Labour Day

[Michael_Stones]

I honked! Cheers, Mike

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Mike,

I honked!

Why not!

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Michael_Stones]

Hi, Mike,



Why not!

Best regards,

Doug

Why not indeed, Doug. The photo shows young, high-spirited blue collar workers enjoying cans of beer on a sunny Labour Day holiday. As a retired engineer, I'm sure you'll be interested in the history of their neighbourhood.

The ethnic mix includes multi-generational families of Italians, Ukrainians, Fins, Poles, Brits and, more recently, indigenous people. The grandfathers, or great-grandfathers, or these young men likely joined the military in WW2, while their grandmothers or great-grandmothers helped build Hawker Hurricane fighter planes under the direction of Chier Aeronautical Engineer, "Elsie" MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes". at the Can Car factory. Elsie was the world's first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and the first woman in Canada to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. By the end of WW2, Can Car had 4500 employees, half of them women. You'd would be correct to acknowledge that the beginnings of feminism in aeronautical engineering took place there.

​

The young men in the photo likely work at the same plant, which now makes Bombardier railway cars, the paper mill, the docks, or in other trades. They are proud of their heritage, as they should be. They deserve our appreciation and respect.

Cheers, Mike

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Mike,

Thanks for that great story.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

The ethnic mix includes multi-generational families of Italians, Ukrainians, Fins, Poles, Brits and, more recently, indigenous people. The grandfathers, or great-grandfathers, or these young men likely joined the military in WW2, while their grandmothers or great-grandmothers helped build Hawker Hurricane fighter planes under the direction of Chier Aeronautical Engineer, "Elsie" MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes". at the Can Car factory.

Michael,

I had thought "Chier" referred to some Canadian indigenous tribe, like Huron or Mohaccan and I felt I was going to learn about the role of a native Canadian who rose above the social and economic boundaries of her time.

To my horror, I discovered a commonly understood vulgar French word that apparently was exclouded from my school French curriculum!

Each time I typed an enquiry in Yahoo or Google, Siri, the polite lady in my iPhone tried, against my will to replace it with "Chief", but I was looking for the name of an indigenous tribe! Then it dawned on me, "Tribal Chief" made sense. She was the "Chief" in her engineering role and you meant to write Aeronautical Engineer", as simple as that!

Elsie was the world's first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and the first woman in Canada to receive a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. By the end of WW2, Can Car had 4500 employees, half of them women. You'd would be correct to acknowledge that the beginnings of feminism in aeronautical engineering took place there.

​

I never considered the possibility of a woman designing or controlling the production of World War II war machines! Although today, it would not surprise me one iota!

The young men in the photo likely work at the same plant, which now makes Bombardier railway cars, the paper mill, the docks, or in other trades. They are proud of their heritage, as they should be. They deserve our appreciation and respect.

I takes adaption and enterprise to turn on a dime and redirect production sufficiently to keep together a work force, especially when thousands servicemen return to town to compete for jobs!

....and Rose the riveter returns to baking bread and cookie and raising her kids!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

I honked! Cheers, Mike

Hi, Mike,

Thanks for that great story.

Best regards,

Doug

Why not indeed, Doug. The photo shows young, high-spirited blue collar workers enjoying cans of beer on a sunny Labour Day holiday. As a retired engineer, I'm sure you'll be interested in the history of their neighbourhood.

Amazing that it is one of the few really wild spontaneous things a bunch of male friends can do that is not mysogenistic, racist, lewd or dangerous that allows celebration, letting off steam and sheer joy and freedom of restraint to be experienced!

This pictures shows it beautifully and is therefore a treasure!

 

[Michael_Stones]

Amazing that it is one of the few really wild spontaneous things a bunch of male friends can do that is not mysogenistic, racist, lewd or dangerous that allows celebration, letting off steam and sheer joy and freedom of restraint to be experienced!

This pictures shows it beautifully and is therefore a treasure!

They were great guys. So happy when we honked when driving by and even more so when I drove back to take a photo. Wonderful Lively lads! Cheers, Mike