And they still are. I'm not saying we're all perfect or we never have squabbles or disagreements and- we don't all vote for the same party (laughs). And we really don't care, you-know, and that's the way it should be.

But the people were squawking like hell it's- pollute the water one-thing-or-another.

Interviewer: Like what kind of jobs? Speaker: Lots of different jobs, they could do working in the shaft and ah dangerous stopes and s-- so-on.

As- and it's the same thing when you go over the ah, bi-pass now. Kirkland-Land-Gold, there's all that volume basically. Kind-of and I don't know if this is true is coming out of the stopes and the shafts and the cages ah, not the cages, ah the um, the workings from underground. So all that stuff you see above ground is come from below ground.

And ah, well you ha-- I-mean the whole town was built on mines. I-mean nothing but tunnels and stopes (laughs) and-everything under there eh?

... they were so disruptive and a few times- in those days the strap was used in the schools. And ah couple of times these kids- there were two twins in particular and oh they were hell-raisers. So I reported them to the principal and the principal came into the class with his strap and of course he laid it on and I'm sure the dust flew out of the back- blackboard. I felt so badly for them but ah then the kids turned around and said, "Oh, that's nothing. The way I get beat at home with a board." (Laughs)

She was a principal. ... if she wasn't smiling, she had- she- she made- she'd have some pretty bad characters coming into her office, and then it was ah, like, you-know, the strap was used, eh?

Interviewer: Did you ever get in trouble with her? Speaker: Pretty close a few times, but no, never with her. ... Um, later in high-school I got- but no prin-- no straps then, they weren't allowed.

Speaker 2: ... we heard "Fucking idiot!" She yelled. Speaker: I turned around and I'm like, "You talking to me or the dog?" type thing and she's all "You scared the dog," or-whatever and just to the same why he's so nervous, there was huge another bike, like a street-bike coming by on the road and ah her brother's like, "Well, that- your bike scared him, this bike's really going to scare the (inc) type thing."

I have a car but I-mean I walk mostly and they- they say, "Oh June when you're going out if you see anybody's got such-and-such out, give me a call." And I do it. And you-know like it's because you can and you and you- that's what it's all about. Um when y-- something goes wrong, the people in Kirkland-Lake are really good about supporting you too.

... they made me kneel in front of the- the statue of the blessed mother there and cross myself and I was not Catholic and they warned me all of these things, "If you don't do this, you're going to die before you're such and such an age" and- ... They used to put the fear of the Lord in his (laughs)-

Speaker: We- and when we were kids we used to go sucker-fishing. Interviewer: Oh, what's that? Speaker: Ah, th-- the- they're fish.

Pike, bass, um, my mom- we- she caught a sucker fish one time. Yeah, like a- it was like a- I think it's called a ping.

Speaker: Ping, it's like a catfish. It had whiskers and it looked all like- Interviewer: Yeah? Speaker: Sucker-ish, fishy.

Speaker: Yeah, 'cause eating a sucker fish is weird. Interviewer: It's kind-of gross.

And she comes down every morning to make sure that they're dressed properly, that they're clean and that they're- they're having their breakfast. She comes down again at noon-hour to check again ah for their- their lunch time. And the same for supper. I was told ah she- they'd come down occasionally, not every night, but the- the- they drop in ah to- just to check and make sure everything is all right with them down there.

Interviewer: Was there any formal family gathering where you were responsible for the cooking? Speaker: Um I've had like my parents over for supper and-stuff. And I've had ah- I've made like a turkey dinner before and-stuff.

Interviewer: Oh, you sound- you were kept very busy I- I-think. Speaker: Oh yes. Yeah. First thing in the morning to last thing at- Interviewer: Wow. Are y-- Speaker: Yeah, after supper. All cleaned up, yeah. Interviewer: Wow. And how early would you wake up?

You know y-- you'd go out after your supper and- and play until nine-o'clock at night, until it got dark. Yeah. And once again, in most cases all ages, and- and-that-sort-of-thing.

... we would go out in the morning and maybe come home for lunch, maybe not come home for lunch, or- ... Might go to my aunt's for lunch, or- a-- and-this-sort-of-thing. ... And then was out 'til suppertime. And ah, show up and have supper and go out again and play after. And improvise games and activities, yeah.