women often are ignored in our history books. Because
they generally did not rush off to bomb or bayonet some poor blighter,
their accomplishments are ignored. Building a country takes more than
bombs and bayonets with the blood and guts hanging in the trees. It
takes real intestinal fortitude, or courage, to be a woman in a world
dominated by men.
Most men will have punched the "Delete" button by now, because the truth
and a strong woman scare them. For the women and the few brave men left
reading, here is a story of one particular Canadian lady by the name of
Maggie. She was not alone in her battle, countless grandmothers can tell
you similar stories. There were many venues of female exploitation,
Schoolmarms, Banks, Authors, Medicine and Politics, to name but a few.
Things are better today, but are still a long way from equality or a
level playing field. Maggie and the others were not perfect. They seldom
had a mentor, nor were the "men's rules" written down anywhere for them
to read. Often other women were antagonistic or backstabbing, but the
strong ones persevered.
Maggie was born in Ingersol ON in 1914, of strong pioneer stock whose
ancestors cleared the streets of Toronto with a Broad ax as part of Lord
Simcoe's group of settlers. This group spread up North to Markham and
across Southern Ontario, clearing the trees, pulling the stumps,
planting the soil and raising families.
Maggie was a twin, with four other siblings. You had to be quick to get
an extra biscuit at the table in their house. Being identical twins is
not easy, and the rivalry for attention was most complex. Maggie and
Sister Edna were simply called "Twin" as in "Twin make your bed, Twin do
the dishes." Not a great way to develop individuality. Maggie at four or
five fell on an indelible pencil, which pierced her cheek, leaving a
blue dot. Now they could be told apart face on, but were still "Twin
make your bed" from the back. In later life her or Edna's children had
trouble telling them apart. Maggie married three times and bore four
children, three boys and a girl to her first and one girl to her second
husband.
Maggie and George (husband #1) married during the depression. George
was a Huckleberry Finn type so it was hard scrabble and skim milk. With
only part time jobs and black listed as a socialist agitator until 1939,
he was suddenly "White-listed" and off to the war George did go. He left
Maggie with four kids, the oldest 10, the youngest two. This was not
uncommon in many families in WW2. What our government was doing boggles
the mind. Our young healthy males were sent to England, where young
healthy English girls waited for their men to return from North Africa
and Italian battle zones. This was very unhealthy indeed for any
marriage. Our young healthy females here at homes also faced an
unhealthy situation that destroyed many marriages. Divorce was complex
as the divorce courts recognized only adultery as grounds to terminate a
marriage. Since both parties were waltzing around in different countries
the inevitable happened. Cupid does not recognize wedding rings.
Maggie took up with, and eventually married, husband number two. "Uncle
Joe" to the kids, worked in war plants and shipyards and provided for
the family. Maggie worked in war plants in Toronto and Vancouver. On VE
day they arrived in Penticton BC in a 1935 Terriplane roadster with bald
tires. VJ day followed and Maggie started her career in Journalism with
the Penticton Herald. George returned and uncontested divorce ensued.
Maggie and "Uncle Joe" married and left for the USA where their little
girl was born. Life on the other side of the border was not as green as
it looked, so they moved to Vancouver, where Maggie became a
reporter for the Vancouver Province, along side of Pierre Berton who was
getting reestablished after "D-mob" (demobilization). Newspapers at that
time were male dominated, so Maggie was given the Marriages and Ladies
Social beat at half the pay of Pierre. The one saving grace was that a
few stale sandwiches for the kids and Berton could be purloined from
time to time. Picking the pocket lint out of egg salad sandwiches was
not an easy skill to master. Berton just scarfed them down, lint and
all, or so Maggie said.
The late forties and early fifties saw a boomtown Vancouver explode
outward into the Fraser River Delta farm areas with single family jerry
built dwellings. Maggie said goodbye to the half pay and stale
sandwiches at the Province and went into Real Estate. Many returning
service men were after the fast buck and there was little room for
women, but by hard work and countless hours of showing homes, Maggie
made money for the male Agency owner and her self. She realized she was
still earning half pay again as the males dominated the ownership of the
Agencies. Her next step was to open a "Women's Agency", which confounded
her competitors until they discovered that women sell more houses than
men do. Simple. The wife in reality buys the house, so you'd better
provide another female to sell it to her if you are smart.
A gross error then took place. Maggie sold a huge meat processing plant
to a consortium of men and thought she was in the big time. She really
believed that men could shake hands and stand by their word. Being
promised many things, she was persuaded to work exclusively for this
consortium. Soon she was running here, running there and waiting for
commissions that never came, her Agency failed and so did her second
marriage. She went broke.
She refused to be beaten back into a Molly House Mouse. She got involved
in mining. This was not a great success but, Maggie discovered the
largest piece of Jade ever found in the province, if not in all of North
America. It was hauled out and shipped to Japan for cutting and
distribution to craftsmen in Japan and China. Her mining
adventures brought more experience than profit, but climbing mountains
and wading through moose pastures kept food on the table and a roof
over their heads. Around this time she met husband #3, Charlie, who was
ex RCAF, multi-talented and very supportive of all her projects. He put
up with a herd of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in
their long life together. He and Maggie teamed up for 36 years and were
together until she died at the turn of this century.
Japan was interested in BC lands and forests products as it rebuilt its
post war ruined economy. A lawyer friend introduced Maggie to a Japanese
business delegation. The Japanese have respect for woman in a different
way than what you see in the movies. "Momma San" is quiet and demure
when you see her in public but do not be fooled. In the oriental family,
the Grandmother or mother is extremely powerful. They often make the
final decision in family affairs as well as in business. Maggie informed
the Japanese of the tremendous forestry possibilities in the Bella Coola
area on BC's north coast. The Japanese delegation hired Maggie to put
together a proposal for a Pulp Mill in Bella Coola. No woman in BC
before had been entrusted with such a complex task.
Many BC politicians knew Maggie. She was astute enough to know that they
would want in on the Bella Coola game. Politicians have their
own agendas and when controversy arose, they ran for cover. Forest
giants like Crown Zellerback saw huge profit being snatched away by a
mere woman and brought out the big guns. Maggie went to Japan on two or
three occasions as a guest of the company. She was honored and called
"Momma San Maggie", but to no avail. The politicians and big forestry
companies would never let a woman working for the Japanese win. Maggie
and the Japanese were, in the end, snookered. The money was in place,
the studies done, government requirements met, but in the end, men
collaborated to torpedo a woman standing alone against them.
On Charlie's retirement, he and Maggie decided to live in Kelowna and
"Snow Bird" the winters. For years they traveled the USA trails in their
truck, with a huge trailer tagging along. They covered every major road
in the USA and Canada. During this swaning about, Maggie got interested
in Genealogy. To her this was something no man could control. To her
surprise, she was related to Thomas Edison. This she was proud of, but
some pieces were missing. The charts showed his mother Nancy, but no
details. Maggie landed on this error of women's history like a mad G-d
on a sinner. No more "Snow Birding" for play, Nancy Edison needed to be
recognized!
Every Autumn, Charlie in the pilot seat, Maggie as copilot would pull
out of Kelowna in their truck and trailer and set out to find Nancy and
her kith and kin. Maggie and Charlie tracked the lot down and were
honored by the Edison museum for their efforts. After all, Nancy had to
go around behind Tom, cleaning up and turning the lights off. She
may well have been the first environmentalist
Maggie spent her final years working with various Genealogy clubs and
groups. She encouraged others to expand on female ancestors in their
search for their roots. She died at peace, 86 years after coming on to
this planet.
My research of this Canadian lady leads me to believe that St. Peter is
out of a job and Maggie is welcoming the new arrivals because she always
believed that "If you want a job done right give it to a woman!"
On her passing, her community donated money in her name for the Trans
Canada Trail development...she would have liked that. When you hike the
trail be sure to say hi to Maggie and to all the other woman who helped
make Canada great.
Remember please "The hand that rocks the cradle rocks the World" and
Maggie rocked it because she knew Women "ROCK!"
Jack C. Downey CD
Send comments to: Jack
Thanks for your help
best regards
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