The Summerland Legion’s flag person and oldest veteran, George Ferguson is ready to raise the flag at the Remembrance Day ceremonies, once again this year.
“I’m getting pretty feeble, but I hope to do it. I’m very proud to be a Canadian and very proud of our Canadian flag.” said Ferguson.
Now 103 years of age, he says he’s had a very interesting life.
Ferguson was raised on a dairy farm in Langley B.C. He claims he was a poor student, because he would rather have been outside playing ball than sitting at a desk.
As a young man during the depression he worked his way across the prairies as a farm hand.
“Everything that had to be done on a farm I did. I rode horses, drove tractors, worked on thrashing gangs. I even worked with Wilf Carter once. He sang and yodelled and hollered all the time he was thrashing,” explained Ferguson.
During the Second World War, Ferguson served in the Canadian Army as a cook,
“And I was a damn good one at that,” he said proudly.
Together he and his wife Flora, whose nickname was “Bubbles because she was so bubbly,” shared 61 years of marriage and raised six children.
They moved to Summerland in 1967, buying and operating the Cedarbrook Motel.
The last 10 years of his working life Ferguson drove school bus.
Reminiscing he said, “My wife died in 2002. We had a very good life together. I was a lucky guy. I worked hard all my life, and would do whatever I had to do to make a buck.”
When asked what the secret was to longevity he answered, “Take a drink of rye when you want it. Happy hour starts any time after 4 o’clock.”