Area hydro retirees total 280 years

Nine area Ontario Hydro employees, with over 280 years of service with the company, will retire Sept. 1.


Four employees work in Blind River, two have been located in Elliot Lake, two employed at the Mississagi Transformer Station and another at the George W. Rayner generating stations located north of Thessalon.


The Blind River retirees include Michael Cosgrove, Alvin Reed, William Maxwell and Arthur Nyman. Mr. Ny-man also worked out of Hydro's Elliot Lake office along with two other retirees, Clark Wilson and Ralph Bender.


Berten Johnston has been employed at the Rayner Station while Horace Fleming and Otto Mattinen each are working at the Mississagi Station until the end of the month.


Mr. Cosgrove, a line sub-foreman, has been with the company for 34 years. The Ville Marie, Quebec-native, resides in Iron Bridge with his wife Mary and they have one son, three daughters and two grandchildren.


Mr. Reed, a truck driver with the company, began his 35-year career with Hydro at Iron Bridge and has worked at different locations in Ontario. In 1957, Mr.Reed won Hydro's Northeastern region truck driving competition. Alvin and his wife Elveana have a daughter and a son, and five grandchildren.


Mr. Maxwell, a Belfast, Northern Ireland-native, joined Hydro in 1952 as a stockkeeper in Toronto before moving to Algoma District where he is retiring as a customer service foreman. William and his wife Jane have one daughter.


Mr. Nyman, a meter reader, started with Hydro in 1957. Born at Spanish River, Arthur and his wife Jean now reside in Blind River.


Mr. Wilson, a customer serviceman, joined Hydro as a stockkeeper at Shelburne in 1949 after growing up in Detroit. Now a resident of Elliot Lake, he and his wife Winnifred have a son and daughter, and one grandchild.


Mr. Bender, a lineman, concludes a 34-year career after joining the company at Matheson in 1949. He and his wife Ida have one daughter and three sons.

Mr. Johnston, an assistant mechanic, grew up in the Thessalon area and served overseas before joining Hydro at the Rayner station in 1951. He and his wife Stella have a son and one grandchild.


Mr. Mattinen, a fitter mechanic, was born in Tornio, Finland, before coming to Canada to work. He joined Hydro at Abitibi Canyon in 1959. He and his wife Irma live in Thessalon.

Mr. Fleming, district operating supervisor at the Mississagi Station, is wrapping up 35 years with the company. Starting as a generating station operator in training in 1948, Mr. Fleming later became a first operator and then a district chief operator at several Northern Ontario stations.  He and his wife live in Thessalon and have four sons and two grandchildren.