Several months ago Observer Editor Lachlan Labere asked for a favour. He wanted to access archival images for the Salmon Arm Observer and the Shuswap Market. He calls the weekly spot Our History in Pictures. He was right to email us at R.J. Haney Heritage Village with this request. The archives is home to over 12,000 images.
Every once in a while we get feed back. Unknown places, events, and people are identified. Lil Whitehead responded when this photograph was run in January.
Lil emailed:
Seeing the photo brought back a memory I had almost forgotten. About 1968 or ‘69 I took part in a School District #83 Defensive Driving Course. I had 3 small children and if I didn’t learn to drive they wouldn’t be going to kindergarten! The class was a mix of nervous women of different ages and teenagers who knew it all. As I remember, a mobile portable served as a classroom with a replica of the front seat for everyone. A screen at the front of the portable showed what it might look like driving down a road with unexpected situations that you needed to react to. Your reactions and speed was recorded and how well you did or if someone just killed a dog or child who ran out in front of you. As part of the course we took turns driving a real car with the instructor in front and two observers in the back. I’m sure he had his foot ready to hit his brake as I made a three point turn on the Kault hill road which was dirt and dropped off fast! At the end we took both a written and road test, where I got my licence [but some failed]. It really brought home the message about defensive driving but I’m not sure if it was ever repeated again. [I might be in that 3rd back seat in your photo].
I’ve been enjoying your series of ‘our history in pictures’.
Thanks, Lil Whitehead