Bras D'Or

Dennis Jessome
The Boy From Bras D'Or

A Note to Gussie Pero

Dear Gussie
Where do I begin?
I've had so much fun as a boy that no kid could ever imagine. I'm not talking about the normal fun of playing with my school friends but the real fun that is in my memory bank, while being with you and a couple of good friends. My cousin Leroy Pero and Bernie Day over at the Toronto Mine (The Pit) owned by Dave Burchell. He pretty well owned everything then, even the shacks we were living in. But we made do with we had, but to make a little easier to cope with, we had you.

When I first started going over to the pit, in the daytime, to pick a bit of coal, on the slack pile, Wally Day (m) Regis Jessome, was over man then and was very good to all of us kids, sometimes he would say: "Get the hell outta there" and chase us, but not too far, and we'd sneak back, but he knew all the time we were back there and didn't say nothing till we got our coal.

Then I started hanging around with his son, Bernie (m) Norma Henwood, Bernie used to be over there with you a lot. That's how I first met you so I helped him put the shunt in the shed at night as a start and later got to do more things to give ya a little help ,or get in your way mostly, but you didn't mind. But as every month passed by you were teaching us a few things and let us clean dump stations, clean slag away from the picking belts etc. It gave us a little confidence in ourselves. But in-between jobs and after we were finished we had a lot of fun and laughter and that's what comes to mind today as I write to you, the laughter.

Like the time you said to answer the mine phone and tell them what to do, I didn't live that one down for a while ,it was my neighbor Jack Penny (M)Emma Clarke, who lived next door to us on the other end of the line..boy what a scruffin I got from him, The duff battles on the bank head, chop the block with Echo Carey and his fathers new salt and pepper hat, climbing the whistle tower, it seemed there was something different every night and on the way over I would think what were we gonna do to make our night.

You played a very important part in my life and I'm sure anyone who ever associated with you. We were with you pretty well every night, winter and summer. You were the watchman and took us in as friends but I know for sure you enjoyed our little stints in between your rounds as watchman. I can still see you sitting in Wally's wooden armchair and us gathered around the potbellied stove, Leroy would sing:" Please release me, let me go", and you would have your head down taking in every note with a happy grin on your face from ear to ear, or when we played a few ditties. Me on the fiddle, I got from Joe Confiant from Georges River, Leroy on the Mandolin and Bernie on the Guitar, playing some Newfoundland jigs. I could see you with your rubber boot stomping on the floor and your cap twisted to one side meant you enjoyed every moment and that made us happy also.

Yes Gussie, It was a special part of my life that you befriended Leroy, Bernie and myself and let us spend those memorable evenings with you at the pit, in the old warehouse .I wish I could Thank you in person and your lovely wife Susan (Sue) Bungay, maybe I did along the way years later, but there is a place in my heart that will never be erased for the kindness you've shown us growing up as young boys. So I figure, with this little note to you, in my storey collection, the people who read it will understand what a wonderful person you were.

Thank you, Gussie, For the Kind Memories.

These pages were created by Lark Szick
© Copyright All Rights Reserved. Mar. 2007.

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