FORT SIMPSON - A lot can change in a community over 40 years, as Helena Tutcho has discovered.

Tutcho visited Fort Simpson from Feb. 15 to 18 as one of the chaperones from Deline for the NWT Winter Games. For Tutcho this trip was a walk down memory lane.

Forty years after teaching in Fort Simpson, Helena Tutcho is still instructing students such as Isabelle Tutcho in Deline. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Tutcho remembers Fort Simpson in 1966 to 1967. For that year Tutcho, then Helena Folliott, was a teacher in the village.

Coming to Fort Simpson was Tutcho's first experience of the North. Originally from Bath, England, Tutcho taught for a year in London and two years in Calgary before moving North. An Anglican, Tutcho was given Anglican students to teach.

"That's the way it was in those days," she said.

She taught approximately 25 students from kindergarten to Grade 2. The students ranged in age from five to 13. Tutcho had an interesting class. Half of the youth were from Fort Simpson and the other half were from Bathurst Inlet, a community from which the students had been flown in that year.

When she wasn't teaching, Tutcho spent time with the students living in the Anglican residence, called Bompas Hall.

"It was fun," said Tutcho of the residence.

One of Tutcho's students was Pearl Norwegian.

Norwegian bumped into Tutcho last summer while she was in Deline for meetings.

"I was just excited," said Norwegian.

Norwegian said at first she couldn't remember Tutcho from kindergarten when she was only five, but as soon as she heard Tutcho's voice the memories all came back.

"I was really attached to her when I was young," said Norwegian.

While Tutcho was in Fort Simpson the two went for a walk to reminisce. Tutcho also gave Norwegian a number of old photos she took of her students.

This was her first trip back to Fort Simpson in 40 years. She has taught in the North for 26 years and is currently a teacher in Deline, although she's retiring this year.

Tutcho said a lot has changed in Fort Simpson.

"I can't get over the church," she said.

Tutcho played the organ at St. David's Anglican church but remembers it being located in the bush. Now it seems to be right beside the Northern, she said.

Tutcho also said the road that used to run along the riverbank is gone. In 1967 there was no liquor store, the only store was the Hudson Bay store and the only access to the village was by winter road. The experimental farm was operating and Tutcho remembers the Goodall family that lived along the river had the best breads and pies.

"It looks like a nice little town still, but much busier," she said.

Even as a small community, a lot happened in Fort Simpson in 1966-67. That year marked Canada's centennial. Tutcho remembers a big bonfire was held on Dec. 31 to celebrate. Folk singers Ian and Sylvia Tyson visited the community.

Some of the events have been preserved in writing. During her stay Tutcho contributed a column called Simpson's Shorelines to a newspaper in Fort Smith. Her column included news on births, deaths, sports, marriages and interesting happenings.

One centennial celebration was recorded in the July 10 issue.

"The centennial barge arrived in style, with a non-operating ferris wheel, though. Thanks to Bill Goodall, who came to the rescue with aid, every child in town had a good share of the rides. The barge was finally blown out of town after a very successful three days."

"The things we did in those days," said Tutcho, thinking back.