Some may not realize how much Cochrane has changed in the last century, but Kathleen Beynon certainly hasn’t forgotten, as she offers us a glimpse of the past.
Kathleen, or Kas as she is known by her family and friends, was the second oldest in a family of five children, born to Nora and Bill Wallace, who lived in the Springbank area.
“We used to ride our horses two and a half miles to the Brushy Ridge School and I remember that Irene Edge was my first teacher,” Kas recalled.
Brushy Ridge was a progressive school in its day, being the forerunner for having a chemical toilet inside – quite a luxury in those days.
With Cochrane’s past winter frequently identified as a severe one, Kas tells of weeks of cold weather lingering around -40 degrees and still riding her horse to school. “People stayed healthier then,” Kas said, “the cold killed all the bugs.”
Kas met Bob Beynon at a hockey game and they were married in Cochrane in 1950. Bob was the third child of Sophie and Jack Beynon who came to the Cochrane area from Wales in 1919 after the British government had advertised available land in Canada. Jack purchased 240 acres in the Horse Creek area and later bought another 21 acres west of Cochrane. He also worked for Joe Bedoe at the brickyard south of the CPR tracks. The common mode of transportation then was by horse and buggy until Jack bought his first 1926 Chevrolet automobile.
After their marriage, Bob and Kas settled on the family homestead at Horse Creek. They had five children: Elaine, living in Calgary, Cathy in Peace River, Dwight at Dartique, Nancy and Trevor both in Cochrane. Their family has grown to 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Many people may know one of their granddaughters, Carla Beynon, who works as a news anchor for CBC in Calgary. Bob passed away April 27, 2005.
Besides farming, Bob also worked at the Shell Jumping Pound plant for a period of 25 years. Kas shared, “It was lonely for me so far from town, with no car and no phone, so we decided to move into Cochrane.”
Their little house, located near the Cenotaph, was only 900 sq. ft., a tight squeeze for a family of seven, so they decided to build a large bungalow on the 21-acre property located ‘west of town.’
The Town of Cochrane annexed this plot of land in 1979, now known as the Glenbow subdivision located in the heart of Cochrane between Hwy. 22 and 5th Avenue.
The Beynons retained two lots for themselves and Kas still lives in their original house. “This house was built solid,” said Kas. “The only renovations we have made are in the kitchen and installing a patio door.”
The home overlooks a picturesque green space near Big Hill Creek, giving it the feel of country living.
That same year (1979), Kas opened a fabric store in town with her partner Dorothy Anderson called “The Fab-Brick House,” which flourished for 14 years until it was sold.
Bob and Kas loved dancing, curling, golfing; and travelled to far-away places such as Hawaii, Australia and Wales.
Today, Kas still enjoys gardening, walking and quilting. She has donated many quilts to both the Foothills and Alberta Children’s Hospital for newborn babies.
Thanks to your story, Kas, we are now convinced that the only thing constant in the world today is ‘change.’
