Backhoe Life
After I quit the highways job I worked Dave Colley’s backhoe for a couple of years. Then I ran Ted Wadland’s machine for quite a while. I began advertising in the First Edition using some skills I’d learned in a former life. Anybody out there remember Letraset?
Ted and I had a good relationship. Each day after I drove into the yard finished work Jean Wadland would fix me a nice gin and Tonic. Ah, those were the days!
Backhoe Life
I took the job that George Cowie offered and soon learned to operate all kinds of equipment; dumptruck, grader, backhoe, shovel. That’s Henry Yaeger looking on. In the early years I was laid off in the winters and ran Henry’s Backhoe occasionally (the one he bought from Larry Smith-Larry gave me my first lessons on the backhoe)
I’m pretty sure this photo was taken when we were improving the parking situation in Ford Cove.
We scoured the beaches for long straight logs. (Whaling Station Bay was the best, you could drag them right off the beach with the truck-there were few houses out there). George Cowie, road foreman, stopped us once as we dragged it along his gravel road. (leaving a fairly impressive groove) He was very angry.
A year later he came by the cabin to offer me a job on the highways. He must have forgotten the groovy incident. He said he was a bit hampered, however , in his recruitment as he swore there were very few Canadians of my age on Hornby.
Spent all my money by now, so I took the job.
Yes, even the tub followed us to Hornby. It was installed in the new house until the eighties. After a bathroom renovation the local plumber tricked me into giving it to him.