Chisholms and in the excitement of getting settled and taking turns holding the baby, Heath got turned up side down. When they arrived in Tryon , Heath was blue and nearly in a state of as¬ phyxiation. Fortu¬ nately the concerned parties were able to re¬ suscitate Heath and he was able to continue life.8 Road maintainers, diesel powered ma¬ chines with hydraulic controls, replaced the Road tractor used to haul the road grader and often old horse drawn ma- driven by Vi Mosher Thomas with Reg Thomas on the chines of bygone days, grader. Reg is seated on the tractor. Vi Thomas collection. The newer machines, however, did not provide the excitement and charm that went along with the sight of beautiful horses and the feeling of neighbors working together on a community project. The maintainers were fitted with snow plow blades when the open¬ ing of roads for motor traffic in winter became necessary. This enabled the maintainers to provide double service as road builders in the summer and fall months, and snow plows in the winter time. A road maintainer of this type, operated by Reginald Thomas , was stationed in this district from the 1930s until 1973. The narrow, tree lined roads were impossible to keep open and even the main roads from Summer- side to Borden and Summerside to Kensington were sometimes lett unplowed for part of the winter in the 1930s. Reg would begin the slow process of reopening the roads in late April with the assistance of one or more bulldozers. Reg was the only snow plow operator working from Summerside to Tignish in 194041. This was a year to remember! It was the first year of the war, and Reg had to keep the road open to the Island's Airforce Bases at Mount Pleasant and St. Eleanors . Men from the jails shovelled in front of the plow when it was impossible for the plow to break through the snow banks. One time in particular, Reg had to open the road from Summerside to O'Leary for some federal government officials who had to attend an important meeting. Reg knew conditions were bad, but the road had to be opened, so off he went. On the return to Summerside , the plow 82