Cape Breton's Magazine

. 0 .# ??' • J-J So my father came home--they had a meeting. I was 13, I think. Maybe 14 or something like that. He said, "You're playing for the picnic this year, boy. You'd better sharpen up now." I played for the picnic. Got $2.50. I was playing in public before that, but just around home, you know, no big gatherings or anything. Just played lo? cal, little kitchen rackets home. I remember one time there was a bunch of Newfoundland boats. They used to come over fishing, you know. Salt cod fishing. And they'd stay till they loaded their boat. Then they'd go back to Newfoundland. And they knew me, got to know me. So they called me aboard of the boat one day and asked me if I would play a few tunes. So I played a few tunes. A fellow went around with a hat. There were, oh, 10 or 15 fel? lows. And I got 12 of the big black pen? nies, with the old Queen Victoria's head on, I think. I got some proud coming up with that in my pocket, boy. Twelve. I was thinking of those big jawbreakers.... (So that added to your summer population.) Oh yes. Oh definitely. You'd have anywhere from 30 to 40 fleet of boats in there. You know, fishing boats, in the summertime. (Newfoundlanders mostly?) Mostly. Ameri? cans sometimes. At swordfishing time, you'd get Americans in there. We'd have a dance on the old wharf every night. Lots of company. (Who would be play? ing?) Oh, mostly me, mostly. And the New? foundland fellows had some accordion play? ers , they'd play for themselves. Because no one could play fast enough for them. They'd dance fast, you know. Their music is very much faster than ours. (Local people--would they mix with the New? foundlanders?) Oh yes, very muchly so. Oh yes. They were great people. Oh, we thought the world of the Newfoundland peo? ple. God, yes. The boat would come in. they'd be up on the government wharf shak? ing hands with all those fellows, you know, back for the summer. Oh yeah, we were just great neighbours. (How often during a summer would this hap? pen, that they'd come in, and there might be a dance on the wharf?) Well, they'd fish. Probably make two trips in the sea? son home to Newfoundland. But they would come in to White Point every night. They would go out and haul their trawl gear, and get whatever they had on their trawl gear. Then they'd start back for White Point. They dressed their fish coming in. Come in and anchor, tie up at the wharf or, if there were too many boats, anchor in the stream, anchor in the cove for the - Prevents Overhead Drips that Cause Ice Build-Up 9 on Steps, Walks & Patios - Removes Excessive Water Build-Up around Foundation Walls - Seamless Aluminium Eavestroughing Formed on Site Any Length - Available in Either White, Brown or Cream fbe' ES- ,T.MA'' 562-0421 A Division of SYDNEY VINYL (3)