10ADonaldGoodman.mp3

sembly.ai

17.01.2023

no

Speaker 0 00:00
It's November the second, 1977. And I'm Mary Williamson. I'm sitting in a house, which itself is part of island history, talking to a man whose name will live as long as salt spring island is a play swift time. This consideration and integrity are valued attributes of civilized people. I 1st heard of goodies seven years ago when I came to salts spring island to find a new home. As we go through Ganges, a friend said, there's goodie. If he's driving the new house, he's going to a funeral.

Speaker 0 00:38
If he's driving the old house, he's delivering the mail. Well, goody is very much valued undertaker. Those of us who've had professional dealings with him suddenly realized why everybody loves him. Now I've embarrassed him enough, so I'm going to ask him some questions for the record. Goody, I'd better say that your name is Donald Goodman. That, as we just mentioned, probably only about three people on the island know you by anything but goodies. So, goody, when did you 1st come to salt spring island?

Speaker 1 01:21
Well, just 55 years ago. It was September 2022. Jimmy com came to work front of Mr Bullock at was very biggest state on the island.

Speaker 0 01:39
This was the famous Mr Bullock of Bullock prize. Was it?

Speaker 1 01:44 Yes.

Speaker 0 01:44
Okay, can you tell me something about Mr Bullock from your point of view?

Speaker 1 01:48
As you saw him, men are very much regular habits, including a fair amount of eating, usually about five meals, you know, not happy, but five meals a day. And he showed it all right, preload, round it up. He was about 48 or so. That was when I 1st came, trying to, yes, about 48 years of ageing. He had still certain amount of black. And his good, one of his main characteristics disappeared on that that chair. We boys came from a home in Victoria, where, and this has to be recorded too, that and tails hammock that the whereas were brought out from.

Speaker 1 02:44
But that should not show that there were some early ones that have come out, but not and he then brought them out. But at my stage of the game, and for many years before this good place, from the in Victoria, and which he kept two, the older boy didn't cook, and a new boy arriving was house boy. And so as a as the cook left and the house boy became cooked, the new boy brought in, made the rotation, and this is carried on for quite some years. We had previously had Mrs Palmer, Mrs Duke, or Mrs head, Mrs Smith. She was at the time, but she was married again, and was called Hugh Grant. Of believe this brought Lily farmer into the picture as well. During the 1st world war, Willie Palmer was put in charge of the farm, put his mother as dependent.

Speaker 1 03:44
During the 1st world war. Could it I stage, as Mr bars tell 1926, as an employee. And another contradiction of that I have to verify, is that he didn't have dances there. He didn't have spacetime dance. Although the house was a terrific big house and had many park bedrooms. Has drawing as such, had so much fun trend that you couldn't have dance in anyway. And if, of course, they had one, two, three, four, alright, ten fireplaces in that, in the building, five down shares and five up that have ten bedrooms in the place.

Speaker 1 04:42
My good. Remain. The three were follow the head, but in the main boat, number seven, of course, one basket. So, shame that have burned down. And said, real good landmark, well constructed. And so, and that was the only he, he did have one beat by the place in the middle, that 1st, right in the middle of the front entrance hall, which only a bachelor would do, because no wife would ever let arrive. But I didn't get away with it.

Speaker 1 05:18
To go back to this about his has being single liking habit that he had fallen out of love with, or girl had joked him in the old country. And he come out here to get as far away from the old country. And the girl, as you could, he remained single all days. And he did a lot of good things. Yeah, she did a lot of good things. He, he was really religious and certainly lived and going to church direction to that making, put on his top hat and morning trousers and tail to go to church every Sunday. We used to have to drive this model 1912, model four for we were so small we couldn't see all of the and we only had to look through it.

Speaker 1 06:07
But nurse, as you forgive me, he could sign and got the lessons for us for 25 century. And this was a permanent license. I wish I had it today. Such, I guess I was as of 13 and half half I was driving that car come home from church once. I mean, noticed the speedo, which was a newfangled thing that he had put on attach the front wheel with a truck. And he noticed that he had both the gas and spark down because I was trying to make a hill that I didn't want to change years doing 22 mi an hour. He said, you're driving too fast.

Speaker 1 06:47
Don't take the wheel. You cool. Wild. Another one, a, a founder, a nickel was a nickel in those stations. We, we going to church, we made the excuse that we didn't always have change. So it became a ritual that he, Sunday morning would leave a nickel on the each for each of the boys on their corner kitchen table. So make sure that the other collection for something.

Speaker 1 07:20
Is there any other questions you'd like to answer?

Speaker 0 07:23
Were you happy the four years you sent with him, ever in the main?

Speaker 1 07:29
Yes, to put a percentage here. And all get very simple.

Speaker 0 07:35
He was, well, somebody will say he was a hard man to work for or to live with.

Speaker 1 07:47
Well, one of his bad faults was that he couldn't tolerate seeing you without something to do. You see, we started work at eight or 8 15 in the morning. And, well, partly due to her own fault and partly due to his fault. But the work lasted all day until 9:00 at night, because if he caught you without a job, he'd, he'd find a new one for you. So we'd learn to drag off the job we were doing until either he went out, well, that's the only way we could get good time off when he went out to finish up, and then 10 Min and be gone, you know, next that he was definitely a hard bitten Conservative. The he certainly didn't. Well, one of his planks was that he didn't believe in and public school, which has its implications, rather go deeper than it looks, whereby working man couldn't afford put his child through school, would never get any educational thank God things are changed a little bit from that thing.

Speaker 1 08:58
But then, you know, he did, he was to foolish to an extent, especially after years after I left, he would loan the kid's money with no fun of ever getting back. It was just making touching for $20. Any other time they want to, he'd get thrown trial, you know, he knew he wasn't going to get back, but he just so long nation, that's where I fell within my yeah, I showed independence as much as I wanted to, received page and full and gave them the opening of saying, well, whatever I owe you. I'd like to name it. I'll pay it to give me she can pool. Well, he didn't like this type of independence. So, and I wasn't in his will, to say the least.

Speaker 1 09:50
My fellow were going get, I know I have two house to the population, no doubt. Gave all kinds of more education. Quite a philanthropist, especially at Christmas time, going on with turkeys and geese. Geese and used to give away.

Speaker 0 10:13
Do you have any idea, goodie, of how many boys in all went through bullets, trailing, I suppose you might call it as well.

Speaker 1 10:24
I was saying, just off the top in my head of being the neighborhood of 35 or 40.

Speaker 0 10:31
And are there any others left living on the island now?

Speaker 1 10:37
Not to my knowledge. No, there isn't.

Speaker 0 10:39
Jesse Bond would have been one of the last. Just for the record, here, we're talking about Jesse Bond who was a farmer on soul spring island and who died very recently. Well, let's go back to these legendary parties. You say he didn't have room for dances, but there must be some truth in the story that he used to send out invitations accompanied by long white gloves and pearl earrings. And if you tell me that there's not a word of truth in it, gaudy, I shall be so disillusioned. Were these just for dinner parties?

Speaker 1 11:22
To have these invitations, naturally, were dinner parties. And that's the only part he said, to my knowledge, that he had, either before or after I left, you know, or during the time I was there at I think there's certain members myth and the actual gift and the love to with the invitation, but it certainly, certainly did give away hearings and get loves and so on. Well, he would have any, any girl that wants their ears pierced, he would pay for the piercing and give her her, at least one pair of earrings, too few, as a manufacturing, pay for else, and give her, give her he gave her pair of silver hearings, right? Didn't work out. Things conducted with rid of that horse doctor and start to hole in the front of the earth. Came out three different places in the back. And that didn't help the situation at all.

Speaker 0 12:30
Obviously, we won't go into doctors' names on this, although for any other record, it might be interesting. Now, goodie, you've mentioned your wife, Isabelle. So obviously you knew her when you were at Nobel.

Speaker 1 12:51
Didn't come down until 1919, about 1930. She'd come from Vancouver, where she had her school. And this, of course, was during depression. About them over here too, because he could find them, you know, keep his friend there together. Well, lot pepper living in a city where many work he brought placed down on the end of our road, 30 acres, right? But small amount down, and couldn't pay too much on it either. But, and it did tie them through that depression.

Speaker 1 13:33
Certainly had a good apartment there, you know, East flood, lots of food and ice, lots of literature used to go on there too. And when they did, they didn't go home. And she had the nature it has on home.

Speaker 0 13:51 What was his name?

Speaker 1 13:52
Good for James? Well, Wellington Howard was his name. The dragon is buried up in the central, central got back in when he was 65.

Speaker 0 14:11

So you met Isabel then in 1930. Are there about you?

Speaker 1 14:18
And when, when were you married? 34. We were blessed with three kids, one girl, two boys, who in turn now have nine grandchildren. Very happy with all jump out. Very well, very fortunate.

Speaker 0 14:44
And I love, I don't you so young running up towards your 50th anniversary to for the too long. What did you do when you left? Follow you? How old then?

Speaker 1 15:02
I was 16. And I, well, shall I say, kind of bumed around the 1st year, just took odd jobs and so on. And then next year, starved out and went on the CPR. Well, I went looking for jobs in town. And on the way, I got a job on the CBR. Vote as a forehead. That didn't last very long, because George and he want one of his own men on there.

Speaker 1 15:31
Well, Stuart changed, actually, news yard, Chief yard one, one of his own name. So, I don't know, got in the Mark on that. But was left up in Vancouver. Thank God I was save it by Mrs Stewart that is now living on the island. She lives down by, yeah, morning I wrote, she's got a place out there. Chin took me in and her husband. So I had some jobs.

Speaker 1 16:01
And her brother, Murray McLennan was instrumental in this. He he taught you know, Dr her not living down, for instance, down main Hasting street, you know, call me out. Left. Anyway, from there, I went to prairies and, and got a touch of a frost out there, and no more did I like that kind of whether I came back to Saltzman, but put, I've stayed here since, not that I haven't traveled a little but this hard place to loop.

Speaker 0 16:37
Yeah. So what did you do when you came back? It's, it's a beautiful place to lose that it had its problems from the work point of view.

Speaker 1 16:47
The following year, well, the following spring, I started working for the trading years, truck driver. I worked there until 1930 when I'd had an operation for appendicitis motion, couple hundred dollars in the hole, which was a lot of money in rotation. So our electron coming in may, stupidly, in may of 1932, thinking that I was going up to any option, make a some mistake, and we get this debt payoff. And as anybody that went through that era knows, okay, nobody quit jobs. Are you? How long do I got? I probably got in about two weeks' work on the road.

Speaker 1 17:28
And which was the kind of going thing in those days, it kind of wasn't welfare, but it was, you know, if he worked two weeks and got $18 is own that kind of tied you over for two or three months. And then, of course, we did barter. I go help farmer digs potatoes for a couple of six potatoes or eggs or some. And also got a job in a garage. And the shape and in behind the counter on that, we had a bunk underneath their coming lack affair there, and I'd get up here in the night and get gas for people. We're stuck in a daytime. Of course, we worked on a 5050 basis, whereby in those days, to change the bands on the model T for and it will considered $1.

Speaker 1 18:20

So Honor would get $0.50, and I'd get $0.50 for doing this. Got though $0.50 was $0.50 from north, about a case of eggs from the farmer for $3. He was very interested in getting anti case on, because there was $0.20 deposit on it. So I took the eggs out and put them in, which used to be a Pacific milk box. There used to be wooden boxes Pacific milk. This was stolen. I try a half dozen of these eggs for each meal.

Speaker 1 18:54
This is about the time that and anybody's parents kind of come to my rescue, and could see that I wasn't eating properly. So I started, went moved down there and and help with the firm cut without going into financial arrangements of victory. Eventually married. And I I started going. I was very lucky, got the chair taken off to by the name of Sass. No, Bret Adam. He owns 752 acres of long Harbor.

Speaker 1 19:35
I don't know what to call the place now, but I've heard the name after that. Anyway, he yeah, he showed up to Mrs Baldwin. And Mrs Baldwin own sand Anita race track factor. Father owned 60,000 acres, which is now the north African city of Los Angeles. She your in depression as I that up, and had come down from a hundred and 30 million down to the last $50 million. And she moved on to South spring to get away from kidnappers. Sugar incredible down along almost anguish town, where so I know that job person ten years I didn't know anything about gardening at 1st.

Speaker 1 20:25
This is kind of a little humor dealing. And just Mr Abbott said, well, you have an issue. If they're going to carry you on, they carry on with you. You'll have to know some of these pets. So he showed me that combine, or Aquila drug made dolphin human you created. Gave me their names. Colonel Stevenson was a real estate agent, came from Victoria, and so he was sent to check you when I was a gardener.

Speaker 1 20:55

So I just happened on me and he said, well, what kind of a fund is that? I said, well, that's an a kind of found at me. And I said, all you know, commonly known as car. He said, well, let's that. Another one out there. That's a Delian. So pointed this tree.

Speaker 1 21:11
Look what happened. Point of this tree. And he said, what kind of tree is that? Real professional took all the folders and said, for I've got, it could be nothing but a U. Well, got that's fine.

Speaker 0 21:28
That's beautiful. That would be keel Stevenson from care. Steve and Ken. So, okay, now, during this time you were married, or before you went to work for Mrs Baldwin?

Speaker 1 21:42
You were married, and we were married when we cheer for Mr Abbott, you see. Well, they went away for a holiday. I looked after his place in cars and chicken, and got a little bit established in the way. He had a house there, an old house, and we got that kind of rigged up a little bit of current trick best we could. I was that was leading yours, where he we had $5 that when the marriage.

Speaker 0 22:13 Hey, we just start.

Speaker 1 22:15
Anyway, from there, I came back and worked for train company another three years for, yeah. Got a chance to run the shuttle gas station down here is still there, around it for seven years. During that time, of course, I started doing the undertaking business, which is now, how did you get started in that? Have you got three version there?

Speaker 0 22:43
Yes, but on the other side of the tape. So just tell me as briefly as you can.

Speaker 1 22:52
Okay, make a lot of shortcut shape, then we'll look at just a minute.

Speaker 0 22:57
Goody. Perhaps we should turn this over, and then we can have a, yeah, the full story group.

Speaker 1 23:07
To start the story. They were the Morris at this time, back in previous to my time, the March used to use a very tough as as a horseman, a pickup truck. Yes, has 85 % of the people were more customers. If somebody died, well, they helped them out in as much as they had three caskets belong to Hayward in Victoria. We're stored up in the havoc of the pi. You could have a choice of any one of the three, and they get, somebody owe them some money to dig the grave, and you pay the Minister 2 50, and then that loan, you're there drive them cut for your journey. Dr Francis came along, and he in the nursing home.

Speaker 1 23:53
And he had 18 to 22 patients in there, which were terminal patience, and just overtax the facilities and as undertaker and so and also that Dr went to the wholesale and this caused a bit of a rut between the two and and eventually wound up much didn't want to look after naturally enough. Well, he was advertised for and somebody would represent them on offspring home. I've been driving numbers for such some time. And, and in God, the man I would be now and again called on that had died, you know, died out or dead when I got there in life, I bring them in, put up in the margin, was up behind the house, in other words, doing a little of it. The doctor said, well, why don't you take a dollar. Yeah, you're already in charge of it. He, incidentally, he had Dr Jimmy Draper into start being an undertaker up in New Denver, previous at 30.

Speaker 1 25:04
Anyway, I work for heaven ten years. And during the ten years, I acquired my own 1st thought, this place we, you know, has more than children. And so at the end of ten years, when Mr hated old fellow died, well, I didn't call anything to any of the anybody else. I got out on my own. And as I say, I had my own equipment this time. Yes, yeah, go the Hearst was rather, we innate. Don, there's one pack a 37 factor straight a and coming home from coffee one one day it caught fire.

Speaker 1 25:57
And I realize that if I stopped, then by the time the para Ganges it could be all long and keep coming. I'd get that much closer again. Geez. Well, I got it as far as what is now there, just below R and p road, Nelson's. By that time, the flames were about 14 inch. People in the chair. I could breathe out outside, but I got good, too hot.

Speaker 1 26:23
Now I'd pull out who Nason Marina at that time was forestry. So they brought up some equipment, and we got the fire put out when I went purpose. So most men, the wrinkles in the so were burned too. But then this 1st was told to victory. And doing it was a rather old 37 insurance company. Couldn't, didn't find parks, like I heard a little later than they were, they'd written it often, as far as he was concerned, as if they considered a sound information, just put in a bit. So I put in the bid for a hundred dollars, and I got it.

Speaker 1 27:06
And for another hundred I could paint it and and for another 75 I bought another old pack that had all the parts that were damaged, and I replaced it. So now I have a horse for $5. Well, last me, but many years from the sold it for one chair, that one two. And this is how I acquired an map. A lot of my equipment. Okay, but I like my tools that I have in heard working in the market, I was done at kept la works. And some doctorate turned in a whole kit of doctors tools, pressure nation, you know, he got all kinds of so needle has been so a $0.25 piece of I do big handful of easting, which all that different fellow in the business.

Speaker 1 28:08
Give me something every now in the game. So you go. But I'm like, put them together. And that's after ten years, the trust company had taken over the funeral. I couldn't just work with them just the same way as I couldn't, okay, little so Hope I couldn't get casket companies to sell the caskets, because I was afraid that revolution come. Hey, big came started South. I was fortunate in as much as this was starting up a gas company in Sydney.

Speaker 1 28:47
And they were looking for I lunch for the and heard about and we got together. I went to the bank and burn to get a whole truckload of gasket store. A little later at simple paper over something. Again, borrowing money, more money from the banker, and got a half a truck load, which tied them over. It's unfortunate. They're very good doing. They're very good products.

Speaker 1 29:14
They made nice gaskets cheaper, and it was handy for me. I could drop in and pick them up. So the place burn down. By the time the date, but we adjusted and couldn't wait for the insurance to come through. They have to go and get the options kind of fell through the out on the other gasket companies deal with. The initial policy I would like to that was 19. I started in 1952 with the 1st day of 1952.

Speaker 1 29:50

So I've been in, let's see, this 77. That's 25 years. That anything else you get?

Speaker 0 30:00
Yes, this is obviously a business that, that brings you in, in touch with people apple, bad times in their lives. And I know from personal experience, as well as talking to other people, and what a great source of strength and comfort and joy you are. And one senses with you. This is not a professional, the near not a professional technique which many undertakes acquire and use as part of their stuck in case. And I don't feel yet that I call that the her of goodies. The the what do you get that makes you like this? I feel that going through the depression made you a good businessman, a good trader.

Speaker 0 30:58
You could acquire a her for, you know, next to nothing, and, and really do good things like that because you have learned how to improvise themselves. But was it because you'd had a pretty hard childhood or upbringing, or that makes you the person are.

Speaker 1 31:23
I can't help but think that even is sadistic, maybe, as it sounds today, and will do some kiss were the good. So just have one or two months of and and home, as we had it, way back when. I hardly agree with that check. And maybe I maybe I'm rough and cut that way. Reflection of your own come up. All right, Jew Martin West, care and consideration and possible mind. But I kids today are allowed to get away with too many things.

Speaker 1 32:10
And punishment just do some good too. I don't care whether it's a child or a grownup has it. As we see today, there's so much crime and so on. If there was such a thing as a paddle, or even hanging, for that matter, it would be a deter in my view, high boiled about that. No, I'm not all gentle, you know, as an undertaker, to come back to that, in those times when you have to be tough, sure you can't be walked on. It's not in my nature. But if I have to defend myself, I'll get there insurance.

Speaker 1 32:52
He didn't see it in north and, okay, you have to scrap 30 to keep your you're lying in the pecan order, you know, and you have to depend yourself somebody else jump. So maybe he's aware a little of that in it seems to be my niche, actually. That look in the no, I absolutely that. Maybe some of it is a day I would take a job that nobody else would. There's a little bit in that. Yeah, nobody else want to be an undertaker. I like they do.

Speaker 1 33:39
If they look at the money end of it, they say, Oh, well, I'd like to get into that racket. That's, that's a good deal. But they don't want to take that the main there's some portion of this human business that they can't sell it one way or another. And this is where so many undertaker swear the alcohol they went. And I think it's the biggest problem the fellow has is controlling that taking has enough selfdiscipline too, and control drinking and look after his job. Then he on Mr Saha. And too many of them they, they feel as though they have to have a drink because they have to go and see the family, or they have to do the embalming or some phase of it, or, shall we say an untidy case or, you know, bad case.

Speaker 1 34:32
I feel very early in my career as an undertaker of Pentecost, and too much liquor when there was an untidy one taught me a good lesson. And again, abide by it. I don't take a drink before a funeral. I don't have to take a drink to do in bombing or or see the family or anything else. Sure. I'll have a drinker for supper, just like any other human.

Speaker 0 34:56
But just before supper, unless it's coming around, I don't drink that for something I mentioned right at the beginning that this house where you now live, and from which you carry on your business, this also is part of so things. And I wonder if you would tell me a bit more about just a little about the house itself. It used to be a school, I understand.

Speaker 1 35:25
Yes, it was originally, I think, built by one member of the Wilson family. And that was very much the harm, you know, the farm house a flood of fire. Now, back here, then have ten acres running up rainbow road here and and then after, yes, Ana and he he had a private school here. Information me that, I don't remember the girls coming here, but certainly got pictures on it today that the world goes and I think they must have been Dave, but the boys were next permanent days, left overnight, horrible as they used to sleep in the such an attic. And they put some building paper over there, rafters in the Stu and then complete de and last and that's other. Certainly nothing like insulation and nothing like anything to keep warm. I'm sure there is one has it that there was about 18, I'm that attic.

Speaker 1 36:36
Okay, you know, I mean, that he is right.

Speaker 0 36:40
When was that school level?

Speaker 1 36:42
That would be in the, I would be the 20 s 20. She has up until coming up. The child almost 1930. Yes. I mean, around there gonna coffee proper, developed by name proper. Her here for a while too. Then it was also Mr dunk.

Speaker 1 37:13
He, he ran a, he was a Butcher, but he ran, he ran a farm here, and so milk about. That be 1955, 1st down. 1955. That was one. Came out of the gas station. I worked at the line. I was building up my reserve.

Speaker 1 37:46

Shall we call? I worked at school for gander for about three and a half a year. I saw full of brushes. You know, in general, county had to augment the business by business six, but allow to get a head far enough so that all the stop contract and she was a house and so on, all paper. And it doesn't, it isn't a gift. You you've got to, we've got to earn that. I don't feel this and justice.

Speaker 1 38:23
I don't feel as big companies do that you should go out and gouge the public to increase your your own equipment, a telephone company, for instance. So, well, we've got to raise your rates, because we've got to put in, we've got to expand. This is just what I'm saying. I think that certainly I didn't do it back increasing my rates. I just went out and earned all the money to do and in all these years.

Speaker 0 38:59
But you must have seen enormous changes on the island. For instance, you talk about this house being part of a farm, and yet, now it's hard to visualize that, because it's practically in the heart of downtown Ganges, isn't it? Can you describe what the changes have meant to you, or what you see as the biggest change on thoughts?

Speaker 1 39:27
Well, let's go back to this. Even just Ganges, from just behind, trading companies, which is right down on the you know, right downtown, right from there, the the exception of the school of arms, he was nurtured at a man right up to brink road. You know, these archers were planned by until, I believe, Anderson. And well, I've seen the the whole worth, with an exception of just a path to go down the middle, four boxes high of that was just the whole war. Ivan also seen 300 tons of potatoes. Take not one field, the eggs that they used to ship a hundred cases of eggs a week off the year. Okay, this is the definite change in as much as fake rates.

Speaker 1 40:21
In those cases, you ship and 200 pounds for $0.55, and the empty cases came back a nickel of peace. Said, no, we can't compete with outside people. Because with apples, with the edge with was eaten potatoes, because, because of the frame rate just killing you. See that she did a very good thing. In the old days, they, you know, I mean, they didn't try to this. I didn't try. Took your shirt off with a lot of money in it.

Speaker 1 41:00
And they used to give us a good service a and Monday, the iron Princess, for instance, which later became the it used to come from Vancouver Monday morning and go through the all to Victoria. Tuesday, return through the islands to Vancouver. Wednesday made a round trip to the arms from Vancouver return, and Thursday came through into Victoria, and Friday it went back. True. And birth of the weekend. Well, it was birth of us, the roller Princess Pat, or someone that come in with Sunday excursions. The camera used to come up from Vancouver Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Speaker 1 41:43
Your daughter used to come in and stay over night on Monday night with feet, incidentally, at 303010, shipment your feet, and they download this after they got here, and you can all day to get here from being cool and bu overnight and go back choose in, come again Wednesday night, on Friday night. And shall we? We had good, you know, lots of transportation affairs. That's concern. So there was a launch. It used to run across from in the morning down to Sydney. And you could catch this, and then you catch a flying some people remember the old plane line, it was like a tally hole type of thing that's probably made 35 mi away, you know.

Speaker 1 42:28
But it was really question, gentle. And the roads, and fact that words they were nobody could visualize in those days that they would ever have to have a road wider. Well, I was a 15 ft wide, because two good but I was passing that. So they built their fences out to the edge of saying, look, and this is what happened to practically all the cemeteries. They have a pins right out to the edge of the room. They put their groves out there. And so today they want to widen the relative there's already somebody there, you know, contract.

Speaker 1 43:12
It was all gravel roads. And then at one time had to use, used to, and one pressure, Conservative government, put it in, I'm just down there, but just learned that cushion make and they crush the rocket and har it put on the road. It made a good foundation.

Speaker 0 43:32
That's why that's called rock crushes corn. Yeah, I always thought that was because it was a bad place for accident.

Speaker 1 43:42
As a matter of fact, the road between the top of the hill and that rock Crusher was called the new world. That may need many, many years. See the old world years ago. There's a divide, and to come up that Blackburn, you know, like when they can there. Thank you. That lab was in before I came here, but not too long, too long, because it was new road.

Speaker 0 44:06
I get the feeling from what you're saying, that, but this was a very active, very booty, very productive island, very much in touch with the mainland. And Vancouver island never particularly isolated. And it occurs to me that what has happened, as you say, the the increased rate rate, meant that the orchard fell into disuse, because presumably there was a small population, so it wasn't worth doing too much for the local market. And now when they could make a living out of the local market, the trees are gone and, you know, but it also seems that it's the motor car that has caused a lot of the trouble, because the ferries you're talking or the boats you're talking about, would only accommodate people.

Speaker 1 45:09
And good no, you could, you could take a car across, but it's a different world today. I mean, if you took your regard to Victoria once in two or three years for something, you know, and when they back in onto ground, it remained on the but you could go on the sea bramble, they just put two planks up and you go from the onto sometimes you have to let the top down, because if the time is low, you got to let top down and pull the wind down to get in underneath, because the slope of the wasn't too I never had any trouble with your health. I had it slung off one time. And when the lusty rose, remember rusty rose. You I guess you don't either. Rusty rose a nickname for lady rose. And I would bring the.

10A_DonaldGoodman.mp3

otter.ai

18.01.2023

no

Unknown Speaker 0:00
It's November the second 1977. And I'm Mary Williamson. I'm sitting in a house which itself is part of Ireland history. Talking to a man whose name will live as long as Salt Spring Island is a place where kindness, consideration and integrity are valued attributes of civilized people. I first heard of goodie seven years ago, when I came to Salt Spring Island to find a new home. As we drove through Ganges a friend said there is goodie. If he's driving the new house. He's going to a funeral. If he's driving the old house, he's delivering the mail. Well, goodie is very much valued Undertaker. Those of us who've had professional dealings with him suddenly realized why everybody loves him. Now I've embarrassed him enough so I'm going to ask him some questions. For the record. good am I better say that your name is Donald Goodman? That as we just mentioned, probably only about three people on the island know you buy anything but goody. Goody. When did you first come to Salt Spring Island?

Unknown Speaker 1:21
Well, just 15 years ago, September 24 1922. can go down the trauma came to work for a minister book that was fairly bigger stage on the

Unknown Speaker 1:39
this was the famous Mr. Bullock of Bullock's boys, was it? Yes. Okay. Can you tell me something about Mr. Bullock from your point of view, as you saw him

Unknown Speaker 1:51
in a manner very much regular habits, including a fair amount of eating usually about five meals, you know, not every but five meals a day. And he showed it all right. Pretty well rounded up. He was about 48 or so as far as when I first came. 22 years about 48 years of age, he had still a certain amount of black and a beard. He was one of his main characteristics is the beers that we both came at from an awesome gentleman Victoria, where this has to be recorded to that tails habit that these rows were brought out for maintenance, but that should not show there were some early ones that had come out but not needing brought them out. But at one stage of the game. And for many years before this. He had got boys from the orphanage in Victoria, which he kept to the older boy being cook and the new boy arriving was house boy. And so as a as a cook left on the halfway became cooked the new board brought in made the rotation. This aid carried on for quite some years. It previously had Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Duke or Mrs. Smith, Mr. Smith, she was at the time but she was married again and was called Mr. Tube afterwards, I believe this route really bomber into the picture as well. During the First World War, Willie farmer was put in charge of the farm with his mother as dependent during the First World War in Korea

Unknown Speaker 3:56
I stayed abreast of books till 1926 As an employee II. And another contradiction of that I have to verify is that he didn't have dentures there. He didn't have spaced out that although the house was a terrifically big house and had many fireplace bedrooms as drawing such heads and like furniture and that you couldn't have darshan and anyway I'll go through that they had 12345 10 fireplaces in that building. Fire demonstration five well, it had 10 bedrooms in the place. My brother remained the three were for the help. But in the main building number seven Of course one bathroom shame but it burned down. That's a real good landmark others well constructed and shown. And that was practically the only he didn't have one beat fireplace in the middle of nothing particularly furnished right in the middle of a front entrance hall, which only a bachelor would do, because no wife would ever arrive. Let him get away with it. To go back to this about him as being single legend had heard that he had fallen out of love with our girl, a job's done in the old country, and he come out here to get as far away from the old country and the girl as he could. He remains and garage station. He does a lot of good things. Yes, he does a lot of good things. You he was really religious and short lived and going to church, which incidentally, he put on his top hat and wearing trousers and tail to go to church every Sunday. We use after drivers model 1912 model Ford four. Were so small that we couldn't see over the steering wheel, we have to look through it. But North Asia could get him he could shine and get Russian tours for 25 cents. And this was a permanent license. I wish I had it today. I guess I was age of 13 and a half when I was driving that car to come home from church ones. I mean, you know what noticed the speedometer which was newfangled thing that he had put on, attach the front wheel with a sprocket. And he noticed that I have both the gas and the spark down because I was trying to make a hill that I didn't want to change yours. Doing 22 miles an hour. He said you're driving too fast. I'll take the wheel you have to

Unknown Speaker 6:56
another one he found a Nikolas Nicolette North Station, we've we've gone to church, we've made the excuse we didn't always have changed. So it became a ritual that he Sunday morning would live in Nicaragua and each for each of the boys on the corner kitchen table. So make sure that the other collection for Sunday. Is there any other questions you'd like to ask?

Unknown Speaker 7:23
Were you happy the four years you spent with him? Or

Unknown Speaker 7:29
in the main Yes, and to put a percentage or even Oh, yes. It was.

Unknown Speaker 7:40
Well, some people saying he was a hard man to work for or to live with.

Unknown Speaker 7:46
Well, one of his bad faults was that he couldn't tolerate seeing you without something to do. You see, we started work at 815 in the morning. And well, partly due to our own fault and partly due to his fault that work lasted all day until nine o'clock at night. Because if he caught you without a job he find a new one for you. So we learned to drag off the job we were doing until either he went out well, that's the only way we could get get time off when he went out do we finish up with him 10 minutes and be gone, you know, but he was definitely a hard bitten conservatively. He certainly didn't want one of his planks was that he didn't leave and public school, which has its implications rather go deeper than that looks whereby a working man of good and afford to put this child through school would never get any educational. Thank God things are changing a little bit from nothing. But then, you know, he did he he was too foolish to an extent. Especially after years after I left he would loan no kids money with no front have ever given them radica was just couldn't touch him for $20 Any other time you want to join me He gives drawing smiling anyway, he wasn't gonna get back but he gets a lot of nice that's where I found out with him i i showed intervention as much as I wanted under the receipt paid in full and it gave him my opening of saying well, whatever I owe you I'd like to name it and I'll pay interfere with nourishing food. Well, he didn't like this type of independence, so I wasn't doing as well. To say the least. Number fellas, we're no good. I know to house to the boys. No doubt, forgave all kinds of mortgages. and quite a philanthropist. All right. Especially at Christmastime go around with turkeys, geese. Geese are used to be what?

Unknown Speaker 10:13
Do you have any idea goodie of how many boys in all went through bullets? Training? I suppose you might call it.

Unknown Speaker 10:23
There's Well, I would say just off the top of my head of being the neighborhood of 35 and 40.

Unknown Speaker 10:32
And are there any others left living on the island now?

Unknown Speaker 10:36
Not to my knowledge no.

Unknown Speaker 10:39
Jesse bond would have been one of the last. Just for the record here we're talking about Jesse bond who was a farmer on Saltspring Island and who died very recently. Well, let's get back to these legendary parties. You say he didn't have room for dances. But there must be some truth in the story that he used to send out invitations accompanied by long white gloves and earrings. If you're telling me that there's not a word of truth in it goodie, I should be so disillusioned. Were these just for dinner parties to have

Unknown Speaker 11:23
these invitations naturally were dinner parties and that's the only party to my knowledge that he had either before or after I left in our during the time I was there. I think there's certain amount of myth and the actual gift of a glove to a with the invitation. But it certainly certainly did give away earrings and All right, get gloves and so on. Well, he would have any any girl that wanted her ears pierced he would pay for the piercing and give her her at least one pair of earrings. If she would. As a matter of fact, he paid for his belts and gave her gave her husband lunch that was my wife. He gave her a pair of silver earrings that didn't work out. And Dr. Horse doctor and started to hold in the front dear, came out three different places in the back. That didn't help situation at all.

Unknown Speaker 12:30
Obviously, we won't go into doctors names on this. For any other record, it might be interesting. Now Goody you've mentioned your wife is about. So obviously you knew her. When you were at

Unknown Speaker 12:49
Nora didn't come to the island until 1930. About 1930 She had come from Vancouver where she had her schooling discourse was during the depression and finally brought them over here because he could farm and you know, keep his family together? Well, there's a lot tougher living in a city where there wasn't any work. He bought the place down on the end of our road and 30 acres might be put a small amount down and couldn't pay too much on it either. But it did tie them through that depression and certainly had a good foot farmed on their own, you know, a supply much food and lots of visitors used to go down there too. And when they did, they didn't go home empty handed. They always made sure to go home.

Unknown Speaker 13:51
What was his name buddy?

Unknown Speaker 13:54
James Raleigh, Wellington Howard, what's his name? He died in his very up in the central cemetery. He got back when he was 65

Unknown Speaker 14:11
So you met Isabel then in 1930 or thereabout and when when were you married

Unknown Speaker 14:19
virgin 34 We're blessed to have three kids. One girl two boys, who in turn now have nine grandchildren are very happy. And it all turned out very well. We're very fortunate Barbara can find love OMG

Unknown Speaker 14:49
running up towards your 50th anniversary for too long. What did you do when you left Bullock? you're how old and

Unknown Speaker 15:03
I was 16. And I, well, shall I say kind of bummed around the first year, I just took odd jobs and so on. And then the next year, started out and went on the CPR. Well, I went looking for a job in town and on the way I got a job on a CBR boat as a foreigner. That didn't last very long. Because Mr. Didn't. You weren't one of the gentlemen on there. Well, Stuart changed actually. And use Jordan one chiefs yard one one original. I only got a month on that, but was left off and long Coover where, thank God I was saved by Mrs. Stewart that is now living on the island. She lives down by Morningside road. She then plays out there, she and her husband took me in and her husband shot they had some jobs. And her brother Marie McLennan was instrumental in there she talked to her about not living down, for instance, now remain patient and Street Journal. The cool now ledger, anywhere from there, I went to Verizon, and got a touch of the foster up there. And no more did I like that kind of goal, whether I came back to Saltspring here, but as quick as I could, and I've stayed here since not that I've traveled a little, but it's a hard place to leave.

Unknown Speaker 16:40
So what did you do when you came back? It's a beautiful place to live. But it's it has its problems from the work point of view.

Unknown Speaker 16:47
The following year. Well, the following spring, I started working for the trading company as a truck driver. I worked there until 1930, when I'd had an operation for parasitism was a couple of $100 in the hole, which was a lot of money in those days. So I left the drug company in May stupidly in May of 1932, thinking that I was going up to any option and make a summer steak and get this debt paid off. As everybody that went through that era knows nobody quit drugs or you hold on to a job. I probably got about two weeks work on the road, which was a kind of going thing in those days of kind of rushing welfare, but it was you know, good work to reach $18 or so and that kind of tide you over for two or three months. And then of course we did barter I go help a farmer biggest retailer for a couple of sex daters or eggs. And also got a job in the garage. I would sleep in the behind the counter on the bunk underneath their commitment rack affair. They're under our get up during the night, get gas for people who are stuck. In a daytime Of course, we worked on that 5050 patient whereby in those days to change your bands on the Model T Ford, and it was considered $1. And so the owner get 50 cents and I get 50 cents for doing this job. Well, that was 50 cents from journals about a case of eggs from a farmer for $3. He was very interested in getting an amputation because of his 20 cents deposit down. So I took the exam to put him in what was used to be a specific note box. There used to be wooden boxes, there's no payment. This was submitted stone that fry a half dozen of these eggs for each meal. All right, this is about the time that Azure Azure both parents kind of come to my rescue and because she did, I wasn't eating properly. And I started when I moved down there and I'd help with the final couple of additions. And without going into financial arrangement, so victory eventually married and I started I was very lucky. I got caretaking for Alabama Naval Special No, Fred. He owned 752 acres out of long harbor. I don't know what they call a place now that I've heard the name but I forgot. Anyway, he he showed up to Mrs. Baldwin and Mr. Baldwin on Santa Anita racetrack. geometric factor. File father owned 60,000 acres which you know, the north half of the city of Los Angeles. She during depression as a doctor have come down from $130 million or less $50 million. And she moved on to Salt Spring to get away from kidnapper. So we're in prevalence down around Los Angeles, where she was. So I found that job for 10 years. I didn't know anything about gardening at first, this was kind of a little humor dealer. And just Mr. Rabbit said, Well, you will have if you if they're gonna carry you on, they carry on with you. Or you'll have to know some of these plants. So he showed me the combiner Achalasia and drove me in Delphi Newman, a huge reason. Give me their names. Colonel Stevenson was a real estate agent. It came from Victoria. And so he was sent to check here whether I was a gardener. So he just happened on age and they said, Well, what kind of a founder is that? I said, well, at Aqua Leisure kind of frowned at me. And I said, Oh, you know, commonly known as Columbine. And you should watch another one on their own. That's a delphinium. So fun this tree is Look what happened to this tree and you should work on trees that were real professional took all the foliage and was photoshopped that it could be nothing but a huge tree that you're pretending

Unknown Speaker 21:26
No, that's fine. That's beautiful. That would be Kendall Stevenson from Kirstie. So okay, now during this time you were married, or before you went to work for Mrs. Baldwin, you're married.

Unknown Speaker 21:43
And we were married when we were the caretaker for Mr. Average went away for a holiday on the factors placed in cars and chickens and gotten a little bit established in the way of he had a house there. An old house and we got that kind of rigged up a little bit of furniture. mesh we could I wish I was leaving yours where we had $5 left when we got married. It was a start. Anyway, from there, I came back to work for trading company for another three years before. Got a chance to run the Shell gas station on here, which is still there. I ran it for seven years. During that time, of course, I started doing the undertaking business which is

Unknown Speaker 22:39
now how did you get started in that?

Unknown Speaker 22:41
Have you got three quarters remember?

Unknown Speaker 22:44
Yes, but on the other side of the tape, so just tell me as briefly as you can.

Unknown Speaker 22:52
Okay, I'll make a lot of shortcuts. Then we're looking for

Unknown Speaker 22:56
just a minute goodie, perhaps we should turn this over and then we can have the full story.

Unknown Speaker 23:08
To start the story they were the mortgage time back in previous to my time the mortgage used for user learn as harshly as much a pickup truck as 85% of the people were more its customers if somebody died well, let's help them out. As much as they had three caskets belong to Hayward general stores were stored up in the attic of the feature given our choice of any one of the three and they get somebody owed him some money to dig the grave and you paid the minister 250 And they'd loan you the driver and truck for your service. But a doctor Francis came along and he's on the nursing home and they have 18 to 22 patients in there which were all terminal patients and this overtaxed facilities are marked as Undertaker's and so and also the doctor wants to buy stuff for sale and this caused a bit of a rub between the two and eventually wound up the mage didn't want to look after, naturally enough. Well. Hayward's advertised for somebody who would represent them on saucepan and I've been dragged Ambridge question time and any engraven around lunch I would be getting called on somebody who died or you know, died and routers are dead when I got there. Like, I bring them in. Pretty much the margin was up behind the hospital. In other words, doing a little of it. The doctor said, Well, why don't you take it over you're you're already doing something but he had incidentally he had talked to Jimmy Draper into starting being an Undertaker up in New Denver, previous business for me. Anyway, I worked for Hayward for 10 years and during the 10 years I acquired my own first we bought this place and refurbished, you know, rebuilt into Azure as Marvin children and Dan for 10 years when Mr. Hayward their own fella died. Well, I didn't owe anything to any of the anybody else. I got over my own. I just have a preference this time. Yes, the way I guard my hearse was rather unique when there's lonely there's Packard 37, Piper street eight. And coming home from Fulford one day it caught fire and I realized that if I stop then the turn the fire truck but Ganges it could be all gone and I could keep them and I get that much pleasure again Geez. Well, I got it as far as what is now just below the RCMP officer. Nelson's marinas and by that time the flames were about 14 inches deep in the ground. I could breathe out. It's got to get too hot. I had to pull up the national Marina at that time was first reached, so they brought up some equipment and we got the ferret for them. When I went to put my socks on next morning, the wrinkles in my socks will burn to regenerate. This first was towed to Victoria and being it was a rather old 37 The insurance company couldn't or didn't find part four. I heard a little later that they were written it off. As far as hatred from German astronauts, they consider yourself a nation just putting a bid Shall I put in a bid for $100 and I got it and for another 100 I could paint it. And for another 75 I probably bought another old backer didn't have all the parts that were damaged and replaced it so now I have a harsher feeling even if I don't Well, it lasts me for many years. My shoulder for sure I've got more than two shows. This is hardwired an awful lot of my equipment and my tools that I have for working in the morgue. I was done at the Capitol Ironworks and some doctor turned in our whole kit of doctors tools for shipping knives, scalpels, all kinds of drugs and neither had been shown at 25 cents apiece right I got a good big handful of these things which all help different fellas in the business was giving me something every now and again to put them together and as I said after 10 years the Trust Company had taken over the general power and I couldn't just work with them just the same way as it could look so I I couldn't get gasket company to show me gaskets because they're afraid that they lose from Hayward. They can start selling to me unfortunately then there's much research fellow starting up a gasket company in Sydney and they were looking for outlet for the protrusions are hurting bottom you got to get in. I went to the bank and Borden that money to get a whole truckload of caskets. And a little later at noon central Saint Lucia. Again Virgin Money more money than the bank and go to half a truckload which is unfortunate, they're very, they're doing a very good product and made much gaskets cheaper and it was handy for me I can drop in and pick them up. But the place burned down and by the time that they got re adjusted. While they couldn't wait for the insurance to come through, they had to go and get jobs and that kind of fell through but what I found the other gasket companies would deal with me and I was I was into that was my dream. I started in 1952 with his first day of Nike to travina FC the same reason that 25 years

Unknown Speaker 29:58
run as maturity figure out.

Unknown Speaker 30:00
Yes, this is obviously a business that that brings you in touch with people at bad times in their lives. And I know from personal experience as well as talking to other people what a great source of strength and comfort and joy you are to them. And one senses with you this is not a professional, the near normal professional technique which many Undertaker's acquire and use their stock in trade. And I don't feel yet that I call that the call of goodies they what is it that makes you like this, I feel that going through the Depression made you a good businessman, a good trader, you could acquire a hearse for next to nothing and really do good things like that, because you have learned how to improvise. And that was it. Because you'd had a pretty hard childhood or upbringing or what is it that makes you the person you are?

Unknown Speaker 31:23
I can't help but think that even as sadistic maybe as it sounds today, would do some of the kids were the good to just have one or two months of control as we had it way back when I I hardly agree with that. Maybe I'm maybe I'm rough in that way. I were fortunate your own kids, come up. All right. Do marginals, my wife, care and consideration and your man, but I just today, allowed to get away with too many things. And punishment does do some good too. I don't care whether it's a child or a grown up. As we see today, there's so much crime and joy. If if there was such a thing as a paddle or even hanging for that matter, it would be determined in my view. On Hard Boiled about that. I'm not I'm not all gentle as as an undertaker. So back to that. You can there's times when you have to be tough. Sure. You can't be walked on. It's not in my nature. But if I have to defend myself, I'll get their insurance. Right? You didn't hear in an orphan child. You have to scrub for to keep your your line in the pecking order. And you know, you don't have to defend yourself and somebody else was pretty sure to jump all over you. Joe, maybe there was a little of that in the door right but that seems to be my niche actually the I couldn't I don't know I possibly that. Maybe there's some of it. There's a day, I would take a job that nobody else would. Listen, there's a little bit in that. Nobody else wants to be an undertaker. They do. If they look at the money end of it. They say oh boy, I'd like to get into that racket. That's a that's a good deal. But they don't want to take the domain. There are some portion of the funeral business that they can't stomach one way or another. Mrs. Were so many Undertaker's for the alcohol lady. And I think it's the biggest problem the fella has is controlling that. Picking has enough self discipline to control his drinking and look after his job. Then he misses the folly of too many unfamiliar. The field was over I have to have a drink because I have to go into the family or they have to do the embalming or some phase of our show we share an untidy case or, you know, a bad case. I feel very early in my career as an undertaker have ran across too much liquor when there was an untidy one. That taught me a good lesson than I have abided by I don't take a drink before a funeral. I don't have to take a drink to do in bombing or or see the family or anything else. Oh sure I'll have a drink for suffering just like any other humans. Just before chat room. Unless you've got me around. I don't drink after shopping.

Unknown Speaker 35:06
I mentioned right at the beginning that this house where you now live and from which UK on your business, this also is part of Salt Springs history. I wonder if you would tell me that more about just a little about the house itself. It used to be a school, I understand.

Unknown Speaker 35:25
Yes, it was originally I think built right. One member of the Wilson family and that was very much the farm. You know, the farm house was better the bar note back here. And they had 10 acres, running up rainbow roads here. And then, after the auction and bow hunting here, he had a private school here, which amazes me that I don't remember the girls coming here. But they certainly got pictures of it today that there were girls can that they must have been day. But the boys were like, pregnant, they slept overnight, on a horrible attic. They used to sleeping that was that was just an ethic. And they put some building paper over the rafters in their storage. And then fleet that was in Laos. And that's other certainly nothing like installation and nothing like anything to keep wrong. And I'm sure there was. Rumor has it that there would have been a genome sweeping of metal and let it be as was it.

Unknown Speaker 36:40
When was this end of the school rather that would be in

Unknown Speaker 36:43
Yes, it would be during the 2020s. Yes, up until probably up and you're almost making 30 Yes, I missed one there. Then a particular conflict. Proper. A fella by name Cropper was taught here for a while to that it was sold to mr. Duncan. Either he ran a he was a butcher, but he ran. He ran a farm here and so Nelson. And I brought him in Yeah, that'd be 1955.

Unknown Speaker 37:33
Or standard 1955. That was when I came onto the gas station. I worked at the wild I was building up my reserves, shall we call it i i worked at the school for a gander for about three and a half four years. I show full brushes. You know I'm genuine Congress had to augment the business buy invest because it takes quite a while to get ahead far enough so that all the stock accounts receivable, and shall we say your house and so on all paid for and it doesn't just to give you you've got to you've got to hire an attorney. I don't feel like this is an injustice. I don't feel as good companies do that. You should go out and gouge the public to increase your your own equipment. A telephone company, for instance, will say, Well, we've got to raise the rates because we've got to put in we got to expand this just well. I'm saying I think certainly I didn't do it by increasing my rates. I just went out and earned the money to do it.

Unknown Speaker 38:58
And in all these years for the you must have seen enormous changes on the island. For instance, you talk about this house being part of a farm and yet now it's hard to visualize that because it's practically in the heart of downtown Ganges, isn't it? Can you describe what the changes have meant to you or what you see as the biggest change on salts and

Unknown Speaker 39:27
let's go back to this even just Ganges from just behind Trading Company, which is right down on, you know, right downtown. Right from there. With the exception of the school grounds. There was an orchard around right up to Brink where the road you know, these orchards were planted by a fellow I believe Andrew Sherman, and well I've seen the whole world with the exception of just a path to go down The middle four boxes, high of apples just the whole world. I've also seen 300 tons of potatoes taken off one field, the eggs that they use to ship 100 cases of eggs a week up here. This is a definite change in as much as freight rates in those days. You could chip 200 pounds for 55 cents and the empty cases came back a nickel apiece she's now we can't compete with other people because we're raffles over the age old was was eating potatoes because because of the freight rates are just killing you see that? The CPR had did a very good thing in the old days. And then, you know, I mean, they didn't try to innovate. I didn't try to take your shirt off with a lot of money. They used to give us a good service a Monday, Princess for instance, which later became this I pack. It used to come from Vancouver Monday morning and goes through the rounds to Victoria choose to return through the rounds to Vancouver when she had made a round trip to the islands from Vancouver returning and Thursday came through and went to Victoria on Friday. It went back through and burst over the weekend. While it was bursting the royal or princess past or someone would come in with Sunday excursions. They trauma used to come home from Vancouver, Monday and Tuesday Thursday and Saturday. The old daughter used to come in and stay overnight on Monday nights with feed incidentally a 3030 tonne shipments of feed and they download this after regret here they take them all day to get here from Vancouver. Bunk overnight and go back to sin come again when she magazine Friday night. Serena we had good luck much of transportation as far as that's concerned and no I'm sure there was a launch it used to run across from Fulford in the morning, down to Sydney in your to get yours and then you get your flying runs some some people remember your flatline it was like Italia Hall type of thing that probably made 35 miles an hour, you know, but what was really scorching. And the roads and talk about the roads, they were nobody could visualize in those days that they would ever have to have a road wider than well say 15 feet wide because two vehicles always fast match. So they built their fences out to the edge of shall we say no. And this is what's happened to practically all the cemeteries. They have the fence right up to the edge of the room. And they put the graves up there and so today they want to widen the roads and there's already somebody there you know it was all gravel roads and then at one time had used they use the rock crusher, Conservative government put it in and just down there by just where the Christian Lake Road comes up. A nation Crusher rock and harlequins on the road. It made a good foundation.

Unknown Speaker 43:31
That's why that's called Rock crushers calm. Always thought that was because it was a bad place.

Unknown Speaker 43:43
Matter of fact, the road between the top of that hill and that rock crusher was called the new road for many, many, many years. See the old road used to go there divided into a black room. You know, I've run Lincoln ledger that Rob was in before I came here but there's not too long because it was new roads.

Unknown Speaker 44:06
I get the feeling from what you're saying that that this was a very active, very busy, very productive Ireland very much in touch with the mainland and Vancouver Island never particularly isolated. And it occurs to me that what has happened as you say the the increased freight rates meant that the orchards fell into disuse because presumably there was a small population, so it wasn't worth doing too much for the local market and know when they could make a living out of the local market. The trees are gone and you know, but it also seems that it's the motor car that It has caused a lot of trouble because the ferries you're towing or the boats you're talking about would only accommodate people and goods and not

Unknown Speaker 45:12
know you could have you could take a car crash. But it's a different world today. I mean, if you took your guard to Victoria, once in two or three years, or something, you know, and when the guard came down that remained on them, but you could go on the CPR boat or you just put two planks off and you drove from the wharf onto you know, sometimes you'd have to let the top down because if the tide was low, you left left top down and pull the windshield down to get in underneath because of the slope of the wasn't too.

Unknown Speaker 45:49
I never had any trouble with your hair.

Unknown Speaker 45:52
I had it slung off one time. When the rest of the rows remember rusty rows you're drawn from what I guess you either rusty rose or nickname for Lady rose. Bring it