Montney had a thriving “community club” when I was small. We kids generally took for granted that our parents were the volunteers who operated and maintained things like the community hall, the ball diamonds, the graveyard and the school’s skating rink. The club also hosted fall suppers and ball tournaments, operated booths at the fall fair, and organized countless “Montney Dances”.
Another memory, one that I haven’t thought about for a long time, is of the community members who took part in the “drama club” (I’m not sure what they actually called it… the “Montney Players” maybe?). I know that my mom and dad both stepped out of their comfort zones to take part. I remember thinking it was really cool to see people who I knew as customers at our store up on stage making me laugh or scaring the heck out of me.
Mrs. Shirley (Bunty) Nelson, the same Mrs. Nelson* who made the Montney school so special, was the spearhead and director of many community plays. I remember the cast doing “read-throughs” in our living room and sending Mom and Dad off to the Montney hall for dress rehearsals.
I have only scattered memories of their performances so I’d need help with play titles, plots and the like, however, I do remember one specific murder-mystery. My mom played one of the victims. Because my friends and I spent a lot of time playing “guns” she asked me to teach her how to fall and “play dead” when she was “shot” by the killer. My dad played the hero in the black suit who saved the heroine (played by Evelyn Hassard) from the knife wielding killer (Alma Holden) in the final scene. Dad even looked like James Bond.
I remember kids crying and people screaming when the blank pistol fired and Mom fell. There were tears and shrieks during other intense scenes as well. Mrs. Holden, who was a beautiful and kind lady, played an incredibly believable and scary psychopathic killer! The play was good enough that the group was asked to perform it again in other community halls like Cecil Lake and Sunrise/Baldonnel. I’m not sure how many performances they did in total.
The older I get the more I realize how lucky I was to grow up in a place where community was so important. This is a belated “Thank-you-for-everything” to the Montney Community Club.
If you have any memories of the plays put on by Montney folk please share!
Montney Boy 