Bessie Dawe and Lewis Payne, Town of Fogo

• Main Author: Power, Maureen
• Other Authors: Payne, Lewis; Dawe, Bessie, Lewis Payne, 85 (b. 14 September 1922) and Bessie Dawe, 82, (DOB Dec ?) live together in Seldom-Come-By. Bessie is from Stag Harbour and Lewis is from the Town of Fogo. Lewis' family is from the town of Fogo, but he is not sure where they were originally from. They both are Anglican. Lewis has one child, Bruce, who is a teacher and owns a store called the 'This and That' store in the Town of Fogo. Lewis' brother is Stewart Payne, the bishop. Bessie has eight children: six boys and two girls.
• Format: Moving Image (Video)
• Language: English
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Knowledge of the land/water and environment; Work; Payne; Lewis; Fogo Island (N.L.) > Social life and customs; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/ich_cn/id/914

Bessie Dawe talks about how they would row from Seldom-Come-By to the Cape down by Tilting to fish. Lewis Payne describes how they would row from the Town of Fogo to Copper Island, past Change Island, in order to cut firewood as there is no wood near the Town of Fogo. Once when Lewis was out with other men to get wood on Copper Island, they pitched a tent which caught fire and burned, leaving them with no supplies. To find a boat to get over to Change Island where Lewis had a sister required walking eleven miles. They then rowed across to the Town of Fogo but it was too rough to get into the harbour, forcing them to row to Payne's Harbour (which is now considered a part of Island Harbour but was once its own community). From Payne's Harbour the men walked to the Town of Fogo.