Bonnie Hamilton
Bonnie Edythe Hamilton was born in Guelph on the 18th of April, 1945, but grew up mainly in the village of Eden Mills. She considered her family background as Canadian, as both of her parents were born in this country (her Grandparents were from Scotland). Bonnie’s father, Garnet, was born in Guelph and worked as a doctor. Her mother, Wilda Irene (nee Gilbertson) was also born in Guelph. She worked as a secretary for about three years until Bonnie was born. Garnet was exempted serving in the Second World War for medical reasons though Bonnie’s grandfather on Wilda’s side had served in the First World War. She had two brothers, one who was named Roger MacDougall, born in 1948, who drove a truck for a construction company and lived in Acton. The second, Dean MacDougall, was born in 1949 and resided in Milton, working in a factory before buying it and running it himself. Roger had three children; Tara, Troy, and Treth. Tara has three children, Troy two, and Treth does not yet have any. Dean passed away recently and is survived by his son, Dustin. ■ Jump to full interview
Bonnie’s grandparents on her mother's side were born in Scotland in the Aberdeen area. Her maternal grandmother came from a family of five and was born in 1890. Her husband had entered Canada at the age of five, later running a business with his brother. Most of Bonnie’s extended family lived in or near Eden Mills during her time there, though members of it migrated to other parts of Canada in later years, working as veterinarians, nurses, secretaries, and at other jobs. During her early life, she and her friends would go ice skating on the Eramosa river during the winter and play in the park during the summer, visiting each other’s houses frequently.
Bonnie attended a one room schoolhouse for elementary school until grade 6, afterwards being bussed to a larger school for grades 7 and 8. She attended Acton High School and was active on the student council, in track and field, basketball and volleyball. Bonnie remained a student there for five years (in those days Grade 13 was a requirement for those intending to take post-secondary education). Aside from school, Bonnie curled in Fergus and played Baseball at Rockwood and Eden Mills. (She remembers when lights were installed at the baseball field in Eden Mills which allowed them to play at night.) Bonnie played at both junior and senior levels and also coached in Acton. Later, she umpired for a senior men’s league, only ever ejecting one player out of a game.
Eden Mills was and remains a small, tight-knit village, (with a population of about five hundred people when she grew up there) so Bonnie acquired a lot of friends. Eden Mills boasted a number of community organizations for children, seniors, and other groups, and the village hall would frequently host dances and parties for children. Boy scouts, cubs, girl guides, and brownies were also active there. Some of her fondest memories are of getting involved with her community in one of the various clubs after school hours. For example, she served as a Sunday school teacher at her church, belonged to a its young people’s group, sang in the choir, and was involved in other church groups.
| Bonnie married at the age of twenty-three, the same as that of her husband Terry, who had grown up just outside of Eden Mills. They attended the same elementary schools, though Terry went to a different high school, which was located in Guelph. The two spent most of their married life residing in the latter city, but chose to attend the Presbyterian Church in Eden Mills (see Figure 1) in which they had both grown up (where even today she remains a member). They had no natural children but adopted a son, Adam, who now resides in Toronto. He was five days old when adopted, so Bonnie felt as if she had given birth to him herself. Adam will turn forty later this year and has not yet married. After his adoption, Bonnie and her husband continued to work and share duties inside and outside the house. She greatly enjoyed her working years and being a mother, finding it interesting how different kids interacted with one another. |
| Her husband worked as a guard at the Guelph Correctional Centre (since closed down; see Figure 2), while Bonnie was employed in the day shift as a secretary at the General Electric plant on 201 Woodlawn Road for twenty-one years and then by the University of Guelph for seventeen years, retiring in 2005. Bonnie moved up the ranks during her time at General Electric, starting in the drafting department, assisting with making copies of blueprints. Later, she transferred the purchasing department and then the accounting department. Through time she came to know many of the employees because at noon she would often volunteer in the credit union, working at the counter and making out cheques with the treasurer. |
The facility has since closed down (in 2011) |
| Bonnie returned to school after her time at General Electric, in order to enhance her computer skills at the now defunct Guelph Business College. Once she had completed her studies there, she again took up secretarial work, this time at the Ontario Veterinary College (see Figure 3). Bonnie interacted regularly with the public at her new job, and since her office was adjacent to the veterinary clinic, she was able to meet many of its clients. Since lecture halls were located across from her office, she would volunteer to help with examinations, thus interacting with students as well. Bonnie worked with numerous professors, including Doctors Sumner-Smith, Cockshutt, Matthews, O’Grady, Binnington, Woods, Allen, Livesui, Field. She spent some time in the large animals’ division, though mostly worked in the small animals’ division. |
During her free time as an adult, Bonnie golfed, was active in a businesswomen’s organization, and continued to curl in Fergus and Guelph just as she had done during her high school years. Her son Adam moved to Toronto at age eighteen and attended George Brown College where he studied to become a sous chief. Adam worked at this job for several years, but was unhappy with the early mornings, late evenings, and having to clean up around the restaurant. Eventually, he decided to change jobs and now works as a traffic controller, helping, for example, to shut down streets for parades.
Bonnie has noticed certain changes in both Guelph and Eden Mills over the years. One is that Guelph has grown greatly in population, whereas Eden Mills has remained much the same size. Another is how the opening of Stone Road Mall has altered the dynamic of shopping in Guelph; indeed, it has led to a decline in downtown shopping. Bonnie misses some of the old businesses (often family owned) she used to frequent, such as Buds, which formerly had one store in Guelph and another in Kitchener, and also the small butcher shops, of which there had been two in Guelph. She does, however, like the fact that today one can buy almost anything without having to leave Guelph. She has also noted changes in how people live. Bonnie laments the decline in church attendance, as evidenced by the closing of various churches in Guelph over the years. Eden Mills used to have two churches, though now has only one. Even the number of attendees at Eden Mills Presbyterian church (which, as noted above, she has been a member of all her life) has greatly declined over the years, as has been the case at many other churches. Bonnie specifically singles out Sunday sports as preventing many kids from going to church. On a more positive note, she mentioned that industry has grown and jobs are still plentiful in Guelph.
Another thing she has noticed is the matter of technological advancement. As a case in point, she did not have a television in her house until about her tenth year of life, though nowadays they are ubiquitous. Bonnie also witnessed the rise of personal computers and the internet; in fact, she extensively worked with computers herself at her secretarial jobs. All in all, Bonnie’s opinion is that life today is faster paced.
Eden Mills grew somewhat while Bonnie lived there, though it remains a village of less than one thousand inhabitants. Since moving away from there to Norfolk Manor in Guelph about a year and a half ago, she has not been active in its various aforementioned groups. As a result, Bonnie is unaware of their current status, but does realize that the Eden Mills community centre has been renovated. She remains in touch with some of her childhood friends who live relatively close by. Although much of her extended family has moved to other parts of the country, or to America, she keeps in regular touch with a number of them. It took a while for Bonnie to adjust to life at Norfolk Manor after living in an apartment on her own for some years, though she has come to enjoy it. According to her, many nice people live there. There are numerous activities for the residents; bands and choirs perform every month, and they enjoy making crafts. Norfolk Manor arranges to bus them to coffee shops, and they are provided with board games, card games, books, and movies. Some important things Bonnie has learned over the course of her life have involved learning to relate well with others, adjusting to change, and accepting the past. She has a lot of good memories of her past. Bonnie was not quite sure what this oral history project was when she volunteered for it. She did not think it would require so much involvement from her though she enjoyed talking about her life. I very much appreciate her time and comments.
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On the Record student member, Luke Gelata, also wrote a reflection on this interview. Click here to read the reflection.