YARMOUTH, N.S. – George Atkins didn’t own a car all those decades ago, so he borrowed an old convertible.
His mission? To impress a girl.
Did it work? It did, according to family members.
Nowadays, his arsenal to impress others includes his friendly nature and charm, which were out in full force outside his Yarmouth residence on June 4 as he celebrated his 96th birthday.
And then there’s his biggest asset – his humour.
About the friends and family who gathered to help him celebrate – albeit while social distancing and wearing masks – he says, “I’m lucky to have them . . . And they’re damn lucky to have me!”
A veteran of the Second World War, Atkins joined the war effort at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the army. He trained in Halifax and then at CFB Borden in Ontario. He sailed to England and eventually found himself in occupied Germany during the war. He come back home in 1946.
Home was changed, however, when the Yarmouth resident opted to move to Montreal where he lived for 73 years. Now he’s back in Yarmouth.
He only has nieces and nephews left, having outlived everyone else in his family.
“He’s my father’s baby brother. My father would have been 101 in May. Uncle George was the baby and he’s 96,” says his niece Wendy Deveau, who not only helped her uncle celebrate his birthday, but also reached out to some antique auto club owners to ask if they’d do a drive-by for her uncle’s birthday.
“He thinks the older cars are a tribute to their eras,” she says.
A few vehicles drove past, tooting their horns for the birthday boy.
When a 1927 Model T Ford driven by Randall Pitman of South Ohio, Yarmouth County, pulled into the driveway, Atkins could be overheard saying, “Oh my God.”
He quickly grabbed his walker and scooted over to get a closer look. Pitman was only too happy to not only let Atkins climb inside, but he took him for a short ride. Pitman is asked if he restored the automobile himself but says he got some very unique help.
“I bought it in Halifax. There was a fellow, he’s long since passed away, who was a famous blind mechanic in Halifax. I used to help him,” he says.
He’s talking about Eric Davidson who, as a toddler, lost both eyes in the 1917 Halifax Explosion from shattering glass from a window at his home. As he aged, he became fascinated with cars and became a mechanic. According to biographical information about Davidson, his brothers read to him from manuals. With his own hard work and determination, he passed his examinations and made a career of working on cars.
“He had the engine all done but he couldn’t do the body work without his eyesight,” says Pitman, who explains he assisted with that. “I bought the Model T and drove it from Halifax to Yarmouth. CBC found out about this and they had me on television. They gave me $10 for being on TV.”
Atkins was all smiles and he waved from inside the antique vehicle. Asked afterwards how the ride was he says, “Bumpy.”
To say Atkins is a unique character is an understatement.
“He keeps me entertained and it’s never a dull moment with him,” says his neighbour Linda Peterson-Blades. “He’s been in my bubble from the start. Myself and his neighbour Ruth, we have been cooking for him. He’s a wonderful, wonderful person.”
Says Atkins, laughing, “They keep feeding me. They stay thin. I get fat.”
And about further COVID impacts, he says, still laughing, “I’m waiting for the dentist to open. I lost two teeth. It takes away my good looks.”
Ruth White, meanwhile, comments on how active her 96-year-old neighbour is.
“He’s the first one out here in the morning. Walking around in his walker. He’s really active and his memory is good. He can go back and tell you things way back about growing up in Yarmouth.”
His niece Wendy also talks about how her uncle is always on the go – more so during non-COVID times, of course.
“Every Tuesday he goes into town. He has his routine. People know him at the Old World Bakery. They know him at the bank. They know him at Pharmasave. He exercises three times a day. Ever since his army days he exercises and does the same routine that he’s done since then and it’s keeping his legs strong,” his niece says. “He’s also very independent. It’s wonderful.”
“He’s a really good person and he really loves life,” she says about her Uncle George. “He says ‘I came here back to Yarmouth to live, not to die.’”
