One for the ‘Skipper’
A vintage lathe holds a special place of honour
A lathe used in the 1940s, was behind a drive to Lake Charlotte last week. The nine-foot antique wood lathe, once productive in the Truro area, is on display at Memory Lane, a living or working village established by the Lake Charlotte Area Heritage Society in celebrating the 1940s heritage of the coastal villages of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore.
Mel Simon, following 25 years service in the military, retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force and took up residence in Lower Onslow. Simon and his wife Glenda now live in Upper Onslow.
“There wasn’t much to do at some of my military postings, places like Alert near the North Pole,” Simon, a native of Cape St. George, N.L., recalled. “During my spare time I started doing woodworking. I turned wood for years, I made a lot of furniture.”
When Simon met Peter Henry in 1993, the topic of a lathe came up.
“I told Peter I’d like to get hold of a lathe that would turn, in one piece, a cannonball bedpost. A couple of days later, Peter shows up with his father Charles Edward (Ted) Henry who I knew as Skipper. He owned the lathe I was looking for, I was interested in buying it. Skipper told me ’I don’t want anything for the lathe, I’m looking for a home for it.’
“Skipper had a military background and was a Second World War veteran, serving with the Royal Canadian Navy. That fused our bond. Skipper was a man I really liked – he was level-headed and had an awful lot of knowledge. I also got to know Skipper’s wife Agnes.”
Excited about the lathe given to him by Skipper in the mid 1990s, Simon assembled it in his own shop.
“It was an old lathe from the days of the overhead drive. Before the days of available electricity, the lathe was operated by an overhead shaft and whatever power was available.”
Recently, through Memory Lane volunteer Art Keeble, Simon gave the lathe to the working village. Invited by Simon to go to Lake Charlotte, I accepted.
“This is my first time down to have a look,” Simon told me on the way. “There’s a lot of nostalgia, I’m reflecting on a lot of history between Skipper and me. You could never plan a friendship like ours, I was so lucky to know him the years I did. I’m so glad the lathe the skipper gave to me, is not lost. I feel Skipper would be proud and he would be smiling if he knew the old lathe is being brought back to life.“
Simon made a special request to Memory Lane.
“I wanted a plaque somewhere on the lathe to commemorate Skipper. I wanted his name on it, that was my title of respect for him.”
Stories and memories of Skipper flowed freely from Simon as we drove.
“In the early 2000s I drove Skipper to North Bay to a ship’s reunion for Royal Canadian Navy personnel. It made for a weekend of great memories. I‘ll never forget that trip.”
Arriving at Memory Lane we entered the authentic general store and met enthusiastic greeter Sadie Cunningham, a third-year student at University of Kings College. Our tour guide was Art Keeble, who was extremely knowledgeable.
“Once you enter this general store you revert to the 1940s,” Keeble said. “It’s a living village we are going to be walking through – you are going to feel like part of it.”
It was an enjoyable step back in time as we stepped inside a school, church, barn, village garage, ice house, metal shop, prospector’s cabin, gold mine ball mill, fisherman’s store house and clam factory. The highlight was when we got to see the lathe and the engraved plaque.
“I’m very satisfied,” Simon said. “The wording of the plaque does Skipper justice. He deserves to get the credit for this lathe.”
Ted Henry (Skipper) was an outstanding local curler and attended two Briars. Later in life, he took up bowling. Employed by the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board, his three sons Peter, John and David are all well known locally.
Ted Henry passed away in 2002.