Parrsboro Record, Tuesday, March 27, 1945, pg. #1; Reel #2865, NSARM,
Halifax, N.S.
TRAGEDY SHOCKS THE COMMUNITY; 7 OTHERS HAVE NARROW ESCAPE
A most shocking tragedy occurred on Sunday afternoon claiming the lives of
three Parrsboro School children, Norma Pauline Harvey, 14, Lois Mildred
McCulley, 14 and Charles Foster, 12. The seven other members of the party,
Murray McCulley, brother of Lois; Helen Foster and Donald Foster, brother
and sister of Charlie; Charlotte Harvie, only sister of Pauline; Walter
Canning, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Canning; and Anna and Billie Smith,
children of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Smith had a narrow escape. All children of
Riverside families, the homes of the three children whose lives were taken
are within a few hundred yards of each other.
In the early afternoon the party of ten started out on their first walk of
the spring around the shore. They had traveled along the beach a couple of
miles from their homes and to a distance of about a mile beyond the
Parrsboro Golf Club. Some of the children's school studies had recently been
on the weathering of rock, and along the shore banks they were looking for
"Fools Gold", iron pyrite - a yellow stone which resembles gold - and
gypsum.
While standing within a few feet of each other, an overhanging jutted edge
of the bank some twenty feet above them crashed without a sound of warning.
The bank along the shore is weakened at this time of year as the frost
filled earth begins to thaw.
Pauline Harvey, Lois McCulley and Charlie Foster were believed instantly
killed when buried under several feet of mud and stone. Murray McCulley was
also caught in the debris but was able to extricate himself and received
slight injuries to his face, eye and leg. The other members of the party
escaped with possibly just a few scratches and bruises from the flying
stone.
(didn't copy the rescue and the names of those who helped)
14 year old Pauline Harvey was the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wesley
Harvey. Besides her parents she is survived by sister, Charlotte and an
elder brother, Robie who is crippled and is now a wheel chair patient as the
result of an accident when he was struck by falling plywood some eight years
ago.
Lois McCulley, 14, was a first cousin and close friend of Pauline Harvey.
She was the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold McCulley and is survived by
her parents and two brothers, Murray and Floyd.
Charlie Foster, 12, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Foster. Besides his
parents, he is survived by two brothers and two sisters; Helen, Donald,
Sandra and Ralph.
(didn't copy funeral details but all three were buried from St. George's
Anglican Church. Charlie was interred in St. George's Cemetery; Pauline and
Lois were interred in the United Cemetery.)
Source: Dave Winter, 6 Jan 2010
Note#1: Transcribed as published
Note#2: Just a quick correction to the following article: Walter Canning
was the son of John Canning, not Roy Canning. Source; Susan; susant1992
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