Banff Springs Hotel Staff Reunion Website
1990's
Below: Chris Frise. He worked at the Koffie Huis, BSH. 1997-1998. Now living in London, Ont.
Cheryl Taylor – Waitress – 1990.
My husband Owen Key and I met at The Springs in December
of 1990. I was 19 and after deferring university offers in Ontario and not
pursuing an offer from Royal Roads Military College (much to my parents'
disappointment) I made my way to Banff to fulfill an urge to travel. Out of the
entire graduating class at KCVI in Kingston, ON I was one of two people
not going on directly to post secondary. All Mdme
Puddicomb could say for my future plans at my convocation was I was searching
for self.
That search started in December living in Fairholm for I believe $42/ week
including food. I started as a bus person in the Koffee Huis. A couple of months
later I started waitressing there and eventually went on into the Alberta and
Rob Roy rooms.
I loved it. After a life time of growing up in our nation's first gated
communities that were the Canadian Forces Bases, I was free to explore without
answering to a guard at the gate. My room mates Sonia and Catherine were
awesome. So many stories involving the Bean and Bitifspliks mashed potatoes (the
Bean's were better), late nights at The Whiskey Creek, hangover waffles at Phils,
crazy Aussie staff who skulled pitchers of beer, skiing on 3 hrs sleep, ghost
hunting trips on the fire escapes (sorry security...that we weren't caught that
is!), the ardent Quebec "national" staff we argued with while
polishing silver, working a split shift in the Alberta on 3 hrs sleep, running
from the elk, breaking into the Upper hot pools (and getting caught thanks to
the cabbie who we paid to take us there - not our smartest move), many bike
trips to Minnewanka and Johnston's Canyon, Aardvark pizza, bingo at the Legion,
our cross country ski and canoe trips down to Canmore, good live music at the
Rose and Crown, sangria in the summer at the Crown, road trips camping, rock
climbing on Cascade which may have involved a helicopter rescue.
Cheryl Taylor
Okotoks, AB