2004
I remember when...
To celebrate National Public Service Week,
we asked staff throughout the Pacific Region to look back on their years
of service with the Public Service and complete this sentence - Enjoy!
I remember when...
Staff refused to touch a keyboard – they
said it wasn’t in their job description!
Bruce Drake, Executive Director
Ottawa sent us our first AES Word Processor and it sat in a box for six
months because no one knew what to do with it!
Wendy Lashkevich, International Trade Canada
Portable spectrum analyzers weighed 40
pounds, portable satellite TV receiver dish antennas were 6 feet in
diameter, and you could knock someone out with a cell phone!
Wayne Choi, Director Spectrum/Telecomm & Lower Mainland District
All the applications we used were DOS based.
Carol Howell-Jones, International Trade Canada
We shared computers!
Jeanette Chang, Regional Human Resources Advisor
There was no fax machine and no computer at your desk. Everything done by
paper was sent out for data entry, and it could take up to 6-8 weeks to
receive a pay cheque.
Susan Schellenberg, Compensation Specialist
I remember when you needed a licence to
operate a GRS (CB) radio and I could fill my VW's gas tank for about 3
bucks!
Gord Herrmann, Spectrum Program Manager
We did all the investigative reports by hand and handed them to the clerks
for typing.
Bill Bil, Senior Bankruptcy Analyst
We didn’t have email!
Lynda Wray, Human Resources Coordinator
I got my first computer and didn’t use it for a whole year – and now I
can’t work unless it’s on!
Ron Farris, ITC Trade Commissioner
There was a Department of Communications
and the Hon. Jeanne Sauvé was Minister. Back then data was downloaded to
Ottawa via an acoustically coupled modem at 300 baud and data downloads
took 3 hours (usually at least an hour per day). 8 bit K-Pros were the
norm, and tubes were studied in school and found in applications (2-way
radios, TVs, Broadcast transmitters, etc.).
Greg Corbett, Spectrum Management Officer
All government job postings were mailed to our office and posted on a
bulletin board. It would take months to hire someone!
Bev Segal, Learning Services Coordinator
The Department used to be called Industry, Trade and Commerce.
Wendy Lashkevich, International Trade Canada
The telephones were switchboards and all you ever saw were blinking
lights!
Maria Esteves, Client Services Assistant
I was told that 10K of memory was more than my computer would ever need.
Lynn Wageler, Bankruptcy
In order to send a message out, we used telexes that went through endless
amendments by managers. Now we can fire off an email to the other side the
world directly!
Keith McKellar, Senior Industry Officer
We didn’t have E-Filing.
Michele TenEyck, Bankruptcy
Industry Canada first merged the four different departments. I thought
they could never be one – but we won!
Bella Tata, Executive Assistance Officer
My first desktop: a lightning-fast 286 with four megabytes of RAM.
Jean-Pierre Roy, Communications Manager
When the majority of people smoked at meetings and my starting salary of
$7280 per year was worth something!
Bill Johnston, International Trade Centre Director
DFAIT expected their senior management (who were working dozens and dozens
of overtime hours monthly) to have a leave summary form signed every month
in regions by EDs who couldn't possibly know if they had or had not taken
leave.
Bruce Drake, Executive Director
|