The work he did

Dé an obair a bh’agad?

Uell, a’ cheud obair a rinn mi riamh, ‘s e 'g iasgach ghiomaich còmhla ri m' bràthair. Cha robh mi ach sia blian' deug a dh’aois, na leithid sin. Agus, shin agad a’ cheud obair a rinn mise riamh. Ach cha do mhair sin tuilleadh 's fada. Cha robh ‘ad a’ pàidheadh móran air giomaich. Cha robh sinn ‘deanadh airgead sam bith, dìreach airgead beag. Ach an nuair sin, chaidh mi dh’obair dha ‘n choillidh. Chaidh mi dh’obair dha ‘n choillidh, a ‘gearradh logaichean, 's a’ gearradh pulp 's a leithid sin. Agus bhithinn ag obair a’ siod 's a’ seo, agus…

Nuair a thòisich am power plant shios a’ seo, agus bha ‘ad a' coimhead airson feadhainn... gillean òga. Fhuair mi job a’ sin. Dh'fhurich mi sin gus na dhùin am power plant. Bha mi ann, dh’fhaoidhte, deich bliadhna na leithid sin, astaigh dha ‘n... a’ coimhead as déidh na boiler room, a’ coimhead as déidh an teine, agus a leithid sin. Dh'fhurich mi a’ sin fad deich bliadna. Agus an uair sin, bhithinn air n-ais 's air n-adhart anns a’ choillidh ‘gearradh fiodh ‘s a leithid sin. Agus an nuair sin, an ath obair a fhuair mi, ‘s e ...'g obair 's a’ mhèinn… 'g obair ann am mèinn bheag an Inverness. Agus bha mi sin fad roinn bhliadhnaichean, agus an nuair sin chaidh mi dh’obair shios ann a Stirling, Stirling. Mèinn shios sin. Mèinn… Bha poidhle do fheadhainn ag obair a sin. Bhiodh e ’teannadh air ceud co dhiubh ag obair a’s a mhèinn sin. Dh'fhurich mi sin fad roinn a bhliadnaichean. Nuair sin, nuair a dhùin an t-aite sin, thàinig mi air n-ais dhachaidh. Uell, agus cheannaich mi pìos do bhaile ann a’ seo.

Bha mi ‘fuireach shios ann a Deepdale 's cheannaich mi pìos do bhaile ann a seo ‘s bha mi .... Bhiodh crodh againn 's bhiodh éich againn 's bhiodh caoraich againn ‘s bhiodh sinn deanadh... eòin a’ sin cuideachd, air n-ais 's air n-adhart dha ‘n mhèinn. Agus an nuair sin, uh, start am muilleann ann a Hawkesbury, muilleann mór.

Mun do start ‘ad, bha sinn ag obair mu chuairt shios, mu chuairt air Léig, clìoradh... clìoradh ‘s a’ gearradh fiodh 's ‘cur teine ris, a’ clìoradh fearainn. Bha sinn a' siod fad bliadna no dhà. Bha sinn a' deanadh airgead alright ann a sin. Fhuair sinn contracts, bha sinn deanadh airgead alright. Ach an nuair sin, nuair a start... nuair a start am muilleann suas, chuir am boss fios orm ‘son a dhol a dh’obair air na bàtaichean. Agus bha mi ann a' sin fad... air n-ais 's air n-adhart fad seachd bliadhn’ deug. Agus a nuair sin, bha mi ‘fàs suas ann an aois agus ‘fàs beagan na ‘s glice fad na h-ùine.(gaire.)

What did you do for work?

Well, the first work I ever did was lobster fishing with my brother. I was only sixteen years old, or around that, and there you have the first (paid) work that I ever did. But it didn’t last long. They weren’t paying much for lobsters. We weren’t making any money, just a little bit of money. Then I went to work in the woods. I went to the woods to work. I went to the woods to to work, cutting logs, cutting pulp and the like. And I would be working here and there, and...

When the power plant started up down here, and they were looking for some ... young fellows. I got a job there. I stayed there until the power plant closed. I was there, maybe, ten years, taking care of the boiler room, looking after the fire, and that sort of thing. Then I was back and forth to the woods, cutting wood and all that. Then, the next work I got was ... working in the mine, working in a little mine in Inverness. And I was there for a number of years, and then I went to work in Stirling, Stirling. (There was) a mine down there. A mine... There was a pile of people working in that mine. There was close to a hundred anyway. I stayed there for a good number of years. Then, when the place closed, I came back home. Well, and I bought a part of farm here.

I was living down in Deepdale and I bought part of a farm property here and I was... We had cows, horses and sheep, making ... poultry there too, back and forth to the mine. And then the (pulp) mill started in Hawkesbury, the big mill.

Before they started up, we were working around down, around the Lake (Ainslie?) clearing... clearing and cutting wood, burning it, clearing land. We were there for a year or two. We were making good enough money there. We got contracts?, we were making good enough money. But when, when the ... when the mill started up, the boss sent word to me to go to work on the boats (freighters.) And I was there for... back and forth, for seventeen years. And then I was getting up in years and getting a little wiser all the time (laughter.)

Transcribed and translated by Jim Watson.