Interview with Barb Jeffery
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12255
- Date Range
- July 3 1997
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Barb Jeffery (nee Cairns), recorded at her home in Quick on July 3rd 1997 by Misty Jorgen. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .pdf release form.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Misty Jorgen
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.48
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.36 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- July 3 1997
- History / Biographical
- Barbara Cairns Jeffery (1924-2000) was born in Germany and spent her childhood and young adulthood in England and India. In 1957 she and her husband Robert immigrated from Cornwall to Canada with their four sons and settled in Quick, where they ran the General Store for a time. She was an active member of the Quick Women’s Institute.
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Barb Jeffery (nee Cairns), recorded at her home in Quick on July 3rd 1997 by Misty Jorgen. Includes raw and edited .WAV files, an .MP3 access file, and a .pdf release form.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Barb Jeffery - July 3 1997
Barb Jeffery recounts her childhood and early adulthood, spent moving between Germany, England, and India. After the Second World War, she and her family returned to England, where she worked at a government-run British Restaurant, married Robert Jeffrey, and started a family in Gweek, Cornwall.
army of occupation; birth; British Restaurant; coal boat; Cologne, Germany; governess; Gweek, Cornwall; husband; Indian Army Service Corps; marriage; mechanization; Plymouth; post-war era; rationing; Royal Scots; sepoys; siblings; soldier; travel; voyage
childhood; England; family; Germany; India; upbringing; work; World War II; youth
Barb discusses why she and her family decided to emigrate, and what became of her relatives back home in England.
brothers; Cornwall; farming; lack of job opportunities; Michael Jeffery; Simon Jeffery; sons; visiting relatives
Canada; death of father; emigration; England; family; relatives
Jeffery tells of how she and her family travelled across Canada in an immigrant train, arriving in Prince George only to find out that her husband's promised job had been given to someone else. She explains how he was able to find employment on short notice and how the family arrived at Quick during the middle of a hectic work day.
army blankets; Canadian National Railways; church; Ella Paddon; employment; fumigation; immigrant train; immigration plan; inspector; mail day; prayer; Prince George; river readings; shipping cattle; theft; Wadham Paddon
arrival; immigration; jobs; Paddon family; Quick; train travel; work
Jeffery talks about her family's early days in Quick, particularly the lack of electricity and her husband Robert's work at the Dominion Experimental Farm. She mentions the murder-suicide of Leslie Egerton and his sons, which occurred at the Experimental Farm in 1960.
agricultural research; carrying water; Colin Egerton; farm; Greens; Gweek, Cornwall; James Egerton; Leslie Egerton; manhunt; nodules; Paddon family; police; post office; road conditions; store; washing clothes; washing machines
agricultural work; chores; crime; electricity; employment; Experimental Farm; murder-suicide; Quick; Robert Jeffery; work
Jeffery discusses the many accidents and injuries suffered by her husband during his career, as well as the kindness and generosity of neighbours during difficult times. Includes anecdotes about winning a raffle at Goodacre's Store and packing Cornish pasties for Robert's lunch.
blasting; carpooling; CN work; coal mining; Cornish pasties; doctors; Frigidaire; Goodacre's Store; groceries; hernia; hospital bills; Houston; knee injury; lung damage; neighbourliness; Northwood Pulp Mill; operations; payments; raffle prizes; railway; security guard; strike; Telkwa Mill (TF&M); toy tank; Wiggs O'Neill
accidents; community; employment; generosity; injuries; neighbours; Robert Jeffery; work; workplace injuries
Jeffery discusses her 40 years spent living in Quick, with emphasis on the friendliness and generosity of the community. She and her sons frequently looked after neighbours' children. Some people took advantage of others' kindness.
4H clubs; accidents; activities; babysitting; building house; carpooling; close-knit; Douglas Jeffery; good neighbours; injuries; Ivy Middleton; Michael Jeffery; Middletons; Robin Jeffery; Round Lake; Simon Jeffery; square dancing; Walcott; Woodmere
babysitting; community; generosity; neighbourliness; Quick
Jeffery discusses the history and usage of the Round Lake Hall, and describes the annual Sports Day events at Quick.
activities; badminton; baseball; cafeteria; community lunch; dance; galas; Hubert; Hubert Hotel; Nan Bourgon; opening speech; salmon; scorekeeping; sewer system; stage; synchronized swimmers
community events; Quick; Round Lake Hall; Sports Day
Jeffery discusses her involvement with the Quick Women's Institute, including attending a conference in Germany and hosting a radio program. She describes the work that Women's Institutes have done on a local, provincial, and international basis.
Amelia Watson; boycott; Canadian delegates; Carol Kerr; Children's Hospital; developing countries; editor; Francois Lake Women's Institute; Hamburg, Germany; newsletter; Queen Alexandra Hospital; radio program; Recreation Commission; road lines; Round Lake Hall; sugar prices; travelling; women's clubs; Women's Institute conference
community organizations; Quick Women's Institute; women; Women's Institutes