A group of young women made a vow 65 years ago to always be friends - and they've been true to their word. When the young women graduated
from Trapp Tech High School in 1947, they promised they would meet once a month for friendship and camaraderie. They've lived up to the promise, and remained friends for more than six decades.
"None of us have ever had a bad word with each other through all the years," said Kay Edwards. "There is a lot of warmth when we get together."
Continuing their 65-year tradition, the women recently met and shared some laughs over lunch. Attendees included Mable Moran (née Anderson) and Olivette Abraham (née Jerome), who now live in North Vancouver; Ruth Scott (née Wood) and Edwards (née Henderson), who reside in White Rock; Betty Sparks (née Graham), who lives in Anmore; and Elve Morrison (nee Mickelson), Bev Lauer (née Jones), Ingrid Zanatta (née Skog) and Ivileen Bridges (née Hogben), who still call New Westminster home.
Audrey Law (nee Hutton) now lives in Oliver, but still manages to attend the group's luncheon at least three times a year.
"It's nice to know we have friends that we can call friends for all of those years," Edwards told The Record. "We have all known each others children."
The remaining members continue to meet once a month for lunch and to gab about the latest news in their lives.
"Several of the original 16 girls have passed away, but for the remaining 10 women, we will continue to honour our promise to be always friends, as we head into our 66th year of sharing our love and respect for each other monthly," Edwards said.
Many of the women put their secretarial skills to good use after graduation, working at various businesses in New Westminster until marriage and family responsibilities took priority.
"These new commitments did not deter any of us from meeting once a month at our various homes, and as the years advanced we decided to enjoy our lunch at the local restaurants in New Westminster and other Lower Mainland eateries," she said. "Because of driving distances for some of the ladies, it was decided to meet in New Westminster for the past several years."
Through the years, conversations have evolved from work and boyfriends, to marriage and children. Nowadays, the group of grandmothers and great-grandmothers share the latest news from their families, talk about their vacations and comment on the various aches and pains that come with aging.
"It is truly amazing. You wonder where the time has gone," Moran said. "We went to school together, got engaged about the same time, got married about the same time and had children around the same time."
The long-standing friendship is also a source of support for the women, many of whom have been widowed. In the early years, the women met in the evening, but once they started raising their families they decided to meet for lunch.
"It's been wonderful," Moran said. "There's always something to talk about."
The women have stood by each other through good and bad times, including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, divorce and deaths of spouses and good friends. Some of the women met as students at Trapp Tech High School, but some friendships go even further back into the classrooms of John Robson, Lord Kelvin, Herbert Spencer and F.W. Howay elementary schools.
