Interview with Dave McDonald

Transcript of Dave McDonald's 1979 interview with Myrtle Bergren for the Coal Tyee History Project. McDonald opens the interview by talking about his family's arrival on Vancouver Island on October 5, 1909, which was the day of the explosion at the Extension Mine. He shares stories from his job as a milk delivery boy, including his deliveries to customers in Nanaimo's red-light district, and to both strikers and "scabs" during the Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. He explains how he worked as mule skinner in the coal mines and he reflects on how the mules were treated. McDonald shares his opinion of the Black community, and he also tells the story of how he met his wife.