Page 5 - With Margaret MacDonald of Glace Bay

ISSUE : Issue 25

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1980/6/1

most horrible thing to have to do, was to open that can and get the smell out of it. Now why, I don't know. And that's what I remember more than anything else. Margaret: Sometimes he'd come home at night, J o'clock, 4 o'clock, even 5 o'clock. When they had so many boxes of coal filled. And he was a greedy man. He wanted to make a good day's work. Like he often said, if I have to go down in the mine to earn a living, I'm going to stay there until I make a good day's work. Anna: He used to come home, have a sleep till supper was ready. He was either work? ing or sleeping or going to a funeral or going to church or going to a local union meeting or a relief workers' association meeting. Right, Mother? (And how much time did he have left for the children?) Margaret: He was awful good to the chil- dren. Anna: He was a good father. Margaret: If there had to be anybody chas- tised, I had to do it. Anna: He wasn't a playing kind of man. Margaret Fiander MacDonald with three of her six daughters • Dorothy Margaret, Anna and Annice-- standing behind Margaret's mother, Ann MacLean Fiander, at Broughton. The child is Merna Locke, Annice's daughter. Margaret: They had a lot of friends, had a lot of jokes. they He was either sleeping or work- Margaret: mg. Anna: That's one thing for fathers today, they seem to play more with their kids than fathers did in those days. But these poor old buggers getting up at 4 o'clock and walking out to 24 and walking back-- they were pretty tired when they got home. In that pit bent double all day. It was a hard life, but I would say that Dad was a very happy man. Anna: We never had very much style, but we always had loads to eat. Dad used to take us, the three little ones, down to Commer? cial Street on Saturday morning to Eaton's Groceteria--cash and carry. Always have to show you off to everyone. Bacon then was 190 a pound and it was cut in pound squares. And we'd count down ten--and that was our bacon for the week. And we'd get • up in the morning--there were six of us girls--and whoever'd hit the kitchen first, that was first fry. We would fill that frying pan--however many slices it would take--that was our breakfast, plus an egg. We'd have that every morning. Glace Bay Heavy Water Plant Public Information Centres Glace Bay cmd Port Hawkesbury South Street Shediac Plaza, Reeves St An insight intQ tiie atomic age tlirough MODELS FILMS EXHIBITS Visits By Groups From High Sctioois, Service Clubs, Ciiurch Organizations Can Be Arranged At Any Time Of The Year OPEN DAILY. JUKE TO SEPTEMBER "The Best The Little Shop With A Lot" on the Island THE for local & COTTAGE STUDIO imported crafts" Big Bras d'Or Ph. 674-2776 Located on a short loop of highway joining the_Trans-Canada Highway at both ends Choice Red Brand Beef ma e fientlemanJiffl Fully Licensed Restaurant 6 Days a Week: 11 to 11 Enjoy the TROP LOUNGE next door at Sydney Shopping Mall (5)

Cape Breton's Magazine