Community Memories

By Lucy Zimola

Des Zimola first heard about Thompson from a friend, and thought there might be opportunities in the new town so he went ahead to explore the possibilities.  A decision was made, so Lucy and their two-month old son boarded the train in their home-town of Ottawa, and left for their long journey to Northern Manitoba in March, 1961.

At first, Des worked for INCO as a bricklayer, but it wasn’t long before he started his own business.

Thompson was a young people’s town with a very diverse population – Italian, French, Portuguese, Greek, Aboriginals, etc.  Speaking only French, Lucy found her life to be rather lonely, and laughingly remarked that she was ready to get on the next train out.  It took her awhile to make friends and learn English.

She describes the muddy streets and the difficulty of wheeling her baby carriage downtown.  At first they lived in a basement Apartment on Elk Bay.  Like many others, she had boarders at times when her husband’s employees had difficulty finding accommodations.

Lucy worked at Four-Way Foodliner for a few years, but as her family expanded to five children, she wanted to stay home and be with them.

Des had a part in the construction of many buildings in town – the bowling alley, Burntwood Hotel Westwood Mall, Catholic Church, etc.

Lucy remembers the opening of the Thompson Plaza and many businesses established there – Shop Easy, the pharmacy, jewelry store and flower shop.  She especially enjoyed shopping at The Bay where almost every kind of merchandise was available.

Lucy found that her husband had many business associates and they did quite a bit of entertaining.  She learned to make many Italian dishes from her mother.

Des loved fishing, and spent many leisure hours at Paint Lake.  They both enjoyed travelling and visited many countries together – France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, etc.  She was especially impressed with Japan and the clean streets and surroundings.

Lucy does not travel as much since her husband passed away, but she does make an annual trip to Ottawa to visit family.

Lucy likes Thompson – the ease of getting around and the closeness to her family.