Christena (McCormick) MacSweyn
I think it was April or early May 1951, I started to work at Glengarry Telephone Co. I stayed the first few weeks with John J., Janet and Basil McCormick, and Shirley and Helen McDonald, nieces that were staying with John J. and Janet; after this I went to stay with Charlotte MacKinnon who lived in the house with the central switchboard.
I worked week about with Georgette Paiment, and enjoyed it very much with her.
We worked 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with two hours off in the afternoon. We were paid $15.00 a week. If we went out in the evening we had to get permission from John Joe, which was always O.K. He was a super boss, maybe because we were both McCormicks, but I don’t think that was it.
I enjoyed the calls from Mr. MacMillan, Carmen’s grandfather. He’d tell me stories about my grand uncle, Malcolm McCormick, who owned the Quigley Hotel
I recall when Campbell and Greta MacDonald got married in 1951. Campbell’s dad was sick and they were expecting a call from Campbell and Greta and they asked me to hold a call until they came in from the barn, as they’d call each night to see how Mr. MacDonald was. Another call I remember was about a Mr. Capron who worked for Hydro and he was electrocuted. I think they came from Breadalbane, and we had a difficult time trying to find relatives.
My stay was short at Glengarry Telephone as my mother wasn’t well and I stayed home to look after her.