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It seemed as if over night life in the small communities went from traditional to modern. Running water, roads, cars, electricity, telephones, TV, all manner of electrical appliances, plastic toys, plastic everything, seemed to arrive in a tidal wave, bringing change to ever part of daily life. A lot of what came made life easier and allowed for more free time, especially for kids. At the same time that modern ammenities made life easier, they changed some cherished traditions that people greatly miss now as they look back to the old days of their growing up. Spontaneous visiting gave way to telephoning and now facebook. Kitchen parties still exist but more often people watch TV alone or play games on the internet. Parents believe their children spend too much time indoors and have lost the ability to be imaginative and self-reliant. "I'm bored" is a phrase that parents say they hear too often. At the same time no one misses have to haul water, feed sled dogs, or order enough food staples in the fall to last till the spring thaw and especially empty chamber pots.2
New TV in the "room"1971
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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I remember when we got TV. For the longest time we didn't have TV then my father came home one day with a TV. Black and white. We only had one channel. That was CBC, right? The Edge of Night was a favourite program.Margaret Byrne - Conche
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First plane to land on Main Brook harbour.1948
Main Brook, NL
Credits:William Bennett
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Irene with the dish soap.1960s
Hooping Harbour
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Listeninig to the Fishermen's Broadcast.1970s
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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The radio was mostly music - Bobby Vinton and Frankie Avalon and the Beach Boys - the 60s idols. We had a hangout in town and there was a juke box. It was always playing the latest, you know, Elvis Presley, Joe Brown. Ever hear of Joe Brown? Joe was British. There was this song - I don't think it was a big hit - called A Picture of You. I looked for that song for years and finally discovered it two years ago. It was so nice to hear it again.Con Coates - Main Brook
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We got Dick and Jane books in school. I remember reading those books and you'd see sidewalks and the Zeke cuts the grass and Zeke rakes the leaves and then they'd have a bonfire and pumpkin pie. Some of the city things I found fascinating in those books.Con Coates - Main Brook
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Hockey time1960s
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Fooling around with the skidoo.1970s
Conche, NL
Credits:Candace Cochrane
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Con Coates' favourite car, a Chevy Biscane.1960s
Main Brook, NL
Credits:unknown
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Telephones! After we moved from Little Harbour Deep to Englee, my aunt said to me, I'll call somebody on the telephone. And she called someone I didn't even know and put the phone in my hand. This person said, Hello? Oh my goodness, I was traumatized because I had never seen a phone before, much less had a conversation with a person that I didn't knnow. So I just said, Hello! I could hear the voice on the other end. To me that was pretty amazing.Celie Randell Parsons - Englee
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