Madame Rose departs

by Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Feb 20/98) - For a lot of kids in Fort Simpson, Rose Eder opened their eyes to the wonderful world of the French language.

For the past two and a half years the popular Eder has worked with kids in the village, teaching them the fundamentals behind one of Canada's two official languages.

All told, she figures she taught about 150 area kids during her time in front of a Fort Simpson blackboard.

"I'd like to thank all the parents for supporting all the kids in the program and the other staff members who helped out," she said Sunday, a day before she and her partner, Denis Bedard, left for new opportunities in the Eastern Arctic.

Eder says that pronunciation is one of the greatest challenges both French teachers and students have to work on. And, she says, this is a special challenge in an area where not much French is spoken or heard on television.

However, the Bompas Christmas concerts over the last two years were certainly a place where there was no shortage of the French language being heard.

Eder helped kids sing away through French versions of "Jingle Bells" and "Oh Christmas Tree."

These concerts, and her work organizing the now famous Haunted House festivities in the village -- with Donna Taylor -- and work on spring carnival are among her favorite memories of her time here.

"One of the highlights was that Haunted House at Halloween and seeing the kids faces," she says.

Ottawa born and raised, Eder says the move to Iqaluit will allow her and Denis to be closer to their families back home.