Elsie Reford and Evelyn Reford Approaching the Base of the Falls

Fishing is not for everyone. This did not stop Elsie Reford from doing her best to convert others to love the sport as she did. One of those she introduced the sport to was her new daughter-in-law Evelyn MacInnes. She married Bruce Reford in 1920 and they spent their honeymoon in Metis. In this photo, you can see them walking over the rocks approaching the base of the falls of the Metis River and about to embark in the canoes for a day of fishing. Evelyn Reford never got the bug. She was never at ease killing other creatures and was much happier in a garden than standing with a fishing rod in an unstable canoe.

The family did have favourites, many of whom returned year after year to fish. One of them was Dr. Lewis Reford, Robert W. Reford’s brother. Another was his brother-in-law, W.H. Clark-Kennedy, who was a war hero (he won the Victoria Cross while serving with the Victoria Rifles of Canada in 1918) and who brought his love to fish with him when he moved to Canada from Scotland. McGill University philosopher Dr. J.W. Hickson was another regular.