War bride Audrey (Tipping) Kelly was born in 1932 in Kent, England. She grew up during the war and she remembers that her family was evacuated from Broadstairs, England on the coast to Tamworth located in the middle of England for reasons of safety because of the constant bombings.
She served three years with the British army and worked with the United Nations peacekeeping operation that began in 1948. It was during her work in Germany with the UN that she met her future husband, a Canadian soldier named Jack Kelly. Jack was stationed in Germany doing the same type of work that Audrey was doing representing England. There were troops from many different countries participating in peacekeeping operations and it just so happened that there were Canadian troops stationed in Germany. Many of them gathered for a dance and to make a long story short Audrey and Jack met at this dance.
They were married in England on the 4th of July in 1953. Audrey said, "Jack was always practical so he chose the wedding date of the 4th of July because it was a date that would be easy for him to remember."
Jack returned to his military post in Edmonton and Audrey followed in December of 1953. The rule was that if you were in the British Army you were not entitled to be married so she took a discharge, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived by boat in St John's, Newfoundland. Her next connection was a long train trip to Edmonton to once again meet up with her husband.
Jack was posted to Yellowknife in the winter of 1954. Audrey was in for a real shock when the young couple arrived in Yellowknife. She said, "We arrived and it was minus 43 and absolutely freezing cold. I grew up in England and I had never experienced anything like this extremely cold weather or the isolation. There were wooden sidewalks and one road that came directly from the airport into town. It was a total shock but I was in love so none of it seemed to matter that much. There were other married couples living there and it wasn't long until we made new friends. Regardless, we were happy and we started our family and before we knew it we had two boys."
After six years in the army. Jack was discharged and the couple moved to Nelson. Jack went to work for T. Eaton Co. Ltd., which at the time was the largest department store retailer in Canada. In 1964 he was transferred to Rosetown, Sask. to open and manage a new store for the company. By this time they now had four boys. After two years they decided to move back to B.C. because Jack missed his hunting and fishing opportunities. He managed to get a transfer with the T. Eaton Company as a salesman, a job that landed the young family in Prince George.
They arrived in Prince George in 1966 and made the city their permanent home. The pulp mills had just arrived and Prince George was thriving. They had a difficult time finding a place to rent but as luck would have it they were able to rent a house in the Hart area. Audrey said, "We loved the area because we had great neighbors, the schools were very good and we had the best air quality in town; all of this trumped the heavy snowfalls. We were happy there and I still live in the area."
Jack continued to work for Eaton's until the store closed in 1976 and then he went to work for Sears. He retired 13 years later.
He only thought that he had retired. He had an opportunity to run the Nakalat Lodge located on Stuart Lake near Fort St. James. Audrey, who had never worked outside the family home, started her first paid job at the age of 52 at the Nakalat Lodge.
For the next five years they managed the lodge from May to the end of October. Audrey explained, "I was the chief cook and bottle washer and Jack worked as a big game guide. The owner of the lodge owned the Star Shipping Company from Norway. They brought in all their big customers from pretty much all over the world including the United States and Jack took them out on hunting and fishing trips. I ran the lodge and I remember it all very well. No matter how big their companies were these big executives were all like a bunch of little boys. They all loved fishing and hunting and they couldn't get enough of the scenery. Jack was always amazed at our life out at the lodge because he got paid for doing all the things he loved to do. Not only that, we met so many great people. The Norwegians were wonderful people; they were all rich but they were just like anyone else. They worked hard and they loved their outdoor sports and they respected and looked after the land. We were all on a first-name basis and we made some great friends over the years."
Jack Kelly was born in Hanley, Sask. in 1928. He passed away in 2007 after nearly 53 years of marriage. Together Jack and Audrey raised four boys; Michael (Faye), Glenn (Darlene), Tim (Barb) and Ron (Mary). They have nine grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
Audrey is enjoying her retirement and goes carpet bowling and five pin bowling on a regular basis. She also volunteers her time at the Hart Pioneer Senior Centre and takes pride in tending the huge display of nasturtiums at the entrance to the senior centre.
