Stories

Albert & Betty Walters Fund

Albert Walters

Albert Walters

 

Betty Walters

Betty Walters

Albert Edward Walters was born in England in September, 1912 which, he often noted, was the same year that the Titanic went down.  His mother died when he was four years old, and circumstances were such that at age 8 he continued his schooling at Princess Alice Orphanage and School in Birmingham.

At age 16, he had the opportunity to immigrate either to Australia or Canada.  He chose Canada, and left two brothers and a sister behind in England.  Many of the immigrants arriving in Canada from England were hired out to local farmers and, in Hamilton, they were picked up at Gage House.  The local farmer who hired Albert did not give him a very welcome introduction to Canada.  He was introduced to the farmer’s family as “this is what we got” – an introduction that Albert never forgot.  However, in subsequent years, he worked at other farms where he was well treated and made lasting friendships.

These were depression years and Albert realized that he needed to do something to advance himself, so he enrolled in a correspondence course in electronics and at a later date he took a course in radio out of Toronto.

In 1937, Albert was introduced to Elizabeth (Betty) King by her brother, Alex.  This connection provided him with a “ready-made” family to help replace the siblings he had left behind in England.  Betty, who was born in Northern Ireland, had immigrated to Canada in 1926.

At the outbreak of WWII, Albert enlisted for service in the RCAF, having already been a member of the Reserve.  He served with the 119th Bomber Squadron of Hamilton.  He married Betty in 1939 and was posted first to Vancouver and then to P.E.I. and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for the duration of the war.

Albert had always been interested in electronics of all kinds, so after the war he and Betty returned to Hamilton where he worked in the radio department of Westinghouse.  Then, in 1949, he decided to open up his own shop.  He and Betty established Dun-Ham Radio and Appliance Store in Dundas.  By the time they opened the store, Albert had already built his own television set, and their home was well equipped with many electrical systems.  A neighbor once observed that “next thing he will have is an electronic wheelbarrow!”

Albert and Betty operated their store very successfully until 1979 when they retired to their home in Dundas.  Betty died after a short illness in 1995 at age 81, and Albert died in 2009 at age 97.  The Albert and Betty Walters Fund has been established to provide access to education for persons in need of assistance, preferably in the Dundas area.