Would you look at my hands. Look it, I just got through picking out ah slivers. Slivers out of my- my hands ah ah I'm working on my deck at the cottage replacing boards and it's full of slivers so, I don't- I don't wear gloves.

Adam- Adam's-Mine had closed and ah- so basically, ah, peop-- other people came- came to town and they said, "Look it, you-know, no wi--" you-know, they were living Sudbury, North-Bay or Toronto and the wife just said they're not moving to Kirkland-Lake 'cause basically...

So Adam's-Mine had this fund where their employees had to find new things to do, so they basically ah- Pam-Madock had access to this, I don't know if it's a retraining fund or new business fund, so I said, "Look it, I can do other things" because ah, by this time, I've gone to Northern-College taking welding technology for three years before starting Red-Line...

So I, you-know, unfortunately New-Liskeard, I disappointed them because they sent me from- from training so I cut a deal with them, said, "Look it, I know you just trained me to do all this non-destructive testing. I'll come back for, you-know, three months or six months and help you out with that at night on- an- and on weekends."

So they had this educational program for ah, heads and departments to write new curriculum. It was called a transition years was coming out. So they- they said, "Look it, we can't officially give you this but we'll guarantee you that we'll give you as many supply classes as possible" which is also a lower rate than your teaching rate.

And- well he was in great spirits. He didnt want the guys to go home and I- it was getting after midnight and I said, "Look it. I have to go to work, he has to meet a bunch of the guys at one-o'clock at the legion because-" oh, we had an airplane too, I forgot to tell you that.

And he came over one and he said to me, "Look it, I have these water colour paints and is it ever fun to paint."

And they're on the main drag and- Main-Street I should say. And ah not too far from the post-office-

Speaker: Yeah. There- there were many many hotels in Kirkland around that time, I remember. Interviewer: Oh there had to be at least fifteen, yeah. On the main drag alone, there were f-- six or seven.

There were about ten on- just on the main drag.

They amalgamated and- and where the bank was is Kirkland-Pharmacy is now. On the main drag.

Speaker: And then there's also one down on Government-Road, the main drag, it's um- Speaker: Main drag? Interviewer: Yeah, the main- (laughs) the main road in town. Speaker: So you use 'drag' for 'road'? Interviewer: Yeah (laughs). Speaker: Awesome. Interviewer: (laughs). Speaker: (inc) Interviewer: Yeah, the main drag and the Mile-of-Gold. Speaker: Oh. Interviewer: Because you-know, they said that when they paved that road, they used the wrong rock pile, so there's gold in it, apparently. That's- that's the rumour (laughs). Speaker: Yay. Interviewer: Anyway, so yeah there's um there's a gym on the main drag (laughs) um and it's more intense I-guess, it's- it's more money to go to it, and you get a key so you can go twenty-four-seven and yeah, there's probably better equipment there.

But even in the sixties, we had lots of stores on our main drag, our main downtown street.

Yeah there was like a dozen on the main drag alone and then there was like the Teck-Hotel, Capital-Arms on the side-streets.

Speaker: He would order a plate of ham and eggs. And somebody told him, "Doc, you can't have that." And he told them to go and shut up. He was eating it. Eggs. Interviewer: What do you think of ah- Chester-Chiles and what he did for the town? Speaker: Chester was pretty good. We ate there many a time I know and ah Chester would ah- he didn't ah let anybody go hungry really. He would take shares or- the- or the good salesman I-don-t-know, for food and he gathered some Lake-Shore stock that way.

I can remember when Eaton's was in its heyday. And while we're talking about Eaton's, directly across the road there used to be big pile of rock, and on top of that rock there used to be an old shack. And in that shack lived a woman called Rhea-Burns. Who chased me many a time because I stopped and petted her dogs and- and, ah, wouldn't hesitate to take her cane and swing at you. And hit you because you- you were nice to her dogs.

Interviewer: What do you remember about- about being in high school? Speaker: Ah- I don-- I don-- (laughs) it's- it's different than now. Interviewer: Oh is that right? Speaker: Yes. Because ah- um ah- like there was commercial and matric, and that's all you just had the choice, that's the only choice you had. Interviewer: Okay. Speaker: Commercial is if you want to be a bookkeeper, or-things-like-that, matric if you wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, or- ah, things-like-that.

Interviewer: Did ah- did very many of them stay in Kirkland-Lake? Speaker: No. They went- mostly went to university. If they were in five year matric, they went to univer-- they took off.

Speaker: And ah I didn't ah- I-don't-know, I just didn't feel I could do it. Interviewer: Oh okay. But some of your friends went to university? Speaker: Oh all. All m-- I took a five year matric and so- Interviewer: Okay. Speaker: Most of those- most of those kids became doctors and- Interviewer: Oh wow. Speaker: I don't know about all else.

Speaker: And I w-- I went to what we called, in those days, tech. Interviewer 2: Tech? Speaker: Yeah as opposed to matriculation or commercial. Interviewer 2: Right. Speaker: Ah tech mostly the boys went and that was sort-of leading you to be m-- an electrician or-something. Commercial, the girls were going to be secretaries.