REDVERS - The public school system has seen a lot of changes in the past 40 years.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is the need to transport the rural student population to school. Annette Lenouail and Iona Miller have been driving school buses since the 1970s.
Lenouail is 77 years old. She and her husband Paul owned and operated an abattoir near Wauchope and were also well-known caterers in the surrounding area for decades. They exchanged residences with their grandson Korbin in 2020 and now live in Redvers.
Iona turns 80 years old on Oct. 31. She lived on the farm nine kilometres northwest of Redvers for many years and just moved to the town this summer.
Every school year has approximately 185 days and from September to June, these two women faithfully drive their routes. They are on the road at 7:15 a.m., travelling to the farthest farm for their first pickup of the day. The women then leave the school at 3:30 p.m., dropping off the closest students first. They return home around 4:45 and repeat the cycle daily.
Until this year, Lenouail operated the Wauchope run but has since been transferred to a Redvers route. Miller continues to do the Redvers north run and has done so for decades. Lenouail’s bus route is driven on gravel roads while Miller’s is on pavement only. Both must renew their Class 5S bus driver licences every five years and take regular medicals and eye tests.
In all their years of driving, both have never been in an accident, which is a remarkable feat and something they are very proud of.
These “Golden Girls” were more than willing to share their stories.
“After all these years, I still enjoy my job and love my work,” said Lenouail. “I really get attached to my kids. Soon I will be driving the grandchildren of my very first riders.”
Miller fondly remembers one of her passengers.
“From Grade 1 to Grade 12, I picked up Jericho Rahul north of Redvers. He was an only child and Rahul and his family loved animals. He had a goat named Billy, a potbelly pig called Pork Chop, and a dog named Riker. For over a week, Jericho was very distressed as Billy had run away. I helped look for him on my route and they finally found him a week later.”
With larger farms and declining farm families, the bus routes and their supervisors have had to adapt. Both women have operated under the ownership of Wayne Bus Lines, Southeast Transport, Rilling Bus Lines and now First Student. In fact, the Lenouails once owned and operated four of their own. For Lenouail and Miller, their last new buses arrived in 2013 and presently they operate 24-passenger units.
The recent pandemic was hard on the students, the families and the bus drivers. Although the routes were closed for only a few months in 2020, masks always had to be worn, both by students and drivers.
“On the cold days, it was really hard to drive”, said Lenouail. “With our masks on, our glasses kept fogging up. It was really a headache.”
While the pay is meagre, both women appreciate the regular income, although some sort of pension plan would be welcome. Weather is always a concern in the wintertime but their present supervisors at First Student always err on the side of caution. If the weather is poor, the routes are cancelled without question.
“It’s great to live and grow up with our children. Everyone has different personalities but often the looks and mannerisms are the same as their parents,” said Miller.
“With the invention of cell phones, the bus is a little quieter than it used to be. The young ones are still bubbly and chatty, but the older ones tend to keep to themselves,” added Lenouail.
Tanya Hjelmeland is the local administration officer-supervisor of First Student Canada. “Regarding Annette and Iona, I couldn’t ask for more dedicated, compassionate and loyal drivers. I love them like family.”
Paul and Annette Lenouail are the proud parents of four girls. They have 10 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. The great grandchildren range in age from one-month-old to 13 years old. They are Annette’s pride and joy.
Miller has a three-legged dog named Ruby and a baby-faced cat named Seventeen. These pets give her hours of company and enjoyment.
Of course, the question of “When are you going to finally retire?” had to come up at the conclusion of the interview. The only response received were two mischievous grins. Retirement isn’t in the cards, just yet.
