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