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with a "God save you kindly". 'ow the Highroad which encircles Colliers mounts up lhe
hill and passes the school. From here the view over the valley and harbour ofColliers is
exhilarating. 26
Ewart Young. in his Album ofA\"olon. includes a picture ofColliers. Its caption
describes lhc area as "a very scenic section ofConception Bay and the settlement of
Colliers itselfis spread ovcr a wide area.·· 11
Colliers: Community Lift
Thc work routine was balanced by infonnal gatherings and socializing \\ith
family and friends. Pad Cole. a lifelong resident. givcs an overvicw ofthe local way of
life in Colliers in the follo\\ing passage:
...everyone was happy. 0 money. but happy - plenty to eat: vegetablcs.
most people kept a pig, some kept two. In the fall ofthe year they'll kill a
pig. We used to have three or four heads ofcanle, horses. cows, small
bull. Sometimes father killed one ofthem. All you wanted was a bit ofsalt
beefand nour. You had the rest: the cabbage. potatocs, turnips, carrots,
beets, all thaI. Some [people] we used to grow onions too. Strong but
good. Everyone seemed to be happy. Used 10 live well, never had much
mOlley. If you had a couple of hundred (dollars) ill the fall, you was haifa
millionaire or you think you was. Used to get a lot offish but the
merchants usen't pay them very much for the lish, three or four dollars a
quintal. Today if they gOl the fish they used to then, they would make 11
fortune. Some years they only broke even. Had to get a berth, trap boat,
rubber boots, or clothes, whatever they wanted. The fella they went with
had to bring all the grub and lhey had to pay so mueh for that. Sometimes
when they came home in the fall, they wouldn't have a thing coming to
them. Sometimes $200 or $300, that's the most. Ann Grace [would get]
between $50 - $70 but had to cut throats too. Yes. they worked hard. Make
the fish besides the cooking. spread it on the bawn. Sometimes. ifthey
26 Browne. W.J. "In Praise orOur Land:' Section IV, "The Old Dislriet ofl·larbour
Main:' Ne\lfollndland Quarferly 34:4 (April 1935). II.
21 Ewart Young. Alburn ofAm/on(n.p. Gllardia.1952).
20