Page 3 - Gwennie Pottie of West Tarbot

ISSUE : Issue 67

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1994/8/1

of the Middle- more Home--they had a place in Halifax. He used to come down every summer to visit us, and to find out how we were getting along and all this. And I was about 13 then. The old lady said something to him about, well, I was 14 now, they didn't think they'd send me to school any more. "Oh yes," he said, "you've got to keep her in-school at least till she's 16," So then he turned to me and he asked me, "Do you like going to school?" I said, "Yes," He said, "What are your plans?" I said, "I either want to be a musician or a stenographer. That's my ambition," So then, "Oh," the old lady said, "oh, after a few years she'll get married, and stay with us," and all this, "No," he said, "I hope she doesn't get married until she gets out into the world a little more," I didn't either, I mean, I left home when I did get married. But anyway, he asked me if I was happy there. Well, I more or less told him that it was a nice place and they were good to me and that. I said, "There's a lot of hard work into it. But they're good to me." They were good to me. I can't say that. I mean, a lot of the kids that came didn't have it as good and as lucky.... Oh, it was pretty lonesome for awhile, be? lieve me. Of course, there were people at the house to see me when I came there, you know, the neighbours. They were talking Gaelic, And I was sitting--poor me--tired and lonesome and everything else, sitting there, wondering what kind of people did I come to see. What kind of people did I come to live with! What kind of gibberish are they talking! Oh boy, I'm telling you, (Did you have any sense that they wanted children or did they want a worker?) They wanted a worker, mostly, I mean, I can't Middlemore children and staff aboard the Franconia on the day they left Liverpool, 1924. Gwennie is the second child from the left, second row • wearing a wonderful hat. say they weren't good to me. No way. I mean, there's been a lot that came when I came that were very, very unfortunate. They didn't have good homes and they didn't have people.... Like you say, they wanted them as workers and they were treated as workers. But I wasn't. • SYDNEY'S FAVOURITE BAR & GRILL • PATIO OR INDOORS ? • OPEN 11 AM - 2 AM / SUNDAY 5 PM - 2 AM • LIVE MATINEE EVERY SATURDAY AUTHENTIC 50'S AND 60'S ROCK AND ROLL CLUB JIVE THE NIGHT AWAY WITH THE CLASSIC DANCERS THURSDAY • FRIDAY • SATURDAY: 5 PM - 2 AM EAT ENTERTAINMENT CENTRES UNDER 1 ROOF! 456 CHARLOTTE STREET, SYDNEY DANIEL'S 562-8586 • CLASSICS 564-9234 "ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED" e service drums & rotors resurfaced DISCO TIRE 95 Disco St. SYDNEY 539-4070 2&4 wheel alignment including 1-ton trucks and motor homes computerized engine analysis tune up and air conditioning GOODYEAR CERTIFIED AUTO SERVICE 225 Welton St. SYDNEY 539-5000

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