Vi Kowalchuk

Audio - Mr. Tom Gorman and Mr. John Gorman discuss their lives in Athabasca including Tom's birth on April 3, 1917, the first night that Dr. Meyer arrived in Athabasca. Early farming, fishing, freighting and railway stories are discussed in great detail with prices, personnel and practices mentioned. Social activities such as soccer, inter-school softball games, chicken raffles, card parties and box socials are mentioned by the brothers. Some firsts are mentioned including: - Martin Hines with the first thresher in the country and A.J. Gorman with the first one with a blower - 1925 - a 120 McCormick Tractor and McCormick Thresher. Around 1920, Art Cullen brought back a load of tar sands, and sent it to Edmonton to be used as an experimental road surface (1:02:31 minutes)

Audio - Mr. D. Shalapay Sr., Mrs. Annie Rypien, Mrs. Nancy Shalapay, Mr. Mike Rypien, and Mrs. Olga Meardi spend the balance of the tape discussing teachers and school systems since World War II. They also have a general conversation about farming, and changes in lifestyle including farm women seeking day jobs in Athabasca (51:08 minutes)

Audio - Mr. D. Shalapay Sr., Mrs. Annie Rypien, Mrs. Nancy Shalapay, Mr. Mike Rypien, and Mrs. Olga Meardi have a general conversation on farming topics including: how farmers supplemented their income by logging in the winter, the cost of tractors, wages, clearing land with bulldozers; farm animals and prices, quotas on dairy products, changing from mixed to straight line farming, small farms versus big operations, and the decision to retire from farming (1:03:27)

Audio - Mrs. Alice Donahue speaks of her early life in Red Willow, Alberta and her eventual move to Athabasca in 1937 following her marriage. She discusses the curriculum she studied as a child and other early memories. Mrs. Donahue's time in Camrose Normal School is detailed with many anecdotes. Mrs. Donahue has many stories of school life, students and personnel (2:03:35 minutes)

Audio - Mr. Joe Martynuk was born on January 16th, 1898 in Czechoslovakia. He came to Athabasca at the age of twenty-eight in 1926. He bought a farm and his family joined him. Mr. Martynuk talks of early farm life, animal care and crops. He mentions many of the early residents and businesses in Athabasca at that time (2:38:40 minutes)

Audio - Mr. Douglas Hay and Mrs. Millie Hay discuss their personal history, including the arrival of Mr. Hay's family in Colinton in 1905. They discuss freighting, farming, education, businesses and residents of Athabasca and Colinton (2:50:41 minutes)

Audio - Mrs. Cloe Day arrived with her family driving one of three Model T cars on December 28th, 1928. Her family homesteaded near Jackfish Lake. She became interested in teaching and attended teachers college in Edmonton in 1929. Mrs. Day talks about her daily life and recounts many anecdotes about the residents of Calling Lake, Athabasca, Richmond Park, etc. She discusses her career as a teacher and the daily life in a school house (2:01:44 minutes)

Audio - Mrs. Elizabeth Byrtus tells her personal history starting with the arrival in Athabasca of Mike Byrtus via Austria and the United States in 1912. She discusses raising a family and early farm life, including her fear of the wild animals in the area (45:15 minutes)