Page 17 - Travels with Johnny "Butch" MacDonald

ISSUE : Issue 36

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1984/6/1

know. And Tuesday you'd pick them up, eh? From the farmer, and haul them in to the station. The train was coming through Tues? day night. Well, that train would be in here Wednesday morning. And I would get home Tuesday night sometime, with a load of lambs on the truck. And a carload com? ing in. Instead of driving them up from the station then, we'd truck them up. Then we'd start butchering Wednesday. We had to have the lambs to deliver Thursday. Be? cause the stores wanted them Thursday or Friday. And that's when you had to have them. The stores are doing business with you every week. This store would take 10, this one would take 15. But they wanted them every week. And you had to supply them every week. So, they'd arrive Wednes? day morning. Start butchering Wednesday af? ternoon. Maybe Wednesday 'after supper. Well, you didn't mind that, you didn't mind the butchering. That had to be done. You were working inside. But when you're picking them up, getting them, and it raining--it's not a very pleasant job. It's mud to your knees. (How late would you butcher?) Maybe 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock, something like that. If we wouldn't do them all that night, we'd do the other half the next night. Gracious, the work. When I think of it. You had to be crazy. I had to be crazy. I had to be. And I worked like a slave at it. I had the best career of anybody, clear of the slav? ery, you know. It's a picnic now: good roads, good truck, heater. I used to like to kill lambs, I could kill a lamb in 4 minutes, I've done it. That doesn't mean to say that I could do 15 an hour. But I tried it one time. And it was just 4 min? utes from the time I started it till it was hanging up, ready for the store. But we worked at it, holy God, all night, driv? ing it, killing those things, lifting them around, throwing them around. And I liked doing it. I don't think right There had to be "crazy" i demented, you some word. crazy, didn't I? (I s the word,) All can call it demented. DO YOU WANT TO GO TO SEA? Become an officer in the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard Fleet is the sea-going arm of the Ministry of Transport. Men and women from across Canada come to the Cana? dian Coast Guard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia, to train as Navigation and Marine Engineering Of? ficers. We offer free tuition, room and board, and uni? forms, a training allowance and a guaranteed posi? tion as a Watchkeeping Officer in the Canadian Transport r Canada • "' Coast Guard Transports CaruKla 1' Garde c6ti'fa Canada Coast Guard Fleet upon graduation. There is a world wide shortage of marine person? nel. If you are interested in a challenging, well-paid career, send the Coupon today. Applications will be accepted until January 31 of the year of entry. (Minimum entrance requirements are grade 12 aca? demic with Math, Physics, English and one year of French in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.) Registrar, Canadian Coast Guard College, P. 0. Box 3000, Sydney, N. S. BIP 6K7 Please send me an information kit on the Transport Canada Coast Guard College. Name Address Street City School Province Apt. No. Postal Code Present Grade I (1

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