Interviews of Mabel Forteath aged 73

Biographical interview with Mable Forteath (born 1941) who lives in Moniave and grew up in the area. As a child, she lived on a farm. Her father was a shepherd. She wasn't keen on school but loved the farm work and talks about helping out during lambing, harvesting and shearing. She remembered bundling up the fleeces which were then put in huge bags and her dad would lift her into the bag to trample down the fleeces so that they could fit more in. She would go to relatives in Lockerbie for holidays but always got homesick. She talks about going to Sunday school at Glencairn, where she later married, and she continued to live outside the village when she had her own family.

As a young woman, she worked at Crawfordton House school, which she enjoyed a lot. When she turned 21, the boys all put her into a bath of cold water as a prank. She also describes Moniave and the shops she remembered from her childhood and talked about the recreational activities at the Institute in Moniave, which included films put on by Bill Richardson, the chemist. She was sad to move into the town because she had enjoyed farm life so much but she reflected that she enjoys being able to travel about with her free bus pass.