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Maurice Joncas delivers excerpts from his mother’s diary. He tells us about the work of women and children in the cod fishery in Gaspésie.

Alma Pelletier-Joncas (1899-1965)

Alma Pelletier was born in Fox River in 1899. She studied in Rimouski between the ages of 7 and 14 and at 15 started work as a maid. At 19 she married Jos Joncas and went to live with him in Pointe-Jaune. She kept a personal journal of her life until she turned 22. Alma Pelletier-Joncas became a solid pillar of her community, Pointe-Jaune. She was always ready to give advice and to counsel those around her. She left a document of great value in the journal of her life between 1899 and 1922. Her descriptions of her daily routine give us a unique portrait of the life of a young Gaspesian women of her time.

Maurice Joncas

Son of Alma Pelletier-Joncas, born in 1936 in Pointe-Jaune (Qc). Writer, painter, man of the theatre and teacher, he taught French language and literature at the secondary level from 1961 to 1996. Parrallel to his teaching career he left a mark on the cultural life of those around him. « Corps usés » and « machines de travail » are expressions that come from Maurice Joncas in his description of his mother’s life and what the doctor said of her at her death. It is through her unique journal and the precise memories of Maurice that we have such a clear view onto these forgotten lives.