1

The Hughes family: sisters Betty and Beverley, mother Irene, father J.K. and Barb.
1931
512 Weller Street, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

2

Barbara (Hughes) Earle was born at Nichols Hospital in 1928. She lived with her family at 512 Weller Street, between Park Street and Monaghan Road on the west side of the city. Barb is the youngest of three children. She has a sister two years older and the another is six years older. She was close with her sisters and her closest friends' older sisters were friends with her older siblings when she was growing up.

The house had been her mother's family home and when her parents got married her father moved into the house. Barb believes that her mother was raised in Peterborough (but may not have been born here) but her father was from the Barrie area.

Barb's growing up years were all spent at Weller Street. She went to university and came back to the same house. She was married to Don Earle a month after she graduated in 1951.

3

Barb Earle's mother Irene Hughes as a child.
1911
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

4

Barb Earle's mother Irene Hughes posing for a photograph with her parents, Annie and Jim Scott.
1911
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

5

Barb Earle and her sister Beverley. Barb is on the swing.
1931
Hughes Cottage, Chemong Lake, Ontario, Canada

6

Barb went to Queen Mary Public School for all of elementary school and attended PCVS (Peterborough Collegiate & Vocational School) for high school. She walked to school and back each day, as well as home and back at lunchtime.

Barb was in high school during World War 2. She was just under the age of recruitment. She remembers they had memorial announcements at assemblies for alumni and there was a photograph in the Peterborough Examiner of her sister celebrating D-Day on the streets of Peterborough.

7

Barb Earle in her graduation photograph from the University of Toronto.
1951
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

8

She went to the University of Toronto after graduating from PCVS. Barb was the only one of her siblings who went to university. She doesn't remember thinking anything different beyond continuing school – you went through each year and as long as you passed you planned for the next stage and so she went off to university, a lot of her friends did, some did not.

She studied physiotherapy at the University of Toronto and because their department was under the medical department, physio and occupational therapy students were considered as being in extension courses and as a result the residences didn't accept them. When she went to school she had to find her own place to stay.

She ended up staying in a campus co-operative residence which was a student run residence with about four houses. Barb says this was wonderful because she had been brought up in Anglo Saxon Protestant conservative place and in the residence she met people of different nationalities. Barb recalls the experience was quite fun, they had general meetings, they ran their own things, they all had to share and do work. They had a kitchen and a hired cook and there was a hired administrator. Everyone had jobs to do, any student could stay at this residence and they had graduate students, "just a whole mix of people".

9

Barb Earle talks about going ice skating in Peterborough.
28 March 2006
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

10

There were a lot of children in the area they lived in and a lot of families who knew each other. Barb says it was a pretty insulated existence when you think of it. Her friends all lived in the same neighbourhood and went to the same school. She only had one friend that lived outside the neighbourhood, but she was allowed to attend Queen Mary School.

In the spring when they were young Barb and her friends would get a baseball bat and everyone would get together to play baseball after supper over at the school.

The kids in her neighbourhood always rode bikes. At the first sign of spring Barb and her friends, both boys and girls, would all get together and ride out to Chemong Lake for picnics. They would do this quite often. It would be a seven mile ride out from town one way!

11

Barb Earle.
1938
512 Weller Street, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

12

There weren't many restaurants to eat at when she was growing up. Barb remembers going to the Hi Tops Restaurant for Chinese food. It was and still is owned by the Hum family. The Hughes family went to the Empress Hotel for Sunday dinner quite often. The Empress Hotel was a very up-scale establishment.

Barb and her friends danced a lot at the Brock Street Arena in their teens. They went there because they had a live band, this was the era of big band music, it was wonderful – they used to do that all the time. At Barb's house they had a double living room and every once and awhile they would role up the rugs and dance at Barb's house. Barb says dancing was an important part of her teenage years. All through school, though, she never went out on a weeknight.

The girls in Barb's circle all belonged to the YWCA Supper Club and the boys belonged to the Hi Y. There was a Friday night Supper Club with a speaker and supper was provided for them by the Y and every once and awhile they had a dance.

13

Barb's wedding reception at the Hughes' family cottage.
30 June 1951
Hughes Cottage, Chemong Lake, Ontario, Canada

14

The family cottage was a very important part of Barb's life when she was growing up. The entire family and their maid would pack up and move out to the cottage every summer.