Nickel Mining Circa 1976
Back in 1976 my friend and I decided to try our hand at nickel mining and travelled to the wasteland known as Thompson, Manitoba. The money was great (a staggering $6.30 an hour!) and adventure beckoned as we packed a car full of meagre belongings and, with my friend's older brother, made the early summer trip from Victoria. We passed through Winnipeg during a police strike (can you say 'anarchy'?), I fell in love with 'Tammy', a fellow camper in Banff National Park whom I never saw again, and eventually arrived in Thompson, Manitoba, north of the 55th parallel and an excellent vantage spot for viewing the Aurora Borealis. Heading to the hiring office the next day I secured myself a position and started work a few days later. I…