Interview of Dauna Neveaux

Nov 26 2011 Dauna Neveaux (née Daune Mae Currie, b. 1935 in Chilliwack, BC) is the youngest of four (three older brothers). Her father, Earl Marshall Currie (b. 1891 in Boissevain, Manitoba), was the eldest of five children. He trained as a teacher and, after a traumatic experience in Petersfield, Manitoba (two of his students drowned), he moved to Vancouver to join his family. In 1911 he took up a bread route in Shaughnessy before moving to Sardis in 1913. In 1938, Dauna's father bought ten acres of farmland in Sardis. The family spent the first winter living in a brooder house before her father finished building a more permanent home. Dauna's paternal grandfather, Georgie Currie (b. 1861 in East Whitby, Ontario), was a teacher and the youngest of ten children. Her paternal grandmother was Mary Oke (b. 1868 in Goderich, Ontario), her parents had emigrated from England in 1859. Her great-grandfather, James Currie (b. 1808 in Yetholm, Scotland) was Scottish, his father, John Currie (b. 1776 in Scotland), signed up for the East India Company when, after finding a coin in his pint glass, he was recruited into the Royal Navy where he served under Lord Nelson in the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Copenhagen. In 1805, he took his prize money and married Hannah Lochie from England, thirteen years later they moved to the United States where John worked on the Eerie Canal before the family moved to East Whitby, Ontario in 1819 (after John died in Scarborough). His son James joined the clergy in the 1830s, serving at the Cree Mission on Manitoulin Island where he worked with the teacher Johann Pestalozzi. Dauna's mother (née Jones, b. 1898 in London, Ontario) was the second youngest, her family moved out west to British Columbia in 1910/1911. Dauna's maternal grandfather, James Benjamin Jones (b. 1866 in Birmingham, England), was born to Lady Clare Saunders. After Lady Clare's husband, the estate miller, died, she was invited back to the castle as maid upon the condition that she gave up her children to the Middlemore Home in Birmingham. Thus, James and his sibilings were sent to Canada in 1873 and thereafter lived with the farmer Mr. Collins until he married Mary Frances Hetherington. Dauna's grandfather attended veterinary school until her grandmother became ill with tuberculosis, after her death (1908), he began horse dealing and working for livery stables. In 1911, they moved to Vancouver where his brothers Henry and Harry were living, Dauna spent her childhood in Sardis where she attended Sardis Elementary and Chilliwack High School with Allan Fotheringham, their families went to church together. Dauna took piano lessons at Edenbeck Farm. She was very involved in Sunday school concerts, due to farm chores, her outings were, for the most part, limited to Sunday School picnics at Cultas Lake. Discipline was administered by her mother, her father was very soft spoken. Her three brothers enlisted in the Second World War and did not finish high school, Dauna's youngest brother left home when she was eight. Throughout her childhood family gatherings were at aunt Marie's, an artist, house, Dauna's favourite relative was her Aunt Ada who died at the age of 102. After graduating from secondary school, Dauna worked as a camp clerk for the Chilliwack Forces Base camp. Dauna married Fred in 1956. After meeting two years prior playing badminton (Fred was stationed in Chilliwack as part of his seven year military training program), they were exchanged for a year before marrying. Their first child was born in 1957, they now have four children: David, Richard, James, and Ann. They have been married for fifty-five years, in the first twenty-four years, they lived in twenty different houses as Fred was posted across Canada. "Scottishness" is very important to Dauna, she is very proud of her family heritage (especially her great uncle's book: History of the Currie Family) and enjoys Scottish food (i.e. porridge), music (especially bagpipes), literature, and history. In 1990/1992, she travelled around Scotland for five weeks with her husband. Visiting various battlefields, cities, and tourist attractions, as well as the birthplace of her great grandfather, Yetholm, Dauna says that she felt a very strong sense of belonging whilst there. She attends various Highland Games in British Columbia, but is not a member of any Scottish organizations nor does she attend any Gaelic events. When asked about the Scottish National Party (SNP)'s current majority and the proposed 2014 secession referendum, Dauna says that she thinks "it [secession] would be good for Scots." If Dauna were to relive her life, she would change her awareness of people and ask more questions. Her biggest disappointment in life was her timidity, she was a very shy child and it took a long time before she was comfortable speaking in front of crowds.