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There are more than twenty buses servicing the Tavistock area these days with students being picked up for schools in Woodstock, Stratford, Kitchener and New 8 im _ â€"p e e cssc‘ dijee, m L_cr222ct © «) Four decades in Harold Bender is in his 44th year driving a school bus. He started with the O%d,Co;Q't‘y 90£rd £f&fiducation and now drives two routes to Waterlooâ€"Oxford District Secondary School in _B,aden,.,?‘_WI 5 <S3Qt7" € f“1995' en /_'7:1; o momans" In the summer of 1970, _ Hamburg from elementary es 10â€" nisfo Detregied: Lodon. while Harold Bender was _ and high school to public, ]I;I:;* oll.glnsetsafvti(iicmfi g_cott . think on uces a eephon clo millhe 10880 private and French became Sharp Bus Lines !é%rl}ririu(::ié'agt%fg "yhe said nweétgt?sséi: grl;fgmo the fersion fohools: .. At 7:25 each morning he Although he may have had field to ask if he would Harold drove many has three pickâ€"up points in a few discipline problems consider driving school bus. different routes over the Tavistock and five stops on â€" on the bus over the years, Fortyâ€"four years later, years at Hickson mcluI(zlll "E the townline. After ________ he said, sometimes he had Harold still gets up before . 4 10UEAt© s ie dropping the students off at to look in the mirror to see dawn to ready his school asoftansp qrted assnafls. Wâ€"QO, he heads back into if the kids were still there b;s for the day‘s run to as five physicallyâ€" & New' Hamburg for three â€" especially Monday Waterlooâ€"Oxford District challenged studente during more stops. It takes about _ mornings. "It‘s rewarding to Secondary School. Ehat. nc _ id 12 minutes for that run, In _ hear adults make positive Harold‘s first I picked up one C.hfl al the afternoon the route is _ remarks about the years 1 t ies her dporand camedherdp reversed when they travelled on my C PV is and from the bus and then + y h pus." he adned Oxford County Board of n aiels Simeu t hn Remah His last stop eac s led. In the summer of 1970, while Harold Bender was driving the combine for a neighbour, Shorty Wettlaufer drove into the field to ask if he would consider driving school bus Fortyâ€"four years later, Harold still gets up before dawn to ready his school bus for the day‘s run to Waterlooâ€"Oxford District Secondary School. Harold‘s first employment was with the Oxford County Board of Education to Hickson Central Public School. He drove a 72â€"passenger bus with three students to a seat and 6â€"8 standing in the aisle. "Obviously, those conditions are totally unacceptable today," he said. However, "It was more cost effective than taking individual students to the school of their choice as we do today," he added. Hamburg from elementary and high school to public, private and French Immersion schools. Harold drove many different routes over the years at Hickson including a Toligate School run. He also transported as many as five physicallyâ€" challenged students during that time. "I picked up one child at her door and carried her to and from the bus and then repeated the routine at school," Harold recalls. Today, there are special mobility buses that do all that mechanically. In 1974, Harold went to spare driving for part of a year, but then went back to full time for a total of 25 years at _ Hickson. For all those years he drove 7 miles twice a day to get to his bus. When the opportunity came for a high school run with the bus parked in his own yard, "I left Hickson with somewhat mixed feelings." he said. dropping the students off at Wâ€"QO, he heads back into New Hamburg for three more stops. It takes about 12 minutes for that run, In the afternoon the route is reversed. His last stop each morning is the coffee shop in New Hamburg where he can catch up on the latest news. Sometimes there‘s four buses lined up in the parking lot while drivers debate the day‘s weather and events. Harold has always clung to the philosophy of treating people the way he The students being unfriendly when they get on the bus is not an option, Harold stresses. He greets them with ‘Good Morning‘ and expects them to respond accordingly. And when they get off, it‘s ‘Have a good day." People ask if students are different from forty years ago and Harold usually responds, "Not much, but they definitely know their rights." He‘s also asked if high school students are more difficult. "It‘s easier in some ways," he said. "When you ask a public school > child to sit down, they will for a minute or two until they forget. High school students generally have a longer memory," he noted. ~Growing up on the family farm on the 16th line of East Zorra, Harold‘s BILtGLADDING / TAASTOCKGARETTE 224 /