Memoirs of Angus Davis: A Mining Legend

Davis Sr. was insecure, knowing that his beautiful young bride was alone, and when he returned she had some news to share with him. This made him nervous, until his charming young wife, who had purchased an expensive baby grand piano in his absence and who was also apprehensive of her husband’s reaction to the purchase, confessed her transgression. They were both relieved, and then he said… “Is that all”?

Known to be a great storyteller, Davis Sr. was fond of telling tall yarns to all who would listen, especially his young son Davis Jr. (Davis Sr. passed away when Davis Jr. was only eleven years old, in 1949).

“I remember being five or six and my dad told stories like when they were in a mining camp they needed a fourth card player for bridge and they would invite a grizzly bear up to the camp to be the fourth. He would just make up stories, and they would go on, and we would love to hear them. He was a neat guy; he was always full of stories”

Davis Sr. also had a penchant for swearing, like all the good engineers of his day, and it was considered an infectious and charming affectation by those who knew him best.

“He could do it like a science, and he was one of those people who could get away with it. You’ve got to learn how to swear, but it just fit on him. ‘Son of a bitch’ was a favourite among engineers, and it suited him”.