Stories and Stuff: Spaniard's Bay NL

              STORIES & STUFF
SPANIARD'S BAY, NL
Wesley Gosse March 2007
STORIES & STUFF
SPANIARD'SBAYNL
Wesley Gosse March 2007
STORIES & STUFF
Table of Contents
TOPIC PAGE
Introduction
Trouting: Salt Water: Roaming: Swimming
Bazzing: Woodmills: Fruit & Vegetables: The Forge
Smoking: Friday Night Movies: Boys' Games: Times
Sliding: Hockey & Grace's Marsh
Rangers' Hockey
LOL & CEAA & Parades
Bonfires
Ruckling Hoops: Horseshoes: Snack Bars: Barbers
Taddying: Public Building: NHL: More Hockey
Shops: Nicknames: Aunt Selena
Uncle Mosey's Rock: World War II: My First Bike: My First Job
School: Blueberry Picking: Card Games
Willie & Genie: Ron & HW: Blueberry Jam: Will Your Anchor Hold
Figgy Buns: Bert, Bob & Lincoln: Bert & Guy Earle: Bert & Wes
Willie & Court House: Willie & Henry: Willie's Trunk
Bert, Will & Omega: Robert J. & Willie: Bob & Max
Sob's Boarding House: Sob & Barter's Hill: Levi & Piggy
Genie, Willie & Wood: Sob & Ches: Bert, Bob & Mosquitoes
Rising the Hymn: Scarlet Fever: Bob & Max & the Stake
Aunt Jemima's Soup: Uncle Mosey's TV: You're in the Light
Poor Christmas: The Guide, Sob: Cough Drop: Vote Coaker
Hair Restorer: Chewing Gum: Do You Know
I Remember: Jack-Jim-Sob & Green Gages: Migraine Headache Cure:
Hubert's Tobacco: What Is Meant By: I Remember: Unusual Meanings:
Bernard & Kerosene: Do You Know Where To Find: Sheppard's Shop:
Bits & Pieces: More Bits & Pieces;: Location Legend & Maps:
THANKS
1
2
3
4-6
6 (a,b,c)
7-8
9
10-11
11 (a,b,c,d,e)
12 (a,b,c,d)
12-14
14-17
18-20
20-21
22-23
23-24
24-25
25-26
26-27
27
28-29
30
Last Ten Pages
+++
Very special thanks to my wife Berdina for her help and assistance in making this writing
possible.
Thanks as well to others whose help I value greatly: Gloria Porter, Mary Hutchings, John
Pauls and very special thanks to Lewis for his help with the material.
STORIES & STUFF
Table of Contents Cont'd.
TOPIC
I Remember, Jack, Jim & Sob, Migraine Headaches, Captain
Joe & Hubert
I Remember
Unusual Meanings, Bernard & Kerosene, Where To Find,
Christmas Shop Windows
BITS & PIECES Do You Know, Where To Find, What is Meant By
BITS & PIECES More
BITS & PIECES Bob & Mr. Thistle, Eli, Mose & Coke, Pretty Dood,
Close That Gate, Run Away Jesse
BITS & PIECES Hockey & Mooching, Cards & Robert J.
BITS & PIECES Fannie's Twine, Thin Ice, Ed. & Anne's, Trout Hook
& Dr. Atkinson
BITS & PIECES Brazil's Pond Swimming, Lincoln's Thigh Rubbers.
Foo Faw
BITS & PIECES Jack & Beer, Tom's Dog
Tom's Dog, E.H.Vokey
Location Legend - Maps of Spaniard's Bay
Road Map - Spaniard's Bay
Location Legend Map of Tilton
Road Map - Tilton
Lloyd & Gumes, Lloyd & Boats, Lloyd & Gun Casings, Cocoa Malt,
Cod Liver Oil, Uncle Lyle's Sawdust Burner
Strawberries, Games & Bert
Albert & Pocket Knife, How To get There
Ghost Stories With Aunt Jessie, Jack 0' Lantern, Let Go My Golden Leg
Matt Brazil, Uncle Tom ( 2 ), Captain Joe, Dad & Noder Cove
Pond, Words & Meanings
Uncle Llewelyn, High School Hockey
Jim, Ned & Wire Cups, Harve & The Funeral, Uncle Mose & June
Frankie Slish, Gone Up, Moseys
Bob & Retirement, Tim & Joey. Walter, Susie & Audrey
Mrs. Baggs' Shop
The Forge
THANKS
PAGE
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43-44
45
46::47
48
49
More 1
More 2
More 3
More 4
More 5
More 6
More 7
More 8
More 9
More 10
More 11-13
Very special thanks to my wife Berdina for her help and assistance in making this writing
possible.
Thanks as well to others whose help I value greatly: Gloria Porter, Mary Hutchings, John
Pauls and special thanks to Lewis for his help with the materials.
STORIES & STUFF
Growing up in Spaniard's Bay
Introduction
Every town and village in Newfoundland and Labrador has its own rich history and
heritage based on the circumstances of the time, the characters of the day, the stories they
told and were told about them. Over time and repeated tellings these stories were
embellished to no end and today help us better understand and appreciate the lighthearted
side of life in our rural communities. Spaniard's Bay is no exception and has been endowed
with more than its share of characters, their escapades, stories, memories and other stuff,
thus making it rich in its cultural heritage and somewhat unique.
This is an attempt to record some past events in a cheerful and amusing way. It is written
with the utmost respect for those whose stories are told. I trust everyone understands.
I've frequently used the words 'uncle' and 'aunt' and do so as a sign of respect. Not using
the title is not in any way less respectful.
Enjoy the reading. I hope you appreciate the purpose for which the thoughts expressed
here are intended.
STORIES & STUFF
Recollections of growing up in Spaniard's Bay
I have fond memories of my teenage years growing up in Northern Cove ( Noder
Cove) as we called it. All memories weren't happy and pleasant but most were.
My memories were much influenced by the area where I grew up. Kids in other
parts of Spaniard's Bay and indeed in other parts of Newfoundland ,I'm sure,
had similar experiences.
Girls were not a priority in our pre-teen and early teen age years. No doubt when
we were in the company of older boys we listened to or at least heard about girls. Girls
were on the horizon but not really important to us, yet.
So, what occupied our time and influenced our behaviour thus helping us decide
our life's direction? The total of our wide and varied activities helped make us
what we would become in later life.
As young teenagers we had lots to do- we kept ourselves busy and summer days
were never long enough.
Much of our time we spent trouting, not fishing - fishing was a term related to
the salt water. Our trouting expeditions, for the most part, kept us close to home.
The older and more adventuresome walked and biked longer distances and had
bragging rights because of that, and even more so if they spent overnight in
the woods. It seemed that catching a 'lot' of trout was better than catching
several 'big' trout.
The public wharf and beaches took a lot of our attention. The local fishermen
who hadn't gone to Labrador kept us supplied with cods heads- the more enter­prising
among us 'cut them out' and sold them, giving us extra pocket money for the
Friday night movie. Many of us spent endless hours catching tom cods, flat
fish and connors. We roamed the beaches killing sea snakes. The odor
from our clothes made our mothers less than happy at times.
Often in summer we 'roamed' the hills usually in groups of two or three. We had
no particular planned route, just young boys looking for adventure of any kind.
We knew every nook and cranny, ate berries and talked about whatever kids
talk about, came home late in the day, tired.
Most of us liked swimming. Some were good at it and many were learning.
Where I lived the favourite swimming hole was Brazil's Pond. There we paddled
in the water and eventually followed the lead of the older boys and learned to
swim in the deeper water. The older and veteran swimmers usually waited til
STORIES & STUFF Page 2
late afternoon before they made their splash, jumping off the wharf and diving.
Interestingly, boys and girls never swam in the same place mainly because there
were no places to change.
We played a peculiar but very competitive game called 'bazzing'. We played for
prizes- buttons ( spats and shirters were not acceptable prizes ). Everyone had a
favorite 'bazzer', that is the button you relied on to help you win more buttons.
The objective of the game was to bounce ( bazz) your bazzer off a wall onto the
ground landing it as close as possible to the button that was bazzed previously.
If you could span the distance between the bazzers with outstretched fmgers
you would win a button from your opponent. The next person then took his turn.
There were rules to this very unique game. There was no rule on how many played the
game. No girls though!
Our community had many gardens where residents grew winter vegetables.
There was usually a variety of fruit trees ( damsons,dog berries, apples, green
gages, black currants, gooseberries, etc. ). It was not uncommon for us usually
as part of a group, to swipe ( as we called it ) some of the garden goodies. At night
we often 'raided' the dogberry, ~pple, cherry and damson trees. It was fun for
the most part but $ometimes we overstepped the mark and ended up in trouble.
Sometimes friends and neighbors were upset with us.
There were two woodmill operations in Spaniard's Bay owned by the Gosse
and Sheppard families. Chaff (wood chips) was one of the by products,
sometimes called 'foo faw' by local residents. As teenagers we bagged the chaff
and sold it to residents where it was primarily used for summer kitchen fuel
for cooking. Chaffwas quick, clean burning ,and not very costly. Compet­ition
for selling chaff was keen- the bags had to be full and well stuffed so that
people would get good value- sellers' reputations were always on the line.
I lived near the blacksmith forge owned Mr. Mose Gosse. There horses were
shod ( shoed ), wheels were banded, picks sharpened, etc., etc. The forge was
a special place. Men met there to talk about events of the day, spread rumours,
argue, tell stories, etc.As a young boy I was often awakened ( especially on
Saturday mornings) by the blacksmith's hammer hitting the anvil, and I was
always fascinated with the many horses, big and small, lined up for new shoes
or to have old ones repaired. Sometimes, if you were lucky, the blacksmith
would let you to blow the bellows for his earthen fIre. One event that always bothered
me was when owners brought in their horses to have mouth ulcers, commonly
called lanterns, removed. The horse's mouth would be gagged open and a
STORIES & STUFF Page 3
red hot iron would be used to burn off the ulcers. Fishery salt would then
be used to rub on the burned area. It was a necessary procedure but seemed
cruel to me at the time.
Smoking was done by many younger and older boys. In most cases it seemed
a 'manly' thing to do and it was often the ticket to being' one of the boys'.
If you didn't smoke it was difficult to be with the' in ' group unless you had
some special skills ( good hockey player, swimmer, etc. ). For the most part
smoking had to be ' on the sly', away from parents or anyone who might
tell can you.
Friday Night Movies were very important to us. When school was out
( 4:00 P.M. ) there'd be a mad rush -to the wirepole at the intersection of
Baker's Hill and the Conception Bay Highway to see the poster advertising
tonight's movie/s- sometimes a double feature. We all awaited the arrival
ofFord Woodman from New Harbour when he would set up his equipment
above the porch in the old Parish Hall. If you helped Mr. Woodman you
got in free, otherwise it cost twenty cents admission.
The movies were often westerns, our favourites - Bob Steele, Johnny Mack
Brown, Randolph Scott, Hopalong Cassidy, Durango Kid, and list goes on
and on. Horses were very popular especially among the adult men. Sometimes
too there were serials - a speciai treat.
The Parish Hall was often filled to capacity as the projector light knifed its
images through the dust and smoke to a cotton screen hanging from the from the front
of the stage. These were magical moments for kids and adults alike.
Mr. Gordon Pike later 'ran' movies and the Princess Theatre ( 0' Neill's Gardenland )
was built in the late forties.
We played many games including old man, scout, tidley, football, hockey, etc. Our
favourite summer game was football where we competed with groups from other parts
of the community, most notably the Ridge Road area. Our games were not very
sophisticated and our equipment often improvised. Our football was made of several
socks stuffed with grass and tied or sewn together at each end.
Our games of old man, scout and tidley were fairly simple, the objective to get someone
'out' with various rules in play. Often we made up rules as we went along depending on
the number of players we had.
Our games were fun and we enjoyed them. We'll leave hockey til later.
Times were social events usually sponsored by a church or community group to raise
money for some special cause. Cards and bingo were played, the ladies served soup, and
most times a sq·uare dance was held later in the night with accordion music provided by a
local musician. BeaRS were used for bingo markers and it was not uncommon to have
STORIES & STUFF Page 4
beans roll off the cards and the bingo caller would do a recall.
Sliding was something we liked to do. Baker's Hill, Bunkers Hill, Uncle Mosey's Hill and
Benny's Hill were our venues, the first was our choice because it was closer.
There was a variety of slides ranging from the popular Rocket Racer, Champion and Spit­fire
to the homemade small slides and handslides ( we called them 'handcats' ). There was
always the question of best and/or fastest. The Rocket Racer got the nod, though other
owners disputed this.
Crisp moonlit nights in mid winter, worn down snow and ice patches made Baker's Hill
a fantasy land. Boys and girls walked up and rode down the hill with regularity - friendly
kids' talk on the way up and friendly competition on the way down. Our slides 'chattered'
as we hit the ice patches and raced past Winston Sheppard's house.
Later in the night we joined our slides together in a train like fashion ( we called it
shackling up ) with the handcat at the back,and rumbled down the hill to the delight and
squeals of boys and girls alike. Often the back end of the train would go askew and had to
'unshackle' for fear of crashing.
Our sliding in areas other than Baker's Hill was more adventurous and dangerous. We
didn't do this very often because our parents may not approve. Sometimes the older
'manly' boys persuaded us to do so.
The game of hockey was an addiction for me. My wife, Berdina, to this day says I can't say
the word 'hockey' without smiling. I got my first pair of skates at age twelve. Mr. Stan Butt
was tearing down some buildings for Mr. A.R. Gosse, a local businessman at the time. Mr.
Butt gave me the skates ( no boots ). That winter I spent endless hours standing on my
skates and rattling down the rumply frozen brook and marsh as far as the United Church.
The following fall dad screwed the skates to a pair of leather boots. The skates were longer
than the boots, but that didn't matter. You couldn't imagine the pride and confidence it
gave me.
My father Jim was a hockey fanatic and he instilled in Lewis ( brother) and I a strong
passion for the game. He made rinks for us, sharpened our skate~ coached us -I'll tell you
more about him later.
Grace's Marsh, at the crest of Bunkers' Hill, was our Maple Leaf Gardens. There we tested
our endurance and honed our skills. Occasionally we played hockey on Brazil's Pond
against our number one opponents from the Ridge Road area ( Matt Brazil, Jim Whalen et
al ).Later we ventured to Mint Cove Pond and played with the older and more experienced
players (the Ray Porters, Ralph Neils, Fred Smiths).
Mint Cove Pond and Brazil's Pond were good, but Grace's Marsh was it! I spent many
hours making sure the ice was r~ady for our after school games, sometimes skipping school
to do so, that is until someone told my parents. Predictably, dad didn't overly punish me. I
tested the ice, made sure the goal rocks were in place, lots of pucks available, etc. Ready for
the big game.
STORIES & STUFF PageS
As I said earlier our goal posts were rocks placed on the ice the appropriate distances apart
depending on the age and size of our goalies. There were no lines, no referees or linesmen.
Older boys settled disputes and arguments over goals. Curiously, there were seldom any
fights. Again the mere presence of older players solved the problems. We had two basic
rules - no risers and no slogging with the rules intended to protect skaters and goalies and
prevent the loss of pucks into the thick brush. The playing area was mostly free of any
obstructions and was surrounded by protruding rocks, knobby mounds of marsh grass,
some clear spots, blueberry bushes and gool and remnants of old rock walls.
Teams never had a set number of players. Team make-up depended on how many were
there and how many wanted to play. Usually two of the older boys picked' sides' and we
often ended up with the same group each time, a kind of agreed code existed. Goalies were
often the younger and less skillful skaters. Sometimes though we all took our tum in goal.
Equipment was meagre. Helmets didn't exist but caps of all shapes, colors and styles were
in abundance. Much of our protective gear was improvised - leg and elbow pads, mitts for
hockey gloves, etc. There were few injuries aside from a few cuts, scrapes and bruises,
nothing too serious.
Most of us had 'bought' hockey sticks but some had woods cut or hand made sticks. The
crowded ice helped us improve our stickhandling and skating skills. Always we had to be
wary of the sleepers on our teams. These were the less skillful players who, with or without
skates, parked themselves near the opposing goal hoping to score, and sometimes they did.
Pucks were plentiful and were made from rubber heels fastened together, sawed off fence
rail discs, potted meat cans filled with frozen horse manure and sometimes it wasn't in a
can at all. Occasionally we had a real puck. At night we used a squat up milk can and
followed the sound as it rattled over the ice.
We always took a break sometime during the game - rested, talked, some smoked and we
refreshed ourselves with sweet, cold water from the marsh. We made holes in the ice, on
the edge of the marsh, with our skate blades, separated the grass and drank the oozing
water. Was it ever good!
The game is over and we find our way home. The tiredness, now cold from the hours of
playing and sweating, hungry, and the sound of our frozen leg pants rubbing together as
we walked between the rock walls of Bunkers Hill, increased our desire to be home, get a
cooked supper, overcome the tingling cold, thaw out our wet, frozen mitts and tell our
parents how well we could play the game.
Homework and bed were next.
Tomorrow's another day and another game. We hope it doesn't get mild and rain tonight.
STORIES & STUFF Page 6
Dad made a rink for us in 1947. He blocked off the brook using a wooden storm door thus
preventing the water from flowing to the salt water, flooding the adjacent garden. What a
spot we had! That spring when the rains came the garden was flooded. The house and shop
flooded too. That was 'water under the bridge' you might say and we had a great winter of
hockey with dad 'announcing' the games from his 'gondola', the shop window. He was our
Foster Hewitt.
Mr. C.B. Randell arrived from Howley in the spring of 1949. He was the new C.N. Railway
Agent. The rest of the family would come after school closed. Mr. & Mrs. Randell had two
sons, both were hockey players.
Led by C.B., as he was known, a group of hockey enthusiasts was formed and and
immediately made plans to raise money to build an outdoor rink at Back Cove Marsh. Dad,
Allan Hutchings, Lewis Sheppard and others made up the team and together on November
11, 1949 they broke up the marsh ice, mowed the tall grass and put up the boards - a major
achievement! Later that fall the Spaniard's Bay Rangers Hockey Team was born, a
successor to the earlier Eagles' Team.
Rangers' hockey was great. We played games at Carbonear, Bay Roberts and Brigus. We
were relatively young ( 14 to 20 years of age ), full of energy and enthusiasm and ready to
go. Often that winter we played against older and more experienced players, but we held
our own.
Our main opponents were the Bay Roberts' Black Hawks with most of their players young
as we were. Among their players were Bill Drover, Fred Hussey, Jim Baggs. We played
against the Brigus Bruins Senior Team ( Dave and George Jerrett ), Shearstown Tigers
( Graham and Tom Sparkes ), Coleys Point Pointers ( Murray Thompson, Allan Mercer ),
Carbonear Seniors (John Goff, Don Parsons). We had a barrel of fun and good
experiences.
The heart and soul of the Rangers' operation, Mr. Randell, Dad, Lewis Sheppard, etc. pro­vided
us with all we needed to enjoy the game. They spent endless hours flooding the ice,
arranging games and transportation and generally looking after our welfare. Hockey
fanatics - no doubt about it!
STORIES & STUFF Page 6 (a)
Spaniard's Bay Rangers' Hockey 1949 - 1951
Spaniard's Bay's first hockey rink was built in the fall of 1949 with the initial work done on
November 11 tho The Rangers Team itself was born that fall replacing the now defunct
Eagles, a team made up of senior players. The Rangers, like the Eagles, were not part of
any league and relied on arranged games with other community teams notably Carbonear,
Bay Roberts, Shearstown, Coley's Point, Brigus and Port de Grave.
Our team was organized and financed through the efforts of hockey enthusiasts which
included the following: C.B.Randell, Jim Gosse, Calvin Gosse, Lewis Sheppard, Winston
Sheppard, Lawrence Murrin, Lincoln Mercer, Eugene Gosse, Victor Sheppard, Allan
Hutchings, Dewey Hutchings and others.
The Rangers' first hockey uniforms were purchased at the Sports' Shop, St. John's and
consisted of New York Rangers jerseys with Rangers written obliquely on the front, a pair
of green socks with yellow bands and each of us was given a pair of felt shin pads with
sewn on knee caps Our sweaters were not numbered. We supplied the rest of the necessary
equipment ourselves - sticks, shoulder pads, etc. Most of us wore stocking caps especially
on the cold winter nights.
I don't recall player numbers aside from Clyde Barrett (3) and Seward Noseworthy (1 ). I
wore Number 5 for good reason. My hockey idol then ( and now) was Murray Thompson
of Coley's Point. Murray wore Number 5 and if it was good enough for Murray it was good
enough for me. Our team captain was Herman Neil.
I was fourteen and a grade eight student at the Church of England Central High School
when I played with the Rangers. All the other players were older than me and no doubt
looked after my welfare. Team members included: Goal - Seward Noseworthy; Defence -
Ed. Collins, Fred Smith, Fred Sheppard, Ern Collins, Clyde Barrett; Forwards - Ralph
Neil, Herman Neil, Ray Porter, Wes Gosse, Jim Jewer, Jim Randell, Clem Randell, Matt
Brazil, Jim Mercer and Horace Neil. These were our regular players, sometimes there were
substitutes too. Several of the players listed above were veterans of the earlier Eagles'
team: Ralph Neil, Herman Neil, Ray Porter, Horace Neil. Seward Noseworthy, Fred Smith,
Clyde Barrett, Ern Collins. As mentioned before Herman Neil was our team captain and he
was our leader. Herman was a remarkably fast skater, our Guy LaFleur. He had other
exceptional qualities as well - quiet, soft spoken person who led by example and brought a
special' presence' to the dressing room.
It's not difficult to describe our team. Essentially we were young people who loved the
game of hockey and needed adults to help guide and organize us. We found that help in the
people I mentioned earlier. We were all good skaters, lots of energy and felt we could hold
our own with anyone. We certainly didn't lack confidence and weren't afraid to compete
against older and better players.
STORIES & STUFF Page 6 (b)
Spaniard's Bay Rangers' Hockey - Cont'd.
Our games for the most part were against the Bay Roberts Blackhawks with most players
about the same age as us - Fred Hussey, Jim Baggs, Norm Stick, Tom Brown, Ches Brown,
Wal Cave, John Mercer, Doug Bradbury, Lo Mercer. Our teams were evenly matched but
we tended to be more aggressive and won games for that reason, I believe.
The games against Port de Grave Maple Leafs were more friendly encounters mainly
because we knew each other fairly well and this was reflected in our play. Some of the
players I remember from Port de Grave include Lloyd Tucker, Bob Andrews, Bert
Christopher and Frank Dawe.
Carbon ear had a senior team as did Harbour Grace. I recall playing in the indoor rink at
Carbonear against big John Goff and Don Parsons ( goalie). For some reason we never
played against the team from Harbour Grace.
Shearstown was always tough to play but we did and I can't recall ever winning against
them. Coleys's Point had several extremely skilful players - Murray Thompson, Allan
Mercer, Harvey Bowering - we didn't stand much of a chance against them either.
In the late forties and early f"dties the Brigus Bruins Team was the class of the Conception
Bay North Senior Hockey League. The team was well organized, well coached and had
some great players and an excellent system ofteam play.
Victor Sheppard and Lloyd Leamon, Manager of the Brigus Team, were good friends and
together they arranged for a two game home and home series between the Bruins and
Rangers. The intent was to raise some money to help finance our hockey expenses. As
young hockey players we weren't privy to or interested in that. Our focus was hockey and
we couldn't wait. The on - ice outcome was taken for granted by practically everyone,
except our Ranger players. However we were mindful of who we were playing - the Brigus
Bruins, Conception Bay North Senior Champions and that team included very skilful and
veteran players - Dave and George Jerrett, Pat and Frank Connolly, Tim and Howard
Roberts, Jim and Jerome Lambe, Andrew Spracklin, Hayward Fry, Lorne Gushue, Bud
Pomeroy and others - a formidable line - up. The Brigus team had excellent offensive and
defensive play and an outstanding goalie in Jim Lambe. We had our work cut out for us.
Our Ranger team was young, strong and had energy plus. Individually and as a team we
were undaunted, felt no pressure and had an intense determination to win.
The first game was played at the Back Cove Marsh Rink. There were hundreds of
spectators there making our treasurer, Mr. Allan Hutchings, quite happy. We suspected
that on the ice things wouldn't be so favorable. We weren't intimidated though. It was a
bitterly cold February night with a brisk North West wind stirring up swirls of snow on the
brittle ice. The referee was Lewis Sheppard. From the outset the Bruins were laid back and
STORIES & STUFF Page 6 (c)
Spaniard's Bay Rangers' Hockey - Cont'd.
appeared to take us for granted. We played helter skelter hockey. We had no system but we
could skate, pass, shoot and work like you wouldn't believe. That's what we had going for
us. Any player will tell you that the most difficult team to play is one that has no system or
game plan. That night I played on a line with Ralph Neil and team captain Herman Neil
leaving me with no choice but play well. Rangers 3, Bruins 0 - game over! Our line scored
all three goals. The Brigus team underestimated us. We couldn't believe it and nobody else
could! We basked in the glory of that win for a while. We knew it would be different when
we played at Brigus. A personal note. The morning of that first game was my first day out
from it bout with the mumps. Mom insisted that I not play. However, dad voted with me
and allowed me to play.
Game two was at Brigus. The Hockey Committee drove us to the rink for the big game and
many of our fans came as well. It was a beautiful March night, calm and moderately cold,
a perfect night for outdoor hockey. The rink was crowded and everything well organized,
the Bruins were serious and confident and the outcome was predictable. Brigus 15,
Spaniard's Bay O. Mercifully the Bruin players, being the gentlemen and sports they were,
did not score any more goals even though they could have. The fans, understandably, were
less than friendly with each other, nothing unusual about that.
Our home and home series with the Brigus Bruins, to me, was the highlight of the Rangers'
Hockey Program. It helped us mature as young hockey players and created friendships
that have lasted through the years. As well it underscores how vitally important it is to
have the interest and support of volunteers.
STORIES & STUFF Page 7
There were two fraternal organizations in Spaniard's Bay. Both held annual parades as
well as parading at the funerals of deceased brethren. No Surrender Loyal Orange Lodge
Number 15 ( the Lodge) and the Church of England Assistant Association ( CEAA ) held
their parades ( sometimes called' walks' by local residents) and associated functions on
separate days during the Christmas Season, the Lodge on New Year's Day and the CEAA
on Saint Stephen's (Boxing) Day.
The Lodge seemed to be more formal and its brethren generally older than the CEAA.
Both organizations had brass bands of which they were very proud. Indeed a real rivalry
existed between them though band members were friends and family members. Prior to the
Christmas Parades the bands would practice regularly making sure they were as well or
better prepared than the other band. They often practiced ' on the quiet' and sometimes
, spied' on each other and stole their' rivals' tunes. The competition was friendly but
always present.
New Year's Day, Parade Day for the Lodge. Neighboring Lodges and their bands were
invited - ShearstoWD' s Cromwell, Hearts of Oak from Bishop's Cove, Chosen Few, from
Tilton, and many others.
The day begins around 9:00 A.M. at the Lodge with a meeting of brethren and guests, all
with their various and colorful identification sashes and regalia proudly worn. The
Worshipful Master details the' orders of the day , outlining the parade route and the time
schedule for the festivities. The parade route would be shortened if the weather was
unsuitable. .
Children were allowed into the 9:00 A.M. meeting, ( no permission given) where they
listened to and observed with wonderment and awe the unfolding events. Before the parade
, formed up , it was customary for the host band to playa selection, always Onward
Christian Soldiers.
The Worshipful Master gave the order to' form up' and the Parade Marshall, Mr.
William Jewer dressed in full regalia took command. Mr. Jewer looked the part and was
the envy of many as he executed his duties in his inimitable way organizing the parade, all
the time using his baton with authority. He instilled a friendly fear in the parade
participants.
The parade went first to Holy Redeemer Church or the United Church for a Service, then
east along the Lower Road and Vokeys' Shore Road as far as Billy Barretts' on Baggs' Hill.
From there the parade went west as far as Mark Gosse's, before returning to the Lodge.
King William was something else. Mr. William Anthony usually filled this role. Dressed
appropriately and with his black or chestnut horse immaculately groomed,shining leather
and metal harness, King William galloped and pranced through the ranks as the Parade
Marshall commanded' open up , again using his baton authoritatively as he strutted to the
music of one of the bands.
The bands were spaced and alternately played as the parade moved along. It was common
practice to stop and, facing the residence of a deceased or ill brother, the host band out of
respect would playa selection.
STORIES & STUFF Page 8
The parade itself was commanded by the Parade Marshall. It was led by a flag bearer
carrying the Union Jack, the host Lodge Color Party and Guards. No one walked ahead of
the parade. The host Lodge brethren and band headed the parade followed by visiting
Lodges and their bands. Many children walked alongside the parade, dressed for the cold,
boys with their cap guns, girls with their special Christmas Gifts, all enjoying the festivities
of the day. Bigger boys sometimes got to carry the' big drum' and what a thrill that was!
It was not unusual for brethren to leave the parade en route, especially if it was really cold,
and make a quick visit to a roadside friend's house for some form of refreshment and then
rejoin the parade on its return.
Along Vokeys' Shore Road notably in the area from Mr. William Vokey's to Mr. LLewelyn
Smith's, shot guns were often fired to enhance the celebrations. Muzzle Loaders fIlled with
black gun powder made a deafening noise as children and adults, with fmgers in their ears
prepared for the frightening sounds.
The parade returned to the Lodge around 12:30 P.M. and everyone would go to dinner,
many to the homes ofthe host brethren. They would return to the Lodge around 2:30 P.M.
for an afternoon of speeches, stories, recitations, step dancing and band music.
The afternoon program would begin with a welcome by the Worshipful Master.
The Lodge would be packed to capacity with adults and children of all ages for this gala
event. Speeches and greetings from visiting brethren ( Uncle Sammy Dawe comes to mind ),
songs, recitations, step dancing, stories and, of course, band selections highlighted the day.
Bands played in turn and often competed for' best' or ' endurance'. The host band ended
the afternoon.
The festivities continued at night featuring card games, bingo games, games of chance
(Uncle Ben Strickland comes to mind ), bowling, and food ( all kinds of soup, plain teas,
meat teas ).The night ended with a square dance to the music of locals as they played their
fiddles and accordions. Often the dancing carried into the early morning.
The CEAA parade on Boxing Day was smaller but no less important. The Church Service
was always at Holy Redeemer, the parade route was the same. There was no Parade
Marshall but there was a Color Party and Parade Staff Guards, no King William. The
venue for the afternoon and evening events was the Church of England Parish Hall.
Evening events were similar to those of the Lodge but no bowling. As, I mentioned earlier
brethren were younger and this was reflected in the make-up of those attending the after­noon
and evening entertainment. Notable among visitors was Mr. Heber Allan Bishop
of Upper Island Cove.
Some of the band members of the Lodge included Nath and Melvin Drover, Solomon
Chipman, Cecil Smith, Malcolm and Nath Chipman and many others.
The CEAA band included Bill Murrin. Max Chipman, Lewis Gosse ( Bay Roberts ), John
Lloyd Chipman, Don Vokey and many others.
This item is written entirely from memory as seen through the eyes of a teenager. No doubt
there are errors and omissions. My apologies.
STORIES & STUFF Page 9
November stb, Bonfire Night! Preparation for the big night usually lasted the month of
October. The nights were dark, clocks had gone back, there were no street lights then, too
early for hockey and too late for our usual summer activities. As teenagers we really didn't
celebrate' Guy Fawkes' night. It was just a ritual for us and another way to expend our
energies and share adventures with our friends.
When it came to ' collecting' things for bonfire night, it seemed that anything within
reason went. There were lots of things to take - barrels, wooden boxes, gates and even
chicken' coops'. Anything that wasn't stowed away or fastened down disappeared
without a trace. We sometimes felt that people deliberately left things out for us to take.
That was part of our reasoning for some of things we did. The bigger the fire the better
and our objective was to get as much as we could. We felt good about this and thought the
girls would be impressed.
Our group was a ' secret' club of sorts made up of various types - the devil may cares, the
timid and nervous, the laid back type, the more sober kind - all of us led by our older hero
idols. As November 5th. approached and our' collection' increased, storage became a
problem. Usually though we found a secret place - an abandoned house or shed - where we
could safely keep our loot. We had a code of secrecy - no one told anything. There were
times though when we were worried and especially when Constable Gosling was on the
prowl or questions were being asked.
Mr. H. W. Sheppard, a local merchant, lost his cherished wine cask. It disappeared, no one
knew where. Mr. Sheppard leaked some information that he was willing to trade some
items for his cask if it could be found. Negotiations were discreetly and carefully done and
a deal was reached .No time was set for the exchange. After observing that the barrels and
boxes were put out, and in the cover of darkness, the wine cask was returned and the
barrels and boxes were taken. The bonfire group and Mr. Sheppard were both satisfied.
Mr.Robert S. Petten and his family arrived at Spaniard's Bay in August, 1949 from Middle
Brook ,Gambo. Mr. Petten was our new teacher and School Principal. Some of the
family household items came in secure wooden boxes which were clearly marked. The
boxes were left outside all fall. This didn't go unnoticed by our group. Curiously, the boxes
disappeared and again, not a trace. Most of us were somewhat uneasy in school that fall.
Bonfire Night arrives and Mr. Petten brings his young son Franklin to see the fire. Burning
profusely at the base of the fire was a wooden box marked Middle Brook, Gambo.
News reached us that Mr. Nath Barrett had a huge number offish barrels, blubber barrels
and punchions or tearces stored in a pen behind his stable, a pen made of pointed rails
some eight to ten feet high. Our' rampage' group raided the stockade and removed almost
all we had time to get before Mr. Barrett appeared. One of our crew was still inside when
Mr. Barrett arrived. After climbing the fence he came face to face with the owner as he
crept through the tall timothy and in self defence ' accidentally' bumped into Mr. Barrett.
We escaped with our bonfire stuff.
Bonfire Night itself was kind of routine. The fUil and work of' collecting' were over and
we watched like everyone else our ritual play out. We can't wait til next year.
STORIES & STUFF Page 10
Boys ruckled (truckled) hoops. Let me explain. The hoops we ruckled were galvanized
steel bands that were used to hold beef and pork barrels together. They were joined at the
ends with big rivets. The best hoops for our purpose were those from the big bulge at the
center of the barrel, because they were less slanted than the hoops near the heads ( ends) of
the barrel. We propelled or ruckled the bands with guiders fashioned from stiff wire -
U shaped - and fastened to a wood handle.
Iron bands were considered better than steel hoops, not having rivets thus making them
easier to ruckle. They were more durable too and easier to ' handle'.
Probably the cadillac of hoops was the bike rim. The guider here was a smooth hardwood
stick, usually a broom handle. The guider was placed in the rim cavity to propel the wheel.
Ruckling hoops was not a regular summer activity but rather filled the gap when we were
bored. This was not unique to Spaniard's Bay and indeed was done in many communities
around the Island.
Our truck driver heroes were AI Hutchings and Will Butt who were employees of H. W.
Sheppard & Sons. They drove the Diamond T. We also liked Albert and George Spencer
of Bay Roberts because they owned and drove three ton cab over engine Chev trucks.
They drove through Spaniard's Bay on week-ends bringing workers to and from Argentia
Naval Base.
We drove the local roads and lanes imitating with our voices and mouth movements the
sounds of whining transmissions and horns. We pretended to be AI and Will as they
smoothly changed gears in the big Diamond T.
Our imaginations ran wild as we traveled the world carrying all kinds of goods, meeting
mystery friends, gassing up and doing emergency repair work. How many miles we.
travelled and what experiences we had!
Go Carts were popular in our pre and early teen years. We made the carts ourselves
though sometimes our fathers helped. There were two main problems we had - finding
good wheels and getting good hardwood for axles. We managed to get damaged or
discarded birch rollers from Mark Gosse & Sons Factory - they made rollers for the
conveyor belts on Bell Island. We also got hardwood table legs there for axles.
Our prime riding areas were Brazil's Hill and the Knap, a small hill in my Grandfather
Gosse's garden. There we were the Guy Earles and anyone else we wanted to be. Broken
axles was our major problem as we rattled down the hill and around the turns.
Sometimes we enlisted and bribed the younger boys among us to push us around the lanes
and roads. This worked most of the time.
Nathan Gosse had an uncle at Buchans, Tom Baggs. Tom made a go cart for Nathan with
ball bearing carriage wheels, steel axles and a light weight metal frame. We were totally
outclassed and Nathan was' king of the road '.
Early evening was horseshoe pitching time. Two teams of two played the game.
Approximately twenty five feet apart two circles, diameter about three feet, were drawn
in the gravel, dods ( wood or metal posts) were driven into the center of the circles.
I
I
STORIES & STUFF Page 11 I
The object of the game was to pitch the horseshoes into the drawn circle without toulhing
I
the circumference. This counted for one point. Three points for a sticker (when the shoe
leaned against the dod) and five points for a ringer ( when the shoe ringed the dod ).1 Links
counted for ten points ( this occurred when both shoes linked on the ground and could
cleanly be lifted without disengaging). The team scoring the first twenty~five points rl on
the game. The next game continued with teams changing ends.
We didn't have regular pitching shoes. The shoes we used were those discarded by the local
blacksmith, Mr. Mose Gosse. They were often different sizes and shapes. I
Pitching horseshoes was a skills game and required good judgement at sliding the shoes
into the rings.We didn't use sand boxes. Our game was played on hard gravel surfac~s and
was played by children and adults alike. I
I
My recollection is of four snack bars in Spaniard's Bay, the first of which was owned and
run by Mr. Ray Murrin. It was located just east of the present Kozy Glo Tavern. SeJting
consisted of wood benches on the side and end walls. There were no washrooms. MU~iC
came from Rocola & Seaburg Juke Boxes. The usual refreshments ( chocolate bars, coke,
package chips, gum and ice cream) were available. When the Murrin family moved ~o the
Stone House a new snack bar, bigger and more modern, was opened. It had similar I
features as the previous one. I
Mr. Richard Sheppard owned and operated a snack bar on Mint Cove Beach. It wa~ very
similar to Ray's with the same kind of seating, refreshments and music. Dick's snacK bar
tended to be open later at night and more boys and girls danced ( waltzed ). I
Fanny's snack bar was just that. There was no music. Refreshments were much the same
but Fanny carried a special item - apricot and raisin squares ( sometimes called che~se­cakes
). Benches on the side wall and a big wood/coal stove with an inside chimney obcupied
the middle. I
Boys and girls usually sat on opposite sides. Eye contact encouraged friendship. Sometimes
we 'treated' that special someone and maybe later in the night we waltzed. The m4sic we
listened and waltzed to was special to us then as it is now. Our favorite singers included the
following: Wilf Carter, Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Hank Locklin, Etnest
Tubb, Red Foley, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and many others. I
Very simply put the snack bar was a place to socialize. We usually found our way h~me
around 11:00 P.M. maybe after walking our favorite girl home. ! .
!
The barbers I remember in Spaniard's Bay were Mr. Joe Peddle, Mr. William VOke~, Mr.
Dick Neil, Mrs. Lilly Gosse and Mr. Jack Murrin. Mrs. Gosse gave me my first hairtuts.
Later it was Mr. Neil and Mr. Peddle. Mr. Vokey was too far away. Dad sometimes tbok
Lewis I to Jimmy Snow ( Jimmy the Barber) at Bay Roberts- he had electric clippe~s. The
barber's cat was always there and was obviously people friendly. :
Uncle Dick Neil's barber shop was his' front room' and it was always cold. He was ~ kind,
patient man, told stories, sighed a lot and sometimes dragged your hair with his not ~o
sharp scissors or hand operated clippers. A haircut cost twenty cents! .
STORIES & STUFF Page 11 ( a )
Late March or early April the arctic ice floes came into the harbour waters of Spaniard's
Bay. The sport of hopping from one ice pan to another was a favorite among teenage boys.
It was a somewhat danget:'0us activity and on occasion the more adventuresome among us­had
to be rescued when the ice floes unexpectedly moved off shore.
The practice in other parts of Newfoundland was called' copying '. In Spaniard's Bay it
was called ' taddying '.
Parents didn't approve of' taddying , because of the inherent danger. Needless to say we
did this' on the sly'. If we fell into the salt water we were in trouble.
Simani's The Mummers Song gives a nice description of mummering in the outports of
Newfoundland. It tells about the dress and antics of mummers in music and song. In
Spaniard's Bay the practice was called' jannying' and those who did it were called
, jannies '. Essentially it was a Christmas Season activity which usually began Boxing Day
and ended on the Old Twelfth Day.
Here's what I remember and what I've been told.
Boys and girls, women and men would dress in outlandish garb - girls and women wearing
men's clothing and men and boys wearing women's clothing and all kinds of combinations
in between. Their faces were covered with improvised masks as well. Jannies carried some
kind of musical instrument, most often an accordion. Some carried sticks and sometimes
used them to take advantage of others and intimidate and intentionally frighten people. In
later years this did not happen - carrying a stick became part of the dress for jannies. I can
recall my parents warning me, when I was going out, ' to watch out for the jannies '.
Younger children ' jannied ' in the afternoon and they were accompanied by a parent,
usually mom. The purpose was fun and get some Christmas goodies.
Groups of adults, in their janney attire would visit friends and sometimes people they
didn't know at all, knock on the door and ask to come in. Once inside the jannies would
ask the traditional question, " Do you have any' dirty , cake? " This was in reference to
dark Christmas cake. In disguised voices they sang, joked, told stories and danced and
played music, etc. Some jannies sat, others stood, some talked and others said nothing.
After refreshments of food and drink they prepared to leave to visit elsewhere. But before
doing so the hosts wanted to know who the jannies were. If one was identified, he or she
would take of the face mask and the remainder would follow suit.
Jannying sometimes brought out different behaviour in people. The quiet, reserved and
those of few words emerged as the' life' of the group, attributable no doubt, to being
masked and disguised.
Jannying was a fun event and added a lighter dimension to the celebration of the
Christmas Season.
STORIES & STUFF Page 11 ( b )
The Government Building in Spaniard's Bay was known as the Public Building. It was also
called the Post Office even though it housed the Court House, Telegraph Office and the
resident Constable's Apartment in addition to the Post Office.
Mr. Walter Crane was the Post Master ofthe time. I remember him particularly as a tall,
impressive and friendly man, very articulate and always well dressed. Mr. Crane and his
family lived on Mint Cove Beach in the historic house called Seaview. The Seaview Cafe
now occupies the same place. The Post Office itself was located on Lassie Point and is now
the completely renovated home of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Mail days were Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the same days the train came from St.
John's to Carbonear. The mail, of course, came by train arriving at the railway station
about 2:00 P.M. There Mr. Humphrey Neil would take the canvas bags of mail to the Post
Office for sorting and distribution. Mr. Neil carried the remaining mail to Bishop's Cove
on his two handled cart made for that purpose.
Non mail days and the mornings of mail days were not busy times at the Post Office. The
afternoons of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were the opposite.
The mail day scene went something like this. The mail would arrive at the Post Office
around 2:00 P.M. Before that a huge throng of people, mostly men and boys, would fill the
porch and lobby and form a line behind a pipe railing in front of the postal wicket, waiting
for the mail to be sorted for distribution. The room would be smoke filled and fairly noisy.
During this time Mr. Crane and his assistant would be busy sorting letters, parcels, etc.
Having done this, he would open the wicket and pass out the newly arrived mail. The
letters were taken from free standing cubicles marked with the surnames of residents. Mr.
Crane knew everyone, no identification was needed. The parcels were kept on tables set
aside for that purpose.
The approach of Christmas saw a huge increase in mail volume and activity at the Post
Office. The porch and lobby would be totally jammed with people waiting for letters, cards
and parcels from friends and relatives as well as special items from the mail order
catalogues of Eaton's and Simpson's.
The Post Office was a place to meet and greet friends, share the news of the day and some­times
a place for school ' moochers ' to go unnoticed.
STORIES & STUFF Page 11 ( c)
These are my recollections of the National Hockey League during the period 1946 to 1949.
I'll make some references to the Post Confederation period as well. The National Hockey
League ( NHL ) was composed of six teams namely Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal
Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and the New York
Rangers. Most people were Leaf fans, some cheered for the Canadiens, there were fewer
fans for the other four teams.
Mom and Dad closed the shop around 9:00 Saturday Night and the ritual of 'Hockey Night
in Canada' began. There weren't radios in every house and it was usual for three or four
friends to come by and together with Lewis, Dad and myself listen to the game on eBA
Maritimes, the CBC Station from Sydney, N.S. The radio reception was best on calm,
foggy, close nights and very bad when the weather was cold, clear and dry. In any event
Dad was at the radio controls, the volume and tuner, while the rest of us held on to the wire
antenna frequently holding hands to improve the reception.
The Leafs and Canadiens played their home games on Saturday Nights with Rene
Lecavalier doing the Montreal games and the renowned Foster Hewitt announcing the
Toronto games. Usually the week-end games were back to back with a U.S. Team.
Foster Hewitt was the ultimate announcer. Foster described the game in its finest detail
and we visualized what was happening on the ice. The advent of television changed this and
now we see the game, and the announcer and colour commentator zero in on the high
points. Bob Cole seems to be the exception though and provides a lot of detail, probably a
carry over from his days as a VOCM hockey radio announcer.
Foster Hewitt was our man. We were always amazed at his grasp of the game. His famous
phrase of' they're closing in' was always a concern especially when it was the trio of
Lindsay, Abel and Howe of Detroit. Foster one Saturday Night said the Leaf's big winger
Gaye Stewart was going 'a mile a minute'. We believed it. Foster Hewitt said it! We often
wondered how he knew the penalty call. Bill Barilko is called for two minutes, probably for
hooking, and would continue by saying that it's hooking alright. We didn't know that the
referee used signals for penalties, but Foster did.
Sunday and there was little hockey talked. When the shop opened Monday morning it
became the unofficial 'hot stove league'. The Saturday Night game was analyzed, heroes
talked about and sometimes there were heated arguments. Will ( Malia) Hutchings was the
ultimate Leaf fan. When all others had said their piece Malia put in his observations and he
was generally right. Here's a short story about him. Toronto and Detroit were playing one
Saturday Night, Lindsay, Abel and Howe were destroying the Leafs. George Murrin, Bert,
and others were there to listen to the game, Will was seated on the barrel chair.That night
Foster was training his son, Bill, to eventually take over his job as the Leaf announcer with
'Hockey Night in Canada'. Totally frustrated with the game and Bill's announcing, Malia
took a sock from the barrel chair, walked to the radio and said, " Here Hewitt, shove that
down your throat. " He turned otT the radio and ordered everyone outside.
Here are some players I remember from those years: Toronto-Frank McCool, Ted
Kennedy,sid Smith; Montreal- Doug Harvey,Rocket Richard, Bill Duman; Chicago- Sugar
Jim Henry,Max Bentley,Leo Reise;Detroit-Harry Lumley,Gordie Howe,Ted
Lindsay;NewYork-Charlie Rayner,Don Raleigh,Wally Stanowski; Boston;MiIt Schmidt,
Frank Brimsek, Paul Ronty. Referees wore white sweaters then, no helmets
STORIES & STUFF Page ( 11 d )
The winters of 1949 to 1951 saw Dad, Lincoln Mercer, Mr. C.B.Randell, Lewis and I walk
to Jack North's rink at Bay Roberts to watch, what we imagined, to be major league
hockey. Most often the teams were Brigus Bruins, Shearstown Tigers, Coley's Point
Pointers and sometimes the Bay Roberts Red Wings. For some reason Carbonear and Hr.
Grace didn't play regularly in the League.
We usually left home around 6:30 P.M. for the one hour walk. Invariably we would
rendezvous with Mr. Randell near the Avalon Stores on Main Beach. I can recall clearly
our walk around Lassie Point, through Mint Cove and Green Head, beautiful moonlight
nights, clear and cold, and seeing the rink light reflections. As we reached Finn's Hill and
soon to catch up with Mr. Randell we could hear the waves of music coming across the
open water. Our meeting with Mr. Randell stirred up the hockey conversation about
players, who would win, who would fight, etc.
The closer we got to the rink the more excited we became. I remember vividly the thick
plume of coal smoke going straight up, the crowds of spectators and the music and songs
especially - the Skaters' Waltz ,Over the Waves, Blue Bird Island, What Side Is Your Bread
Buttered On, O'Brien Has No Place To Go, Down the Trail of Aching Hearts, Bouquet Of
Roses, McNulty Family, etc.
Jack North's rink always had good ice. The boards were vertical, no lines on the ice,
painted red and blue stripes on the boards to mark the red and blue lines, wood frame nets,
two team shacks, well lit ice surface, no goal judges, one referee and there was one large
building where spectators could go to keep warm and buy a bottle of coke. The rink would
be lined with people, two or three deep. The Bay Roberts East fans were usually on the
snow bank on the North East side fuDy decked out with long army coats and cudgels. Here
are some of the players I remember from these game: Murray Thompson, Allan Mercer,
Graham Sparkes, Charlie Bradbury, Dave Jerrett, George Jerrett, Wilbur Sparkes, Ed
Caravan. Bill Babb, Lonz Babb, .John Goff, Don Parsons.
The game is over and we head home. We usually managed a ride with friends who were at
the game. A growing-up experience of a lifetime for hockey fans.
The recollections I've written here cover my teenage years of fourteen to seventeen when I
played hockey with and/or against all the teams and individual players I have mentioned.
I have briefly touched on events and some players after 1952.
The Brigus Bruins were not overly blessed with individually talented hockey players.
However, when it came to team play, skillful passing and just plain smart hockey they
were, in my opinion. the class of Conception Bay North Hockey. The 'combination' play of
Dave and George Jerrett, Howard Roberts, et al was outstanding.
The Shearstown Tigers were fiercely competitive, tough, intimidating with a 'care for
nothing' attitude, totally confident hockey team and they had some extremely talented
players. The qualities I have mentioned didn't come by accident. The team leader and
captain was Graham Sparkes. He was a man of big stature, big heart, very competitive and
had an intense desire to win •• Graham instilled a 'friendly fear' in his teammates, told them
when they played well, said little when they didn't. Instead he played better himself and
STORIES & STUFF Page ( 11 e)
demanded the same of others. Graham expected no less of himself than he did of his
players. He pulled no punches with team members or opponents. The quality I respect
most about Graham is this. If you did the right thing he stood behind you before, during
and after the game and he left the game on the ice. He was a maD.
I would rank the Shearstown Tigers as number one mainly because of their desire to win,
team leadership, togetherness and the fact that they were winners.
Every team in the old Conception Bay North Senior League had some extremely talented
players. Here are my picks with comments:
• Dave Jerrett ,Brigus: Dave saw the ice exceptionally well, very shifty skater and
deadly passer.
• Jim Lambe, Brigus: The best local goalie I saw, steady, stand-up.
• Wilbur Sparkes, Bay Roberts: Wasn't a good skater, poor shooter but could do
everything.Wilbur was a remarkable athlete, he played a mentally smart game and
could put the puck in your pocket.
• Allan Mercer, Coley's Point: A classic right winger with a wicked shot.A real honest
hockey player.
• Lonze Babb, Hr. Grace: Very similar to Allan Mercer. Just a good hockey player
who played the game, asked no favours.
• Graham Sparkes, Shearstown: The heart and soul of the Tigers - tough, rugged,
asked no favours, gave none, feared nothing.
• Charlie Bradbury, Shearstown: The way he played did his talking. Probably the
best skater in the CBN League, shifty and smart with the puck.
• George Jerrett,Brigus: Just a hard rock defensive defenceman, always tough to
beat.
• Low Mercer, Bay Roberts: Low was an outstanding goaltender, quick, played the
angles well.
• Jim Jewer, Spaniard's Bay: Tough, wirey winger, excellent skater.
• Vic Mercer, Shearstown: Diminuitive but rugged, extremely good stick checker,
probably the best defenceman in the League.
• Murray Thompson, Coley's Point: No.5. The best Newfoundland hockey player
I've ever seen, bar none. That includes some pretty good hockey players. Murray's
skating ( forward and backward ), stickhand6ng, scoring, physical toughness and
desire were incomparable. Just an amazing hockey player.
STORIES & STUFF Page 12 ( a )
The days of supermarkets and all they bring had not arrived when I was growing up in
Spaniard's Bay. We didn't know about shopping carts, plastic shopping bags, frozen
dinners, credit cards, etc. Supermarkets are more regional, transportation is needed,
shoppers and owners are not known to each others, etc. Shops as we knew them were more
neighborhood and were generally located where there were concentrations of people.
Shopping was done on a daily basis, people walked to the 'store,' everyone knew each
other, you could 'charge' or have purchases 'marked down', the owner/worker picked up
your groceries, often individual items were wrapped and tied. Our neighborhood 'stores'
were truly 'convenience' stores, convenient because of nearness and had most things you
needed. Convenience stores today are somewhat different. There are fewer of them and
they are open for business when supermarkets are closed and less accessible.
Shopping for grocery and household items was usually done by women especially during
the summer when men were working away from home. Usually men worked at St. John's,
Argentia, Labrador and some were on mainland Canada and the United States.
There were something like forty shops in Spaniard's Bay. It's difficult to make distinctions
among them as to the type of shops they were except to say there were grocery stores, some
carried hardware, rubber boots, paint and were really mini general stores, and there were
several specialty stores as well. Here's a list of the stores I remember with comments here
and there:
Billy Barrett's General Store
Harrison Reid General Store
H. W. Sheppard & Sons General Store
Israel Gosse Grocery
Brazil's Store (Frank) Grocery
Simon Coombs Grocery
Lincoln Gosse Grocery
Gosse's Grocery General Store
W. J. Murrin General Store
Allan Hutchings Grocery
Irene Collins Grocery
Harry Hutchings General Store
Jack Sheppard Grocery
A. R. Gosse General Store
Thomas Cain Grocery
L. & H. Noseworthy General Store
Edward Neil Grocery
Specialty Stores
Mose Gosse Blacksmith
David Dawe Radio & TV Repair
H.W.Sheppard & Sons Millwork
William Smith Cooperage Shop
Beach Grove Lumber Company Millwork
M. & M. Smith General Store
Fenwick Gosse General Store
Aunt Daisy Chipman Grocery
Aunt Beckey Mercer Grocery
Lo Noseworthy General Store & Fishery
Aunt Milley Barrett Grocery
Ellol Yetman Grocery
John Lloyd Chipman Grocery
Lemuel Barrett Grocery
B. B. Squires General Store
John Collins Grocery
Lawrence Murrin Grocery
Isaac Sheppard Gereral Store & Appliances
Cecil W. Gosse Grocery
Warren Neil Grocery
Richard Noseworthy Grocery
Llewelyn Smith Watch Repair
Mark Gosse & Sons Millwork
Cain's Meat Market
Avalon Stores Furniture/Clothing, Etc.
Murphy's Ice Cream
STORIES & STUFF Page 12 ( b )
There's another type of specialty store that should be mentioned. Three people I remember
who made 'home made ice cream' - Mrs. Ella Hutchings, a Mrs. Blandford who lived on
Costello's Road and my Aunt Irene Collins ( now Yetman, Hr. Grace ). My recollection is
that huge blocks of ice would be cut from local ponds and stored in sheds, covered with
sawdust for insulation. ·The ice would be used in summertime to cool the ice cream
ingredients and the ice cream would be sold once or twice weekly. Five cents purchased a
big ice cream.
I have vivid memories of 'rationing' of various products especially in the latter years of
World War II. I recall seeing 'ration' books and they're being used particularly related to
the sale of sugar. Other items were rationed too.
Retail shops were tightly regulated especially with regard to opening and closing hours.
Stores were closed Wednesday afternoons thus giving rise to the idea of 'half-holiday' as
opposed to 'whole holiday'. The Shop Closing Act was strictly enforced and on occasion
there were Court challenges. As well, prices were monitored and it was a serious matter if
there was 'overcharging'. I can remember instances of Court cases related to over­charging.
By and large though, rules were followed in the general interest of the public
good.
Most shops were attached to the owner's home. Very seldom were business buildings free
standing unless the operation was unusually large. Owners with shops attached to their
homes were alerted to customers in their store by the ringing of a bell attached to the door
frame.
Here's a sample ofthe kinds of items sold in the shops of the day.
salt beef and pork / came in two hundred pound barrels
scratch! chicken feed
bottles of coke/ returnable bottles
boilers, buckets, kitchen utensils
bologna! sliced when purchased! waxed and came in boxes of salt
Purity Biscuits/ came in wooden boxes with hinged covers
plugs of tobaccolLight & Dark Beaver- sold in quarter,half plug or a letter
cigarettes/ sold by the package or loose
sugar/weighed and packaged when purchased
rubber boots/ Hood was the most popular brand
bamboo trout poles! a sure sign of spring when poles were placed outside the door
The shop I remember most was Gosse's Grocery, owned by my parents, Jim and Loretta
Gosse. My father's cousin, Ralph Mercer, was a frequent visitor and over time persuaded
dad to start a grocery store. Ralph owned the Economy Cash Store on Gower Street, St.
John's. The idea was accepted and Ralph brought some Twenty Five Dollars worth of food
items as set it up in a small room off the kitchen. There were some early trials ( the time the
rat took the banner caramels) but things went OK. Sales improved and soon there was a
need to expand. A brief side story. Dad worked at H.W. Sheppard's and they also had a
fairly large grocery store. This didn't look good competing with your employer. There were
no hard feelings ' though. One day the owner, Mr. Sheppard, jokingly suggested to dad, "I
suppose you'll soon be a millionaire, Jim". ,
STORIES & STUFF Page 12 ( c )
A shop attached to the family home of John Brazil was purchased and towed over the
gravel road by H.W.Sheppard's Diamond 'T' Truck in the summer of 1944 and attached
to the house- the first expansion. Progressively over the next thirty years four extensions
were made as the business grew in leaps and bounds. Inventory increased in volume and
variety and eventually the operation became a general store and paid employees were
needed.
Gosse's Grocery became more than a business place. Its success was remarkable to say the
least. My father died in 1972 and mother operated the business several years following and
eventually sold it and retired. She died in 2004.
Here are some memories I have of the shop.
" Children never left the store empty handedl candy, chocolate bar, etc.
Hockey Hot Stove League discussions and arguments
Saturday morning line-ups for groceries
" Christmas Eve and father making up gifts of food, etc. for families he didn't know
Mother's ability to pick up groceries, package and price itt no mistakes
Father opening barrels of beef and pork
" Saturday night opening and the regulars who came and told stories
Uncle Frankie Gosse passing our Purity Ginger Snaps to everyone in the shop
Samples of bologna and cheese generously passed around
" Day's News being discussed
Dad telling ghost stories on windy, rainy nights in the ice cream parlor
Ice cream arriving on Belbin's Bus in insulated cloth jackets
Gosse's Grocery was an institution of sorts. This is what happened there.
people bought groceries - money was borrowed
stories were told - predictions were made
" fun was made " it was a meeting place
hockey was talked - skates were sharpened
friends were made - practical jokes were played
*****
Webster's Dictionary defmes the term nickname as a name given to someone as a sign of
familiarity. That's precisely the intention in this writing.
Spaniard's Bay has hundreds of nicknames and probably just as many reasons for them.
Among reasons for nicknames are the following:
to distinguish physical featuresl big, little, tall, etc.
to tell of good fortune I wealthy
" to tell where a person lived
identify people with the same names
to connect with a particular trade
" to simply make fun
for opposite intentions
associate with favorite sayings
STORIES & STUFF Page 12 (d)
Continuing with reasons for nicknames.
school related
animal or bird related
musical ability
afraid of nothing
dancing ability
fishery related
marriage related
I have a huge collection of nicknames together with matching real names. Here are a few
nicknames, no ill intent.
BigAz Crow Solomon's Jewel
Slant More Oakum Page Ten
Cock '0' Doodle Do Pigeon Mash
Jimmy the Joiner Fiddler Fish
Silver Spoon Lucky Brave
Kerry Bob Cods Head Blue Beard
*****
A short story
Aunt Selena Hutchings was not well off and frequently visited friends in the afternoon
for refreshments. Her favorite was fruit cake .. One of Aunt Selena's best friends was Aunt
Betsy Pike who lived a short distance away on Pike's Avenue. Mrs. Hutchings dressed in
her many layers of long white petticoats dropped in to see her friend. Mrs. Pike prepared
a lunch for both of them including freshly baked bread and some fruit cake. Aunt Selena
was beside herself and waded into the cake. After a while Aunt Betsy hinted that her friend
should try some bread too. Aunt Selena kindly replied," No my babby, cake'll do."
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 12
At the corner of Casey's Lane and the Conception Bay Highway was a huge' pumbly ,
rock. A ' thimble' like hole, at the top sometimes filled with rain water, was one of its
features. We called it' Uncle Mosey's Rock. Uncle Mosey Chipman spent endless hours
there. His daily ritual was to clean the dust and rain water from the rock, then carefully
spread out his red polka dot handkerchief and rest there until it was time to go home.
Uncle Mosey listened intently to the conversations of the other men but said very little
himself. He was often deep in thought, no doubt reminiscing about his and his wife Aunt
Milley's younger days.
Highway widening saw Uncle Mosey's Rock removed. The area remained an evening
gathering place for men. Eventually a bench was placed there. It was called' the sinners'
bench'.
I was only four when World War II began and ten when it ended in 1945.1 have vivid
memories of events around home and clear recollections of stories I heard from adults,
other children and VONF Radio. I'll recount som~hem.
German U Boats stalked the waters of Conception Bay particularly near Bell Island where
iron ore, critical to the war effort, was mined and then shipped in special ore carriers to
Sydney, Nova Scotia for smelting. I remember hearing the rumbling sounds of friendly
'depth charges' as they were detonated some distance from the loading docks. This was
regularly done to keep the German U Boats away from the piers and ore carriers.
It was not uncommon to see single and dark colored military airplanes and hear their
engine drones as they flew at high altitude above the hills of Spaniard's Bay heading east
across the North Atlantic towards Europe.
Blackouts were common during the war. It was mandatory to have windows covered and
lights low, not visible at night to safeguard our homeland from possible enemy attack.
Car fenders had white paint stripes on the fender edges so that they could better seen in
low light and headlights had the upper halves painted black to prevent being easily seen
from the air.
Part of a French Canadian Army Regiment was stationed in the Bay Roberts' area and was
headq~artered at the C.L.B. Armoury. Their presence was a stark reminder of the
times. The soldiers regularly travelled the dirt roads in convoys through Spaniard's Bay
and surrounding communities as part of their training to be alert, and prepared.
The Argentia Naval Base was the lifeblood of the Placentia and Dunville areas and the
spin-off benefits all over the Avalon were significant. On week-ends American Sailors and
other military personnel from Fort Pepperell, St. Johns, visited the area towns in military
and private vehicles. As well many local residents worked at the' bases' thus adding
immensely to the local economy~
Children's clothing sometimes took on a military style- sailor suits, air force aviator caps,
breeches, bomber jackets, bell bottom trousers, etc. Even food and tobacco items reflected
the times in which we lived - Victory Tea, Solo Butter, Union Squares, Banner Caramels;
Target, Bugler, Big Ben" Players Navy Cut and ID-Plane tobacco; Royal Blend, Viceroy,
Wings, Lucky Strike and Flag Cigarettes - and the list goes on.
STORIES & STUFF Page 13
The Government Radio Station was VONF, the Voice of Newfoundland. Each evening at
7:00 the War News would be read by Mr. O.L.Vardy. Details of the progress ofthe war
would be given, the successes and failures, casualties, etc. As children we were very quiet as
our parents and their friends ( not everyone had a radio) listened intently. Sometimes the
question of' what did he say tonight' would be asked and a more knowledgeable listener
would give an explanation.
Before the 7:00 P.M. News an International Time Signal was given. The words N for Nuts,
A for Apples would always be broadcasted. We often wondered about that. It was probably
some kind of military code.
At various times during the war servicemen would come home on leave. This was a major
event and it was customary for World War I Veterans to organize a' heroes' welcome for
them. The hall would be packed with relatives, friends and well wishers as speeches were
given, songs sung, etc. and gifts in appreciation for what our heroes were doing and will
continue to do.
Songs of World War II were many. Here are some I can recall hearing.
SmGFRIED LINE COMING IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER
LILLY MARLANE ANCHORS AWAY
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN BEER BARREL POLKA
OVER THERE THERE'LL BE BLUE BIRDS OVER
WILD BLUE YONDER
The war is over and Victory in Europe, V.E. Day is declared. The fighting in the Pacific
would continue until Victory in Japan, V.J. Day is declared. Children celebrated by
hanging strings of cans on cars and trucks, adults fired guns, horns blew, bells rang and
bands played
The long awaited return of our War Veterans was greeted with almost uncontrolled
emotion as friends, relatives and children of all ages gathered at the homes of returning
sailors, soldiers and airmen to honour them and express their gratitude for the unselfISh
and brave sacrifices they had made.
I got my first bike early in the summer of 1950. It was a black Raleigh, the Cadillac of bikes
at that time. It was bought at Graham Mercer's Bike Shop at Bay Roberts at a cost of fIfty­two
dollars and fIfty cents- no tax then. I borrowed the money from my parents and paid
them back later that summer from my first job making blueberry boxes.
There were lots of bikes around. Ches Yetman had an Eagle, George Gosse- Dayton, Ern
Collins- Hercules, Nathan Gosse- Phillips, and there were many others. Bikes were
repaired at Graham's Bike Shop. They gave us the mobility and independence we wanted
as teenagers allowing us to visit nearby towns more easily and meet new friends. Our bikes
usually had bells, horns, lights and other items both for safety and looks.
At age fIfteen I got my frrst job making blueberry boxes at H.W.Sheppard & Sons. Before
that I earned pocket money selling cods heads, chaff and blueberries. My pay was fifteen
cents an hour, ten hours a day, six days a week. Work began at 7:00 A.M. and ended at
6:00 P.M. We had morningaQ-d afternoon lunch breaks. Our washroom was a toilet
STORIES & STUFF Page 14
hung over the salt water's edge.
The materials we used for the box ends, sides, bottoms and covers were all pre-cut. Covers
were made separate from the boxes using serrated wood fasteners. We used one inch wire
nails to make the box frames and fasten the individual bottom pieces. The box sides were
printed with blue and red ink and displayed in part the words' Monroe Fisheries'. The
~.~!._«!_~p~c!tyw~~ f.i~t: g.~!~~_~s _,!_r thi_I"o/.:t>0u~ds. The made boxes were sent to local
blueberry buyers or exporters.
Our group of box makers was six to ten, depending on demand for boxes at a given time.
Each day we made one hundred boxes. That was the unwritten rule. Our ten hour day was
not very stressful. We talked, sneaked the odd break from work, sometimes played jokes on
each other all the time mindful that the' boss' could appear at any time. Otherwise we
did our work well and produced a good product.
Our bosses were Winston, Lewis and Victor Sheppard, sons of the owner, Mr. H.W.
Sheppard. They were good understanding people, always pleasant and easy to work for.
Mr. Levi Pike was the mill machinist and overall operations boss. He pretty well kept
everything in line and on schedule in addition to maintaining the saws, planes, belts and
motors. Other workers included my father, Jim Gosse who looked after the cut-off saw
and printer and Ebenezer Sheppard who looked after the' big' planer.
We got a big increase in pay in 1951 It went from fifteen to twenty-five cents per hour,
an increase of six dollars a week! The box limit remained one hundred per day.
Our summer's work is over and it's back to school. Jack Smith wasn't anxious to return
to school and was heard to say on the last day at work,' Boys, we've got one more day left
on earth '.
The following year Lewis and I contracted the blueberry box making from H. W.Sheppard
and Sons at two and one half cents per box. All materials were delivered to our work place.
Many boys younger came by to help - boys love to drive nails. We made two to three
hundred boxes each per day.
The Church of England School Board operated six schools. There was one at Tilton, one at
Goddenville and four at Spaniard's Bay. The four were at Vokey's Shore Road, West End,
Northern Cove Pond and Baker's Hill. The Roman Catholic School Board at Harbour
Grace operated a school at Tilton and St. Anne's School at Spaniard's Bay.
My recollections are entirely related to the Church of England Central High School.
The building was a two storey structure built on a rock and concrete foundation on Baker's
Hill just east and on the opposite side ofthe road as Holy Redeemer Church. In the
beginning there were two rooms and later a ground level room was constructed on the
north west side. The second storey housed the Parish Hall and CEAA Room and a CEW A
kitchen. The Parish Hall substituted for a classroom a bit later. The three ground level
rooms housed grades primer to four, five to seven and eight to eleven.
The building was heated with pot-bellied wood and coal stoves. Lighting was not overly
bright but adequate. There was no indoor plumbing. The washroom was a male- female
divided outdoor toilet.
STORIES & STUFF Page 15
My teachers were Miss Rita Alcock, Mr. W.G. Wells and Mr. Robert S. Petten.
School opened at 9:30 A.M. and ended at 4:00 P.M. There was a recess break at 10:45 and
dinner period was from 12:30 to 2:00 P.M. We didn't have a lab, library or gymnasium.
There was no food or canteen service, no janitor or caretaker. Keeping our school clean
and warm was done by pupils. Boys lit the fires on a rotating basis providing their own
wood splits to start the ('Ire. There was a lot of pride in having a good fire burning when
other-pupiis,-partIcularly-girJS, aiiived:-Girlsswept the floors and cleaned the blackboards
usually on Wednesdays. Seldom was anything used to keep the dust down.
The school principal and teachers arrived just before opening and shortly thereafter the
principal rang the hand held bell summoning everyone into school. We weren't allowed in
school until the bell rang unless the pupil whO' lit the fIres let you in secretly. This was
sometimes done. School began with a daily prayer followed by classes, recess and more
classes. Needless to say our teachers could give very little individual help. Often pupils
assisted each other. How teachers managed I don't know. Tests (exams) were always
written on the blackboard, covered with maps and unveiled at the appropriate time.
We weren't allowed to remain in school during recess, unless the weather was really bad.
Our time was spent playing games- running, football on the slanted meadow to the west
of the school, snowball fights, etc. Some boys smoked, girls didn't, and we huddled in the
cold and wet talking about all sorts of things. Many younger pupils listened to the
conversations of older boys and girls and their secrets. On days like this we anxiously
waited for the bell to ring. 0 Yes! On occasion I sometimes had a big' winter keeping'
apple for recess and frequently had to share the' stump' with friends.
One of the most enjoyable features of school was the Junior Red Cross Meetings on Friday
afternoons. After some simple formalities overseen by the teacher, we entertained each
other with songs, recitations, imitating, and other antics. I recall Marion Collins as a very
outgoing and talented singer and actress. Marion was something else! We took up
a collection each Friday for some worthy cause.
School Concerts,usually at Christmas,were held in the Parish Hall. All fall individuals and
groups practiced for the big night of songs, recitations, dancing, music and dialogues.
Teachers provided the scripts and oversaw the training and often provided piano music
for individuals and groups. The hall would be jammed with proud parents for the
Christmas Concert. There were always nice decorations, a child's delight!
Public Examinations were held for grades nine, ten and eleven. Pupils from both St. Anne's
Roman Catholic School and C. ofE. Central High School wrote exams together. We all
dressed in our best and sometimes bought extra pens, pencils, etc. Pens with 'nibs', bottles
of Carter's blue-black ink, blotter~, ~~~~~ ~_~d mat!~~~ti~~l ~d~ wet~ ~err.c.omJD.illl._.
Examinations were supervised by teachers from neighboring community schools and were
assisted by an Examination Committee, usually women. We weren't allowed to pick up
items off the floor or leave the room before the examination was over. Examinations for
grades nine and ten were two hours and for grade eleven three hours. Grade eleven pupils
always had Art on the final day.
STORIES & STUFF Page 16
Leaving the room was a ritual of sorts. Pupils with hands held half way up would make the
painful cry, ' May I leave the room, please' ? If this happened frequently the teacher
became suspicious and permission was denied. Aside from the normal reason for wanting
to leave the room there were several others- going for a smoke ( always boys ), play
hockey, meeting someone special, going to Aunt Bertha's for a drink, etc. Occasionally the
pupil didn't return to school but spent the afternoon at the Post Office, a favorite meeting
place.
Now Bob was different. He didn't like school very much, in fact he hated going to schooL
Early afternoon Bob.with head and hands on his desk would develop a fake headache. The
teacher knew this but allowed him to go home and get something for it. After a quick
smoke, the classroom door would open and Bob would say in a loud voice, ' Did anyone see
a strayed away goat around here'? The episode repeated itself a few days later.
Mooching from school ( now called skipping) was not uncommon especially among boys.
There were all kinds of reasons - going to the Post Office, secretly playing cards in Uncle
Will Jewer's cellar, hockey on Grace's Marsh, and sometimes for no reason at all except
to say' I mooched'. It was the 'macho' thing to do. If your parents found out, good night,
as we would say.
Dropping out of school was common. There were two reasons - getting a job and just not
wanting to go to schooL Mid June saw some boys go to the Labrador Coast fishing with
their fathers and they returned to school usually some time in October for the new school
year.
School's out and we look forward to a long, warm summer.
Blueberry picking began around mid August. Partridge berries were later ripening and
were usually ready mid to late September. As young children we picked berries mostly for
home use. Later as teenagers the need for extra pocket money was the incentive to pick
blueberries to sell. The prices varied and we sold where the price was best.
Ray Murrin had a new Chev pick-up and bought berries. We travelled in the back of Ray's
truck to the Goddenville area where we spent all day roaming the burned over blueberry
hills. We were tired at day's end.
Good patches were always hard to fmd. Most often among the taller bushes, shady areas
and cut overs the berries were plentiful and big. We had our lunches with us for mid
morning and dinnertime when we boiled up - hot woods tea, molasses bread ,canned
beans - a real feast.
Our picked blueberries were put in smaller containers called' picking empers ' and later
transferred to a discarded dinner boiler or blueberry box. The results of the day came
when we had our berries measured ( not weighed) and we were paid in cash. We
sometimes thought the measuring can used was too big. Leaves, raw and' scrawny'
berries had to be removed. We removed the leaves by pouring the berries out and the wind
blew the leaves away.
There was always competition as· to who was the best picker. The title went to Matt Brazil.
STORIES & STUFF Page 17
Matt left the truck early morning, two boxes strapped on his back and alone went his way
over the hills and out of sight. He returned late afternoon with everything full- ten to
f"Ifteen gallons. We all envied Matt especially when he got paid. Most of us managed to pick
iIVe gallons or so.
Winters were long and cold and there were lots of card games. The main place for the
games was the Orange Lodge. Groups of men played at home as well on an alternating
basis and there were home games when couples played. This was more social and less
competitive.
It was a common practice for two or three couples to get together for a game of forty-iIVes.
Jacks were cast to decide the three pairs of partners and the game would begin. If there
was a shortage of players older children were sometimes allowed to play. In most instances
they played for money, ten cents a game for a set of three games, the money shared by the
winning partners. Most people smoked including some women. After the game the women
served a lunch, usually a cup of tea, toast, jam and sometimes fancy biscuits and cheese.
Meeting nights at the Lodge were frequent and regular all winter. Members went to the_.
Lodge early for a game before the meeting and remained aftenvard for the same reason.
The card games had six players per table and there were three pairs of partners. The game,
of course, was forty-f"Ives. It was the game in Noder Cove. Elsewhere most people played
hundred and twenties or auction. Prizes were cans of milk, butter, sugar, etc. If winning
partners could not share the prize there was a playoff - first three games. The non winners
stayed and watched the playoff. It cost ten to fifteen cents to play.
Competition was keen, money on the line and there were rules to follow- follow suit, no
, reneging' trumps, go in your place, etc. There was a scorekeeper. First f"Ive games won.
Everyone smoked, pipes usually.
A feature of all card games where men were involved was banging your clinching trump
card on the table. It seemed the harder the bang, the better the 'trick '.
Groups of men often gathered at each others house for the' big' game. There were nine
players per game, three sets of three partners. Again jacks were cast to select partners and
to decide the seating arrangement.
The host provided the prizes, they were special- pig's or cow's head, a dick ( rooster) and
sometimes a ' sack' of potatoes, salt f"Ish, etc. The price to play depended on the prize
value.
This was a major competition for bragging rights, imancial benef"It and a social event. The
best man at numbers kept score, playoff for a single prize ( f"Irst f"Ive games ), shared
among winners othenvise, defmite rules in play. The players in this game were experts at
reading each others hands, they knew who played what and what cards were left to play.
No one got away with anything. Everyone smoked, no lunches, sometimes a glass of home
brew, no rum (too expensive and too hard to get).
The woman of the house was usually visiting or to a church meeting the night of the game.
Here are some names I remember from the card games - Uncle Harry Chipman, Lee Pye
STORIES & STUFF Page 18
Uncle Llewelyn Jones,Winston Sheppard, Dad ( Jim Gosse ), Bob Scott ( Gosse ), Will
Hutchings, Lincoln Mercer, Roland Gosse, Gordon Pike. There were many others.
*****
The stories and quips told here are not in any way meant to be offensive. I have used names
and nicknames respectfully and have first hand knowledge of some stories told .here. Many
I've gotten from people who themselves were told. The numerous tellings have no doubt
embellished and exaggerated some stories. However changed, they are still important
pieces of our heritage and culture. The stories may not in themselves be funny but often the
funniness rests in knowing the circumstances and the character of those involved ••
Enjoy the reading •
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It was a warm summer evening and several men had gathered 'on the corner' discussing
events of the day. Among the group were William ( Bulger) Chipman and Uncle Eugene
Gosse, a well-to-do businessman. Unusual though it was, Mr. Chipman was the butt of
some of the jokes and fun. Willie, as he was called, had a reputation at getting even ten
times over. During the 'carrying on' Willie tore Iiis jacket but didn't say a word. After
he went home he made a bee line to Uncle 'Genie's' house and spoke with Aunt Maggie,
Uncle Eugene's wife. He told her what had happened and that Untie Gene said he had a
brown suit he could have. There were two brown suits and Willie said, " I'll take the two of
them."
The debt was paid in full and neither Uncle Eugene nor Willie said a word.
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 19
Ron lived on Brazil's Hill approximately half a mile north of Sheppard's Mill where he
worked as a labourer. He was a good worker and a valued employee. Work at the mill
began at 7:00 A.M. The owner and boss, Mr. H.\V.Sheppard, usually began his morning
rounds at eight. It sometimes happened that Ron was late for work. When that occurred
Ron would slip in the back entrance to the mill unnoticed.
It's 7:30 A.M. Ron is late and the boss is on the job early. Approaching the back entrance
and looking through the alleyway that separates the cooperage shop from the sawmill area
Ron spies Mr. Sheppard trudging his way up the sawdust covered mill yard. Unsure as to
whether he's been seen or not Ron picks up several pieces of two by fours and sheepishly
walks into the sawmill only to be arrested by Mr. Sheppard. They both greet each other
with' good morning'. Mr. Sheppard then asked Ron what he was doing this morning. He
replied that he was bringing some two by fours into the mm for planing. The boss said,
"Ron, the boys have been bringing that out all morning."
Ron didn't lose his job.
*****
It was a cold late October day, the wind was brisk northerly, some fog and mist and a
dense cloud cover hastened the approach of darkness.
Dad was building a concrete retaining wall for his good friend Harry Chipman ( Sr. ). He
and his wife May lived on Casey's Lane. Young Harry ( as we called him) , a big strong
boy for his age, was at school. Harry was not the tidiest of characters, a good athlete,
friendly and a likeable young man ten or eleven years old at the time. Harry had a fierce
appetite, his favorite being Aunt May's freshly baked bread with lots of blueberry jam.
Arriving home from school around 4:15, a bit cold and hungry, Harry brought his book
bag inside and soon emerged with his favorite snack especially prepared for him. He didn't
like the bread crust too much and ate his way into the bread creating a kind of horseshoe
cavity. By now Harry was well decorated from his ears to the jut of his chin and tip of his
nose with blueberry jam.
In his young mind Harry wasn't sure about the jam and where it came from. Curious and
with some anxiety Harry approached Dad and said," Uncle Jim, where do they make the
i~m? "
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 20
Uncle Bob and his wife Aunt Betsy, as they were affectionately known, lived on the Ridge
Road in the family home inherited from Uncle Bob's parents Uncle Eleazar and Aunt
Alfreda Seymour.
It was while working at Gander at carpentry under foreman Henry Bishop, that Uncle Bob
became good friends with Seward Noseworthy. Seward, a young man from New Harbour
Road and a carpenter's helper, entertained the bunkhouse workers at night with
his accordion. Somehow Seward was persuaded to sell his second hand accordion to Uncle
Bob. He knew Betsy loved accordion music and longed to play it herself - a perfect
Christmas Gift he thought.
Christmas Eve is here and Uncle Bob, Dad ( Betsy's brother) and Calvin (their son ),
were celebrating having a social drink of rum and having a yarn. Aunt Betsy
had just removed bread from the oven and, taking a break, she began playing the
accordion - Uncle Bob gave her the gift a bit early. Betsy's favorite tune was Will Your
Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life. Sitting in her rocking chair, apron still on Aunt Betsy
made a valiant attempt at coaxing out the melody to her beloved hymn.
Aunt Betsy figured that her brother Jim and son Calvin probably knew what she was
trying to play. She also knew that her husband had no feel for music, although he loved
listening to it. She posed the question to Uncle Bob asking him if he knew what she was
playing. He replied, " Sure Betsy, everyone knows that tune." Aunt Betsy repeated the
question. " My God in Heaven, Betsy, everyone knows Up on the Housetop Click, Click
Click, Down through the Chimney came Good Saint Nick.
Aunt Betsy, now contented and somewhat reassured, got from her chair and with her
apron still on rubbed some Good Luck on the still hot crusty bread.
Uncle Bob poured two more drinks of Captain Morgan.
*****
Aunt Selena Hutchings lived on Brown's Road. She was a tall person who usually dressed
in layers of long white clothing. She didn't have much of the world's wealth but generously
shared what she .had. Aunt Selena lived alone and was a kind and friendly old soul.
Figs (raisins) weren't plentiful and they were very expensive. Aunt Selena had just
finished baking some figgy buns. It happened that Solomon ( Sob) Chipman came out
Brown's Road on the way home with some firewood. Sob was a big man with a big
appetite. Asked by Aunt Selena to come in a have some tea and figgy buns, Sob eagerly
said yes. After eating a few buns Sob said," Aunt Selena, which bun did you put the fig in ?"
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 21
Bert, a cousin of mine, was a well read and intelligent man. He was one of few words whose
observations and words were carefully thought out. Bert had, what some people might call,
a 'dry' wit and sense of humour. Here are some of his thoughts and words.
The planning of a trouting trip to Long Pond Brook was fmally done. Bert, his friends Bob
and Lincoln were finally ready. Long Pond Brook, just north west of Tilton was about two
miles away. It was noted for silvery white trout commonly called' salmon peel.' Lincoln
was the senior man and guide for the trip. The walk to the trouting spot would take an
hour or so. The route was in Casey's Lane, through the rock walls of Bunkers Hill, along
the main road to Tilton, across by Round Pond to the Brook.
Lincoln, Bert and Bob seemed to be taking longer than expected walking through the
Bunkers Hill part of the journey. Lincoln, sensing that Bert and Bob had noticed this,
asked Bob the time. Bob didn't know. Turning to Bert he asked the same question. Bert,
after some thought took a scrap of paper from his pocket and said, " Lincoln, I don't know
the time but I've got the date we left home."
*****
Summer evenings the comer of Casey's Lane, Baker's Hill and the Main Road, known as
the Sinners' Bench area, men gathered to discuss politics, etc. Often younger boys were
there as welL A 30 MPH traffic sign marked the beginning of Baker's Hill.
Almost without exception Guy EarIe from Carbonear would come through Spaniard's Bay
in his big Ford Monarch car. Guy drove fast and invariably used the Baker's Hill Gravel
Road route on his way to Bay Roberts. This was a daily event worth seeing.
Bert, Dad and others were' on the comer' waiting for Guy's appearance. Around 7:30 the
Monarch went up Baker's Hill at a pretty good clip and in a cloud of dust.
Said Bert in his usual slow methodical style, " Uncle Jim, I guess we should put another
zero on that speed sign.
*****
Sometime in the spring of 1970 I picked up Bert at the Post Office to give him a ' lift ' up
the road.He was going to the Kozy Glo to meet some friends. A bottle of beer cost thirty­five
cents at that time. As we neared the Kozy Glo Bert, taking some change from his
pocket, said to me," Cousin, I just got the price of admission."
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 22
Mr. William Chipman, called 'Willie" by most people who knew him ( his nickname was
Bulger) was a well known' character' of Spaniard's Bay and the region generally. He was
a very special person who loved to play practical jokes. If he was the recipient of one, you
could be sure the favour would be repaid ten times over. Mr. Chipman was an 'institution'
known far and wide for his fun loving ways and antics.
Willie lived on Casey's Lane. He was a big, strong, friendly man. When it came to practical
jokes he showed no favours - everyone beware.
The following story is told about Mr. Chipman, a story that's been told many time and
which has changed from its fIrst telling. This is my version as it was told to me.
A young lady from Spaniard's Bay lost her husband through illness. Over time she
befriended some of the local men of the community and the story got around. Being a small
community practically everyone knew about the alleged rendezvous, etc.,etc. It didn't take
long for a recitation and song to surface describing the escapades of this young woman.
In time the woman and her family became offended with the song and rumours and placed
the blame for it on Mr. Chipman. Willie was taken to Court at Harbour Grace to face the
charge. Here's what happened.
Mid winter and the Court House is jammed, men from Spaniard's Bay mostly who
wouldn't miss this event for the world! There are no lawyers involved. The plaintiff and
her witnesses presented their case. The judge called Mr. William Bulger to the stand. Mr.
Chipman did not move. The call was repeated several times and there was no response
from the defendant. The judge was obviously irritated. Finally Willie stood up and said,
" Your Honour, my name is William Chipman, not William Bulger." The judge, still upset,
told Mr. Chipman to take the stand.
The judge asked Mr. Chipman if he had written this recitation or song about this young
lady_ Mr. Chipman said, "No, Your Honour. I can't read or write. But I did make it up.
Your Honour, here's what I'll do. I'll sing the song for you." The judge agreed and Willie
sang all fIfteen verses to the applause of the crowd. Amid the smoke and noise the judge
brought down the gavel, Case Dismissed! And Justice was done.
*****
During the long cold nights of fall and winter the Orange Lodge was the meeting place for
many. Before and after the Lodge Meetings it was customary for the members to have a
game of forty-fIves. This particular Thursday night Harry Chipman ( Henry, ~s Willie
called him) were partners and won the prize. A play-off followed and Harry won a lengthy
argument with Willie who said he was the winner, not Henry.
A few days later there was a late winter snowfall followed by mild temperatures and rain.
Casey's Lane where Bulger lived and the only way to Harry's house, was a mess with lots
of wet snow and water. That morning Harry had gone to the shop for his wife and was on
the way home with two bags of sugar, one under each arm. As he picked his way along a
STORIES & STUFF Page23
very narrow Casey's Lane he saw Willie coming out the Lane and he knew immediately he
was in trouble. Here's how the meeting unfolded.
Willie and Harry walked past greeting each other with ' good morning '. After walking a
short distance Willie stopped and calling to Harry said, " Henry, I'd like to talk to you. Are
you as good a man this morning as you were last Thursday night at the Lodge?" " Now
Willie ", said Harry. "Lay down your sugar, Henry ", Willie demanded. "Willie, you
know I can't do that." "Henry, hold out your chin." Using his big calloused hand Willie
brought tears to Harry's eyes. "Hold out the other side, Henry." The process was repeated.
Willie then told Henry to go home to his wife with the sugar. Harry collected himself and
trudged his way in Casey's Lane.
*****
William Chipman, like many local people, spent some time working on Bell Island. It was
customary to keep your clothing, etc. in a wooden box or canvas bag in the bunkhouse.
When Mr. Chipman fmished working on Bell Island he needed to have his ' belongings'
brought home to Spaniard's Bay. No better way than Billy Barrett's boat, he thought. Mr.
Barrett's boat, the Joyce Jean, regularly made the round trip from Spaniard's Bay to Bell
Island bringing lumber and sand to the Island and returning with a load of North Sydney
coal.
The Joyce Jean arrived at Northern Cove wharf with Willie's wooden box .. The captain,
Mr. Barrett, seeing Mr. Chipman 'on the wharf waiting for his stuff, offered the following
deal. He said," Bulger, if you're man enough to come on board and take the box you can
have it, no charge ( Mr. Barrett never intended to charge Willie anyway). Undaunted and
confident of his moves Mr. Chipman got on board, pushed Mr. Barrett into the harbour
waters and removed his box from the boat. That was his style.
*****
Will Hutchings and his good buddy Bert had longed to go to the Labrador Coast' at the
salmon " as they said. Will or Malia as he was usually called, purchased a twenty-five boat,
the Omega, from Mr. Fred Mercer of Mint Cove. The boat was powered by a Six Acadia
make and break engine that seemed to work O.K. However, the boat needed repairs­caulking,
painting, etc. in order to make it seaworthy. It took Will and Bert almost two
years, on and off, to get the boat in shape to prosecute the salmon fishery.
One warm June day Bert came to fathers's shop to buy a snack for Will and himself.
" How are things going with the boat?", father asked. Bert in his usual slow drawl said,
"Uncle Jim, Malia will soon be ready to go to the' Larbador '. This morning he put a
sausage can on the exhaust pipe."
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page24
Robert J. Gosse was well known for his swimming ability. William (Bulger) Chipman was
well known too, but for a different reason. He was notorious for playing practical jokes on
friends and people he didn't even know. Seldom was it the other way round. Robert
decided that his good friend Bulger should be on the receiving end for a change.
One late August evening the' squidin ground', about half a mile off shore from the 'forge',
was crowded with boats of all descriptions and among them was Bulger's not so safe punt.
Mr. Gosse swims the distance from the wharf at.' Noder ' Cove and slips underneath Mr.
Chipman's boat. It was now nearing dark. Intent on catching more and bigger squid than
anyone else Bulger bragged as he pulled up his unusually heavy squid jigger only to see a
human hand break the water surface. Said Bulger, " We'll see about this later. "
*****
Uncle Bob Seymour and Max lived on the Ridge Road about half a mile apart. Max and his
family lived with Uncle Jim who was well into years and very sick. It was a miserable old
night, as we would say, and Uncle Jim passed away. Somewhat uptight and nervous Max
wasn't sure what to do but he knew Bob would. Max hurried to Bob's house and blurted
out, " Bob Seymour, Uncle Jim is gone, come out and help me. "
Uncle Bob knew Max very well and understood how he felt. Never known to refuse anyone,
and certainly not Max, he went to the house and upstairs to where Uncle Jim lay dead with
his long johns still on. "Max ", said Uncle Bob," get me a pan of boiling hot water, razor
and a sharp knife ." Max figured that Uncle Jim needed a shave. He was unsure about the
knife and wanted to know. " What do you want the knife for Bobby? " was Max' question.
"Max, did you ever see anyone buried with the gut still in. "Taking the knife, Uncle Bob
put his hand in the fork of Uncle Jim's long johns, pulled the knife through and removed
Uncle Jim's underwear. Max passed out.
Believe it or not. True for me though.
*****
Solomon Chipman, Sob as he was called, spent most of his working life employed as a
carpenter. The weekly routine was to go to St. John's Sunday evening, work all week, and
return home the following Saturday.
Sob and many of his working buddies boarded on Freshwater Road, the Higher Levels it
was called. Board cost seven dollars a week. The boarding mistress provided good food and
lots of it • She told Mr. Chipman before he left for home that she needed to increase the
board to eight dollars a week. Sob's reply was, " Mrs., don't do that, I've got me guts tore
out now trying to eat seven dollars' worth."
*****
STORIES & STUFF Page 25
Here's another story. This one Mr. Chipman told me himself.
It's Saturday afternoon and Mr. Chipman is on the way to George Street to catch Belbin's
Bus for the ride' around the bay'. He carried a cardboard suitcase with him.
Barter's Hill was covered with wet slippery ice,' like the bottle '. An older lady was inching
her way along the side of the street being extremely careful not to slip and fall.
In his haste to catch the bus Sob himself fellt his suitcase came open and he landed in the
deeper side. Skittering down Barter's Hill Sob swept the older lady otTber feet and into the
other part of the open suitcase. Reaching the bottom of the hill Mr. Chipman said to
her,"Ma'am, you'll have to get otT here, this is as far as I'm going. "
*****
Levi, called Liv, lived on the Rectory Avenue ( Pikes' Avenue ). He was a big, kind man,
loved to tell stories and jokes, play practical jokes on occasion and he was the' ultimate'
handy man. Levi had a liking for animals. His brother Gordon every summer raised
severa) pigs, something Levi wanted to do to, but never found time. One spring he got a
female piglet from Gordon. He thought the world of that pig, fed it well, kept it
meticulously clean and was extremely kind to it. Over the summer the sow grew and the
bond between them did too. The pig, to Levi, was a pet.
It was early September, school was reopening, Levi was in his backyard at one of his
inventions, and Piggy escaped from her pound. Now Piggy, the name Levi gave her, didn't
go far but stayed around with Levi. Piggy had to go back to the pound, but how? Levi's
first scheme was coaxing - didn't work. Some gentle pulling and pushing didn't work
either. Levi came up with another plan. Facing Piggy he put her front legs over his
shoulders and tried 'waltzing' the pig into the bam. No dice! Piggy couldn't do the cross
overs very well and they both got stuck in the bam door frame. This didn't look good to
passers by. Along comes Dougie, Levi's young nephew, and curiously wonders if he could
ask his uncle a question. " Yes my son, " replied Levi. " Uncle Levi, can I have the next
dance?" The pork never reached Levi's table
*****
Uncle Eugene Gosse, one of the owners of Mark Gosse & Sons and Mr. William ( Willie)
Chipman were the best of friends. After a Thursday night card game at the Lodge they
engaged in a friendly wrestling bout. Willie fell on the hardwood floor ( probably
deliberate) and supposedly hurt his arm. " Genie" he said, " I've got my arm broke and
the worst is I can't go in the woods to get fIrewood tomorrow. " Uncle Eugene really felt
bad about this and offered Willie some firewood from the milL Next day Willie turned up,
his arm in a sling, unable to do any loading, and got all the wood he needed for the winter.
Leaving with his last load Willie takes off his sling and says," The arm's O.K. now Genie"
*****
.'
STORIES & STUFF Page 26
Solomon ( Sob) and Ches Chipman were brothers. Their mother Aunt Betsy usually made
a lunch for them when they went in the woods cutting firewood. On this trip the boys went
to the Denny's Pond area on the New Harbour Barren. Aunt Betsy had put in the lunch
twelve' fat pork buns', a favorite with both Sob and Ches.
The arrangement was that Sob would do the cutting and Ches would lug ( spell) the wood
to where the horse was tied. Almost every time Ches brought down a' tum 'of wood he ate
a fat pork bun. Late morning and time to ' boil up '. Sob had an enormous appetite and
particularly so this day. Ches, having eaten eleven buns was hesitant to tell his brother.
Just before opening the lunch bag, Ches quietly blurted out, " Sob, there's a bun there for
ya."
*****
Bert and Bob sometimes went trouting at Aunt Jule's Bight, Big Pond, Tilton. It was a mid
August evening, the pond had a slight ripple and as the evening wore on it became calm
with plenty of trout and lots of sand flies and big mosquitoes. Bert was considerably taller
than Bob and one way or another made sure Bob knew. The sand flies and mosquitoes
were giving Bert a rough time and he imally asked Bob if the flies were bothering him.
Bob's reply was, " No Bert, I haven't got a fly bite since we got here, any reason for that
Bert?' In his usual thought out way Bert said, " I'll tell you why Bob, they don't fly that
low. "
*****
George loved to sing particularly at funerals when he was frequently asked or expected to
'rise' the hymn at the gravesite. George attended most funerals but on this day he either
didn't know or forgot. It was a mid afternoon sunny day and George spotted a gathering of
people on Mall Tree Hill. It had to be a funeral. It was a long distance from Bishop's Cove
Shore Road to Mall Tree Hill and George ran all the way to ' rise' the hymn. But he was
too late, Uncle App had it ' rose'.
*****
Potato digging was something we didn't like to do. As young boys our job was picking
potatoes off the ground and putting them in brin bags. After that we burned the dried out
potato stalks and cooked the small potatoes ( bubbly balls ). It was late September and
scarlet fever was rampant in the area. Everyone was terrified. A small stream ran near the
place where we were roasting the potatoes and we revelled in jumping across the stream.
One of our group wasn't very' spry' and fell into the brook. Screeching, he ran for home.
Mary, well known for her words of warning, cried out to our friend and calling him by his
first name said, " ... go home as quick as you can, you'll have scarlet fever before you gets
to the United Church." The faster he ran the harder he screeched.
STORIES & STUFF Page 27
Good buddies Bob and Max had made plans to cut some fIrewood in the Spider Pond area
several miles away. Each one had a borrowed horse for the day. Detailed plans were being
made the night before. They agreed to leave early morning. The main problem was how
would each one know if the other had left. After some debate Max, in his usual impulsive
way said, ' Bob Seymour, I'll tell you what we'll do, if you goes first put a rock on the stake
and if I goes first I'll take it off.' Problem s~lved.
*****
Solomon ( Sob) Chipman dropped in to visit his good friend AI who happened not to be
home at the time. Aunt Jemima, Ai's mother, was home and was making a pot of soup. She
invited Ai's friend to wait a while knowing he would be back soon. Aunt Jemima had a
terrible head cold and was battling watery eyes and a runny nose. Stirring the boiling soup
didn't help very much. Aunt Jemima, between sniffs, stirred her soup and invited Sob to
have some while waiting for AI. Sob was hesitant even though he was hungry and loved
soup. Finally Sob said, ' Aunt Jemima, I think I will have some soup but it depends on how
the drop falls' •
*****
The year is 1957. Uncle Mosey and his wife have a twenty-one inch Fleetwood television,
the kind Don Jamieson advertised and most people felt was the one to have. Every day at
5:30 P.M. a stationary test pattern would be shown allowing people to adjust the television
sets for the upcoming News Cavalcade Show at 6:30P.M. featuring Don Jamieson.
Television is new, Don Jamieson is an icon and it's a ' must see.'
Minutes before News Cavalcade Uncle Mosey's TV set quits. Mr. Vic Batten, the TV
repairman, was contacted the following day. Be advised that the TV needs to be put 'on the
bench' for repairs. A day or so later the TV is returned with a bill of twenty-five dollar
repair cost, a tidy sum.
That evening Uncle Mosey and his wife anxiously awaited the test pattern. It so happened
the TV station was experiencing technical difficulties and the screen showed a broken cable
with a repairman holding a wrench. Uncle Mosey was not too familiar with this technology
and immediately thought it was Mr. Vic Batten, his local repairman. Tormented and
irritated Uncle Mosey turned to his wife and said, ' There you go now, another twenty-five
dollars gone.'
*****
Fred and his father had just landed at Green Bead wharf from fishing on the outside ledge.
Engine trouble made them come in early. Fred was on the wharf, his father in the boat
trying to fix the problem and he was frustrated and irritated. Impatient and somewhat
upset he said, 'Fred, my son, go home to your mother, you're in the light'.
STORIES & STUFF Page 28
Uncle John Hutchings and his good friend Uncle Mosey (whose last name I don't know)
lived on the south side of Mint Cove Pond. Mr. Hutchings was not well off fmancially but
a likeable, friendly man who would generously share what he had. Uncle Mosey, on the
other hand was fortunate and was somewhat better off.
Every Christmas Uncle Mosey killed a kid ( small goat) for the holiday season and always
gave his good buddy a leg of goat for Christmas. Unfortunately Uncle Mosey passed away
unexpectedly late fall. The wake was held in the 'front room' of Uncle Mosey's house. Mr.
Hutchings found it very difficult to attend the wake of his good friend. However the night
before the burial Uncle John mustered the courage to go. Mr. Hutchings and his wife, other
friends and neighbours stood there in silence mourning the loss of a good friend.
Deep in thought and mindful of the many gifts he had received from Uncle Mosey over the
years, Uncle John was heard to say in a whispered voice, " It's going to be a poor
Christmas,"
*****
Another story about Solomon Chipman ( Sob)
Sob and his buddies often went to Deep Water Pond ( proper name is Rocky Pond)
trouting. In those days there were lots of good size trout and no limit on how many you
could take. Deep Water Pond was about forty minutes walk north of Half Way Pond on the
New Harbour Barrens Road. Mr. Chipman, by his own admission knew the area' like
the back of his hand'. He encouraged and persuaded some of his card playing friends to
make the trip with him to his favourite pond. Among the entourage were Lincoln, Jim,
Winston, Gordon and several others. Of course, Sob was the guide.
The group drove as far as HalfWay Pond. It was a nice August morning, light south west
winds, some early morning fog and the day promised to be a good one, maybe some brisk
winds. a perfect day for trouting. The trek began with Sob as the point man, along the
north west side of Half Way Pond, across a small but swift running brook and then
northward over the hill towards Deep Water Pond. Sob was in his element and brimming
with confidence as he led the 'boys' to the pond. The path wasn't well trodden but was
visible,especially to Sob. They had walked some forty-fIVe minutes, the fog was tiffing, the
wind was stronger but no pond in sight Some among the group wondered out loud if Sob
knew the way. " Don't worry", said Sob, " I'm the guide." They continued another fIVe,
ten, twenty minutes, no pond.
There was a kind of uneasiness among the followers until Sob climbed a big rock and said,
" Gentlemen, halt, I've got an announcement to make, we're lost - every man for himself."
Then, as he sometimes did, Sob gave a big, hearty. fun loving laugh!
The day didn't end there. They did reach the pond around 9:00 A.M.
Sob got a worm can for Christmas, worn on your belt and it had a hinged lid. All the
trouters, except Sob stayed at the head of the pond, Sob went to the foot where the wind
blew strongest. No one was catching any trout except possibly Sob who was at the foot of
the pond waving to everyone to come down. They all made their way along the edge of the
pond through bog, tree stumps and rocks to the bottom of tbe pond and asked bow he was
doing with the trout. " Gentlemen", he said, " I put my worm can on upside down and lost
the worms, have you got some to give me?" And he laughed again!
STORIES & STUFF Page 29
The year was 1951 and twelve young boys sang in the Church Choir under the direction of
Mr. E.H. Vokey. The clergyman of the day was Reverend Edmund Hunt, a quiet, extremely
intelligent and wise priest with an exceptional ability to preach sermons. Rev. Hunt had an
irritable, tickling throat and always used a Vicks cough drop for relief at sermon time.
Chester, the limb of the devil for playing practical jokes knew about this and he knew
precisely where Rev. Hunt placed his cough drop near the pulpit. Chester took the now
smooth cough drop and offered the' candy' to his friend ClifTy. The sound of the breaking
, candy' was noticeable.
Rev. Hunt, now reaching the clinching part of his sermon, looked for his cough drop but it
was nowhere to be found, thanks to Chester and Cliffy.
*****
Tim Collins and Ken Neil had been friends for many years and experienced most things life
offered. In many ways they were opposites and yet they shared a lot in common primarily
because of the times in which they lived. They came through the ' dirty thirties "
a time of extreme adversity, poverty and sometimes urgent family needs. Their enthusiasm
for life, good friends, fun and enjoyment helped sustain them through very difficult times.
Tim was the ultimate practical joker. Here briefly are several of his escapades. Ken and his
wife Minnie had gone to bed, doors left unlocked ( this was not unusual in those days ), Tim
goes into the kitchen and puts the cat in the oven.
On another occasion Tim 'stogged' John Fred Collins' chimney with brin bags. Next
morning was predictable - no fire, smoke filled house and everyone had to leave.
Tim had a serious side too especially when it came to his family and their welfare.
Ken was more straight laced, said very little but strongly spoke his mind when he felt the
need and the time was right to do so.
Politics didn't matter much to Tim. Ken was passionate about politics but didn't involve
himself publicly. Their differences is the reason for this story.
1932 is election time in Newfoundland and William F. Coaker is a man of the people. Ken
liked Coaker and supported him. Tim, of course, knew this. The night before Ken's
planned trip in the woods and under cover of darkness, Tim goes to Ken's stable and paints
VOTE COAKERon Ken's white horse, using bright green paint, the colour of the
Fishermen's Protective Union Political Party.
Early next morning, still quite dark, Ken takes his lantern and goes to the stable to feed
and tackle Charlie. Ken didn't go in the woods that day and Charlie wasn't seen out in
public very often that spring. Only Tim would do this thought Ken. Their friendship
remained as strong as ever.
STORIES & STUFF Page 30
Seward Noseworthy, men's barber, lived on New Harbour Road. He was kind of laid back,
had a keen sense of what was going on around him and loved to tell stories. So much so in
fact that visitors to the post office would wait for him to hear his latest yarn. Seward
had a knack of telling stories. Listeners would be curious, held in suspense and could never
predict the outcome of his tall tales.
Several years ago I was treated to one of his 'believe it or not' stories. Seward's barber
shop was open and a new customer arrived. He was totally bald and wondered if Seward
could do anything about it. As Seward said, " I've had some strange requests but nothing
like this one." Apparently this gentleman had heard about Seward and decided to ask for
his help. Seward told his customer there was nothing he could do at the present time but if
he came back later in the summer he may be able to help restore some of his lost hair.
Curious the man wanted to know what he had in mind. " I'll tell you what to do. Come
back around the middle of August, long legged daddyo time, and I'll do something for
you." The man again questioned Seward's intentions. " I'll cover your head with 'black
strap' molasses, sit you on a chair in the back yard Stnd the long legged daddyoes will cling
to the molasses. When the bodies and wings dry.outwe'll comb back the legs and you'll
have a beautiful head of hair."
*****
Roland Gosse and Solomon ( Sob) Chipman were working on Forest Road at one of the
more exclusive homes. Forest Road was an upscale area of St. John's at the time. It was late
Friday afternoon and both were putting up some expensive eave and comer board
mouldings. Sob was on the scaffold and Roland was on the ground doing the cutting. The
final piece of moulding was cut and ready but it was too short. Roland was afraid he would
lose his job and wondered to Sob what they could do. " Rollie, go across the street and get
two packs of gum, chew it up and pass it up to me." Roland halfway across the street,
called to Sob and in a half cry said, " Sob, what kind will I get, spearmint or juicy fruit?"
*****
STORIES & STUFF MORE BITS & PIECES
DO YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND? The Red Shack, Victoria Road, Deep Hole, Big Hill,
Yellow Marsh, Pork Hole, Dock Lane, Bunkers' Hill, Leary's Hill, Pretty Willie's Hill.
WHAT IS MEANT BY? BYEM BYE, THE ONCE, WHERE TO, WHERE AT, MARK IT
DOWN, BROOK HOUSE, RASHA or RASHER, SHAVINGS, SPLITS, LUCK OF AN
OLD DOG-LIVE ALL WINTER AND DIE IN THE SPRING, BARREL TUB, HAND
BARROW, JAW BREAKER, HR. GRACE KNOB,NAILER, WELL HOUSE
*****
STORIES & STUFF 11
I REMEMBER
Joey Smallwood's 'Confederate' political rally on Main Beach, Spaniard's Bay, 1948.
Hundreds of people there. The picture shows John Hutchings wearing his aviator cap.
Will ( Malia) Hutchings playing goal for the Eagles' Hockey Team. He wore a navy blue
melton cap, no skates.
Ray Porter arriving on Mint Cove Pond early Saturday afternoon with a 'tum' of home
made hockey sticks for the 'big' game.
The political arguments on the 'sinnen' bench'.
*****
Jack( Cuff) Gosse, Sob and Jim together each summer 'raided' Uncle Jesse Gosse's green
gage trees. The guard was Sob most times while Jack and Jim climbed the trees. Their job
was to pick the small fruit and pass them to Sob. He would store them in his tied up leg
pants. Being the character he was, when he figured he had enough for himself, he went to
Uncle Jesse's house and called out, " Uncle Jesse, there's a man in your garden."
My Grandmother, Mary Jane Gosse, had a 'cure' for migraine headaches. I'm familiar
with it having been her patient several times. The treatment was this. A dark green
cabbage leafwas soaked in strong vinegar, placed on your forehead and carefully tied on
with a sock, nothing else, and kept there until the headache was gone. My guess is that the
stinging of the strong vinegar hurt more and the headache was soon forgotten.
Captain Joe Blanford, a retired gentleman and avid fisherman, lived near the public wharf
at Noder Cove. He didn't mix with many people and preferred working alone. He was a
man of few words, very frugal but not mean.
Heber ( Bulger) Chipman was a good friend of Captain Blanford, was much younger and
often worked for him at his fishing chores. Beber was always called Hubert by Captain Joe
and was paid for his work with small amounts of 'backer' cut from plugs of Light Beaver,
the kind Captain Blandford liked. The day's work is over and Heber awaited his pay.
"Lots of fbackey' today Hubert," said Captain Joe, " the Wife bought a/ull plug last evening."
WHAT IS MEANT BY? AMAKINS MAKIN OUT LIKE THE BIRD
STORIES & STUFF ?.:t.
I REMEMBER
Winston Sheppard and how fast he could back up his FORD car.
The night Sheppard's Diamond 'T' towed my parents' newly purchased shop from Brazil's
Hill. Permission needed from Highways to close the road - not much traffic then.
Lewis playing the organ in our 'front room' and entertaining the Confederates in 1948.
The Court House and the Great War Veterans' Association (GWV A) card games on
Saturday afternoons.
Grandfather Mose Gosse and how much he was in demand for 'carking' boats.
Simon Coombs' race horse and its refusal to pass the blacksmith 'forge'.
Father's flock of hens escaping on a very windy day - instant bankruptcy!
The time a rat got into the candy showcase a took ninety-nine of one hundred banner
caramels - bankruptcy again!
Uncle Johnny Walt Mercer and his ever present and pleasant smile.
Learning to ride Uncle Harry Chipman's balloon tire bike.
Uncle Harry Chipman and Uncle Will Jewer's daily visit to Dad's shop after work for
refreshments.
Hearing about Uncle Llewelyn Jones' mistakenly eating the pig's supper!
John Lloyd Chipman and Don Vokey and their cornet playing for the CEAA Band.
William (Bulger) Chipman's visit to our house on his way to a Lodge Meeting.
Mary Bridget Gosse and her 'putting away' warts.
Solomon Gosse, World War I Veteran, and his radio that could 'bring in' everything.
Agnes McQueen Gosse and her talent at engraving metal.
The enclosed Carbonear Hockey Rink.
The Harbour Grace Hockey Rink and the enclosed spectator stands.
STORIES & STUFF 5:3
I REMEMBER
Mr. John Delaney selling fresh beef from his four wheel buckboard. The beef would be
covered with a white cotton cloth and priced individually with pine wood chips. Mr.
Delaney also sold fresh milk and 'prints' of fresh butter made by his wife Bride.
Mr. Edward (Ned) Godsell also sold fresh meats in the same manner as Mr. Delaney.
Garden Parties at the 'field' - games, swings, boxing and even ice cream.
Conn (Cornelius) Delaney dancing the 'lancers' at St. Anne's School.
Boats being 'hauled up' near the public wharf to the singing of 'Jolly Polka' led by one
James Jewer.
Captain Joe Blanford effortlessly rowing his sleek white punt to his fishing stage at Noder
Cove after an early morning f'lShing trip to the South Side.
The 'Baronet' with Captain Borum in charge, bringing miners home from Bell Island on
Saturday afternoons and returning Sunday at 3:00 P.M. to the 'Iron Isle'.
Mose Gosse, the blacksmith, banding cart wheels on the big rock near the forge.
The heavy seas in late fall and winter coming over the road and pounding against our
house and shop.
Our home being flooded because Dad had blocked off'the adjacent brook to flood the
nearby garden to make a rink for Lewis and I and our hockey friends.
The Gosling Family when they moved from Spaniard's Bay to Botwood in the late forties­a
sad day for parting friends.
The night that Mark GQsse & Sons Factory was destroyed by fire.
The end of World War IT and the celebrations that followed.
The Amateur Contest held at the Parish Hall to raise money for the Eagles' Hockey Team.
Mr. Harry Chipman's singing at Holy Redeemer Church.
Uncle App ( Absolom) Gosse's fiddle playing.
Grandfather (Mose) Gosse 'charming' teeth.
STORIES & STUFF 3 If
I REMEMBER
The horse races were held on Hanrey Street, Hr. Grace.
When the Main Road was paved for the first time through Spaniard's Bay.
Aunt Becky Mercer's favorite words, ' my trout'.
How well Queenie Barrett and John Hutchings could skate.
When 'courting' and 'fIghts' highlighted SundayNights after Church 'around the p