My name is Thomas Penney. I live at Port Hope Simpson, Labrador. I was born to George and Annie Penney at George's Cove, Labrador on August 02, 1925. I married Helen Hiscock of Port Hope Simpson. We have five daughters and four sons.

From 1955 to 1956 my young family and I were living at Saddler's Arm, Labrador by Alexis River. I worked as a logger there. I remember one January when my wife was eight months pregnant and I had to bring her up to Port Hope Simpson (seven miles away) so she could be near a midwife. I went to check on the ice condition before we left. We had a lot of rain and I feared that the ice was unsafe to travel on. I went to the dog pen to harness my dogs. I opened the door and six of my nine dogs ran off. I couldn't catch them so I had to harness up the other three and use them only. Clayton Kippenhuck and I left Saddler's Arm and came up to Port Hope Simpson. We had to trim the shore and slowly pick our way across the bar of ice from Glooves to just below Seal Rock Cove. When we arrived at Port Hope Simpson I went to my in-laws, Bill and Holly Hiscock. To my surprise my other six dogs were in their yard. I had a lunch, harnessed up all my dogs and then returned home for my wife and kids. The ice conditions were bad so I borrowed a dory. Clayton and I sat in the back of the dory which stuck the front of the komatik up and we crossed safely. Going back we left the dory at a place called Human's Head because the ice was pretty good from there to home.

The next morning we got up and prepared to go to Port Hope Simpson again. We had four small children, ages two to six which we had to take with us. It was not a nice morning. Rain was falling. To keep my family safe and dry I put a coach box on the komatik. I covered the bottom with a canvas tent. I put in a mattress and some bed clothes to keep them comfortable and warm. My wife and children got in the box and I added more bedclothes and put a canvas tent over them as well. Once everyone was ready we left for Port Hope Simpson. My brother Roy came along to help and to take the dogs back. Again we trimmed the shore. We picked up the dory and continued on by dog team as far as Black Head. We stopped there and had a boil up with roasted caplin, bread and tea to fill our stomachs. The ice was broken up and there was mostly open water from Black Head across to Seal Rock Cove which is about a mile. Roy and I launched the dory. My family got aboard then we put our things from the coach box in as well. Roy returned to Saddler's Arm with the dogs and I rowed the dory across the bay. The water was very calm, it took me about twenty minutes or more to cross. When we got to Port Hope Simpson I tied the boat on and put my family ashore and unloaded our things. By then my father-in-law, Bill Hiscock, and his brother Raymond were there to take us up to Bill's house. I was very relieved that we made it safe and sound to Port Hope Simpson.