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Friday, May 17 2024 5Brooklin Town Crier By Jennifer Hudgins When Gladys Iris Rudkin turned 100 years old on April 21, 2011, a party was given in her honour at the Brooklin United Church. The village had not seen a celebration like that for quite some time as residents and family from all corners of the community celebrated her milestone. Gladys found great joy living in Brooklin. Born into the Wheatly family, she was one of four sisters. Her parents were English immigrants who initially settled on a farm on Scugog Island in Port Perry. In her early teens, the family relocated to a farm in Unionville. It was there that she met Bill Rudkin whom she married in 1929 at the age of 18. They were together for 73 years during which they raised their four children, Joyce, Allan, Ralph and Keith. The family moved to Brooklin in 1953 when Bill began driving trucks for McBrien Transport. Later, he worked at the Chrysler car assembly plant in Ajax where he eventually retired as a foreman. Switchboard Operator Gladys was employed as a telephone operator for the Woodbridge and Vaughan Telephone Company. The switchboard office was situated at 66 Baldwin Street until Bell Telephone took over as the primary telephone service provider. The office later relocated to a semi-detached house Bill had built at 7 Campbell Street. The switchboard was installed in one half of the house while the family lived in the other half. Due to her proximity, Gladys frequently operated the switchboards overnight, sleeping nearby on a roll-out bed. Known for her sympathetic ear, she often received calls in the early morning hours from women seeking comfort or reassurance, especially from those caring for ill children or feeling isolated on remote farms. Eventually, with the development of automated switching systems, manual involvement in call connections became unnecessary, leading to Gladys and other operators losing their jobs. After the telephone office closed, Brooklin lawyer Bruce Mackey rented the room where the switchboard once stood and used it as a law office. Needing a secretary, he often turned to Gladys for assistance in witnessing legal documents. Her name thus became a familiar sight on many legal records in the community. A new venture After he moved to another location, Gladys embarked on a new venture, transforming the once switchboard space into her own clothing store, aptly named the Gladys Shop. Specializing in women's and children's clothing, sewing notions, and fabrics, she managed the business successfully for years. At her 100th birthday party, when asked about the secret to her longevity, she humbly replied that there was no secret. Her recipe for a long and fulfilling life was simple: abstain from alcohol and start each morning with a bowl of porridge. Glady died in a Bowmanville retirement home on September 7, 2013, age 102. Today the Rudkin house at 7 Campbell Street is the home to Brooklin Village Massage Therapy and KOSA Hair ET AL. The Voice on the Switchboard Gladys Ruskin is standing, second from right Compost Giveaway Durham Region has teamed up with municipalities to offer free compost to residents at special events across the region. In appreciation of a continued community-wide commitment to the Regional organics collection programs, residents are invited to our complimentary compost giveaways. Whitby's is on Saturday, June 1: 8 a.m.-Noon, at the Whitby Operations Centre, 333 McKinney Drive. These are self-serve events. Residents must bring a shovel and containers for the compost. Quantities are first-come, first-served and limited to four blue boxes of compost per vehicle. Green bins, blue boxes and backyard composters will also be available for purchase. Broken bins can be exchanged for free. No cash. Only VISA, Mastercard and debit will be accepted.. Residents are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to a local food bank (please check that boxes and cans are not damaged, opened or expired). For more information, including tips for preparing to attend a compost event, please visit durham. ca/WasteEvents or download the Durham Region Waste App. Watch for the next column on the changes coming to the green bin program along with an explanation about the blue bin producer program. More Talking Trash Regional Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy Premier Ford: We do need you to do the right thing and provide the $3 million planning grant for the hospital that was deemed to go in Whitby. In the meantime, may we suggest you or your acolyte, MPP Lorne Coe, find some time to check out the Lakeridge Oshawa emergency room, if only for a half hour, to get a sense of our need.