My father, George W. Kubicek, came to Canmore as a young man, leaving his family in Rosedale. The year was about 1929. Shortly after arriving, he met Margaret Shellian, a young woman who had grown up in Canmore. Margaret’s ambition was to become a school teacher so she left Canmore to attend Normal School in Calgary. After graduating, Margaret received a teaching position in the Drumheller School District.
George returned to Drumheller around the same time and was reunited with Margaret. They were married in Munson, Alberta in 1934. Two years later, I, George Edward Kubicek, was born and then my sister, Cecilia, in 1938 in Drumheller.
In 1941, our family left Drumheller and returned to Canmore. We moved in with my mother’s parents, Zofia and Joseph Shellian. During this time my father established a career in the coal mines.
My childhood was one filled with special times and events that growing up in a small town offers. In fact,my earliest memories are of playing on my grandparent’s dairy farm, watching them milk the cows and accompanying my Uncle Joe as he delivered the milk in a one-horse wagon. The children of my generation were the grandchildren of the founding fathers of Canmore – the men and women who established Canmore as a thriving mining town. These were happy times and the children of my generation were fortunate enough to experience them.
Growing up I remember being a member of many clubs. Many of us attended the Canmore teen club where we learned to dance. I participated in the High School Curling Club and also attended St. John’s Ambulance and First Aid classes given by John Brown and William Bell. The ultimate winter fun, however, centered around the Canmore arena. Public skating was very popular for children and adults alike. My father bought me my first season’s pass to the arena in 1941. Skating and hockey became my passions. I played hockey at all levels in Canmore and played with the Flyers in the Big Six League, on a line with Art Krowchuk and George Lebel.
With Canmore being surrounded by majestic mountains and untouched wilderness, hiking, fishing and skiing were also popular pastimes. Twin Lakes (Grassi Lakes) and White Man’s Cabin were favorite locations for hikes. Skiing fun could be had at the “L” or Bing’s cabin.
When we were teenagers, the Cascade Dance Hall in Banff was a popular hang-out. In the summer, we attended dances Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. (During the winter months, dances were held on Saturday nights only). The band we danced to was made up of Louis Trono, Vic Lewis, Emilio Casale, Andy Shellian, Johnny Byers. Tony Krowchuk played drums first, and Jack Hutchins later. They played all the popular music of the forties and fifties.
After the dances, before heading home, it became a tradition for whomever was driving to stop at the King Eddy Hotel. We would pick up anyone who needed a lift back to Canmore, no matter how late it was.
Perhaps it was this band that was the inspiration behind a band of which I became a part. The band was formed by Ron Marra (on drums) and included Lionel Marra, Fred Kubista and myself (all on sax), Connel Marra (on trumpet), Norman Witham (on piano) and Anita Casale (vocalist). We played at dances in Canmore, Banff and Exshaw. In the late fifty’s with the slowing down of the mines, most of us left Canmore and Ron Marra then formed a new and smaller band.
Like many of the citizens of Canmore, the coal mines played an important role in my life. Both my grandfathers and uncles were coal miners, my father was a coal miner and even I was employed by the mine. As a teenager, I worked at the Tipple during summer vacation. After graduating from high school, I worked in the briquette plant for fourteen months. As work in the mine slowed down, I decided to leave and attended SAIT in Calgary. I found employment in Canada Cement in Exshaw for nineteen months until they laid off half of the plant staff October, 1957.
Despite all that the coal mines brought to my family, it will always be remembered for what it stole. On September 4, 1966, my father was killed in a mining accident. This was devastating to my family and the sad reality was that my children and Cecilia’s children would never know their grandfather. Our mother died a few years later on January 13, 1970.
In 1958 I joined the Calgary Fire Department. I enjoyed a thirty-seven year career with the fire department, retiring as a chief officer in 1994.
I married Ida Monden and together we have three children (Lynette, 1963, Terry, 1965, and Ronald, 1968). Today we have been blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, Kyle Kubicek and Mitchel Vona.
Cecilia and her husband, Joe Busetto, also left Canmore, moving to Calgary in 1966. They established J.B. Taxidermy. They have raised their three children: Joey, Allen and Kathy, as well as several grandchildren, Tina, Joanna, Joey, Ashley and Robert.
Despite residing in Calgary for more than forty years, Canmore will always be my home. Ida and I visit Canmore regularly, reuniting with old friends. Just as when I was a child, I still enjoy hiking, fishing and camping amidst Canmore’s beautiful mountain landscape. I am proud to be a part of Canmore’s heritage and to be the son of a coal miner.
In Canmore Seniors at the Summit, ed. Canmore Seniors Association, 2000, p.156-157.
