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Walker House hosts Bruce Telecom historical exhibit, "100 Years of Connecting Communities" By Liz Dadson |
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 Standing with part of the Bruce Telecom exhibit are employees (L) Barb Scott (eight years), June Slesser (15 years), Marietta Huysmans (10 years), and Cindy Ruthven (13 years) | |||||
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Betty Grigg of Kincardine remembers working for the Bruce Municipal Telephone System (BMTS) from 1961 to 1968. "At that point, we were using the short arm Northern Electric phones," she said. "We never used the old candlestick phones." Grigg was among a crowd of former employees and current employees of BMTS (now Bruce Telecom) who gathered at the Walker House in Kincardine Thursday night for a tour of the exhibit, "100 Years of Connecting Communities." The display opened May 2 and runs to Oct. 30 in celebration of the company's 100th anniversary. Employees said the exhibit was marvellous, giving the entire history of the telephone company from its beginning in 1911 through to 2011. "I remember some of this old equipment," said Cindy Ruthven who has worked for the company for 13 years. Marietta Huysmans checked out the old switchboard and recalled using one of those when she worked as an operator in London. Kincardine deputy mayor Anne Eadie congratulated the company on its 100 years in business. "The Municipality of Kincardine benefits from your service and from your success," she said.
Kincardine deputy mayor Anne Eadie (R) holds up a bill that shows the benefits of Bruce Telecom, while company president and CEO Eric Dobson awaits his turn to speak Holding up a large mock-up of a proposed municipal tax bill, she said the municipality is working toward adding to the bill a line item, indicating the benefit of the Bruce Telecom dividend. As for the Walker House exhibit, Eadie said she appreciates the history of the phone company. It took her back to her childhood when children were not allowed to talk on the phone. "There were eight homes on our party line," she said. "For a youngster to even hold a phone was a privilege." They were allowed to use the phone when their grandmother, who lived next door, called. "On the party line, you knew when somebody was ringing and who it was," said Eadie,"and when we heard Grandma's ring, we would race to the phone and pick it up before it had stopped ringing, and she'd ask how we knew it was her. That was the original Caller ID." She said the phone company has come a long way. "Now, every home has one line and its own phones."
Eric Dobson (L), president and CEO of Bruce Telecom, and Kincardine deputy mayor Anne Eadie try to operate one of the first forms of telecommunication Eric Dobson, president and chief executive officer of Bruce Telecom, welcomed everyone to the exhibit. He said the most interesting thing in the display is seeing an historic phone sitting right beside a contemporary cell phone, and to realize how far technology has come in 100 years. "What began as a telephone company now offers long-distance service, Internet, cellular, and high-definition television," he said. Dobson had just spent two days at the Canadian Telecommunications Summit and said there are billions of devices being introduced into the industry. But Bruce Telecom remains on the cutting edge, with up-to-date technology. And that will only improve, he said, as the company completes its $5-million infrastructure upgrade which began last year and should be completed over the next two years. "Being a small company doesn't mean you can't keep up," he said. "We have the best product, the best technology and the best service, and it's all in Bruce County." An open house at the Bruce Telecom administrative office in Tiverton will be held Sept. 17. "When you turn 100 years old, your birthday party is a year long," quipped Dobson. The Bruce Telecom display shows that 100 years ago, residents in the former Bruce Township did not have telephone service. In1910, township ratepayers began to investigate having telephone service brought to their homes and businesses. In 1911, the first telephone call was made and the BMTS with 200 party lines, 20 individual telephones and switchboards in Tiverton and Underwood, began operations. Today, Bruce Telecom offers major communications services to Kincardine, Port Elgin, Paisley, Tiverton, Southampton, Owen Sound, and surrounding areas. The company is wholly-owned by the Municipality of Kincardine. The Walker House exhibit includes examples of the very first telephones and related equipment used in this area and traces the changes that they underwent as technological advances were made. The exhibit is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults. The Walker House is located at 235 Harbour St., Kincardine; call 519-396-1850; or check the website at www.walkerhousekincardine.com
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 Betty Grigg holds one of the old short arm Northern Electric phones she remembers from the 1960s  Marietta Huysmans works a switchboard she recalls operating when she worked in London. The one on display is a Stephen-Hepner switchboard from Port Elgin. It was taken out of service in 1968  Kerri Brooks (R) of Kincardine, and her daughter, Macara, 6, try out an old rotary phone at the exhibit  Anna Patrino of Welland picks up the handset of an old phone on display. She was visiting her sister, Mary Faubert, and her niece, Kincardine councillor Jacqueline Faubert, and touring the Walker House exhibit Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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