- [Mark Horvath] Fred.
- Yes.
- We're here in St John's, Newfoundland.
You're homeless, tell me about it.
Tell me about being homeless.
- Okay.
I ran into a bad experience.
I shared a basement apartment with a guy
who took off with the damage deposit money
and that left me homeless.
Then I had a short eviction notice
to get out right away.
The landlord, he was kind enough
to leave my stuff in his garage,
that's a fair bit of time now there, a while ago.
And I did do a 30-day stint here
and I never had a place so I had a 10-day extension,
still never had a place.
Got out and got a place, that didn't work out, or pan out.
And here I am, I'm back again,
and within the next three or four days
I have a chance of getting another place.
So I'm getting- - Did you spend any time
out on the streets?
- No no no.
- [Mark Horvath] You're lucky,
you're actually fortunate.
- No, I was never on the street.
I had lots of bad experiences.
This young girl almost ran me over and everything.
That's the truth.
- But you- - Oh, I'm available.
- [Mark Horvath] Lost the places you're stayin'
then you you were able to find shelter here
at the Salvation Army. - Yes.
This is run by the Salvation Army,
funded by the HRLE,
Human Resources, Labor, and Employment.
- [Mark Horvath] What would you want people to know
about homelessness?
- It's not a very good thing, but I mean...
I don't know one way or another what to tell 'em,
to advise 'em, I can tell you that y'know?
Like I say, you got a bedroom here and, y'know.
You're not out there.
Or you're not in the park next door,
Victoria Park and everything, by the bench.
Now you're outside in the elements.
And they help you to get a place.
And then you gotta try and help your own self, of course.
- [Mark Horvath] So it's a good thing
that you found some shelter.
- Hoo, I guess it was.
I wouldn't know what Id've done.
- [Mark Horvath] I don't usually go do this,
but since this could be a very good educational moment,
I'm from Los Angeles.
- Yes.
- [Mark Horvath] And I've never,
you were trying to teach me Newfoundland.
- Yeah, what about it?
No, Newfinese.
- [Mark Horvath] Newfinese.
- Yes.
- [Mark Horvath] So teach me some Newfinese.
Teach us, the people.
- Teach you Newfinese?
I'll be here for a month o' Sundays and then some.
- [Mark Horvath] So what were some of the sayings
that you were trying to teach me earlier?
- For instance,
if it's rainin' here now,
you and me were goin' around here (mumbles)
you'll probably have a pair of go-getters on.
- [Mark Horvath] Go-getters?
- Yeah.
- [Mark Horvath] 'Kay, what else?
- Go-getters are a pair of short rubbers, y'see?
Rather than hip rubbers
you use for when you're fishin'.
- [Mark Horvath] Right.
- Not fishin' for a living,
troutin' I mean.
- [Mark Horvath] Right right right.
- Newfinese, there's all kinds of Newfinese,
there's good, bad, and what else can I say?
- [Mark Horvath] We don't wanna to the bad stuff.
- No, no but you don't get the point of that either.
Newfinese, my sonny b'ys I gotta tell ya.
We do have a Newfinese dictionary by the way,
it was completed,
even after Joey Smallwood,
who done the majority of the work passed away,
he was our first premier here,
poor old Joey.
- [Mark Horvath] What Newfinese saying do you use the most?
- Who me?
"Hey b'y."
And you use that
whether you're talkin' to a young man or a man,
or a young girl or a woman.
If was talkin' to her I'd say "yes b'y" all the time.
I don't know if they do it (mumbles)
we do it here.
I say "yes b'y" to everybody.
(Mark laughing)
That's the most proper one!
- [Mark Horvath] Yeah, I believe it.
So that's the most popular,
what's your favorite?
- My favorite one is, ohh, I dunno...
(mumbles)
There's one, see. (laughs)
There you go!
I use that lots of times.
It's not swearin'.
- [Mark Horvath] There was somethin,
where you're at or whatever?
- Oh, "Stay where you're to and I'll come where you're at."
- [Mark Horvath] "Stay where you're doin'
"and come where you're at."
- No, listen.
You have ears to listen with, so listen.
"Stay where you're to, until I come where you're at."
You stay there 'til I gets there, y'see?
- [Mark Horvath] "Stay where you're to,
"til I come where you're at."
Right? (laughing)
- Yeah! - Alright, good, awesome.
If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- Now, what you want and what you need and what you get
is three different things, for one thing.
So I wouldn't know what to tell you.
- [Mark Horvath] No?
No wishes?
- Nah.
- [Mark Horvath] Well thank you very much-
- Somethin' I will tell you though,
and it's been said around here to myself:
I'm 64 years old, I don't drink, I don't smoke.
I haven't got a wife, I haven't got a girlfriend,
I got no pets,
and I'm not shoppin'.
End of the story.
- [Mark Horvath] (laughing)
And you're not shoppin?
- And I'm not shopping.
- [Mark Horvath] For pets, girlfriends, wives.
- No. - None of the above.
- No, I'm not shopping for a wife or a girlfriend.
I've had 'em, that's it.
- [Mark Horvath] But a dog or somethin' might-
- No, no.
I told ya: 64, no drinkin'
I don't drink, I don't smoke,
I have no wife, I have no girlfriend.
I have no pets.
And I'm not shopping.
But not shopping,
got nothin' to do with the pets,
and I'm not shopping for no girlfriend,
and I'm not shopping for no wife.
I've had 'em.
(laughs)
- [Mark Horvath] I'm divorced, no goldfish.
- Well there ya go.
- [Mark Horvath] (laughs)
Well thank you very much for talkin' to me.
- Not a problem.