Interview with Joe Norosky 1.1

Segment Synopsis: Joseph (Joe) Norosky was born 1923 in Harrison, Manitoba and he grew up in Ozerna, Manitoba. There was a post office in Ozerna, and the school was 2 miles away. Joe lived in Ozerna until 1945 before getting married and moving to Winnipeg. Joe thinks his father came to Canada in 1902 or 1903 with his parents. They arrived in Gimli, Manitoba for 1 or 2 years, before moving to Ozerna for land. Joe's mother came to Canada a few years after her sister came to Canada and got married, but their parents did not come to Canada. Joe isn't sure where his mother and aunt arrived in Canada, but they were married in the Ozerna area.

Joe says his schooling was good. "A grade 10 in Manitoba is like grade 14 in States", according to Joe. The school Joe went to only went to grade 8, any higher and a student had to go to Newdale, but Joe did not go to that school. Once Joe was 15, he went to work, so he never finished grade 10. People could also take their schooling through correspondence.

Joe did everything in his years, from butcher to musician. He was also a mechanic and electrician. He was a truck driver, and worked at a golf course.

Segment Synopsis: Growing up, Joe lived at home with his parents, 2 brothers, and 2 sisters. Joe's mother was Ukrainian and his father was Polish, but only Joe's grandmother spoke Polish. Joe considers his heritage as mixed. Joe doesn't know where his father's family came from, but his mother's family came from Skomorokhy, Ukraine. Joe's wife was born and lived nearby in Ozerna. Joe was married in 1945.

Joe's parents did farming as he was growing up. They always had enough to eat. They raised chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, and pigs. They grew wheat, barley, and oats. Back then, there was no combine like there is today. Joe describes how harvesting was done in those days. Joe's older brother went to work when he finished school, as did Joe. The family also grew a garden: carrots, onions, parsley, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, and others. The foods would be preserved. The garden was tended by Joe's mother, with help from everyone else in the family. They had milk and butter from the cows.

Segment Synopsis: In the spring, they would pick strawberries, raspberries, Saskatoon berries, pin cherries, and chokecherries. Sometimes, the pin cherries or chokecherries would be turned into wine. Joe's family only preserved cabbage and cucumbers over the winter. Barrels were kept in the basements where it was cold. Food would be harvested directly from the garden in the summer time. Some people put vegetables in the basement under peat-moss as a means of preservation. Preserving food was done through experimentation.

Segment Synopsis: There was a Ukrainian church and Polish church in Ozerna. Most Sundays, but not every Sunday, a priest would come and give sermons. There were no stores in Ozerna: they had to go into town to buy what they needed. There was, however, a small store that a farmer had where they could sell eggs and buy tobacco and sugar, but that didn't last too long as people started buying cars and could drive to town. In winter, they had to use horses to get to town as there was no such thing as a snowplow. In 1946, they had snowplows to open the main roads, but not the side roads. Ozerna had a school, but it later closed and was replaced with a statue. Every church had a community hall where dances would be held. They would dance polkas, waltzes, square dances, and heel and toe. Sometimes, Joe played at these dances. Joe had a good, but cracked, violin. Joe would play at home by ear. There was a violin teacher that wasn't always at Joe's school.

Segment Synopsis: Joe played music at weddings. He played as they were on their way to the church, and then on the way back from the church. Then, Joe would play at the woman's place all night, and at the man's place the following night. He would be paid $2 for playing the weddings, but it was a good amount back then. When people got married, they would go from place to place to invite people to the wedding. When they got to the hall, the ladies would cook for the wedding. The father and the mother would have a special table and people would eat. After food, the band would come in and start playing.

The brides were dressed beautifully, all in white. Joe brings a picture to show the outfits. Grooms wore a suit.