Readers write with memories of St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2019 (2431 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Vital was a great place to grow up. There was a mixture of new sub-divisions and some very old buildings. St. Vital is the second oldest settlement in Manitoba and Louis Riel once called it home.

I feel pretty lucky having grown up in St. Vita, and so do some of our readers.

Today I’m sharing some of their feedback.

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Murphy’s Drug Store at 970 St. Mary’s Road has a special place in my heart. Not only did I walk down there as a youngster — it was the first retail location for my business, Home Run Sports.

Murphy’s meant even more to Art Murphy’s daughter, Barbara Murphy, who wrote me in part…

“Thank you for mentioning Dad’s store in your Oct. 24 article. I hadn’t been inside the building between Dad’s final day of business in 1986 and April 14, 2018.

“Dad had passed away earlier that week and I celebrated what would have been his 101st birthday with a sentimental tour of places he and I both loved. It was hard but also a homecoming to step across the threshold of 970 St. Mary’s Rd.

“The space seemed small by comparison to remembered aisles of health care items, baby gear, post office, toys, comic books, chips, candies, smokes and the TV tube tester. I noticed in your photo the Coca Cola cooler and sunglasses rack, frozen in time, standing inside the windows on either side of the door. The photo is black and white but that cooler looks bright red to me!  

“Thank you again for the article which, through my personal filter, reads as a well-deserved tribute to my Dad.”

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And here was another fun email from Ian Stanley…

“Your Christmas memories column was wonderfully crafted. As a former syndicated humour columnist, I found it read like a time capsule, transporting me back to when I was a kid.

“(Caution, bad joke ahead…)

“I remember my first iPad. Of course, it was known as an Etch-A-Sketch then! (Rim shot.)

“Cheers for writing this. John. Well done, sir!”

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My last email for this article came from Bob Kendall…

“As an almost lifelong resident of St. Vital, I enjoy reading your column very much.  We lived on Berrydale Avenue, which at the time was at the edge of civilization. When we moved back to Winnipeg in 1980, the only place we looked for a house was in St. Vital.  

“What prompted me to write is your mention of the old Elm Park Bridge. I got my driver’s license in 1960 taking driver’s ed. at Glenlawn.

“For road training, we were being taught how to start a car on a hill near Churchill Drive. The car had a standard transmission, as did most cars at the time. We each took a turn at starting the car on the slope up to Churchill Drive, no doubt adding a lot of wear to the car’s clutch in the process.  

“I wanted more time driving so the instructor said I could drive back to Glenlawn. I was terrified and crawled over the Elm Park Bridge facing oncoming traffic with white knuckles. When we got back to Glenlawn, the instructor made a point of examining the sides of the car for scratches.

“Keep writing about the ‘good old days’ in St. Vital, John. I look forward to each instalment.”

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Thank you to everyone who has written to me.

I would like to especially thank Barbara. I really liked your dad. He was a warm and friendly man.

Thanks also to Ian for his wonderful humour and Bob for that real-life story.

A lot of people like Bob, including myself, did move away at some point in our lives but resettled in St. Vital when they returned to Winnipeg.

I hope all of their words inspire other memories in our reader’s minds.

John Hindle is a community correspondent for St. Vital. Email him at john@johnhindle.com