Childhood friends, classmates and neighbours from 3rd Ave and Bannantyne School...The Wattie family, Sandra Crawley, Billy Rodgers, Liane Sowery, Marilyn Gourley, Butchie Royston, Margaret Whitton, Gail Page (found her on VC), Roberta Brennan, Lorraine Lapierre, Gail Rankin etc etc. Teenage pals and beaus from Prince George restaurant, the Pav and the dances... Andre (Butch) Poirier, Johnny Bourgouin, Phil Romandini, Malcolm Alsop, Eddie Lowson, Pat Duyns and Brian McCallum (good friend of Pat's), Diane Castonguay, Chickie Barnett, Carl Powis etc etc. I remember a large family called O'Neills from 2nd Ave...Frances, Peggy, Monica, Ann, Jackie, Brian etc. I'll continue to rattle the old brain cells for more names from the past! Does anyone remember "Rabbit" who passed away at a young age, but boy could he dance up a storm at the YMCA or Pointe dances! AAH, they were the good ole Verdun Days!
15 comments:
Hey Diane, I remember 'Rabbit' from the Y Dances. When he hit the floor we all moved aside to watch. Years later I was visiting Montreal to see my folks. I stopped for gas at a little station at the corner of Upper Lachine Road and Girouard Ave. It was Rabbit' pumping gas and he hadn't changed a bit. Sorry to hear he's gone.
Wayne
You know, maybe I'm wrong about Rabbit passing away. I was told that years ago he had a heart attack while dancing....maybe that was just a legend being started! What year do you think you saw him...wasn't he amazing! He didn't look anything like John Travolta but he sure had dancing feet! Do you remember Reggie Wilkinson from the Y dances? He married Pat Duyns (Dynes?) and moved to California for a couple of years, but they both returned and divorced soon after. Pat remarried and last name was Golding. Lost touch with her after she remarried.
You know, maybe I'm wrong about Rabbit passing away. I was told that years ago he had a heart attack while dancing....maybe that was just a legend being started! What year do you think you saw him...wasn't he amazing! He didn't look anything like John Travolta but he sure had dancing feet! Do you remember Reggie Wilkinson from the Y dances? He married Pat Duyns (Dynes?) and moved to California for a couple of years, but they both returned and divorced soon after. Pat remarried and last name was Golding. Lost touch with her after she remarried.
The year I saw Rabbit pumping gas was about 1973 or 74. I remember Reggie and Pat. A number of Verdunites moved to California around that time. Bell telephone had lent a number of Verdun employees to a California telephone company and they liked the life down there. Donnie Campbell and his wife Gail Supple were another couple that moved there soon after getting married.
Didn't Steve put a picture of the Wattie famil i think it was his uncles and then he put one of Jimmy Wattie I think it was from a year book.
Hi Wayne...Guess someone was starting a legend about the dancing "Rabbit"! We headed for Australia in 1974 and I'm sure I heard the story long before then. Here's hoping he's still out there practicing his dance moves! Pat Duynes and I were best friends in early high school days and while she was falling head over heels for Reggie. After they started dating, we stayed in touch, but had different friends and she preferred the Y dances...I preferred the Point dances at Dompolski hall. Do you remember the downtown "Lucky Seven" dances? Went there occasionally and enjoyed it, but was always a little uneasy being out of my comfort zone...Verdun!
The Watties I hear that Dave died but his brother Russell is living in La chute and I heard Jimmie is still living in Verdun.
Hows about the "Whole" at the end of the boardwalk (west)
No...never been to the "Whole" at the end of the boardwalk unless I just can't remember!
Was at the Pav most nights or dancing the night away!
The whole is just west of the Nat across the street from the Dougie.
The 'hole' was actually a piece of the grounds across from the Dougy (Nuthouse) what ever we called it then,...and it was just past the Natatorium,....it's name was ,only because it was sort of in a hole ,relative to the land around it,.....more like a 'sunken living room' really......Smokin was generally it's claim to fame.........(& I don't know why???????)..........hahahahahha
.Hi, I would love to know where Johnny Bourgouin is. I am Beverley Abbott and went out with Johnny for a long time and after his accident it was to difficult for me to deal with. If anyone can tell me about him I would reallhy appreciate it. My email address is banks.beverley@videotron.ca. Where is Chickie Barnett too. Oh my god I am getting so senitimental.
Well hello Beverly,I'm glad you resurectted this topic,looking for other Verdun folk is what this originally started out to do, Connect Verdun People with each other. I hope you have sparked some memory's in some of our members & other readers & motivate them to post ,if they know your old friends. If you think of other names from the past,then by all means post those too, & maybe together we can make some Connections ....... Thanks for the input , Cheers ! HF&RV
Hi Les, Notice you are in BC. I just moved back to Montreal a couple of years ago. And I swear, there is no-one here that I used to know! Everyone moved away as I did but decided to retire in Montreal. I still love it here and Verdun is so convenient to commute to downtown and elsewhere. But wish I could find other people. Diane mentioned so many people that I knew. I was surprised to see my name was not there. Oh well. Take care Bev
One of my sisters is going to Montreal tomorow for 3 or 4 months, she wants to live downtown & just re-experience Montreal.
As for Montreal I still know people there,but they are fewer & farther between,.....I have lived here in Victoria since the 70's I love it here,but still consider myself a Montrealer that is something that never leaves you I guess, when someone asks "where are you from" the answer is always Montreal,followed by Verdun when the inevitable question follows 'where abouts"..............HF&RV
Maybe you can be one of our Montreal updaters......posting nowaday pics of Verdun or Montreal.....Cheers !!
Post a Comment