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One of the families affected by the resettlement were the Priddles, who were former residents of Pushthrough, one of the now abandoned fishing settlements along the south coast of Newfoundland. In 1969 Hedley and Ruth Priddle made the decision to relocate their family from Pushthrough to Milltown. Ruth Priddle, now 86, still lives in Milltown nearly 40 years after the resettlement; her husband, Hedley Priddle, is now deceased.2
Mrs. Ruth Priddle, former resident of Pushthrough20 August 2013
Milltown, Newfoundland, Canada
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Hedley Priddle, Carl Priddle's father, fishing.1960-1970
Pushthrough, Newfoundland, Canada
Credits:Hedley Priddle
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Ruth is the mother of nine children, Ralph, Carl, Martha, Pauline, Ken, Glen and Brian, and having lost two others in their infancy, Dudley Donald and Lester John. She was 44 at the time of the move when she and her husband and the four children still at home packed up their belongings and took apart their house to rebuild in Milltown. Her husband, Hedley Priddle, went on ahead with their second oldest son Carl, to rebuild the family home, while Ruth and her other children stayed in her grandmothers vacant house back in Pushthrough. The process was supposed to be done in two weeks, but the house wasn't finished in time and Ruth remembers walking into their new home with piles of wood shavings on the floor and no running water.At the time of the move, Ralph, Carl and Martha had moved away and were living on their own. With such a large family, the task of moving was never an easy one, but Ruth admits that once people started moving out they felt they could not stay any longer. Despite the difficulties of the process itself, Ruth Priddle says she wanted to move and after the fact, regretted not having done it earlier in her life. Admittedly, she said although it was a good life, it was a hard place to live. Her only regret was that she lost two sons, one three months and one seven months, because there was not a doctor available in Pushthrough.
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Carl Priddle on the Stewart Rose, Wils Riggs schooner1950-1960
Pushthrough, Newfoundland, Canada
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Ken and Brian Priddle1950-1960
Pushthrough, Newfoundland, Canada
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John Priddle with his grandchildren, Ken and Dianne1950-1960
Pushthrough, Newfoundland, Canada
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Mrs. Ruth Priddle Interview part 120 August 2013
Milltown, Newfoundland, Canada
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Mrs. Ruth Priddle interview part 420 August 2013
Milltown, Newfoundland, Canada
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Her home in Pushthrough had no running water or electricity; water had to be brought up on buckets and a hoop, and the only light was a kerosene lamp. They had a battery powered radio that used to keep the family entertained with programs like Guiding Light, as well as hockey. They had to cook on a wood stove, using wood and coal. Ruth remembers the wood stove not being able to heat their two story home during cold winters, so they would warm wood or bricks in the oven to put in the children's beds to warm them before they went to sleep. Without electricity or appliances, all the chores had to be done by hand; the laundry was cleaned on a scrub board and hung to dry on the line outside, even during the winter months.Winters in Pushthrough were hard compared to the summer months, but since the work in Pushthrough was usually seasonal, it meant a time for different work to be done. Ruth said she used to spend her winters knitting, sewing and embroidering all the household linens and rugs. She used to make cloths and towels by hand out of flower sacks, decorated with her own embroidery. She also used to make lots of her children's clothes, like their socks, mitts and petticoats (called underslips then).
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Winter in Pushthrough1960-1970
Pushthrough, Newfoundland, Canada
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Mrs. Ruth Priddle Interview part 220 August 2013
Milltown, Newfoundland, Canada
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Although life could be rough out in Pushthrough, Ruth explained that it was still a happy time. It was a close knit community and there was always something to do with the children. In the summer months they would take them fishing or for picnics in the dory. She said that they did not really notice the hardships at the time, as they were just part of life, but she could never go back to that way of life. Even though, it was sad to say goodbye to Pushthrough.14
Mrs. Ruth Priddle Interview part 320 August 2013
Milltown, Newfoundland, Canada
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