Barrhaven - Growing up in the 1970’sFeatured Story Growing up in Barrhaven in the 1970’s was a unique experience. We were isolated from the city by the Greenbelt. Yet we were close enough that we could not really be considered small-town folk. However, we were similar in many respects to a small town in that we all knew each other, or we were at least familiar enough with most people to say hello. There was a real sense of community. Our isolation also meant that a lot of recreation took place in the common areas and in the surrounding forests and fields. Yet our proximity to the city meant that the recreational activities that it offered were still often enjoyed. My family moved to Barrhaven in 1965, just as the development began. I was born in 1967, so my memory of the area begins in the early 1970’s. Residential Barrhaven by this time was roughly bordered by Fallowfield Road to the North, Larkin to the South, Tripp to the East and Langholm (the top of the hill) to the West. Of course there were also a scattering of farmhouses and a few other homes on Jockvale, Greenbank, Fallowfield and Woodroffe. There were no shopping malls or grocery stores until the late 1970’s. There was the McIntosh Grocery Store on Greenbank Road near Fallowfield. Mr. McIntosh was a very friendly, tall, white-haired man who was active in the community and was well liked. It was a big deal when the Mac’s Milk strip-mall opened around the corner, bringing F+M Pizza and Lotus Chinese food to Barrhaven! Unfortunately, Mr. McIntosh lost business from this competition. There was no Walter Baker Centre, but we had two very active baseball diamonds as well as the ice rink, all located on the Barrhaven Public School grounds. Of course, street hockey was also a very popular athletic activity .The school was the focal point for many of the communities events such as the Barrhaven Field Day, the Winter Carnival and of course softball and baseball, which were both extremely popular at the time. The school grounds were also the location for the regular evening visits by the Nepean Bookmobile. It was essentially a library on wheels and it was always popular. Barrhaven Public School also marked the last checkpoint before entrance into the greatest playground a child could ask for. This consisted of acres of land containing forests, fields, cliffs, ponds and a few small “junk yards” containing many treasures. Cattle could still be seen grazing in these fields until the mid 1970’s. All that remains of the main forest in that area is the small patch behind Barrhaven Public School. The forest used to take up much of the North-West section of the Walter Baker Centre property. Fields surrounded the forest on three sides. There was a small frog pond on the West, where “soakers” and disease were of no concern to us children as we hunted for frog eggs and other fun messy stuff. There were rumours of older kids finding Indian arrowheads in the area, which were likely untrue but they certainly aided in our interest in the area. I have since learned that nearby Forced Road (Jockvale) was an old Indian trail prior to the settling of the area in the 1800’s, so who knows. The cliffs provided another source of adventure with small crevasses to explore and they provided a view for “miles” of the fields, forests and farmland toward the Rideau. The cliffs also gave us “mountaineering” experience through climbing its faces at various points. In the winter the daredevils among us would jump to the deep snow below, sometimes ending in bruises from the odd hidden rock below. What remains of the cliffs is now hidden behind Jockvale Public School by 25 years of tree and brush growth. The fields above the ridge where Fable and the Mowat Farm Park are were great for exploring and adventure for a number of reasons. One reason was the rumour that Farmer Mowat had a salt gun and that he would use to shoot trespassers. I am sure that this was just a rumour, but it did keep us on our toes and very few would dare wander too close to their farmhouse, barn and garage. The other reason the area was popular was the number and variety of abandoned husbandry and vehicles. Of greatest interest was an armored military vehicle that we referred to as “the ammunitions carrier”. The imaginative play and exploration in this area was memorable. The main summer event for the community was the Barrhaven Field Day. In its early years it was nothing like it’s recent carnation. It had no fancy rides or high pressure/high priced carnival games. There were pony rides, potato-sack races, three-legged races, balance-an-egg-on-a-spoon races, beanbag tosses, bobbing for apples, bicycle decorating contests, etc. For the other racing enthusiasts there were a variety of bicycle races and the popular Soapbox Derby races down Larkin hill. There were always a good variety of these homemade go-carts, made in a variety of shapes with plywood and wagon wheels. Many were painted with stripes and numbers and they were the pride and joy of the youths who created them (often with their Dad’s help!). Remarkably, no one was ever really hurt. The Field Day was completely organized and run by members of the community. This is just a sampling of a typical Barrhaven child’s life in the 1970’s. I could go on, but I think this in enough to paint a pretty good picture. There were also the adventures on “the Old Highway” area west of the community. There were the Movie Nights. There were the bicycle rides “way out” into the country, far away from Barrhaven, to places like Strandherd Rd., or to the distant town of Fallowfield. While attending school outside of Barrhaven the
“city folk” would often ask, Mike Epp January, 2003 www.bytown.net |