National Adult Literacy Database

December 10, 2001

This week, we are launching 6 stories from the Adult Learning Centre in Courtenay, BC . As a special event you can read their stories as well as hear them.

The following story was written by Doris Bailey. She was born in Brock, Saskatchewan and came to Courtenay in 1956. The whole family came along. Doris was married in 1961. Her daughter was born in 1967 and she has a boy and a girl. The most delightful thing was when her daughter had her children. Doris came to the Adult Learning Centre in 1994 because she felt she needed more help with her vocabulary.

 

Play an audio version of this story

Life on the Prairies

by Doris Bailey

I began life on the prairies when I was born on July 6, 1942 in Brock Saskatchewan. There were nine children, five girls and four boys. I went to school in a one room schoolhouse. To get to school, I went by horse and wagon in spring and horse drawn van in winter. In winter we had a stove in the van. Our nearest city was Saskatoon which was about 100 miles away. I can only remember going there once. While I was growing up I had to do chores both in the house and out side. For fun my sister and brothers and I drowned gophers in summer and in winter we slid down the granary because we had no hills. When I was fourteen we left Saskatchewan going first to Gull Lake, Sask., then to Macleod, Alberta. From there we went to Fernie, BC and then to Spokane, USA, and finally arriving in Courtenay.