Book Chronicles History of Saint John's Longshoremen

by Beverly Stears
Saint John Times Globe

For more than 150 years longshoremen have laboured under extremely demanding conditions, loading and unloading ships at the Port of Saint John. And for more than a year now, Patti Breen has laboured to give a voice to these colourful men and their fascinating stories.

Ms. Breen's book, "Along the Shore", chronicles the history of Saint John's hardy longshoremen. It's a labour of love for the first-time author, who's devoted about 14 months of her life to the project.

"It (doing a book) has been talked about by several different people over the years," Ms. Breen says. "When Pat Riley told me in a conversation last year that the ILA's (International Longshoremen's Association) 150th anniversary was coming up, the subject of the book came up again, and who might write it. I thought 'why not me?', " she says.

It was an ambitious undertaking for someone who had never before written for publication. Although lacking publishing experience, however, Ms. Breen was well qualified to take on the task. Her father, her grandfather and her great-grandfather were all longshoremen, as are three of her brothers. And Ms. Breen has lots of research experience. She also had the support of the New Brunswick Consortium of Professional Writers, and help form her daughter and other family members.

Ms. Breen pored over union archives at the New Brunswick Museum on Douglas Avenue, gleaned through countless meters of microfilm researching old newspapers at the library archives, and spent hundreds of hours interviewing both active and retired longshoremen.

"The biggest challenge was narrowing the focus," Ms. Breen says. "That, and finding the information. For decades there would be more than enough information, and then suddenly the sources would dry up. From 1849 to 1920, there's lots, but after that it gets spotty," she says, attributing this to periods when the press and union may have been at loggerheads, and to records devoured by fires.

At times, Ms. Breen found the work to be emotionally draining. "I'd discover something that I know my father would find interesting, and I'd rush to the phone to call him up and then realize he's gone," she says, the melancholy noticeably audible in her voice. Ms. Breen's father, Jack Breen, passed away in 1996. "But I'm glad I didn't let the notion of writing this book fade away. It's been very rewarding. I have a renewed sense of pride in being a longshoreman's daughter, and I have a better understanding of the pride they had in their profession, "she says, "Not just anyone can do it."

A longshoreman must possess limitless strength - not only physical strength, but strength of spirit, as well. "I believe it's something you're born to. It's not an easy way to make a living, so you have to love it to stick with it," Ms. Breen says.

Along the Shore, funded by the ILA (Local 273), will be launched at the ILA's 150th anniversary dinner on July 16. To get your copy call 1-888-229-5711, or locally at 832-4790, Or call the ILA (Local 273) office at 635-8610. Cost is $15.