Growing up in Henley Harbour into such a large family has left us with many memories to cherish for the rest of our lives. School days were the ones never to be forgotten. We all attended the one room school. The enrollment would be about twenty or thirty pupils. Sometimes there would be a seventeen or eighteen year old for a teacher. Everyone did fairly well in regards to education. While attending school in Henley Harbour we had to use the rowboat. We would row to the mainland in the morning, back home at lunchtime, back to school again after lunch and home again in the evenings. Though all the trials and tribulations, we all tried to educate ourselves as best we could. As the young people grew up and finished school they moved away to further their education. They choose careers from every walk of life, and most of them are professionals in their field of work. They are all proud of their heritage and roots and still love to return to their homeland whenever the opportunity arises.

Apart from school, everyone was always busy. The boys had their outdoor chores to do which included chopping the wood, bringing water from the brook, feeding the hens and sheep, collecting the eggs, and feeding the dogs. The girls help spread the fish and pick the berries, along with the household chores each one was assigned to do. In our leisure time we played all kinds of games. In the summer it would be football, baseball and sailing boats in the pond and along the seashore. The girls played cobby, hopscotch and skipping, plus all the other things girls liked to do. In the winter we would spend a lot of time outdoors. We would go sliding, skating, ice fishing and skiing (on homemade skis made from barrel staves). We did many other things to occupy our time. All in all we never spent a dull moment. Having enough food was never a problem as nature helped provide for all our needs. Everyone had plenty of fish, berries, rabbits, partridges, seal, caribou, as well as all kinds of seabirds. In some cases berries and fish were exchanged for vegetables, mostly from Corner Brook. A small amount of potatoes were grown and everyone had their own cabbage garden. We all shared what we had with others so nobody went hungry. Overall living in Henley Harbour was the most memorable experience. It will live on in our memories forever. Everyone was always happy and kept busy especially in the springtime while preparing for the fishery. There would always be something to look forward to. Now that enthusiasm has faded, along with the communities where we lived. What was once an active and prosperous community has become a ghost town, along with many other beautiful communities along our unique and rugged coastline. Although we have all gone our separate ways, we still have many wonderful experiences that will be etched in our memories forever. I still return with my family as often as I can and will continue to for as long as I live.