Item AAAB3986 - Thelma Godkin interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Thelma Godkin : a woman's view of working in the woods RECORDED: Saltair (B.C.), 1979-08-08 SUMMARY: Mrs. Godkin was born Thelma Emblem in Nanaimo. At the age of 17, she began working as a waitress in Malahat. Her father got her a job in the sawmill in Chemainus, and she worked as a sorter and a band saw operator. She was an IWA steward in the mill. She left the mill and preferring to work outside, she became the first women to work in the woods, as a whistle punk. She first worked for "Gyppo" operations, but because of her proficiency was hired on by the largest operation in the Chemainus area. She describes the attitudes of male workers to her entry into the logging industry; a near escape from a forest fire; the tasks she performed at work. TRACK 2: Working early shifts; her childhood and attitudes towards traditional women's work; and the entry of more women into the logging industry.