Yvonne Moore – daughter of Frank and Vera Venables, she and daughter Tara Hovanes joined me in a hilarious journey to Road 18 Tuesday searching for any remaining structure that would place the exact spot of the Testalinda School.

The report card held is for grade 3 – attendee Yvonne Venables at the height of the war in 1942-43.

According to the records – the school closed in 1944 and Yvonne would go to the elementary school in Oliver. Memories are always a bit foggy and the exact spot for a historical monument is yet to be found. If you have a map of where school was located ODN would like to see it.

It was not a wild goose chase for sure but at times (the hilarious part) it seemed to be – when we were squawked at and chased by three large domesticated geese.

To show my age – I knew Minnie Edgerton and Ella Wilson.

There had been a number of school districts in the area. The Okanagan Falls School District was formed in 1898; the Fairview School District was in existence, 1898-1931, and Myers Flat School District, ca. 1910-1915; the Osoyoos School District was formed ca. 1917, the Oliver School District, ca. 1921, and the Testalinda Creek School District, ca. 1927. In 1940, the Oliver, Testalinda Creek and Osoyoos High School Area was formed. In 1942, this was replaced by the Southern Okanagan United Rural School District (S.O.U.R.S.D.), a consolidation of rural school districts in Oliver, Testalinda Creek, Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls.

In 1946, S.O.U.R.D.S. was renamed School District No. 14 (Oliver).  – Now School District #53

Source: Government of BC

Osoyoos School District was established in 1917 as a rural school district. It was disestablished in 1942 when the Southern Okanagan United Rural School District was formed to consolidate rural school districts in Oliver, Testalinda Creek, Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls.

This was a class of Rudy Guidi who became principal or Oliver Primary/Elementary in Oliver many many years ago.