Page 23 - With Hilda Mleczko, Glace Bay

ISSUE : Issue 54

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1990/6/1

So what I did, I lay there, close to that brick wall. And I just covered my hands on my head. And I dug my knees in. And I prayed. And I didn't pray, holy, quietly-- I screamed from the guts, "God Almighty, don't let me die! Please, don't let me die, God! I want to see another day." And I was like that. I kept on screaming to myself. Nobody hearing to me, only the Lord himself. And then the bombers went away. So I got up quick and I ran. And I ran and ran until I saw a house. I knocked there. 'Cause we were used to it in those days. I just fell through the door and I said, "Please can I stay until the raid's Business needs knowledge to succeed and knowledge is what universities are all about. SO WORKING MAKES GOOD SENSE TO US. John Hikz Director Business Development Centre Canada ' Atlantic Canada Opportunities over?" Well of course, they weren't going to say, "No, go home." Well, the next day--I got to thinking about it. And the next day--I was curious, so I re? traced my steps to this very place where I lay. Now there on the wall was the shrapnel pockmarks where the shrapnel had hit the wall, the brick wall, and gouged holes in it. You could almost see the shape of my body. And also you could see where I dug my knees, and put my face in it. You could see the shape of a body had been lying there. Now why wasn't I hit? Why wasn't I hit? There was no reason on earth why I shouldn't have been. And that's something that shook me. It was like God himself saying, "You're not ready. I'm not letting you go yet." And then another one. There was a raid on. And I was hoping I'd get home. Because even when the raids went on, the buses would still try to run, to get people home. Whatever they could do, until the roads started getting blown up. They'd help, you know. A lot of unsung he? roes in the war-- people you'd nev? er expect. So I was standing un? derneath an al? cove kind of a place, right close to where the bus stop was --right opposite, but I was in a little sheltered place. And I heard a girl hol? ler to me, "Come on over here, Hilda"--where there's more shelter, it's bigger--you know, more deep, depth to it. She's right across the road--it was a big road, Birm? ingham. And she beckoned me over. So I ran. But as I ran, I heard a bomb coming down. The Saint Mary's University Business Devel? opment Centre owes its existence to the idea that the distance between the ivory tower and the office tower must be eHminated. Students, faculty and staff of the Centre work side by side with entrepreneurs to find practical solutions to the everyday problems of small business. Whether it's start-up assis? tance and advice, market research or information on government programs, the Business Development Centre is there to help. Since they opened their doors in Burnside Industrial Park in January 1989, they've helped 250 people either currently operating or considering the start-up of a business. The students who work at the Centre provide entrepreneurs with dedicated and informed assistance while gaining practical business experience. Everybody wins. And as more and more ventures succeed and grow, so does the region's economy. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is proud to be working with Saint Mary's University towards a stronger Atlantic Canada. SAINT MARY's university AND ACOA A PARTNERSHIP IN ENTERPRISE i'ncede promotion economique du Canada atlantique

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