Sparkes, Wilbur and Audrey. Interview about life in Bay Roberts.

Wilbur and Audrey Sparkes discuss what life has been like living in Bay Roberts, the changes they have seen, and the role of traditional storytelling.History of Cable staff house; Finding old coal; Heating; House built 1938; Sparkes from east end of Bay Roberts; 4:45 - Family properties; Root cellars; 6:40 - Father worked in Boston 1920s; Couldn’t afford to drive car; Use of horses; Car as spaceship story; Married in 1951; 12:10 - Mother’s work in service; Family history; General electric; 14:55 - Grandmother was a nurse; Father built Cape Spear; 1955 lighthouse; 17:00 - Ginger as remedy; 18:40 - Remedy for arthritis; Salt bread poultice; Juniper cure; 22:30 - Taking sick people out through door; Cemetery and grave plots; 26:00 - Aunt Jane Churchill story; 28:35 - Role of ghost stories; The woman’s veil story; Drummer’s rock story; 30:45 - Uncle Charlie Snow’s story; Encountering animals in dark; Fencing crops; 35:00 - Story about Tom Menchions and duck hunting; About local characters; Going up the Labrador; 40:00 - 1917 story of last trip to the Labrador; 45:50 - Characters of east end; Contest splitting fish; Fishing anecdote; Splitting skills; 51:00 - Teacher training; Travel by train for work; 56”40 - Joke and storytelling traditions; 59:00 - Newfoundland jokes; Ferryland newspaper joke; Golf joke; 63:00 - Joke about the traveler; 67:20 - Boyhood friends; Visiting habits; WS as mayor; Education history; Playing sports; Baseball stories; 76:00 - Radio stories; Billy Martin story; 80:00 - Playing badminton; Golf stories; 84:00 - Velvet wall hanging done by AS’s father while with sick; Stress of losing father; 85:50 - Baseball photos and names; 87:00 - WS and local government history; Electricity; 89:30 - Council and instituting tax; East end joining Bay Roberts; Running for mayor story; Land dispute