New series connects community members

Schreiber has a rich multi cultural history. Italian immigrants settled in the area many generations ago and faced extreme hardships, xenophobia and were often treated as second class citizens. Determined to make a better life for themselves, they forged ahead, finding employment and even using their entrepreneurial skills to open businesses and eventually become business leaders in the community.

Many aspects of their culture can still be found today in Schreiber. Previous generations adhered to old values and socialized within their own groups, speaking very little English and attending catholic church masses, Children of these original immigrants were encouraged to marry within their culture. The idea of an Italian person marrying outside of their group was a rare thing in the early days. Of course there were exceptions and today there are many people that come from so called “mixed marriages”.

When Schreiber Media Centre decided to create a series based on the history of the people of Schreiber, the first person to come forward to share their stories was Marylyn Turcotte, herself being a person of mixed ancestry. In the late 1940’s and 50’s the small community of Jackfish to the east of Schreiber was home to many immigrant families. It was an important stop for trains to refill their coal cars during the era of the steam engine. All that would change with the introduction of diesel locomotives. This would lead to the village eventually closing down and leaving a ghost town in its wake.

Marylyns’ mothers parents were immigrants from Italy. Her fathers parents were from Britain. Her parents were part of the move of people relocating to Schreiber from Jackfish. She grew up in Schreiber in the and sat down with Linda Williamson to talk about her family roots and her experiences growing up in the community. She is a firm believer in volunteerism and how the work of volunteers is essential to the development of the township and building of community spirit.

She remains active in various groups and has strong ties with the Catholic Women’s League and is a board member of the Schreiber Public Library. Having been a stay at home parent while her children were young, she still found time to participate in the various community organizations. She would eventually find work as a librarian at Saint Martin’s School in Terrace Bay. After retiring in 2016 Marylyn took a job in the bake shop at the local grocery story just to keep busy.

During the show Linda asked Marylyn to share any personal items that had an interesting story behind them. One of the items she talked about, a bright yellow tee shirt, related to high school life in Schreiber when there was still a high school in the town. She then recalled how her parents would travel to Schreiber from Jackfish to go and see a movie when there were no roads connecting the two towns.

With COVID now influencing every decision in our current lives it was refreshing to hear how carefree and innocent the times were. Our obsession with technology has changed the way we interact and spend our leisure time but have we sacrificed too much on a personal level. The family dynamic has certainly changed over the years but we continue to do the best we can and can be inspired by Marylyn’s story.