Interview #60

Name: Cecil Cox

Sex: Male

Age: 66

Place and date of birth: St.Alban's, February 19, 1933

Education: Grade 7

Occupation: Labourer

Religion: Roman Catholic

Number of children: 1

Names of children and where they live:

Jerry - Labrador

Phone: 538-3865

Place of interview: St. Alban's

Date of interview: April 7, 1999

Interviewers: Kerri-Ann Snook and Pam Organ

Cecil lived in St. Alban's all his life. His parents are John and Martha Cox. His mother's parents are James and Catherine Davis. His father's parents are John and Paulie Cox. Cecil had twelve siblings in his family including himself. Their names are Michael, Bernadette, Stella, Walter, Gerald, Margaret, Betty, Lenora, Chesley, Levi, and Joe.

Growing up as a child Cecil played football. Some chores he had to do were tend to the sheep, cows, and gardens. He also had to make the hay by turning and drying it. Another part of his daily chores was gathering up firewood and keeping the fence up so the animals wouldn't get out.

While Cecil attended school, he said it was very cold because there was no electric heat, all they ever had for heat was a potbelly stove. He remembered his teachers being Tillie Willcott(Collier), Monica Caines, Miss Wade, Zeta Willcott, and Miss O ' Leary. Cecil only went as far as grade seven.

The church was very cold in the winter time. The church was where the fire hall is to now. He served the mass for five years with Father Hayes and he said he was about ten years old when Father Hayes came here. He recalled Father Hayes being very strict but he was still good because he did a lot for the sick. He said if Father Hayes knew someone was sick, he would wire a message to get a plane. He also said Father St. Croix was around then.

Some doctors that he recalled being around are: Dr.Payne, Dr. Rodriguez, Dr. Faye, Dr.Tom, Dr. O'rafferty, and Dr. Twomey. He recalled a ship called the Christmas Seal going from harbour to harbour taking x-rays. On the ship you would have to get vaccinations for polio and whooping cough.

Some illnesses around then were T.B., measles, and mumps. Some home remedies he recalled were turpentine to stick cuts together and tonic would be made out of cherry bark. You would boil it first and then you would drink it. This was sweetened with sugar. Some midwives he remembered were Aunt Eve Collier, Joanie Collier, and Cecily Collier.

The role of the women was very well defined in the past. They would look after the gardens, cows, hens. They would bring water from a well, chop up wood and looking after the kids.

Cecil said the prices of food and clothing have changed a lot since he grew up. He recalled sugar being around ten cents a pound, flour was $2.50 for 100 pounds, butter was fifteen cents a pound, tea was ten cents a pack and you could also buy loose tea for two cents a pound. He also remembered brogues being $2.00 a pair.

At Christmas time people would go mummering and they would celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas by going from house to house to have dances. They would celebrate Holy week right through Easter. For St. Anne's Day they would go to Conne River to have mass and have a time (dance). Cecil remembered having to make a reservation to get on the boat before going to Conne River because that was the only way to get there.

Before the roads were built, people would travel by the coastal boat or by walking on foot paths. In 1953-54 the road was just around St. Alban's and in 1957 the roads began around the rest of the bay.

Before Hydro started, Cecil and his family would use a woodstove to heat their homes and cook their meals. Kerosene lamps would be used to light their homes. Cecil recalled Hydro starting in 1964. They would get a beef bucket, cut the top off and use it as a washing tub. They would also use a scrub-board to wash their clothes.

Cecil said that they always had a post office to mail their letters and packages. Sammy.D Collier owned the post office where Lila Cox lives to today. He also recalled a postal office being at Birchy Point. He recalled the first phone being at the post office which was the government phone. He believes Bern Snook having the first radio.

Before phones they would use a telegraph to wire a message. If you wanted a bottle of rum, you would have to go to the post office and wire a message to St. John's. You were only allowed three bottles a week which you would have to order from the liquor book. Cecil said some people would use their own liquor book plus they would get another person's liquor book to get three extra bottles of rum.

Most of the jobs that were around when Cecil was growing up were working in sawmills and with Bowaters. Cecil worked with Bowaters at the age of eighteen until he was twenty-four. When Bowaters left Bay d'Espoir to go to Glenwood and Deerlake, Cecil went with them for a couple of years. When he first started working with Bowaters he was paid seven dollars a day. Then he went to work with Hydro and got $1.45 an hour for a few years then it kept going up. At the end he got $14.00 per hour. Cecil worked twenty-two years with Hydro until he retired.

Cecil recalled two stores being around then. There was a Co-op store, operated and owned by Sammy D. Collier and Johnny D. Collier. There was also a Garland's store located at Birchy Point. The weather back then was really cold and they received a lot of snow and ice then. Due to the large amount of ice they received, it resulted in the steamers slowing down and so they could only reach as far as Roti Point.

One disaster that Cecil can recall is when three boys went missing lost in St. Joseph's Cove. Their names are: Sam Leroux, Stan Leroux and John Leroux. He also recalled the roof blowing off the town hall. The roof also blew off the legion. When the foundation left, they sold the legion something to go on the roof, which caused some panels to fall off. This happened around October or November. Cecil was in his early fifties when it happened.

The best thing that happened to Bay d'Espoir was Bowaters because it provided many jobs for the people of the community. The second best thing was Hydro. Cecil has been very helpful to us in helping to preserve the community's past.