The Eganville Leader’s Reflection of a Century page is always an interesting page to read. It brings back memories of important events that the reader may have witnessed, or been a part of.
One segment in last week’s 50 Years Ago —October 24, 1968 was one event that I remember well. I was involved. The article under the heading “Progress Report of Barry’s Bay Artificial Ice” stated “A fifteen and a quarter hour marathon of cement pouring at the Barry’s Bay—Sherwood, Jones and Burns Rink resulted in 12 truckloads or 176 yards of concrete covering the mile of piping for the new artificial ice surface.”
“Twenty men toiled from seven a.m. until 11:15 p.m. to cover the 155-foot by 80-foot surface with five inches of cement. After this, the Rossi Brothers from Pembroke worked all night, troweling, etc. The cement was supplied by the North Eastern Cement Company….”
I was 19 years old at the time and worked for the contractor who did the big pour. He had hired extra help for the day and I was one of the 20 men who wheeled wheel barrows of cement. But 20 men didn’t stay the entire time. By 11 a.m. some of the guys hired were tired or whatever and quit. It was hard work and a heck of a long rink to cover with cement. The contractor was concerned he might not have enough men left to finish the job, which would go on until almost midnight. Cement trucks would be coming one after the other. The job had to be done. But it was a Saturday and there were better things to do for the men than push wheel barrows loaded with runny cement.
So the boss offered a $20 bonus to anyone who stayed and, of course, wheeled in the cement. I was one of a handful of guys who stayed for the entire pour. But the boss didn’t hand out cash bonuses that night. He included it in our paycheck where it was heavily taxed because we had 16 extra hours that week. We grumbled about that.
Labour wages back in 1968 were $1.50 to $1.75 an hour.
I kept a daybook and when I read the Eganville Leader article I checked to see what I had written on October 19, 1968 and the next few days. I had written:” Worked in Barry’s Bay 17 ½ hours pouring cement for ice rink.”
I wondered how I had more hours than what the paper said. We were paid an hour travelling time from home.
The next day (Sunday) I wrote. “Rested up in morning. Attend evening church service.”
Monday I wrote: “Back at work, pouring house basement footings in Barry’s Bay.”
Those were the days! It was all hard work. And you never heard of anyone going to a chiropractor!
