Page 51 - "Parade of Concern" for Sydney Steel

ISSUE : Issue 58

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/8/1

of money into it. Now, have I put a lot of words in your mouth by saying it like that?) No, no. I don't think they --when they took it over first, they had to do it. It was an immediate thing. There was no time to play around with "maybe we will or maybe we will not." If the plant had closed, and it was left closed for 6 months or a year, it would never have re-opened. That's my opinion. So it was an immediate thing. We're talking two months. Now, let's take it over. And after we take it over, and it's continuing, then may? be we'll find a way out. But they were not looking for that way out. That was not part of the original takeover. Just do it. And we'll answer that question.... And they never answered the question. Year after year after year after year.... (Right. They neither sold it, nor modernized it.) That's right. For 22 years, 23 years. (But, although we've lived along, I guess we don't want to take away from the fact that we still have Sydney.) That's right, and we wouldn't have had it. (And a much more developed Sydney.) Much more. (Than you were faced with in 1967.) Right.... Some funny things happened (at the Parade of Concern). We never had a crowd like that before, so we had no experience--nobody. We were hoping that there would be no trouble. And people had told us there might be trou? ble. Because there was anger. You know, your whole community's gone. And we inten? tionally- -this is no accident--we put that starting point--and we argued about that, and we made sure--over at the beginning of the steel plant. Rather than Victoria Park. So we wouldn't have to come through the business district. And we went right down Inglis Street, out. And there was really no place or reason for any violence in that parade. And it was long enough to keep peo? ple busy. You had to walk a couple of miles, see. That was all intentional--that wasn't accidental. That was for crowd con? trol and anger control.... And then when we got into the Sports Cen? tre, it was so long to try and get them in. Because there was no parking--it was just the inside of a big field. (This is the racetrack.) It was just in the centre, in the field. Just a level type of an old swamp, that's all it was. And we were up on this stand. And never really had pre? pared for an hour-and-a-half to two-hour wait. The Men of the Deeps were there to sing a few things.. . . But MacKinnon was there--Charlie MacKin? non. And he was a steelworker, and he played the guitar and he used to sing these western, country-type music songs. He made up a little song. (And that was prepared?) No! He had it written--the words written on the back of an Export A cigarette package: "Let's Save Our Indus? try." And he started that. And my God, the people joined in. And that really took off. There was no preparation for that. Charlie wrote that song, and he had the words written on the back of a MacDonald Export A cigarette package. And the darn thing took off. We had nothing else to do, anyway. And the crowd all got in on the chorus. And it really worked. You know, it was just a pure accident. ACADIAN 4 TRIPS DAILY BETWEEN SYDNEY & HALIFAX TRIP 72 - Daily pick ups in: NORTH SYDNEY, LITTLE BRAS D'OR, BIG HARBOUR, BADDECK, LITTLE NARROWS, WHYCOCOMAGH, PORT HASTINGS, PORT HAWKESBURY, & others (TRUR01:15 P.M. VIA RAIL connection) TRIP 64L - Daily pick ups in: NORTH SYDNEY (11:25 AM.), BADDECK (12:15 P.M.), WHYCOCO- MAGH(12:45 P.M.), ANTIGONISH (2:00 P.M.) TRIP 62L - PORT HAWKESBURY to HALIFAX only (SUNDAY to FRIDAY only) >....r, • • ?=..u, • TRIP 54 - via St. Peter's - Pick ups in: SYDNEY RIVER. 2:15 P.M. 9.50 P.M. BIG POND, ST. PETER'S, GRAND ANSE, CLEVELAND, PORT HAWKESBURY, & others TRIP 76 - Pick ups in: NORTH SYDNEY. BADDECK. 6:00 P.M. 12:10 A.M. WHYCOCOMAGH, PORT HAWKESBURY (SUNDAY to FRIDAY only) '.''L TOLL FREE (schedule Subject to Change) ' 1-454-9321 V S--' for further information ARRIVE HALIFAX 2:45 P.M. 11:00 A.M. 5:00 P.M. 5:15 P.' PARCEL EXPRESS • Same day service to most Maritime points • Collect shipments now accepted • Excess insurance available to $500.00 • "Priority Pak" our new 12''x16" waterproof envelope with a flat rate throughout the Maritimes • sold 10 to a package $48.25 GRAYLINE SIGHTSEEING TOURS JuBe 1 - October 15 See Historic Halifax / Peggy's Cove We depart from most hotels for these tours. ACADIAN LINES LIMITED 6040 Almon Street, Halifax, N. S. B3K 5M1 51

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