Interview with Archie Greenwell

Audio recording and transcript of Archie Greenwell's 1978 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. Greenwell shares several generations of his family's history. He talks about how his family moved to Nanaimo so his father could work at the consumer co-op after he was unable to get work in the mines after the strike. He details how the Greenwells later they moved to South Wellington where they lived close to several families of relatives. Greenwell reflects on how his mother managed and was supported by the community after his father died. He talks about his own and his sisters' schooling and his entry into the coal mining industry after he graduated high school. Although he didn't experience any significant accidents himself, Greenwell recalls stories he's heard about other coal mining explosions and accidents. He shares his impression of the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike and his thoughts on how it affected families and the community.