Interview with Daintre Riffel
https://search.bvmuseum.org/link/descriptions12273
- Date Range
- April 23, 1991
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- GMD
- sound recording
- electronic record
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Daintre Riffel (nee Goodacre), recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Terry Berg as part of the 1991 Smithers Alternate School students' series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access file.
- Collection
- BVM Oral History collection
- Description Level
- File
- Creator
- Terry Berg
- Fonds No.
- C5
- Item No.
- 2021.21.70
- Accession No.
- 2021.21
- Physical Description
- 1.33 GB of digital records
- Date Range
- April 23, 1991
- Scope and Content
- Interview with Daintre Riffel (nee Goodacre), recorded on April 23rd 1991 by Terry Berg as part of the 1991 Smithers Alternate School students' series. Includes raw and edited .WAV files and an .MP3 access file.
- Type of Record
- Archival Description
Audio Tracks
Interview with Daintre Riffel - April 23, 1991
Interview with Daintre Riffel - April 23, 1991
https://search.bvmuseum.org/media/Digital%20Fonds%20and%20Collections/C5%20BVM%20Oral%20History%20collection/2021.21.70_Riffel,%20Daintre/Riffel,%20Daintre%201991_04_23.ACCESS.mp3
Daintre Riffel talks about her school days in Smithers, including what subjects were taught, how education then differed from today, what her favourite grade was, and whether she was taught by her aunt (possibly Jean Burns or Susanna 'Kitty' McDonald).
arithmetic; basketball; eighth grade; extracurricular activities; geography; Glentanna School; reading; school subjects; spelling; teachers; writing
education; school
Riffel talks about different sports and other physical activities she enjoyed in her youth.
basketball; competitions; girls' hockey team; hockey; Mr. Johnson; ping-pong; skating; skiing; table tennis; tournaments; town hall; travel
activities; recreation; sports
Riffel, who has lived in the Smithers area her entire life, explains how her parents originally came to live the Valley.
Goodacre's Store; Soldiers' Settlement Land; Telkwa; Third Avenue; Tyhee Lake
Clarence Goodacre Sr.; family history; houses; Smithers; Winnie Goodacre; Winnie McDonald
Riffel discusses her husband (Fred), his work on the railway, and how he came to Smithers with the army during the Second World War. She also talks about her children, particularly Jim.
14th Aerodrome Defence; air force; carman; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; Prince Rupert harbour; railroad work; railway man; Smithers Airport; Super-Valu; Valerie Riffel
children; family; Fred Riffel; Jim Riffel; jobs; military; occupations; work
Riffel discusses her work as a secretary at the Royal Bank, particularly how much she was able to earn.
Laurel Roumieu; Marcella Edmonds
earnings; employment; jobs; money; occupations; payment; Royal Bank; wages; work
Riffel discusses the changes that have occurred in Smithers over the years, mostly in terms of infrastructure.
boardwalks; corduroy roads; ditches; infrastructure; Main Street; pavement; road conditions; sidewalks
development; Smithers; urban growth
Riffel discusses the houses she's lived in over the years and the amenities they've had.
electricity; Fred Riffel; grandparents; plumbing; ranch house; water pump
amenities; homes; houses
Riffel discusses the growth of Smithers at the expense of Telkwa, the former towns of Hubert and Aldermere, and whether she has ever wanted to move away.
floodplain; floods; jobs; railroad; swamp
Aldermere; Hubert; Smithers; Telkwa
Riffel identifies some of the older buildings in town, including the Central Park Building. She discusses the latter's use as a jail and whether there was a lot of crime in Smithers at the time.
Adams' Drugstore; bank robberies; Bulkley Hotel; Central Clothing; drinking; drunkenness; guns; Juniper Berry; liquor store; post office
buildings; Central Park Building; crime; historic buildings; jail; Provincial Government Building; punishment
Riffel discusses what it was like to grow up in the family store, including having to ration during World War II, what shopping was like before the era of self-serve grocery stores, and how prices have changed over the years.
butcher shop; inflation; peanut butter; World War II
Goodacre's Store; prices; rationing; shopping; working
Riffel mentions more of Smithers' early buildings, such as Mah Yoke Tong's bakery, and who constructed many of these businesses.
Bulkley Hotel; Ernie Hann; Smithers Bakery; Spicer and Roumieu Insurance
Bovill & Hann; buildings; historic buildings
Riffel discusses community events in Smithers, such as school Christmas concerts and Sunday walks to the river. (Note: topic changes abruptly around 26:48; seemingly a section is missing).
Anglican hall; Bulkley River; costumes; dances; Scout Hall; Sunday walks; theatre; town hall; walking
Christmas concerts; community events
Riffel discusses the old-fashioned social mores and values of the 1930s and 40s, sharing the story of a teenaged girl who was ostracized for becoming pregnant.
adoption; schoolteachers
changing values; mores; social standards; societal attitudes; teenage pregnancy; values
Riffel discusses the prominence of the Church in the community and mentions the different hospital buildings which have been used over the years.
church choir; church picnics; nurses' home
Bulkley Valley District Hospital; church; hospital
Riffel talks about Watson's Store and shares a story about Walter Watson helping her brother Jim deliver groceries.
Apollo Automotive; Clarence Goodacre Sr.; competition; delivering groceries; grocery stores
Jim Goodacre; Walter Watson; Watson family; Watson's Store
Riffel names some old schoolmates who still live in Smithers, and discusses how some students had to walk to school all the way from Lake Kathlyn.
Chuck Morris; Gordie Hetherington; Lake Kathlyn; Mary Watson; Pat McCammon; skiing
classmates; school; schoolmates; walking to school
Discussion of the Watson boys, competition between local sports teams, and how the Riffels boarded and coached junior hockey players from out-of-town in the 1970s.
Bruins; competition; Gnats; hockey teams; Jimmy Watson; Joe Watson; Mary Watson; Philadelphia Flyers; Smithers Totems
boarding; coaching hockey; Fred Riffel; hockey; junior hockey; sports