closed down, but soon thereafter, two more opened for business. One on the North side and one on the South side. These two gained rare nicknames. The “Doodads” on the North and the “Pennywinkles” on the South. The Island was always a busy place during the two-month lobster season. In early years the season opened on April 26th, later changed to May fst.

Our school was a little log building, really well built, and heated by a pot-bellied iron stove. We were always warm and cozy, even on stormy days. My first teacher was Genevieve MacCormack. There were two other pupils at first, the teacher’s sister, Mary and Frances King, daughter of Dan and Edna King. Mary later transferred to Souris Convent, leaving Frances and l to finish out the term. We were the same age, all but three days, so Frances always bragged that she was the oldest. Before that first season ended she brought her little brother, Lloyd, to school one day. He was five and he enjoyed it so much he became a regular. We always had great teachers but my grade 8 year was my favorite, Dan MacCormack, (Gen’s brother). He was very kind and patient. We all liked him. Most of the King family were attending then. They had a beautiful family of eight, four boys and four girls. The year their twins were born, Martha and Donald, was a time of great excitement and joy for all of us.

The school house was just the right size for square-dancing. in the early thirties, Dan and Frank MacCormack decided to organize some family dances. At first in the various houses, then later we all met at the school. It was such funl, four- couple Lancers or a Quadrille were the favorites and Frank and Dan supplied the music, Frank on the fiddle and Dan on the mandolin. And what music it was! Frank made that old violin sing and the mandolin added just the right beat. These are happy memories. Sometimes, some of the young folk from Launching area would join us and of course, during the lobster season, many others added to the fun.

The men of the island were farmers, though most did some fishing on the side. In the early years lobster bodies and shells from the factories, along with seaweed, were the favorite

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