Interview with Thomas Terry

Audio recording and transcript of Thomas Terry's 1979 interview with Shirley Ramsay for the Coal Tyee History Project. Terry describes how he arrived in Nanaimo in 1923 to help coach a soccer team and how he got a job at the Protection Island Mine where he worked for seven years. He talks about sports in Nanaimo and about some of his acquaintances. Terry recalls his first day in the mine and describes what conditions were like. He also compares mining in England to mining on Vancouver Island. Although he wasn't in Nanaimo during the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike, Terry shares his understanding of some of the lasting effects. He explains the Protection Island mining operation, and also describes how there was an air shaft on Newcastle Island. He talks about living in Nanaimo, giving a description of Chinatown and commenting on the city's many bars and hotels. Terry recalls attending mine rescue team competitions, and he also talks about different jobs and equipment in the mines. He explains how miners were penalized when too much rock was found in their cars of coal. Terry concludes the interview by reflecting on conditions during the "Hungry '30s" and he talks about a job he had using explosives to clear land for a golf course in Vancouver.