The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth ll By Joyce Henderson On February 8, 1952, in a glittering pageantry dating back one thousand years, Britain’s young queen was pro-claimed "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God", at the historic St. James Palace. A trumpet fanfare, a roll of drums, and a sixty-two gun salute accompanied the ceremony. An hour earlier, the twenty-five year old Elizabeth dressed in black mourning clothes, announced to the Privy Council (the royal body of advisors), "I pray that God will help me discharge worthily this heavy task that has been laid upon me so early in my life." Elizabeth had been declared Queen on the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952 Elizabeth would be crowned Queen at an official coronation, after a period of at least one year of mourning had taken place. On March 11, 1953, an invitation to the Coronation was received by Marion Joyce Douglas, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Douglas of Flin Flon, which read: "By Command of The Queen, the Earl Marshal is directed to invite Miss Joyce Douglas to be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster of the 2nd day of June 1953. Signed Norfolk, Earl Marshal". Nineteen year old Joyce Douglas was in class at the La Verendrye Provincial Normal School at Tuxedo (teachers' college), when she ] received the message that she I had been chosen to represent the Girl Guides at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. Guiding had always been an important part of the Douglas family. Mrs. Douglas had been actively associated with the organization for many I years as Brown Owl of Pack Four. In 1952, Joyce, a Gold Cord Guide, had been one of the 1200 Guides chosen (along with eleven other Guides from the Flin Flon area) to attend the First National Camp held near Ottawa. in July of that year. Joyce's younger sister Pat, (then 14 years old) was a patrol leader in Guides, and had the opportunity to announce the news at the local annual Mother and Daughter Girl Guide Banquet, that her sister would be attending the Coronation in England. Joyce Douglas represented not only the 90,000 Girl Guides of Canada, but the whole Commonwealth of Nations. The qualifications necessary to be eligible to attend the Coronation were extensive; but the Canadian Headquarters of the Girl Guide Association said, "She (Douglas) fulfils all the qualifications of a guide, a ranger and a leader". Joyce left by air for London on May 24, 1953. During the Coronation she sat in the Abbey with the only other Girl Guide representative, a young lady from Scotland. After the Coronation Douglas visited the Guide Training Schools in England at Fox-lease Camp and Blacklands Camp before returning to Manitoba. While Joyce was getting ready to attend the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in England, plans for celebrating the event were underway in Flin Flon. June 2, 1953, Coronation day, began with a Public Service held in the Flin Flon Arena at 11:00 am, Captain T.I. Powell of The Salvation Army and President of the Flin Flon Ministerial Association, conducted the Service organized by the Canadian Legion B.E.S.L. The Address, "The Meaning of the Coronation", was given by Venerable R.B. Horsefield, Legion Chaplain. The Choir was composed of members of the Flin Flon Glee Club, while the Elks Youth Band played the accompaniments for the Hymns. At 1:30 pm, the twenty floats which had assembled on Bellevue Street under the direction of Ben Grimmnelt, moved out and journeyed through the uptown streets of Flin Flon to Phantom Lake. Permission had been granted to the fifty decorated bicycles to use the footpath to the Lake as the cyclists found it difficult to maneuver through the fill that had recently been spread on the Phantom Lake Road. M.A. Roche, assistant to the General Manager of Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting and George Mainwaring, editor of the Northern Lights, put their heads together and came up with the idea of a replica of the Royal Coronation Coach as HBMS's entry in the parade. They were helped by Harvey Lamont, who did the painting on the sides of the coach (exact reproductions of the original), and Garnet Cluff, who did much of the assembly work. The coach was built of iron, cardboard, quick-drying cement, plaster of Paris, plywood, and topped off with two coats of gold paint. In keeping with the original coach, rubber was vulcanized to the wheels of an old wagon that formed the base of the replica. The coach was sixteen feet long, almost six feet wide and eight feet high. It weighed two and a half tons, two-thirds the size of the original coach used by Queen Elizabeth. Joan Grant, a seventeen year old Gold Cord Guide, was chosen by the Flin Flon Girl Guide Association to be Queen for the day. She was bedecked with jewels, flowing robes and a crown and rode in the golden coach drawn by two horses. The two Yeoman were Guy Bardwell who drove the horses, and Robert McKeen, who was the coach attendant. Harvey Lamont recalled that Hudson Bay Mining purchased the team of horses just for the parade. After the Coronation celebrations were over the horses were presented to Bardwell for use at Phantom Lake. The coach was put on permanent exhibit in an open air, enclosed pagoda at Phantom Lake. Over the years the elements took their toll, the coach slowly deteriorated, and was scrapped. At Phantom Lake nearly five thousand people watched the flag raising ceremony, by the Canadian Legion B.E.S.L., listened to the Elks Youth Band Concert, enjoyed the pyramid building display by the 5th Boy Scout troop, visited the national group displays, and tapped their toes to the square dancing. Prizes for the best floats in the parade went to the Chinese Community who took first place for their clever oriental effect made up of Chinese rose trees and a large plywood pagoda. Second prize went to the Rotary Club who had several men dressed in costumes representing the nations where Rotary Clubs around the world. To end the Coronation celebrations, the Boy Scouts lit a beacon fire at the north end of Grandview Street. This was followed by Coronation Dances in various halls throughout the Town. Woolworths Makes A Move By Joyce Henderson On April 27, 1939, renovations were started on the Ostry Block at 120-135 Main Street. The building owned by Abe Ostry, and previously occupied by Jackson Bros. Grain Co., Ltd. and Mac's Barber Shop, had been leased by F.W. Woolworth Co. Ltd. to open a retail store in Flin Flon. The June 7, 1939, issue of the Flin Flon Miner, printed the story that F.W. Woolworth was to open their store on Main Street on or about July 15, 1939. With this announcement a delegation of local women attended the Municipal Council meeting. They stated their concerns about the rumour that Woolworth's would be bringing their own clerks from outside the community to work at the new store. Councillor Jack Freedman spoke to the delegation: "I was informed only yesterday (June 6) that the new store would have an outside manager, and perhaps would bring to Flin Flon a key girl, who of course has full knowledge of operations of the Woolworth chain, and that local girls would have the opportunity of applying for employment. I am sure that many of our girls, including those graduating from high school this month, will receive employment with this organization." On July 14, throngs of shoppers wended their way to the gala opening of Flin Flon's F.W. Woolworth Co. Ltd. store, the 144th to be opened in their Canadian chain. At 9:00 am. Mayor Peter McSheffrey, in a few well chosen words, declared the store officially opened "I, as Mayor of this friendly and progressive City of Flin Flon, extend a most cordial and sincerely trust the confidence which they have shown in the future of our community will by amply justifier' and that their commercial relations with the buying public will be of an enduring, happy and successful nature." The display area, which covered four hundred feet of counter space, gave the customer the impression of a huge department store that might be found in any large city. Business was quite brisk on opening day. The sports section, particularly the fishing tackle, was the centre of attraction for many of Flin Flon's ardent sportsmen. Some of the articles on sale were men's ties, two for 25 cents; suckers, ten for 5 cents; ladies umbrellas, 98 cents each; tooth paste, 10 cents a tube; heavy duty flash light batteries, 10 cents each; wool, 10 cents a ball; and men's heavy wool socks, 25 cents a pair. Later that evening three hundred guests were invited to a reception at Woolworth's. Those in attendance included members and spouses of the Municipal Council, the Board of Trade, Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting officials, and various professional and business people. The guests were treated to free candy, cigars and cigarettes. Members of the local staff who were introduced by Manager H.W. Tutt included Audrey Lasteen, Kay Tynan, Betty Keenan, Clark C. Cyrtis, S. Thomason, Solveig and Margaret Goodmanson, 0. Bergaman and Sybil Lowe. Mr. Alvin E. Mickler, Superintendent of the F.W. Woolworth Company from Toronto, stated, "We feel that Flin Flon is growing...growing on the impetus gained from its far-seeing citizens, and when we contemplated the erection of a store here, it was decided then, that Flin Flon would have a Woolworth store erected permanently.