MY CHILDREN
&
MY SISTER
Bradley Douglas
MacGREGOR
My two sons both joined the military in 1981. Bradley went to the west coast with the Navy and Bill went to Wainwright, Alta. with the PPCLI as an infantry soldier.
Brad spent his tenure in Victoria as a marine Engineer on the HMCS Saskatchewan and sailed to South America, Australia, New Zealand, and to ports in south Asia. He volunteered for submariner duty and was transferred to Halifax where he joined the submarine HMCS Okanagan. In the Atlantic, he visited ports in both Europe and the Americas. Brad retired from the Navy in late 1987.
On one auspicious trip, he found himself at a Royal Navy Submarine base on the west coast of Scotland. With the weekend off duty, he decided to travel inland for a change. After an arduous bustrip, he approached an Inn and knocked on the door. Shortly, a slight elderly woman appeared and let out a shriek. With that, Brad realized what a sight he must look with his beard, long Navy coat and all. He asked fora room and afterwards inquired if there was a Pub in the neighbourhood. The lady explained there was an in-house pub downstairs. With that, he went in to the pub and was delighted to see a bar and several elderly gentlemen sitting around drinking. Being the only stranger, Brad felt all eyes on him.
Suddenly a gentleman approached and inquired, " Where do you come from?" Brad replied "Canada." With that, an other question followed - "What's your name?" "MacGregor" was the reply. Another question followed - "What religion are you?" "Catholic" was the answer. With that, a cheer went up and the gentleman proclaimed "You're home buy!" Brad found he couldn't pay for a beer all night. Later, he asked "Where is the land that the MacGregors fought and died for?"
The reply - "You're standing on it!"
Harold William
MacGREGOR
Bill, similar to Brad, was
an avid outdoorsman, marksman, hunter and angler. He was the chess champion of his
high school - and also of his Regiment. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces at 18
and opted for the infantry. He had previously followed a harsh body building program and
was in excellent shape .
Bill became an outstanding soldier, was promoted
to Corporal and was recommended for service in the "Canadian Airborne
Regiment," Canada's only combat ready unit, and the source of its special
forces personnel. He made 52 parachute jumps and served in numerous manoeuvres at
home and abroad.
A sombre Bill at 22 in the Airborne at Ottawa airport
during an Army Jump Exercise
In 1985, he was reassigned to the PPCLI and went to Germany as part of the NATO standing force there. While in Germany on numerous training exercise with other NATO armies, he became known to German Bundswher Officers respectfully as "the snake", due to his cunning and his ability to show up in the least expected places. He retired from the Army in late 1987.
After a sprint at truck driving in Toronto, Bill went to Croatia with the UN Protection Force during the Yugoslavian break-up. While there, he drove any and all vehicles and wascited for bravery on several occasions. He performed exceptionally well under duress; (i.e.: On several occasions, he was subjected to brutal harassment by thugs at roadblocks, sometimes with a cocked .45 cal. pistol rammed against his head. Little did they realize that he had had extensive 'prisoner/torture' training in the Airborne.)
In January of 1987, Both of my sons and I went to Costa Rica for several weeks vacation and made a distinct effort to "live like the natives." We all consider that time to be one of the most special times of our lives.
MacGregor
Darlene joined the Canadian Armed Forces soon after her brothers fora short stint. She took a nursing course in Truro, NS, and is now living in Vernon, BC as a Registered Nurse. She has two children, Katrina and Jasmine.
Darlene (Kalin) at her Registered Nurse Graduation
MacGregor
Diana attended
Dartmouth Vocational School in Nova Scotia, and then put herself through DeVrie
Institute to become a Certified Electronics Technician, and then to York University
to obtain a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. She is presently doing very
well working as a Program Manager for the Bank of Montreal in Toronto.
Diana with her Bachelor's Degree in 1994
Tanya Lorraine
MacGregor
Tanya has settled not far from my present home to raise her own family. She has four children; Leah, Joshua, Joel, and April.
Tanya Lorraine MacGregor married Christian Viau, son of Jean Viau and Francine Darling.
Children:
i. Leah Lorraine Viau, born 17 May 1993.
ii. Joshua Christian Viau, born 4 April 1995.
iii. Joel Rapheal Viau, born 18 June 1997.
iv. April Darling Viau, born 14 April 2000.
Tanya hamming it up at 10
Tanya at 25
My Sister
Carole Anne MacGregor
Carole stayed in Toronto and married there. She had two children, Kimberley and Glenn. Their family moved back to Annapolis Royal, N.S...,then to Powell River, B.C., and eventually back to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia near Annapolis. She is single now and recently changed her legal family name back to MacGregor. Hooray for you Carole!
Carole Anne MacGregor at 25, my dear sister
Carole Anne was born on 27 Dec 1940 in Digby, NS.
She married (1st) Edward (Buddy) Smith on 25 April 1958 in Toronto, Ont., she married (2nd) Norman Munro on 01 July 1967 in Toronto, she married Maurice Thibideau on 09 Sept 1995 in Annapolis Royal, NS., since divorced.
Carole's children:
Kimberley Frances; born 28 Dec 1963.
Norman Glenn; born
28 March 1968.
For data on their children, select "Katrina's family tree".
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