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Mr. & Mrs. Charles
Berrisford (Chick & Helen) |
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Dad was working as a carpenter for Shell,
building service stations in New Jersey, when he noticed a newspaper
advertisement for overseas employment in Aruba. His boss thought it was
a great opportunity especially since Shell was anticipating a layoff. He
had no idea where Aruba was nor did it matter much, the pay was good and it
would only be for 18 months. Dad hightailed it to the New York office where
he filled out the necessary papers but had to lie about his age, he was not
quite 21. Within days he was on board a tanker headed for
Aruba. Conditions were rough but being young and single he made do. Work
with overtime kept everyone busy and made time pass quickly. (Funny, now
that I think about it he never said much about San Nicholas, Hmmm). Dad
returned to the states for a year or so when the New York office called and
asked if he would like to return. He returned in 1931 for a second time, I
guess the smell of money was pretty strong considering the economics. He
returned home at the end of his second contract and with a few extra coins
in his pocket he sported a new car and happened upon a rather attractive
lady whom he took for his wife in 1934. |
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Now, marriage changes your entire outlook. Dad
decided to return to Aruba but had to lay a little ground work. Mom was
told that the moon was always full and that you need only to reach out the
window to pick your own banana. That clinched it. Dad left for the third
time and Mom followed several months later in August 1934. They
spent almost a year in various vacation housing before being assigned to
bungalow #303 in 1935. I popped into the picture just a month prior to
their move which was just the first of the many aggravations that I would
present. |
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Dad became interested in trains and I vaguely
remember a Lionel train and layout in the attic. He would take me upstairs
and used me as an excuse to play with his train and of course I was not
allowed near it. Sometime later Mom informed me that the train was
originally intended for me but of course I was too young. I think I was of
driving age and maybe even working for Chicago Bridge before I was allowed
to handle such a large and important piece of equipment. That train was
under our Christmas tree every year and to this day Christmas just isn't
complete without a train under the tree. About the last year in bungalow
#303 John Pakozdi arrive in Aruba and he and Dad built their own snipe in
the garage and named it the BERPAK (BERrisford PAKozdi) which went on to win
many races before being sold to (I think) Tom Tucker. My
sister, Ruth Ann, was born in bungalow #303 in 1939. There
were complications and she had a stroke in 1940 leaving her
paralyzed on the right side. She had open heart surgery in New
York in 1946 which prolonged her life some 15 years. Mom spent
a lot of time with Ruth Ann but still found time to serve in the
community. We moved from #303 to
#713 in 1940 which is the
home I most remember. Dad had a slab poured for a patio, put a
roof over it and continued this process for some 3-4 years until
half the back yard was covered. We had the only house with a green
painted lawn in the back yard, no mowing, just sweep. |
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Aruba was becoming a way of life and the colony
offered a lot to choose from. Mom and Dad were members of the Golf
Club, Dad played softball and bowled while Mom was active with the
Community Church, Women's Club and was an avid bridge player. Dad
particularly enjoyed working with the Bar B Q crew preparing for any and all
the Lago Colony and Golf Club picnics. Ruth Ann was a Brownie and a Girl
Scout and I was in the Boy Scouts and later the Sea Scouts. I developed a
love for the water and took it with me when I left. Bungalow 713 was where
I grew up, bought my first car with Lad Mingus, bought my Indian motorcycle
and had a Cushman scooter, "souped up", would do just under 60 mph. Dad
continued his interest in boats and I guess with my interest in power boats
he got into power boats also. He along with Skip Culver, Tommy Quinn, Ken
Cutting and Dick Saunders decided that a dock below the cliff at Quinn's was
the place. They built a substantial, two story boat dock with lockers,
lifts, rails, etc and of course a party deck on the second level complete
with cooler, bar and furnishings. Dad went into boating again and with the
aid of Skip Culver they built two similar boats. Because there were five
men involved in the dock, it was referred to as the 5th club. That didn't
go over well with the women so, Quinn's Dock was less suggestive and would
do just fine. I got a lot of use and enjoyment out of that dock and in 1954
I left for college. |
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With me gone, the family moved to Bungalow
# 702
just up the road but within sight of the high school and bowling alley.
Coming back for summer vacation it seemed that the folks always had a new
car that I was able to break-in properly for which I don't think Dad had any
great appreciation. Dad had really come around considering that he had
whooped the daylights out of me for stealing his car while I was still in
high school, said I'd never drive his car again and I didn't, not even for
my prom. It was during my summer and Christmas visits that there was talk
of retirement. Yeh, I think it was pretty apparent that this third
contract was permanent. In 1960 my family moved to the new
houses # 1542 which I never did visit but It over looked the ocean
and they loved it. Shortly after, Ruth Ann passed away and
left a void in Mom and Dad's lives. Dad retired in l964 and
settled outside Orlando in Goldenrod, Florida where they built their
dream home. |
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Dad passed away in 1982 and Mom is presently at
Courtyard Gardens in Jupiter, FL only 10 minutes away and is still going
strong. God Bless Aruba. |
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Buddy Berrisford |
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