Noel's Account of Crossing Canada in 1931 - Audio

When I first wrote about Noel's crossing through Canada on his way to the YMCA conferences in Toronto and Cleveland, I didn't remember that I had more first-person information about the trip to share.

In 1982, when I was only 12, I made an audio tape of my grandfather, Noel, recounting some family history, including a story about his trip through Canada with the Hawaiian delegation on the way to the YMCA conferences.

It's been a learning process for me to get the recording off the cassette tape and into a digitized format that I can share, but I'm finally finished with it.

So, below is a YouTube video link of Noel telling the story, plus a transcript of the recording. I hope you find it interesting.

Noel: "In 1931 when I came over to America, when we arrived in Honolulu, about 30 young Hawaiian boys got on the boat. They were going to the World Conferences of YMCAs in Toronto and Cleveland. And so, I being by myself, I joined them. And, they were singing Hawaiian songs and everything on the boat from Hawaii to Vancouver.

"And, when we got to Vancouver, I stayed at the same hotels they stayed at. We were invited to a basket-- a baseball game and we sang at intermission -- at half time we sang Hawaiian songs in the stands.

"And then, we traveled on the same train, the Canadian Pacific into the Rockies, and I traveled with them. And we sang in the First Class section to amuse the First Class people on the train. And we got into the observation cars, you know, with the glass roofs.

"And then, when we got to the station for Lake Louise, we got off there as guests of the management, and we stayed one night at the Chalet at Lake Louise. In return for that, we sang on the terrace at sunset."

Haley: "And by then, you knew all the Hawaiian songs."

Noel: "That's right. And then the next day, we all piled into a bus, and they took us the 40 miles to the Banff Springs Hotel. And we stayed overnight there and in return for that we sang on the terrace of the Banff Springs Hotel.

"And when we continued, then, we had a special car on the train for us all the way to Toronto."

Noel's Commentary on George's Letters, Part 1

Noel in 1982

Since we are 26 letters into this project and have passed the one-year anniversary since the project's inception, I thought this would be a good time to share a document written by Noel in the 1980s.

When Noel was putting together a family history, he used the saved letters from his father, George, as a resource. After the long job of condensing the letters down to just the family history, he was able to look at them anew and paint a general picture of what he saw happening.

I'll only share the first part right now, and save the second part for when we get a few more years into the letters.

Here it as as Noel wrote it:

Commentary on Dad's Letters

The following was written by Noel in 1984 after having read Dad's letters of fifty years ago. There is no intention to be mundane or emotional, but to say it as I see it with the perspective that the years give.

The first several years can only be characterized as very difficult ones for Dad particularly.

Economic conditions were chaotic making the financing of the "Y" almost impossible. The membership decreased significantly, occupancy of the residence declined to less than fifty percent causing Dad untold strain to keep the Association afloat. Salaries were cut several times resulting in a bare bones existence for Mum, Dad and the family. There was a period when the difficulties were so extreme that it was a question whether Dad would continue as General Secretary. However, times became a little better about 1934. The strain of the days showed up in Dad's health. In reading his letters it was obvious that his health had deteriorated considerably, even though he had minimized his illnesses.

Keith too had a difficult time. He was unemployed for most of five years. Fortunately he was able to secure casual, short time jobs with the Texaco Company, the Dryfus company, the Wheat Commission and others which did give him a very limited but undependable income with long periods of famine up to the time he secured permanent employment with the Myers Emporium.

Ruth also had a difficult time when she began nursing -- the long hours, the demands of the hospital and the exacting nature of her work also showed up in the continuous string of illnesses she incurred.

1934 showed the beginning of better conditions and a less stressful living for the family.

Of course Noel in a foreign country, without any financial backing, struggling to make ends meet, particularly in the years 1931 to 1933, and going to college, also caused some turmoil for Dad.

The bright spots in the family during these years were, as Dad characterized them, the "kiddies". They were full of life, vim, vigor and vitality -- shafts of sunlight in the dismal days -- a source of great enjoyment to both Mum and Dad, Keith and Ruth.

Speaking of the two girls, they were opposites in temperament, but in their pre-teen and teenage years pursued similar interests in church and school activities. Edith was more eloquent and excitable, and to quote Father, "Edith is getting more boisterous than ever, greatly to Joy's annoyance. As you know, Joy is much quieter and less demonstrative than Edith, and is consequently reprimanding Edith for her noisiness. However, the two of them get along very well together". "....... going along quietly, that is, as quietly as Edith can go!"

Also, Chas. F. Crosby was a great friend for on many occasions he made his Summer home in the Dandenongs available for the family to have a holiday in the country.

Part 2 to be published at a future date. 

Noel's arrival in Chicago

My cousin Margaret recently sent me a copy of a few letters that Noel had written to his sister Edith in the 1980s. In them was a piece titled "A LOVE STORY: Noel Hughes - Kathleen Lilford". 

The piece was Noel's attempt to explain what had happened to his relationship with Kathleen, the girl he left behind in Australia. I'll reprint the entire piece when it is relevant. Right now I simply want to excerpt the part about Noel's journey to Chicago and what he experienced on his arrival. It is one of the few written first-person accounts I have from Noel and it adds a lot to the letters.

Up to
this point
life
had been easy
and exciting,
but now the battle begins. Noel needed money.
$30
was not enough
to carry him
for six weeks.

On June 19, 1931 the Hughes Family together with Kathleen gathered at Spencer Street Railroad Station to bid Noel "God Speed" and a successful college future.

Even now in 1986, I can still visualized the group, and Kath in particular, standing there as the train pulled out of the station. Little did I realize then that the great adventure was going to extract its toll in many ways. Life was going to be a battle -- sometimes existence was more important than education. The great depression was choking the world. I had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I am getting ahead of myself.

It was an exciting experience sailing across the vast Pacific Ocean. Dad had through the Y.M.C.A. and other contacts alerted friends of his son Noel coming and in Fiji, Honolulu, Vancouver he was welcomed and shown the sights.

En Route to Chicago Noel was to attend the World Conference of Y.M.C.A.'s in Toronto and Cleveland. When the S.S. Niagara left Honolulu a large delegation of young people from Hawaii were on board also to attend the Conference. Noel joined them in all their activities and learned their Hawaiian Songs. This turned out to be very advantageous to him. The group in return for singing Hawaiian songs in Vancouver, on the train to Banff, Lake Louise Chalet, the Banff Spring Hotel, were entertained at these resorts and a special car was added to the train for their exclusive use to Toronto.

Noel was in Toronto for one week, and then taken by auto via Niagara Falls to Cleveland. At the conclusion of the Conference he proceeded alone to Chicago where Larry Bowen a friend of Dad met him. Larry was a Y.M.C.A. Secretary and took Noel to the Lincoln-Belmont "Y" where he was given a room without cost for the six weeks before the College Dormitory would open. This was a "godsend" for all Noel had in the world was $30.00.

Up to this point life had been easy and exciting, but now the battle begins. Noel needed money. $30.00 was not enough to carry him for six weeks. The College came to his rescue and gave him part time typing. Noel earned enough to sustain himself until the College opened.

The College had granted Noel a foreign Student Scholarship which covered tuition only. He would have to find income to provide for expenses, food and rent. Also, it was determined Noel lacked one year of high school credit for admission, so the scholarship was conditioned on his successfully earning the necessary high school credits and carrying a reduced college course load. Noel had two years to remove the condition.

Noel attempted to obtain part time employment, but it soon became obvious that being a foreigner was against him -- times were bad -- he was not even considered, in fact discriminated against. The College was his only source of employment -- janitor work very early in the morning to pay the rent, washing dishes in the cafeteria for meals in the evening. In between times college study, going to evening high school, seeking baby sitting or house work for residents of the community to obtain badly needed money for incidental expenses.

His experiences seeking work, and the limitations placed on Noel by the College discouraged him tremendously. From the very beginning failure was staring Noel in the face, but he had to go on and try to fight it out, and if successful it would take several additional years to graduate.