Carol Ann Blackburn

After graduating from VMCI, I attended Lakeshore Teachers College. However, I had too much fun that year and never taught. I ended up eventually becoming a bookkeeper and definitely had an aptitude for that. I married a man I met while working for Crown Life Insurance. We eventually got pregnant and I was a stay-at-home mom once the children were born. We ended up purchasing a fruit farm in Niagara.. I worked the farm while my husband worked in Toronto so that we could afford to farm.

He found younger pastures in Toronto and I stayed on the farm with my sons. Post Polio Syndrome caught up to me about that time and eventually, the farm had to go and I went back to being in town.

I enjoyed raising identical twins. They confused the teachers... but their friends, and their family were always easily able to tell one from the other. Having that twin connection was a joy to watch.. although I'm not sure that all the teachers that they shared would agree.

I had always been very politically aware, but when I lived on the farm, I became politically active and an activist. When the conservative government rammed the dang fool trade agreement down our throats, I got myself involved in working against it... and then working for the local farmers in order to see the best programs put in place to help them recover from the damage that the agreement did. I enjoyed my political activism, however age and PPS have depleted any and all energy resources so that my activism is now restricted to Facebook.. keeping all my friends and neighbours informed on all the misdeeds of our current Prime Minister.

I now live in Kitchener on my own, using a power wheel chair for most of my mobility.. but... I am still alive, on this side of the sod... and enjoying what life has to give me.

I was in the first two graduating classes from VMCI in 1962 and 1963. The school was definitely young and so was I. Sadly, it has been 50 years since I graduated out of VMCI and memories of the school have faded also.

There is only one specific memory that comes to mind. I refused to call a 'study period' anything other than a 'spare'. I was talking in 'spare'.. got caught, of course... and was told to write an essay on the value of study periods. Well... I didn't do that... and didn't do that... and didn't do that until eventually, i was sent to the principal's office after classes to sit and cool my heels. He made me cool my heels long enough that everyone else in the school had left, and he told me to do the essay. I got so angry, I tossed my books up the stairs and along the hall. Threw a real good tantrum. Again, I got caught and the teacher made some comment about my tantrum. Ah, the foolishness of youth. Considering the simple fact that that was 50 years ago, I'm doing well to still remember that!