Rhodes Family

Charles married Laura Taylor in 1930 on the worst day of the winter. It snowed a foot and a half that day. Following their marriage they built another addition on to the original house on Rhodes Hill, where they lived. Like everyone else in the depression years of the 1930’s they milked cows, shipped cream and grew a very large vegetable garden. Even though the work was hard they were a very happy pair and both sang along as they worked.

In 1932, a son Herbert “Herb” Charles was born to Charles and Laura. Herb grew up working with his mother and father and at six years old he attended Clemens Hill School down the hill and across the Jumping Pound Creek from their home. When Herb was ten years old his mother passed away in 1942. He and his father managed alone, Herb continuing his schooling, and Charles continued in the dairying business until 1946 when due to severe arthritis he had to quit. In 1946, Charles purchased an Angus bull and switched from dairying to raising beef cattle.

Herb finished school and drove a school bus as well as helping his father with the duties of raising cattle, haying, fencing and all the other jobs that ranching demands. In 1965, Herb married Lillian Gathercole from the Lochend district. Lil’s father had been a station agent and so the family moved a lot before they settled in Lochend. Lil’s mother was a nurse and Lil had 10 siblings. Following in her mother’s footsteps with a nursing career, Lil trained as a Registered Nursing Aide in Calgary and worked for many years at the Calgary General Hospital. She worked in the Operating and Recovery Room and loved her work. She was extremely good at it.

Herb and Lil built a new home on Rhodes Hill and Charles lived with them until he passed away in 1973. They raised Angus and Charlois cattle and as well Herb drove the Jumping Pound/Brushy Ridge School Bus Route to Cochrane. This route was the most difficult route in the school division and has often been used for training bus drivers. The topography of the land, condition of the roads and number of large vehicles to the gas plant plus a great distance between stops added to the problems. Herb loved kids and was always concerned for their safety so he had strict rules on the bus. Although some of the older girls found it not too stylish to bundle up in the cold weather, Herb always made sure they had extra warm jackets, boots, mitts and scarves stashed in the upper compartment of the bus in case they got stuck in a snow drift. Parents always knew when the bus was due and if it did not arrive on time they were on the phone down the line to try and locate where the last kids had been dropped off. It was then up to the nearest Dad on the route to get his tractor out and go and help Herb get his bus through. This method worked well for everyone and once radios were available Lil answered many a call from parents and help was dispatched immediately to get the kids safely home. Herb had a system and it worked!

The Rockyview School Division honoured Herb for more than 35 years of safe driving the School Bus. The parents of the children never worried that their kids were safe as long as Herb was at the wheel even when the radio announced that the school was closed due to bad roads and our kids had already been picked up and were well on their way. Many times our kids were the only rural kids at the school along with the town kids that walked due to the weather.

Herb and Lil had two children, a daughter Laura Grace and a son Darryl Herbert. Both children graduated from Cochrane High School.

Laura married Cliff Erasmus and they have one son Lucas. Laura and Cliff built a house on Rhodes Hill in Jumping Pound and Lucas attends school in Cochrane. Darryl is married to Jennifer and lives in Calgary.