Mrs. Weatherell (née Scott) speaks of her days at Mr. Tolson’s School, various people on the Island, and her father Frank Scott’s family.
Accession Number | Interviewer | Imbert Orchard | |
Date | Location | ||
Media | mp3 | Duration | 31 minutes |
ID | 3B |
3_Weatherell-Beryl_Scott-family.mp3
otter.ai
20.01.2023
no
Unknown Speaker 0:00
Your dad, you know when he came out? You think of Roosevelt here. What do you think?
Unknown Speaker 0:05
I think it was about the 1880. And three Scott brothers came out together and they had quite a little bit hard going start with Rizal bush and I got this beautiful land over there and Ganges. And first thing they did was put up quite a nice little cabin for the Chinese cook. Because none of them could cook. And then they really worked it up. They cleared the land and they put in each brother put in about 300 apple trees and they're still there to this day. A wonderful.
Unknown Speaker 0:46
What would they name is the three brothers.
Unknown Speaker 0:48
It was my father was Frank and his twin brother was Alfred. And there was Uncle Harold and my uncle willscot. And it was rather sad because in the winter, my all Scott brothers are the most wonderful swimmers. Even as a child I remember watching him play polo, polo, water polo. He loved it. But terrible Westley came up one night, and they had a terrible Nikhil boat. My Uncle Harold and the friend called Freddy Smedley, were drowned coming back across Ganges. And when they were found, Fred Smedley, his arms were around Uncle Harold neck, he tried to save them. And as a beautiful window and Mark's Church, was they in Ganges to their memory, just for just a few months before I was born.
Unknown Speaker 1:55
Where did they come from?
Unknown Speaker 1:56
They came from Yorkshire. And they were a big family. 10 boys and one girl. And the dad and mother both died within a week of each other and dip theory and those days, they couldn't save anyone like that.
Unknown Speaker 2:13
What brought these four brothers?
Unknown Speaker 2:16
Are there other I don't know. I suppose it was a wonderful adventure. I really don't know. But my uncle Alfred Scott invented the Scott motorbike. And it was quite a success and everybody used it, but it didn't have enough power. It was too small and feeble. But it's still I know lots of people now who had Scott motorbike
Unknown Speaker 2:44
he's one of the ones that stayed in England. Yes. Where was it? That they had this?
Unknown Speaker 2:53
Oh, it's in Ganges. Now it's on what they call a Scott road which is named after the Scots and it goes to the long harbour ferry.
Unknown Speaker 3:05
Well, then, were they out here sometime before your dad got married?
Unknown Speaker 3:11
Yes, they were. I guess my dad got married is born in 1899. I guess he got married in 1899 98. He had a rather bad beginning now, because my mother's father was a very strict clergyman. And when my dad went up that evening to ask if he could marry Kathleen that was one of his daughters. Dad's dog killed five grandfather's sheep
Unknown Speaker 3:42
I suppose he knew they knew each other before him.
Unknown Speaker 3:44
Oh, yes, the cost. But just made rather sticky beginning you know?
Unknown Speaker 3:52
Tell me about your grandfather.
Unknown Speaker 3:54
Oh, he was wonderful. He really and truly, he was a doctor and a lawyer and a clergyman to Ganges at Saltspring I should say because he went down the fourth. But he was very, very strict. And he's taught cards, the wickedness things and earth. And one evening, my mother and dad and all of them. They weren't even playing for money. I don't believe he did his math. But they had cards out there playing happily or no. And Grandfather turned up unexpectedly. My mother was always very resourceful. She simply took the four ends of the tablecloth and everything that was on it. Picked it up, put it under the sofa and grandfather came up they're just sitting around talking. We haven't got a picture there's no that's beyond my time
Unknown Speaker 4:51
but what was his name? Grandpa that was Francis. Reverend Francis Wilson. Now he really good good all his life but he was very strict.
Unknown Speaker 5:02
You remember any thing else about him and
Unknown Speaker 5:05
nobody always used to take me out. He was one of his favorite grand juries take me his knee and kiss me. But he had an awful big beard and I didn't like it. Now, he was a wonderful man, really
Unknown Speaker 5:17
no other anecdotes about him anywhere, anything that he did anything with
Unknown Speaker 5:23
it? Well, it's not really you say because it's too back too far for me. But he was wonderful. He did help. They did start and builds Mark's Church again. And it before that he had an Indian score since the Mary it was at source Mary over in Eastern Canada
Unknown Speaker 5:50
he didn't have anything to do with the Indian school, the school. Cooper, I
Unknown Speaker 5:55
know none at all. No, no, I came out Saltspring Island and that were there and he stayed there for years.
Unknown Speaker 6:03
Where did he didn't?
Unknown Speaker 6:05
He is called bounce which which is present the golf club. There was a building there, but it was bent down. Now it's golf club called Barnsbury. Yes.
Unknown Speaker 6:20
Told me know anything more about the Scott brothers before we come to your own experiences anything?
Unknown Speaker 6:33
Well I don't know. They certainly tilled the soil and they loved it very much. And they each farm my uncle wheel was next to my dad and they put three under the apple trees each then. And they had a sailing boat. Which they used to sail again this in. I went net and I frayed I used to be a bit bored I'd rather gone round my bicycle is to take hours to get anywhere on a sailing boat. That they love that.
Unknown Speaker 7:15
This, how did this orchard these arches do that they
Unknown Speaker 7:18
are wonderful. We used to pick apples and ship them and pack them. They were beautiful boxes, special boxes, and a stick ship and some shipments and I don't know whether you could do that nowadays in that. Where would they be shipped to? That? I'm sorry? I don't know. I was just young at the time. Those sort of things passed over my head. I don't know. It probably yes.
Unknown Speaker 7:45
And did they do are they profitable or doing? Oh, yes.
Unknown Speaker 7:49
Splendid. We took so seriously. And I learned that you must never let an apple fall you got to pick so gently packet and paper and pack them in boxes. Oh no. It's really something.
Unknown Speaker 8:05
You remember how it got later on? Did it came a time and it became
Unknown Speaker 8:11
Yes. I tell you another thing that was rather strange. I don't know why I'll wear but they got the N sided press to take the bad apples or the crushed ones or whatever. And used to make cider on those days didn't matter. I mean, nobody stopped you. And we had such trouble with the Japanese coming round when they came with a knife. And one day mother and I was so worried and he threw a knife at my favorite cat Well, we were getting worried that bleed that's when dad sold side of breast and that was it.
Unknown Speaker 8:45
Why would the Japanese come around with a knife?
Unknown Speaker 8:47
Because dad and uncle Jeff route and they want it side and mother and I didn't know how to give it to them. And they turned ugly.
Unknown Speaker 8:55
When they said decided it was for sale?
Unknown Speaker 8:58
Oh yes it was nobody stopped us in those days. Yes.
Unknown Speaker 9:06
No, what are your own earliest memories? For instance, where did you live? What was the house?
Unknown Speaker 9:14
I was born January 1 and such deep snow that couldn't get the doctor and Miss Boadicea bear this, this wonderful name. She helped me into well, and she did a damn good job too. But I would love to remark on one thing I really would. As a small child, one of my greatest thrills was to see Dr. Baker on his red horse called Rufus galloping through Ganges and we knew somebody who's really ill somewhere needed him. And that's too many a dad so that he really is the Gallop along is that this gives us a thrill. We knew somebody was very ill. That's why he went that's why he went to patients. What is his full name? Dr. Gerald Baker. And the nd went canal lobby the hospital's named after him
Unknown Speaker 10:13
what what are your some of your earlier memories as you go up to the very observant as you can see the listings and I wondered what you observed about light brown people?
Unknown Speaker 10:24
Well, I went to this private school. It was run by Cambridge man. We call them a schoolmaster cross, not a teacher. And there were 20 boys and four girls. Looking back on it, I know that I learned some funny things, but not some of the things that are important, I suppose. I learned that if you play a game and you're losing, you don't show it. I really believe I still can do that. That's conceded in it. And then he tried me on Euclid. And I hate to misquote Latin, but I got as far as the pons, nessa norm, donkeys breads didn't go any further.
Unknown Speaker 11:10
And then I remember the school grounds right on the edge of the beat. And a Japanese family went bathing one day, and they didn't have any bathing suits. And all school watch them. I missed the girls, and that was schoolmaster. He just kept the salt and an hour after that. We all went home late and didn't know what to say to our parents.
Unknown Speaker 11:46
Yes, and now that's a true story. I learned a lesson from him. That lots of lessons from him. I learned to write a very nice letter, but not a business letter. But I can still write that other nice letter. But I haven't the slightest idea of it's a business letter.
Unknown Speaker 12:08
Where was the school?
Unknown Speaker 12:10
It was just beyond Dr. Francis there. In Ganges. Yeah, so the big white gate as a sort of private school Oh is a private school. And though we had he had the most wonderfully strict way, you know, and I look back on it was really wonderful. Most dreadful honestly. It was worse to tell a fib than was to fail a grade. Literally, externally. I told a fib one day at school now yells at speak to me for the whole day. They just never spoke to me. I just couldn't play myself so I just had to sit and watch them
Unknown Speaker 12:55
who suggestion was this was his suggestion or the children?
Unknown Speaker 12:59
It was the tyranny because they'd been brought up No, they did themselves or b It's been called been sent to Coventry.
Unknown Speaker 13:09
Yes, what they did was evil.
Unknown Speaker 13:11
Yes. And boy, it killed me.
Unknown Speaker 13:14
It must have been a very strong group sense.
Unknown Speaker 13:17
Yes, it was absolutely wonderful Camilla now and the two boys did anything wrong they didn't wear the school hat for cat paying for a day or two and they just wouldn't go out anyways they don't they Funny isn't that that was the school spirit. Yes, it was really in some ways. The first one oh, they were the seventh started there and then they ended up with the cost. We call them forms not grades now. And they went to Victoria for now.
Unknown Speaker 13:53
And how old were you?
Unknown Speaker 13:56
Well, I was a split child. I did live three miles away from anywhere. And I don't really tell you to think I went to let's just seven
Unknown Speaker 14:06
that was the first school. Yes. And how long
Unknown Speaker 14:11
I was there until the war came. And then I had a big surprise Mr. Kelson asked me but like the teacher Junius and the other room did you do yes I did. How did you get on I still lived on it and got on very very nice. They had a little rubbed my own all these little people around me but at the end of that year I got double pneumonia and rather finished
Unknown Speaker 14:42
up kind of building to the hammer school.
Unknown Speaker 14:45
It's really quite nice this map through all the high up and he had his own house a beautiful house just a little further up but beautiful lawn lovely, beautiful garden. There was thought that sweet peas. There was a school especially the ultimate school. Yes. Oh Is was very nice very nice indeed. With any borders Yes, the borders were a little further up the top of Ganges Hill oh yes the borders there and they had they had a very nice matron commerce Cheshire and the thing was that went to upset all happens fell out that I hear the voice said this boys morning yes just the boys no girls
Unknown Speaker 15:27
there was a public school as
Unknown Speaker 15:30
well yes the was but it wasn't in Ganges. It was up near Central settlement to know central by St. Mary's Yes.
Unknown Speaker 15:41
So that was would have been
Unknown Speaker 15:42
some way to build Yes, yes.
Unknown Speaker 15:44
I suppose the school appealed to the English people around
Unknown Speaker 15:47
yes when there were a lot of family you know, I mean, really were in those days
Unknown Speaker 15:56
any incidents at school
Unknown Speaker 16:01
well, it was one I learned was re unfortunate. I wasn't very naughty really. But some my cousin's nice to get into trouble. We always had to do lines. So my cousin showed me something awfully smart. He says you hold two pencils. You can do your lines much quicker. So I tried but I suppose Mr. Tolson caught on because next time we had different blinds do we have to copy out something quite different? But you should try that. Yes, you should try to cancel sometimes you'd be surprised and I 72 to the time
Unknown Speaker 16:37
it wasn't the George explained.
Unknown Speaker 16:48
Yes, anything else about schooling anything?
Unknown Speaker 16:50
Well, we did simply love our games. We had grass hockey twice a week on the manhole grounds. And the boys used to play football we had badminton and tennis all we love the tennis with walk miles for tennis. all take turns taking tea. It was wonderful early ones but never change any of those games looking back I think they're the most important things my life even my dad used to say can't think of anything but hockey.
Unknown Speaker 17:28
Were you an only child?
Unknown Speaker 17:29
Yes. Spark but I did learn to give
Unknown Speaker 17:35
tell me about the other people that lived around there that you ran into some of these characters.
Unknown Speaker 17:40
Yes. Well, I'm the mics are always most wonderful things. They've been there for a long, long time. And they're still there. But oh, Granny mark, our she was wonderful. I remember my dad saying that didn't matter how busy she was. She still had time to look at this other people on cidade is a wonderful old lady. And they're still there, the different Mart's and they're all wonderful to me.
Unknown Speaker 18:14
Any interesting types
Unknown Speaker 18:18
of standing around? Well. We had paroled Apple Bay, who was a donkey and he was extremely thorough gone off the head, you know. And nobody had the heart to do much about him. But they decided just had to go somewhere and on for a while. And they're very tactful about it. They said the kingdom needed him. And he'd had this they had a special message and the king wanted them and we went on the boat nice and cried over the Westminster
Unknown Speaker 18:56
What about the other Negro people that did you see much of them?
Unknown Speaker 19:00
Yes, so absolutely wonderful. We had a wonderful family called the woods. I think the still many of them. Everybody liked the Nerdist splendid. And Harry Woods is wonderful. He went to the wall. He came back lame.
Unknown Speaker 19:18
Did what kind of thing was what the legal people do on the island?
Unknown Speaker 19:23
Well, they farmed and we'd all take the milk and cream to the creamery there. And they just were part of Saltspring nobody ever thought in differently.
Unknown Speaker 19:36
You didn't find any sort of color problem.
Unknown Speaker 19:40
Never, never, never. Absolutely never
Unknown Speaker 19:45
about with any Indians around.
Unknown Speaker 19:47
No. There was only one or two of them that used to come in a canoe there was Malmo they used to come Nast. This is Long time ago now is just a child. You start with some clothes. And mother used to hand up stuff, you know. And the old man used to say, nevermind women clothes aren't bad clothes. But their canoe was quite interesting because they had the high power, you know, just like the walk mill.
Unknown Speaker 20:20
So you didn't see much?
Unknown Speaker 20:21
No, not there. Not at all. No, nobody ever had any locks to the doors. Just simply, no one even thought of being slaves that
Unknown Speaker 20:30
people doing wrong gains.
Unknown Speaker 20:33
In Ghana, oh, they were farms everywhere. And now the farms are gone, the barns disappeared. And it's beautiful houses.
Unknown Speaker 20:44
For some people doing nothing. They're just living.
Unknown Speaker 20:48
They feel they really farmed in those days. And they sold spring on query was pretty highly priced to know they all said the cream milk their
Unknown Speaker 21:03
weather, was it what sort of was it mostly British people?
Unknown Speaker 21:07
Yes, I would say that to start with definitely a lot of very English people. That is quiet to definitely hold atmosphere of English. Yes, that's great,
Unknown Speaker 21:20
too. And I suppose in a certain class,
Unknown Speaker 21:24
and I suppose to really tell you truth
Unknown Speaker 21:27
was a day where they snobbish at all?
Unknown Speaker 21:31
Yes, I suppose so. In a way. Some of them were definitely or no. But the funny thing was, there was some kernels that I can think of I can think of to anyway, and they put on old clothes. You'd be surprised how they could work. They really did. I really do now to say the names
Unknown Speaker 21:56
the were some of these people are retiring. In the end.
Unknown Speaker 22:01
Yes, there was a wonderful arm called Colonel Craig. That's where Mrs. Warren Hastings is now. And he and his wife and they had the most beautiful horse always in the field. And it was really his charger he had written it in the wall said of her the bugle, it would just move at once.
Unknown Speaker 22:25
About the Society of those days, what did the women do as
Unknown Speaker 22:29
well that we had just dozens of parties and it was really cheaply cards to start with. Just waste or is you know, and then games of every kind. What to call silly games recently love them all card games we knew we always had lemonade never till nobody had any fridges but it was delightful. Anyway. Sandwiches and cakes. We enjoyed it we loved it
Unknown Speaker 23:06
Can you remember any incidents that have movie rescue calling
Unknown Speaker 23:15
parties
Unknown Speaker 23:17
or know of anything social life that you live
Unknown Speaker 23:24
had to say suddenly isn't that the risk? Gamble's are very, very, very feel. You just wouldn't believe
Unknown Speaker 23:36
everybody's pretty. You?
Unknown Speaker 23:37
Yes. It seems so very different now. No, I don't know what to say that. I lived in Ganges all those years.
Unknown Speaker 23:58
Tell me then. Well, as a small girl, I think perhaps one of the most exciting things I ever did was about once a year, one of my parents would take me to visit friends in Victoria. I didn't like the noise and the trams. They all scared me. But we always went to the fire hall with a certain time each morning. I don't remember the time. And they used to put us in a safe place as a small girl. And we used to wait and it's quite nerve racking costs. And you could see all horses in their half stables all facing that way waiting till they knew what was coming. And one of the farm and came over and told me he said they all face the right way because they don't want to waste time turning around. And then the most terrible clanging bell would go are all like shiver you know? And you know those horses would just simply race each to its right place and the house is hanging up above them and it just dropped on them Perfect Pace and you know each family just seemed to I saw guys a farm girl I knew a little bit about Hamas as far as I could see just fasten something one something under each of them and they were hands that they had the helmets like they do to stay on the fat track and then others draw some other great wide open doors out there is nothing to touch that my life I used to know all those horses by name.
Unknown Speaker 25:51
What was the other incident?
Unknown Speaker 25:55
Well, it's let's be honest, I ever been able to Canada want to be able to calendar once. And Dr. Sutherlands locks. She was our lady, Dr. Ganges. And it was awfully nice. We all went as guests to know. And we went drown San Juan Island. And we went into Roche Harbor. And it was quite a settlement. Even then, you know, I was just the girl my teens now. I want this little water for the kettle, we'd run through the shot. And they only had two wells there. One was the washing Well now there was a drinking well, but they're very nice. They give some water. So I wondered now what happens to this day where they got more water and up. And then we went round the other side to Friday Harbor. And they had lovely stars there. And they were awfully nice to us. It's really great fun, you know, and I don't know why but we all bought what you might call Cut and Sew drapes. I always remember I don't know why Mother toes though, but they had awful parents on them. And when we got back, you know it seemed funny to me because I still think that because their curtains are the same as ours was no difference in American Canadian curtains and that was lots of fun
Unknown Speaker 27:32
this has not been cut team. Last day the whole this fandom came in the mornings
Unknown Speaker 27:45
it was dad's birthday. And he was in France. And mother made the most beautiful fruitcake you ever saw. But we had put everything in tins to send over overseas and shipped it. And then we also had another solid five law of five pound lard pin, which he fills solidly with butter. We sent that over because they really were hungry over there, you know? And dad got one tassel. And he asked about three other soldier buddies. He said I'd got to fruitcakes my birthday boys. He said come along. Let's go and eat it. It was very sad because it was the one that was solid button that Indigo that I had the little girl little girl I think that's what Well, I don't know. It was funny. I was in Vancouver with my mother stating a tale The see my dad off his both leave any minute. And I was sitting in the waiting room. I was looking at the strand magazine, I used to love the strand. And a little lady in gray came in and I offered her magazine. She shook her head. This is perfectly true story. And she said she looked under the table never looked at me. And she said sooner say goodbye to daddy. Well, that was funny. It surprised me slightly. And then she said I see you standing by a blackboard a little children around you. That also surprised me. And she said I see that your name is so she said you've got a funny name. hamdu it begins with B says this is a letter for you when you go back and then she went out again. I went back to town there was a letter there for me. Miss Farrell Scott said now it's a dad's leaving for overseas. Would you like to teach the juniors in the other room? I did for ya and I had for ya had little children's dying on the backboard and we never saw again. When I went back door all the people at Blinka Lodz, they all went looked for nobody found
Unknown Speaker 30:14
for people experiences like that.
Unknown Speaker 30:19
Yes, I have. My grandmother was Scottish and they're supposed to be say, I remember as a child. My dad, my mother and myself are driving horse and buggy. Long Road, very narrow road, lots of Bush each side. Just don't know what to show David the other day. And we saw a young man walking along. I was really afraid that the buggy wheels would hit him as Oh, look at that as somebody walking there. He said, Yes, it is. My mother said where I don't see anybody. He wasn't there. What past couldn't disband worship stick right here. What is this little drawing here? What's the meaning of that?