Interview of Violet Third

Nov 2 2011 Violet Third (nee Schleger; b. 1921 in Neudorf, Saskatchewan) is the daughter of German immigrants; her father owned a cement-contracting company and her mother was a dressmaker. At the age of three, the family moved to Vancouver (the West End) where Violet attended Dawson Elementary School and a commercial secondary school on Broadway and Granville. Her first job was in her sister’s restaurant on Pender and Granville. At nineteen, Violet met her first boyfriend and soon-to-be husband, Bruce Third, at the Alexandra Ballroom dance hall. One year later they married. Shortly thereafter Violet began working in the accounting department at Bruce’s father’s business, George Third & Son Ltd. (at the time of her retirement she had worked there for fifty-five years), where her husband and the majority of the Third family work(ed). Violet was the first female employee of George Third & Son Ltd. When asked about Bruce’s father, George “Geordie,” Violet describes him as a “good man” who worked hard and loved his life and family (there were many Third family gatherings). He was very tall, of a strong build, and had a horseshoe-shaped scar on his forehead (he had learned blacksmithery and the horse trade in his hometown of St. Fergus). Born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at nineteen George immigrated alone to Brandon, Manitoba (his intention was to emigrate permanently). He did not particularly like Manitoba and continued westward to Vancouver, where he established George Third & Son Ltd. Geordie’s brother, Robert, a tailor, immigrated to Vancouver soon afterward, but did not permanently settle in the city. Geordie married Ann (nee Bruce; b. in Winnipeg) and, together, they had two sons, Douglas and Bruce. Although George was very proud of his Scottish heritage, he only returned to Scotland once for a two-week visit in 1968 (this may be due in part to his bad arthritis that made travel difficult). A well-known man with a good reputation, Geordie enjoyed scotch, Scottish songs, and held many parties at which the Police Pipe Band often played. He did not retire until eight-two, when his wife’s dementia forced him to stop working. Geordie’s son, Bruce, was also a hard-working man who invested a great deal of time in his children and grandchildren’s lives; he could often be found cheering at their soccer games or at their Highland dancing competitions. Bruce also enjoyed singing, dancing, playing the piano, and golfing. A founding member of the America Welding Society BC Section, there is now an annual “Bruce Third Welding Scholarship” that is given to a promising welding student. The Third family is quite involved in the Scottish community in Vancouver. Although Violet herself is not a Scot, she has never felt out of place at Scottish events or in various groups/organizations (she danced for awhile). Out of Violet and Bruce’s children and grandchildren, two [Highland] danced for some years and both Brett and Rob are/were pipers. The family regularly attends Burns Suppers and Highland Games, and haggis is a very popular food with the Thirds. Violet is very grateful for how George Third & Son Ltd. has fed the family for close to one hundred years, or four generations; since the transition from blacksmithery to welding, the business has completed various projects, including rides for Disney World, various Millennium Line skytrain stations, the Robson Square Domes for the 2010 Olympics, and steel for the soon-to-be-demolished Port Mann Bridge. Curved staircases are George Third & Son’s specialty. If Violet were to relive her life, she would not change anything (except for maybe being a better golfer). Her biggest disappointments are her son’s illness and that Bruce did not live longer. Her chief satisfactions are her health and her children, grandchildren (12), and great-grandchildren (17). One of her granddaughters, Dr. Tamara Davis, is a renowned astrophysicist in Australia who works with a Nobel Prize winner.

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