George Bonnycastle

Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Eggo, of 369 Carlton street, announce the marriage of their second daughter, Margaret, to Mr. George Bonnycastle, of Boise, Idaho, formerly of this city, to take place June 19.⁶

At the residence of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Eggo, 369 Carlton street, at 7.30 last evening, the marriage of their second daughter Margaret (Daisy) to George Bonnycastle, of Boise, Idaho, formerly of Winnipeg, was celebrated by the Rev. D.M. Solandt, assistant pastor of Knox church.
     At the far end of the large double drawing-room was erected a bower of greenery studded with marguerites (the bride's name giving the idea for the blossoms), before which the marriage vows were taken. The bride, who was given away by her father, was becomingly gowned in ivory peau-de-soie, the front panel of the pleated skirt being trimmed with chiffon rose applique laid on in a vandyke design. The broad "Gibson" shoulders of the bodice were prettily trimmed with lieve lace, her tulle veil was secured with a coronet of natural valley lilies, and she carried a bouquet of bridal roses and lilies of the valley. Her only attendant was her sister, Miss Dora Eggo, who was prettily gowned in champagne marquisette trimmed with lace of the same tone, and brightened by bands and bows of turquoise blue satin, her bouquet of "Sunrise" carnations was interspersed with fronds of green. Mr. Harry Thompson was best man, and during the ceremony Miss Maude Cross played very softly "Marguerite."
     Mrs. Eggo (mother of the bride) wore black peau de soie, the bodice showing a vest of white embroidered chiffon.
     At the close of the ceremony the guests, to the number of about sixty, were ushered into the dining-room to the strains of the Mendelssohn wedding march, and refreshments partaken of from a buffet decorated with the bridal flowers, roses and valley lilies, a large wedding cake gracing the centre of the table.
     Mr. and Mrs. Bonnycastle left by the west train for the groom's old home in Chillowack; they will also visit Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, before journeying to Boise, Idaho, where they will in future reside. The bride travelled in a smart costume of dark blue broadcloth trimmed with military braid and clusters of buttons. Her little mohair toque of dark blue was caught on one side with a dark blue plume shading to a pale blue, secured with the same toned roses. The wedding presents of great value and beauty included many handsome cheques.⁹

Redrooffs resident … George Bonnycastle celebrates 92 years

George Bonnycastle, who has been a resident of Redrooffs for the past year, celebrated his 92^nd birthday on Dec 7 at the home of his daughter, Mrs Bill Urquhart.

He was born in Campbellford, Ontario, in 1880, but when he was only 2 ½ years old, the family moved to Saskatchewan where his father, Charles Bonnycastle took over a 2,000 acre farm near Indian head. Charles Bonnycastle built a fine home and even in bad farming years, his family never went hungry, for he was a good hunter and fisherman.

His brother Harold Bonnycastle worked with him on the farm and as his family of seven children grew up, not only did they help with the work of the farm, but there were enough of them to form the basis of a cricket team. This was important, for cricket was the chief hobby and one of the great interests of the Bonnycastle family. Part of the farm was laid down as a cricket pitch, with two creases marked and they played teams from Fort Qu’Appelle, Indian Head, Regina, Moosejaw, Grenfell and a very fine team of Indian boys from a nearby industrial school.

George Bonnycastle was an excellent cricketer and a successful hunter, but he was the only boy in the family who did not want to make farming a career, so he took a course of business training at a college in Belleville, Ontario. At the completion of his training he settled in Winnipeg where in 1907 he married Margaret Eggo, a Winnipeg girl.

For 20 years he was employed by the National Cash Register Co of Canada, starting as a stenographer and rising in the course of a few years to sales manager. For another 10 years he worked in the same capacity for International Business Machines and his work for these two companies took him travelling throughout Canada and the United States. He then joined the Canada Biscuit Company as general manager of the Edmonton factory.

Bringing his family to the west coast in 1929, Mr Bonnycastle worked for some years for the Vancouver Sun and Province, with a home on Sussex Street, Burnaby. His wife, Margaret, died in 1969, two years after they had celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary and he made his home with his daughter, Mrs Urquhart. Of his six brothers and sisters, he is the sole survivor, but he is blessed in having his own four children close enough to visit him often. His son Hugh, and his eldest daughter, Georgia Rickson, are in Vancouver, and he has twin daughter, Frances Urquhart at Redrooffs and Jocelyn Foster in Vancouver. He has 7 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Questioned about the name Bonnycastle, he explained to a Times reporter that the original family name was Castle, but his great-grandfather, Richard Castle, was knighted for his services to the British crown and took the name Bonnycastle as his title. Sir Richard Bonnycastle had built Fort Henry at Kingston and had commanded the British forces in Canada.

At 92, Mr Bonnycastle has excellent sight and hearing and a clear, active mind. He is an enthusiastic reader and has published one book, “The Secret to Success Revealed”, which is a treatise on the science of numbers, for which he obtained a copyright in 1944. Always a deeply religious man, during the past year he has become a Jehovah’s Witness and devotes several hours a week to bible study.²⁵