We are thrilled to be having Barbara Dickson speak at our Probus meeting on Wednesday, November 24th at 10:00AM. Barbara is the author of Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo which is a comprehensive, historical record of Canada’s biggest WWII munitions plant (“GECO”) employing over 21,000 citizens, predominantly women, who courageously worked with high explosives around the clock over its four year history. The GECO plant was in Scarborough where more than 256 million units of ammunition were produced for the Canadian government during the war years. The book offers a unique, intimate, and extraordinary glimpse into the lives and hearts of these dedicated Canadians. In-person interviews with the women who risked their lives every time they stepped onto the “clean side” of the plant lend a personal, distinctive perspective to the book. Retiring from her career as an IT software analyst is 1992, Barbara rediscovered her love of history and writing. She has researched and written books and articles on Canadian history in the nineteenth century, the contributions made by Canadians engaged in war work during the Second World War and the impact of the Irish famine on immigrants fleeing that country and their contributions to Canada. Barbara’s presentation will definitely be interesting and informative!
