represented a major source of competition to the Island venerable retailers such as Holmans and Moore and MacLeod. In the early 1980s, the construction of the Confederation Court Mall was aimed at revitalizing the downtown core.

The relocation of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to Charlottetown resulted in an influx of new people, jobs and new demands for goods and services.

The rapid rise in tourism signaled other changes. Between 1965 and 1975, ferry traffic increased by 128 percent. That resulted in new demands for facilities and services. Three new motels, MacLauchlans, the Islander and the Kirkwood, were constructed in Charlottetown, while the Rodd Motel in West Royalty was upgraded and expanded. Even the nightlife was changing, with a number of new bars and clubs opening around the city.

Gradually, Charlottetown secured its position as the leading financial, business and administrative centre of the province. New job and economic opportunities swelled in the service sector. The Prince Edward Island Comprehensive Development Plan, a $725 million federal— provincial undertaking which began in 1969 and ran until 1984, completed the modernization of the province, gradually eroding what

remained of the traditional society.

Picture of Bill and Kathleen, their sons, daughter, son—in—law, daughters—in—law and grandchildren taken at Fernwood, Prince Edward Island (summer 1991)

170 KATHLEEN MURPHY, MAITRIARC