’lhe History ofA rgyle Shore

ladies in the Women's Institute needed to be consulted about some event that was being planned or other business needed to be discussed. Probably this was the rural beginnings of today's business conference call! There were many times the compassion of the rural community expressed itself as a result of a “ listened—in on call”. The following story illustrates this point. A new bride in the district loved to get back home every Saturday night. Her mother called to see if she and her husband were coming only to be informed by a very disappointed lady that they would be unable to because the car had a flat tire and they didn’t have a spare. A short time later, a neighbour from up the road landed in their yard with the offer of his spare tire. The new bride never forgot the kindness of that man and felt very blessed to live in a community of such generosity and warmth. She learned that day that curiosity on the phone line was not something to be annoyed about but rather was a sign ofa concern for people and a desire to be of help.

Today’s world of answering machines, text messaging, and cell phones reaching around the world in seconds seems to be far removed from those humble beginnings of a few men building a rural line connecting some homes along a few miles of countryside. Perhaps something important has been misplaced along the way on the road to progress.

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