Memories & Musings
January, 2023

The Poch Family

By Leona Keraiff

I recently reached out to long time East Shore resident Cathy Poch hoping to receive some tales for your reading enjoyment. This is what I received:

 “Memories of the Crawford Bay Hall are scattered, even though we have lived here on the EastShore for over 30 years.  My Fall Fair memories start in 1979 with a prize for Strawberry Jam. Involvement with the Fair really started when I joined the Committee in 1990; between growing, preparing entries, setting up the Hall, aiding Judges, tearing down and clean-up, that last week of August to the first week of September was busy. Also, attending weddings: Stockers’, Drapers’, Louis and Anna’s in 1993, parties; Christmas and New Years in the days of live bands. Many many funerals and services of memory including my husband Jim’s in the spring of 2011, that brought together relatives and friends from many distant parts to share their memories. I never drive past the Hall without a memory surfacing.

My son Jim remembers trying to scare the girls in the backstage area during the many concerts that were held, as well as a class that Alvin Dunic taught (Business Ed) that encompassed planning, costing, cooking, serving and hopefully showing a small profit, for a hot lunch served out of the  kitchen in the Hall.”

Cathy’s first born, Louis, sent me the following:

 “The first memory of the hall was just after my fifth birthday so that would have been in mid to late August of 1973. Mom took me from Riondel to the hall to get my vaccinations in the meeting room of the hall. At that time, little did I know how integrated into my life the Hall would become. Having attended kindergarten, and grades one and two in Gray Creek, my next trips to the hall were for Christmas and Easter concerts.Once I migrated to Crawford bay School, the hall became part of the school to me. Sitting on the emergency exit steps during recess and lunch, using the steps in the school to store our winter boots on, and lining up to get on the bus to go home in front of it.

Of course, the concerts and Remembrance day ceremonies continued to be held in the hall every year, up until the stage was put into the school gym, and even afterwards, when Roger Currie and Alanda Greene and later Gerald Panio put together their productions, we would still use the hall. Mostly because the backdrop and props could be put together and left in place for practice and production, and, with the addition of the raised lighting platforms and use of ‘the tunnel’ behind the stage there was a lot more that could be done to make productions more spectacular. The directors always made sure to use every tool that the hall could provide (including running a spotlight from above the kitchen.) 

There were a couple of Remembrance day ceremonies where our teacher would walk us through the meeting room where the plaques of volunteers and those who didn't return and some war memorabilia were on display. It always made me proud to be part of a community that took pride in its military support. In early elementary, we used the hall for gym class in the winter and elementary assemblies were also held in the hall. Ballet, and the couple of times that band was attempted, were also held in the hall. Later, when the Scout group was restarted, the meetings were held in the hall. I believe that it was 1982 when I was part of the scout group as the lone Venturer. The last use of the Crawford Bay hall associated with the school was in 1988, when I went back and finished my provincial graduation requirements. 

I also took part in the annual fall fairs from about 1980 to 1986 in both the youth and adult categories. My fondest memory from the fall fairs was winning the adult category for chocolate cake. For the 6 years that I entered my cake, I came in first 5 out of 6 of them, coming in second in 1981. I was told once by the category Judge, that there were several ‘little old ladies’ that were quite upset that they were beaten by a teenager! 

Since leaving the east shore to join the military in 1988, there were only 2 other occasions when I was in the hall. The first was September 26, 1992, for the reception, dinner and dance for my wedding to my lovely wife of over 30 years, Anna. The last time that I had occasion to be in the hall was for my Dad's celebration of Life in May of 2011. It wasn't supposed to be a more memorable time to be there, but, thanks to family, friends in the community, and Dad's more distant friends, it turned into one of the more memorable times at the hall. 

Over the course of my life, the Crawford Bay hall has been a part of it. I know the secrets that it holds for me from the joyous to the disheartening, and everything in between, and often wonder what secrets it holds for others. Perhaps, through these articles, I will be able to learn some of them, as I have shared with you. It is my hope to be returning to Crawford Bay in the not too distant future and when I do, I hope that the hall is still here and operational so that it can continue to provide the joy, comfort, and dreams to future generations that it has provided to me. 

On a sadder note for me, My wife and I made a quick trip down to the Bay on the Remembrance Day weekend (2022) , and on finding that there wasn't a Remembrance day service planned, I inquired if the honour roll of fallen military members from Crawford Bay was still in the hall, to find that it wasn't, and that no one that we were able to reach out to knew where they ended up. Being a veteran myself now, I understand the importance of these displays both to the families of the fallen and to veterans like myself. I have started to try to track these displays down in the hopes that when the hall is renovated, they can be put back on display where they were intended to be. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of these displays, I can be reached at kallpoch@telus.net, or by phone at 403-998-6114, or you can reach out to Cathy Poch at 250-227-9457. Thank you.