By Janice Schweder
To The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—Almost 13 years has passed since the very successful Hartford School Reunion in September 2010 at Hagersville Secondary School. Over 400 former students attended from great distances and other countries. There were many tearful reconnections as the school had been closed since 1960.
Hartford School was a union school for Haldimand and Norfolk students. It was assigned two school numbers to identify each of the two counties that it represented. All proceeds from the reunion, in the amount of $5,000, was donated to the West Haldimand Hospital in Hagersville.
HALDIMAND—Above left is a group of participants from the Hartford School fall gathering in 2022 at the farm of Paul and Debbie Gibbons. These “Haldimand students” of the former Hartford Public School were also neighbours to each other on Concession 16 Walpole. From left is Floyd Nelson, Shirley Broekstra, Beverly Sinnabaldi Poudrette, David Thompson, Linda Sinnabaldi Shopka, Keith Curley, and Sherry Nelson Chant. Several of them also rode on Arnie Goble’s bus to Waterford District High School.
“Let’s keep going” was the very strong sentiment after that 2010 reunion and so we have carried on meeting twice each year in the spring and fall. Our venues have included the Windmill Cafe in Mount Pleasant and the hall at Hartford Baptist Church. The onset of COVID forced us apart but also reinforced our dogged determination to keep these gatherings going.
Last fall in 2022, Hartford schoolmate Paul Gibbons invited our group to come to his horse farm near Oakland. Paul’s wife, Debbie, is a bus buddy to many of us who rode the route from Norfolk and through the western tip of Haldimand County (Concessions 15, 16 and 17 of Walpole Township) to take us to Waterford District High School. This was done because the old Hagersville High School and the former Northview Public School did not have room to accommodate all Haldimand students at that time. That bus route was driven for years by members of the Goble family from Waterford area: Archie, Arnie, and Keith. Arnie spent the most years driving that run and, together with his wife Marg, attended several weddings of the kids from his bus.
The Goble bus run through Haldimand County ended in 1970 because Hagersville now had its new high school and additional elementary schools. Arnie Goble continued to drive his bus in Norfolk until his death in the late 80s, when he suddenly collapsed beside his loaded bus prior to its departure from an elementary school in Waterford. Such a tragic end to a good life, but definitely doing what he loved to do.
Since the great Hartford School Reunion of 2010 at Hagersville Secondary School there has been over 30 deaths, but we know that there are dozens of “Arnie Goble Bus Buddies” within the Haldimand area from the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s bus runs. We would love to include these individuals in our future gatherings.
Harold Sonnenberg, former Councillor of Norfolk County, has taken great interest in our group over the years and has attended our events on several occasions. He strongly recommends anyone who ever had Arnie Goble as a school bus driver to attend.
HALDIMAND—Bus driver Arnie Goble with his grandson passenger in front of his bus just months before his sudden death in the 1980s (photo submitted by Rick Goble of Waterford).
The next Hartford School and Arnie Goble Bus Buddies Reunion is Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the farm of Paul and Debbie Gibbons. Cash donations upon your entry will be divided equally between West Haldimand General Hospital in Hagersville and Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe.
Last fall we had six new members attend our gathering. We hope to welcome you this year!
If you are interested in attending, please contact Janice (jlschweder@gmail.com, 519-484-2275 landline, or 519-755-6875 cell/text) or Paul (519-717-1226) to let us know you are interested in attending on May 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. for a “Meet and Greet” together, with wagon rides beginning at 3 p.m. for those who are ready and willing to continue with the fun. Address of the farm is 2217 Old Highway 24, just south of Oakland.
Janice Kersey Schweder is the Chairperson for the Hartford School Reunion.
