Memories of Paradise
Memories of Paradise
From the tales of that first tractor, the long walk to school, or the much-anticipated treat from the general store; these memories are a powerful means of connecting communities and generations. These stories are one of our greatest historical resources and are particularly important to collect and record.
We hope you enjoy reading our fond Memories of Paradise. Please feel free to share your own memory with us and our community.
Train
We lived, like everyone else in Paradise, not too far from the railway tracks. And in the winter, you could always tell when it was very, very cold outside by the tone of the train blast at the crossing on the outskirts of the village towards Bridgetown…
Characters: Part 1
Were we to recall all the people that we’ve come across or who have come across our path, what would come to mind? And who would come to memory? In Paradise, a village of say 250 people –give or take 200– a few pop into the rear-view mirror for me…
The Playgrounds
Thankfully we had a school in Paradise because it afforded us a playground to enjoy. There was a double teeter-totter (or seesaw) made of thick plank balanced on a steel rig to ensure it wouldn’t fall over while allowing users to freely go up and down as a cheap ride. The game on the teeter-totter…
Post
Mrs. Chelsea was another one of those mystery people of Paradise. Where did she grow up? To whom was she married (besides Mr. Chelsea)? Where was he? Did she get a decent pension from the Post Office? When I say “mystery people” I mean that…
Postcards from Paradise
It’s quite a stretch to reach back to another era and recall bits and scraps of early life. I don’t mean the human species kind of “early life” with David Attenborough reading these short scripts, like postcards of people’s past…
Miney
Miney was a curious man who lived alone in a literal, little shack on the Carl and Mrs. Ritcey property until the 70s (or late 60s?). Rumor was that he had come from Roxbury, a ghost town over the South Mountain…
A Treat at the Paradise Corner Store
In the late 1950s into the 1960s, when the beautiful elm trees still created a canopy along the road through Paradise, Fred and Myrna Parkinson became proprietors of our corner store by the lane…
Forest Fire Rules at School
I was four or five years old- I hadn’t started school yet. It would have been in the late 1940s. So I don’t know how I learned the Forest Fire Rules, or even if that was what they were called- perhaps from my older brother Allan. What I do remember is …
My Dad’s Recess at the Paradise Academy
This is really my Dad’s story, but unfortunately, I didn’t hear it from him. My Dad was Gordon Balcom. My Dad passed away when he was 41 and I was 15 and since I was at Paradise Academy for a couple of short stints as we travelled throughout UK…