Interview with Joe Lockyer

Interview with Joe Lockyer about his working life from age 16 until he retired at age 76

Transcript:

Interviewer: So now the wages in the construction, when you were in construction, I guess that was up in years, so it was probably more than what you were getting on the Coast Guard.

Joe: Oh Yeah, when I started with Grandy’s in Fortune, we were getting $1.20 an hour. Then I moved around with more companies and gradually it increased. $1.60 even up to $1,85. The last company I worked with on the peninsula was Saunders and Howell. I think we got 2.20 per hour there.

Interviewer: 2.20 an hour. Can you remember getting your first paycheck though when you were in the lumberwoods?

Joe: Oh Yes.

Interviewer: Can you remember how much it was?

Joe: About eighty bucks.

Interviewer: About eighty bucks.

Joe: And that was for the whole month.

Interviewer: And that was for the month. And you had to pay your board and lodging out of that?

Joe: That’s after the board

Interviewer: After that was took out?

Joe: That was clear money.

Interviewer: Can you remember anything you bought when you got your first check

Joe: Well, see we were up in the woods probably 40 or 50 miles from Deer Lake. So the first check you had to go down to Deer Lake so I bought a sleeping bag and a suitcase I think.

Interviewer: Yes Boy, that’s what you bought. And I suppose then, well you were married then too so you were sending home money too.

Joe: No I wasn’t married then.

Interviewer: This was the first paycheck. Oh Yes you were 16 then. Then eventually when you get your checks, I suppose they were sent home.

Joe: Had to keep enough money for to

Interviewer: send home to the wife.

Joe: enough money for to live on you know

Interviewer: So anybody work with you from this area in the lumberwoods, besides Harold…Harold Walters?

Joe: Yes Quite a few on times

Interviewer: Now lumberwoods that’s kind of…pretty isolated there when you go to the lumberwoods, nothing around you, only woods.

Joe: That’s all. That’s all.

Interviewer: So it must have been hard, You didn’t get much time off because I suppose you worked daylight to dark.

Joe:Yes well, worked ten or eleven hours anyhow, you know

Interviewer: Yes. And then in the night time now what would you do in the camps?

Joe:Play cards

Interviewer: Tell Jokes?

Joe: Tell Jokes, maybe someone would have a guitar and sing a song

Interviewer Yeah, Yes, boy!

Interviewer: Now what was a typical day I’m going to pick say on the Coast Guard for you to talk about? What was a typical day of work on the Coast Guard for you?

Joe: Well, it was all according to if we were landing supplies at light houses, and you get up in the morning and you start in landing supplies.

Interviewer: What time, when would your day start?

Joe: We didn’t start before 8 o’clock.

Interviewer: Oh, OK

Joe: If it was a good morning you probably start earlier than that. I remember one time in the Arctic, we started five o’clock one morning and we worked til one o’clock the next morning. That was all daylight you know

Interviewer: Yes,  long days sometimes then you had . Right?

Joe:  Yes, You used to get overtime then after you go over eight hours. You get a dollar hour for overtime.

Interviewer: Oh! Yeah well

Joe: Big money

Interviewer: Yes

Joe: (Laughs) Dollar an hour

Interviewer: Were there any incidents now when you were working with the Coast Guard that comes to mind, like anything happen. Or ..

Joe: Hmm

Interviewer: What was it like on the water?

Joe: well, You know you had rough days and good days

Interviewer: Yeah, So how long at a time were you on the Coast Guard for, when you used to go out then .

Joe: Well back then, right now they have a month on and a month off, back then there was nothing like that you know, I used to get about six weeks holidays a year. So I used to take my holidays in the winter time. Apart from that you are gone.

Interviewer: The whole time. Now they have the turnarounds, and it’s 14 and 7.  Everything is so different now. Some different now than what it was years ago.

Joe: Yes, I tell you it is.

Interviewer: So what was the last job that you worked at?

Joe: The last job was construction.

Interviewer: Construction?? And how many years now have you been retired would you say ?

Joe: It will be two in November

Interviewer: Just two. So you worked right up until 2013.

Joe: Yes

Interviewer: And what was the last company? What was the name of the company?

Joe: I worked with Pennecon for the last 17 years.

Interviewer: 17 years with Pennecon

Joe: 16, 17 years, yeah.

Interviewer: All over Newfoundland?

Joe: From Nain in Labrador to Port Aux Basques Newfoundland, from St. John’s to the tip of the Port au Port Peninsula and every place in-between, whatever it was you know, building bridges, marine work, buildings

Interviewer: You spent a lot of time away then

Joe: Yes

Interviewer: From 16 to.. Oh my God, that’s a lot of years

Joe: 76, I was 76 years old when when I gave up.

Interviewer: 76 when you gave up. And you’re still at stuff, still not give up

Joe: No

(Laughter)