| Summary: | This interview is part of a series of oral histories collected by The Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation. This interview is with Jack and Enid Barrett of Bishop's Cove NL. The interviewer is Linda Cooper. The camera was operated by Kelly Snow. The video was edited by Mike Ryan and Darrell Barrett. [00:50] Jack and Enid Barrett begin by talking about their respective families and where they were born and raised. [1:15] Mrs. Barrett describes the kind of work her family did to make a living, when she was growing up. Her father was a shovel operator. In his younger days, Mrs. Barrett’s father fished on the Labrador. [1:40] Mr. Barrett talks about the work his parents did; his mother was a school teacher and his father was a fisherman. [2:53] Mr. Barrett talks about working as a teacher. He discusses the steps it took to become a teacher when he was younger. Young people interesting in teaching attended a six week probationary summer school to train to be a teacher. [4:34] Mr. Barrett discusses some of the changes in the school system that he has seen in the span of his career. [5:20] Mrs. Barrett mentions that after they were married, her and Mr. Barrett moved to Burnt Islands where she taught for one year. [5:57] Mr. Barrett describes the first school he attended as a young child. He was in a one room school with 40 other children. His first teacher was named Fred Kirby. The children’s mothers would take turns scrubbing the school floors. [7:30] Mrs. Barrett recalls fondly having Cocomalt at recess, which was made in a big boiler. [7:59] Mr. and Mrs. Barrett discuss holidays and special celebrations such as Christmas and the 24th of May and Easter. Mrs. Barrett recalls asking for a blessing from her godparents on New Year’s Eve in exchange for gifts. [9:50] Mr. Barrett talks about how most of his clothing was made, instead of bought. [11:27] Mr. Barrett talks about how everyone once had sheep in the area and the importance of the sheep to the community. Young girls in the area were taught how to prepare the ...
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