In the ten years since my birth we had lived in TORONTO, ACTON, GEORGETOWN,THORNBURY AND COLLINGWOOD AND FIVE DIFFERENT HOUSES in COLLINGWOOD.A lot of these moves I was too young to remember, I think, but I do have some vague memories of things that had happened somewhere, but I don't know where.I always had trouble making friends, but after three years at Simcoe Street School, With my athletic ability starting to emerge, I finally started to make friends.One day in April 1958 dad went to FT, ERIE for a visit, I thought, He had left on a Monday morning with a friend from church, who had recently moved there.The following Friday night mom got a phone call telling her to pack, the truck would be there late Saturday morning.We were moving again.The church in Ft.Erie was in need of dad's talents as a drummer and a fundraiser.They had found him a job as a stationery engineer, at the hospital, the hospital would give him the training to get is fourth class papers.It was the break dad was looking for, but it meant I would have to start the long process of making new friends, I was finally comfortable and now I would have to start over again.I knew it was necessary, but I didn't like it.To make matters worse, when we got to Ft, Erie, it was raining, cold and the dampness went right through me.I also fell getting out of the truck and landed in a mud puddle, being cold, wet and dirty, was my first impression of my new home.A feeling I still have to this day.
Moving so late in the school year, meant that I to learn a whole new system in school and it was impossible for me to catch up before the end of the school year, In Collingwood I was a solid C + student, but I dropped to an F student over the course of a weekend.I had to repeat grade five.I've never forgotten my love for Collingwood, nor my strong dislike for Ft.Erie.