LOVE AND LINOTYPE AT MERCURY FOR MELBA WILSON

SHERRY HAAIMA sherry.haaima@ metroland.com

Thelong,successfulrun of the Renfrew Mercury would not have been possible without the many individuals who worked at the newspaper over the years. On the occasion of our 150th anniversary, we checked back with several key players to talk about theirtimeatthenewspaper andwhatthey'reuptonow. And while it was impossibletobooktimewitheveryone,aheartfeltthanksgoes out to all of you who put time and effort into the newspaper's success.

Melba Wilson's connec- tion to the Renfrew Mercury runs long. She was 16 when she started working at the paper, which was located on Raglan Street beside the post office.

"Hilda Frood hired me. I wasinhelping,foldingpapers and stuff," she said. "Then I learned the linotype and started doing typesetting."

Her time at the Mercury,particularlyattheearly location, was among the best of her life.

"It was hard work there, but it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my job there," she said.

In the early days, metal

Continued from page 10 and hot lead were involved in the process.

"That was different — if you happened to have a splash, you jumped," she said.

Sherecallsmeetingonetime Ottawa Mayor Charlotte Whitton, who was a friend of Frood's.

"She'd come in the back door and they'd be listening to what was being said on the radio — everyone tryingtoguesswhereshe'd disappearedto—andthere she was at the Mercury," said Wilson.

Alsoatthedowntownlocation, the message board out front of the office was a hubofactivityattimes,particularly during elections.

"They'd put the results of the voting out there and people would be on the street, all piled around," said Wilson.

And not only did the Mercury give Wilson the opportunity for her long and successful career (she retired in 2007), it is also where she met the great love of her life — the late Boyd Wilson. He, along with brothers Norman and Kent, became owners of the newspaper after the death of their aunt Hilda Frood. Their ownership extended from1964-1970. "He loved every bit of that business, he knew it inside out," said Wilson, who was married to Boyd for 42 years. "He lived and breathed the newspaper."

Wilson had rolled with thetransitiontodigitaland was working on desktop publishinguponherretirement.

She now enjoys spending her time with family and friends, gardening and fostering small dogs in need of TLC.