Cape Breton's Magazine

twelve, and then we went to Toronto. When we lived in Stephenville, we came back to Cape Breton for every Christmas, Easter, summer holidays. I went to Camp Kadimah (in Nova Scotia). We practically lived with my grandparents on Lorway Avenue (in Sydney), Jack and Libby Moraff. And we would go out to visit Grandma and Grandpa Chernin (in Glace Bay). And then do the whole course of the aunts and uncles, house to house. That's what it was like being in Rus? sia, (going) from house V Jl'''!'!llll' to house. Being taken ' || >'*''if care of, you know. (How do you mean being taken care of?) Well, that's it--they took care of us. You felt you had your parents, and then my grandparents were really like parents as well. And then all the aunts and uncles, all the cousins. It was a big family. And you felt like everybody was taking care of you. Once we moved to New? foundland we were al? ready doing something very different from eve? rybody else. My father's a dentist and so he used to do some dental work over there and they had few dentists so it was ripe territory for him. And he hunted. He used to go over there moose hunting. That's when he discovered the land and he loved it there. We lived on Lorway Avenue for six months, while he was building our house in Newfoundland. It was my first year of Grade One. I think I went half a year Grade One here and then half a year Uncle Boris as a young man Cedar House Bakery and Restaurant 674-2929 OPEN DAILY FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER bread • scones • oatcakes • cookies • pies TRANS-CANADA HWY NEAR SEAL ISLAND BRIDGE M JJ. BARRINGTON im WHEEL AUONMENT & AUTO BODY LTD. F' Collision Repairs & Painting in Frame Straightening [Tl Computer Wheel Balancing & Alignment T We stock Brakes & Shocks for most cars m We now carry a Full Line of Tires FREE EHIMATE/ 564-8150 (AT THE TRACKS) in Stephenville, or Kindergarten maybe. I don't know. So we lived here and then we went to Stephenville and we were there for six years. (What is this video project you're doing-- "Russian Relatives"?) Relatives from Rus? sia to Cape Breton. It really came out of the actual experience of discovering that we had relatives remaining in Russia. Now, we al? ways knew that that's • J'' . where our grandparents ' • "" ' came from and we knew ' ,./. that they had left be? hind people. I knew that Grandpa Chernin came with three of his !!'''?:nf;=t>?- brothers and I didn't iS'ftilfe: really know much about the family that was left. There was a big story in the family that Grandpa had gone back in 1935; he tried to get his family out. His parents couldn't leave, they were too old. And so we assumed that everyone was lost in the war.... Now I know what really happened was that after the war his one sister said, "Don't send us any more letters, we could get into se? rious trouble here." She, in fact, de? stroyed all the letters that Grandpa had sent to them over the years but they kept the pictures because they were allowed to keep pictures. They couldn't get in trou? ble for that. So when I went over there, I saw all these photographs. You know, that they had kept for years. They had been sent to Russia from Cape Breton by my grandfather. So, remaining were Boris, his three chil? dren, their children. And then from one of my grandfather's sisters there also is a 7 Union St. • GLACE BAY • 849-1552 (next to Savoy Theatre) I Hand Crafts • Rugs • Wreaths • Wall Hangings ''' Battenburg Laces • Seagull Pewter ' Designer Fragrance Candles Duvet Covers • Crib Ensembles Children's Mobiles • Books Exquisite Collectables Antique Reproductions Suppliers of Commercial Recreational Fencing p. O. Box 98, King St., North Sydney, N. S. B2A 3M1 794-4773 HAVE OUR AUGER TRUCK DIG YOUR HOLES."