1909-Cover-NL_0609-Cover-NFLD 8/2/19 9:01 AM Page 1
8
Meals
Vol 32 • No 04
$4.99
September 2019
TO GO
9/11 Memories Origin of “Newfy” St. Mary’s Military Might
1909-Cover-NL_0609-Cover-NFLD 8/2/19 9:01 AM Page 2
1909_Index2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:49 PM Page 1
1909_Index_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:21 PM Page 2
life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters
Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manger Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma
Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Brett
Goodyear, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Erin McCarthy, Mackenzie Stockley, Marlene Burt, Jackie Burt
Finance and Administration Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Accounting Assistant Sandra Gosse Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Ciara Hodge Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer / Publisher Grant Young President Todd Goodyear Chief Financial Officer Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada Official onboard magazine of
1909_Index_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:21 PM Page 3
82 screen time
Contents
SEPTEMBER 2019
48 Friendship Forged on 9/11 A day that marked terror in the US and abroad also marked the start of a sweet friendship between a stranded Peruvian woman and a Gambo family. Lester Green
62 Farming for the Future What the provincial government is doing to improve food security and increase agricultural activity in NL. Part two of a three-part exploratory feature. Elizabeth Whitten
82 30 Years of Women in Film
112 wrap it up
www.downhomelife.com
How the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival has been shining the spotlight on female filmmakers, and the entire province, in a big way. Linda Browne
112 It’s a Wrap! In fact, there are 8 delicious wrap recipes that are easy to make and delicious to have for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. September 2019
3
1909_Index_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 2:18 PM Page 4
Contents
SEPTEMBER 2019
homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters One reader’s catch of the day, a dream finally fulfilled, a mystery photo gets some much-needed context and fond memories of a childhood well spent in NL
20
when in Rome
20 Downhome Tours Explore Rome’s Colosseum with Downhome
22 Why is That? Why aren’t we supposed to wear white after Labour Day? Linda Browne
24 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world
26 Life’s Funny No Appetite for Bears Elizabeth (Betty) Brenton 27 Say What A contest that puts
24
drove with the heat
words in someone else’s mouth
28 Lil Charmers Food Fun 30 Pets of the Month Ship Shape 32 Blast from The Past Remember the floppy disk?
34 Poetic Licence Going Modern Ivan Hibbs
36 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Linden MacIntyre and reviews his latest book, The Wake. 4
September 2019
32 file under “old” 1-888-588-6353
1909_Index2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:49 PM Page 5
44
getting jiggy with it
38 What Odds Making birthdays special with Paul Warford
40 In Your Words Out with the Old Charles Beckett
42 The Origin of Newfy Robert G. Thorne
44 Jigging for Joy
features 54 Hero to the Rescue
58 good-bye garbage
www.downhomelife.com
Twillingate native saves three people from a burning home in Norman Wells, NT. Janice Stuckless
58 Taking Out the Trash Local diver’s mission is to clean up the mess others have left in NL harbours. Tobias Romaniuk September 2019
5
1909_Index_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:22 PM Page 6
Contents
SEPTEMBER 2019
70 The Fight of Her Life Living with ovarian cancer is a battle, but so is raising awareness of this under-researched and less publicized deadly disease. Janice Stuckless
explore 74 Our Little Ponies Janice Stuckless 80 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening around Atlantic Canada 88 Building from Memories This relatively new museum is reviving interest in Twillingate’s wooden boats. Tobias Romaniuk
94 Sink the Hazard! The almost forgotten story of St. Mary’s Battery David Fagan
74 baby photos
98 Life on Wheels Around the world – and across NL – in a vintage campervan Tobias Romaniuk
104 Heritage Hot Spot New Holyrood Heritage Society Museum opens just in time for Come Home Year Wendy Rose
food and leisure 108 Everyday Gourmet Baked Cod Andrea Maunder
120 Stuff About What do Captain James Cook, Elvis Presley and the Underground Railroad have in common?
122 Down to Earth Basic Recipes for Gardeners Ross Traverse 6
September 2019
120
hunk-a-burnin’ loaf 1-888-588-6353
1909_Index_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 2:50 PM Page 7
132 younger years
reminiscing 128 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places
129 This Month in History Remembering Rev. Dr. Moses Harvey, noted essayist, clergyman and naturalist
130 Newfoundlandia The Spy Next Door Chad Bennett About the cover Dennis Flynn snapped this sweet photo of newborn Newfoundland pony, Beaumont Hamel. Learn more about this year’s foals in our cover story, beginning on page 74.
Cover Index 8 Meals to Go • 112 World Travel in a VW Van • 98 Out Little Ponies • 74 9/11 Memories • 10 & 48 Origin of “Newfy” • 42 St. Mary’s Military Might • 94
132 Downhome Memories Drifting Back Gary Rideout
136 Between the Boulevard and the Bay The Legendary Wilf Doyle Ron Young
140 Mail Order 145 Real Estate 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
7
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 2:18 PM Page 8
The adventures of an underwater trash warrior pg. 58
Chew on this: sandwich trivia pg. 120
Take a video tour of Smudu, a home on wheels www.downhomelife.com
Join us on Instagram Instagram.com/downhomemagazine
8
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 1:25 PM Page 9
Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules
You could WIN $100! Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*
Submit Today! Send your photo, story, joke or poem to
Downhome 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at:
www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
9
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 1:23 PM Page 10
i dare say
Very little separates real from unreal.
Todd Young photo
The cloudless blue sky was broken only by airplane trails, more than you’d expect over St. John’s. I recall how bright it seemed outside, how unusually warm and soft the wind felt for September. I looked up at the sky, framed by the tops of Water Street buildings. I looked up and down the street, watching pedestrians dart between cars and pop in and out of shops, their steps light on this beautiful day. And I wondered, how can it be so peaceful, so lovely, so… ordinary… after what I’d just witnessed? It was near noon on September 11, 2001. The October issue of Downhome was due at the printer that week. About an hour before, I got a call from Mel D’Souza, our illustrator, in Brampton, ON. He said, “Turn on the news. New York City is under attack.” Our team went across the street to a sports bar. It was dark inside, and the image of burning towers on the big screen TV seemed to fill the room. We sat mostly in silence, and when we spoke it was in hushed tones. This summer, I visited New York City for the first time, and I toured the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Everywhere I walked in that complex, indoors and out, everyone spoke in those hushed tones, even the small children. It’s like even now, 18 years and many documentaries later, it still seems so unreal. It also seemed too real; after meeting true New Yorkers at our hotel, on the street, on the subway, at the museum – my heart broke for them and I felt a pride in a city I wasn’t even from. Of course, we didn’t leave NYC without taking in “Come From Away.” Shout-out to the supremely talented Petrina Bromley, Romano Di Nillo and all the cast, and the writers, for displaying the best in Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, the best in humanity, and offering some healing for a deep, deep wound. Thanks for reading,
Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief janice@downhomelife.com 10
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 11
Contributors
Meet the people behind the magazine
Ivan Hibbs
Robert G. Thorne
Though Ivan Hibbs now lives in St. John’s, NL, he was born in Peters Arm (now called Peterview) in 1944. His work as a teacher brought him to places like Botwood, Baie Verte, Gander, Lewisporte and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. “The last 10 years of my teaching career, I worked in curriculum development at the Department of Education in St. John’s. I retired from there in 1999,” he says. “Occasionally poetic lines would come to mind, but I didn’t make the effort, nor take the time, to follow up and complete the rhyme. However, last summer I got the inspiration to write the poem ‘Going Modern,’” he says. (Read Ivan’s piece on pg. 34.) Ivan is fascinated with the language of Newfoundland and Labrador. “Our Newfoundland language is intimately linked to our history and traditions, which reveal our distinct identity as a culture. As our language, with the passage of time, is gradually whittled away into a standardized form, so too may fade way our distinct cultural identity.”
It was after he retired from a career with the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1988 that Robert G. Thorne took up writing. In 2004, he published the book A Cherished Past: Newfoundland’s Front Row Seat to History. He also wrote stories for Downhome, becoming a regular contributor. His specialties were early aviation, WWII and the merchant navy. In this issue, Robert explores the origin of the word “Newfy” (see pg. 42). While most think it was coined by the Americans to describe Newfoundlanders, Robert has a different theory that links it to the British and Canadian navy personnel. However, he does think it’s likely the Americans came up with the term “The Rock” for NL, “Because when they were here during the war, their ships came in, they talked about a treeless land and [being] fog bound,” Robert explains. “So I think that’s where the word ‘Rock’ came from; maybe they meant Alcatraz or the Rock of Gibraltar?”
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
11
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 12
Dream Fulfilled
Here is our 87-year-old dad, Ralph Fudge, doing one of his favourite pastimes: reading his copy of Downhome! Not in his favourite chair at home in Lewisporte, NL, but onboard the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas, which he recently enjoyed with some of his family. Dad spent all his life on the coastal boats, travelling from Lewisporte to Labrador, the Gulf, and many other areas of the province’s coast. Because of this, he wanted to meet the captain of the largest ship in the Caribbean! We made it happen. He met Captain Johnny Faevelen, who gave him and the family a tour of the wheelhouse. Prior to leaving, Dad offered him a 12
September 2019
copy of Downhome! Dad has been reading the Downhome magazine as long as we can remember, reciting some of the stories he read or doing the activity pages in the back of the magazine, whether it be the puzzles, crosswords or whatever it took to increase his memory or keep his brain sharp! Cynthia Farrell Via email
Thanks for sharing these photos, Cynthia. And Ralph, thanks for reading! 1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 13
Maid of Industry I enjoyed your article in the June 2019 issue on the Maid of Industry by Dennis Flynn. I was aware that the Reid Newfoundland Railway brought in Scottish stonemasons to oversee the construction of the railway and that master mason Charles Henderson did the sculpture. During medical school training at MUN, one of our teachers was Dr. Charles Henderson, longtime pediatric anesthetist at the Janeway. I suspect he was the son of the sculptor. I do watercolour painting as a hobby and enjoy painting Newfoundland history. A few years ago, I heard about a rivulet and lifting technique with raw umber, which works well with watercolour paintings of sculptures and monuments, so I tried some. Besides the Maid of Industry, I did Sgt. Gander and his Royal Rifles of Canada handler, Ethel Dickinson and Constable William Moss. Clayton Hann Gander, NL
A Little Goes a Long Way I really loved the article about capelin! (June issue cover story) When I lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, I would watch for them to come rolling in on the shores at Argentia, where I was stationed. As one of the First Class Petty Officers in Food Service, I had the advantage of being able to cook them in the galley. And cook them I did – deep fried, baked and skillet fried. They are very tasty little fat fish and were plentiful by the bucket loads! I used to also buy them smoked from the locals. The whole fish could be eaten, from snout to tail. A crispy snack. I wish I were there to eat a big basket of them fried up. I also wish I could buy them here in the States. The closest I have seen are the smelts, which are not as good as fresh gathered and fried capelin right www.downhomelife.com
Here is Clayton’s watercolour rendition of the Maid of Industry statue outside the Railway Coastal Museum in downtown St. John’s. Quite remarkable!
from the briny waters of dear Newfoundland! Beyond compare! Also, in response to Ron Young’s column in the April issue (“The Blame Game”): I am a retired law enforcement officer as well, Ron. I spent over 20 years with the US Department of Justice, and I write poetry. I loved your article! I can say with total confidence that this certainly is true here in the States! Except for the terribly poor folks, we are a nation of spoiled citizens. So many people in really poor countries are lucky to have enough food to keep from starving to death. By today’s standards, we were poor when I was a child, but we never knew it! We were happy, clean and always had something to eat. We ate lots of oatmeal, potatoes, beans, corn bread and hamburger. We also ate wild game when we could. No computers. September 2019
13
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 1:25 PM Page 14
find corky sly conner Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: Corky Contest
Congratulations to Sheila Crocker of Trout River, NL who found Corky on page 79 of the July issue.
43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com *No Phone Calls Please One entry per person
Deadline for replies is the end of each month.
Only one car – never a new one. We made our own toys and entertained ourselves. We never thought we were poor. We made our own soda and had a garden. Hand-me-down clothes were appreciated, and shoes and socks were patched up, not thrown out! My mom cut our hair, and we didn’t eat out much at all. We were much happier then with far less fear of others, unlike today’s world of plenty, including crime! You sure started me thinking, Ron. Thank you! Danny Delancy New Preston, CT, USA
Thank you for your letter, Danny.
The Caul On page 72 of your July 2019 issue, there was quite an explanation regarding the caul [“Lucky Sea Charms”]. This brings me to make a few comments about it. Our son, Wade Kirby, was born with 14
September 2019
the caul, one of 80,000 babies born that way. He was born at the old Burin Cottage Hospital on May 2, 1958. His mother, Edith (Evans) Kirby, did not know about keeping the caul. However, my mother, Mary (Hollett) Kirby, recalled that people in her time kept it, had it dried and preserved, then placed it in a locket fitted with a gold chain worn around the neck of the child when they were old enough. They would wear it for the rest of their life. It was also said that by doing this, they would never drown, much the same as what was explained in your article. Keep up the good work of the Downhome. I read it from cover to cover every month. William Kirby Burin, NL
Thanks for your letter, William. Letters continued on p. 16 1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 15
’
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 3:20 PM Page 16
A directory of potters in this province would no doubt be quite long. We suggest anyone looking for more information on individual potters contact the Craft Council of NL or follow Pottery Newfoundland and Labrador on Facebook.
World War II Memorial Service
What Is This Thing? I found this in the woods around my family property in Caplin Cove, Trinity Bay, NL. It’s cast iron and had obviously been abandoned there for a long time. Does anyone have any idea what this is or was? Mel Whalen Conception Bay South, NL
Anyone know what this might be or might have been? Send us your best guess or informed opinion by email at editorial@downhomelife.com, or write to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.
Your photo in July 2019 on page 127 titled “What’s Happening Here?” was taken in Channel-Port aux Basques, NL. The service was conducted by Rev. George Martin. The white building was used for a courthouse and a post office. I received this information from my sister, Dorothy (Bungay) Gidge, who was at the service. She’s not sure of the date – maybe 1944? I’m attaching a photo of the dark building on the left taken from a different angle. My sister thinks my mother, Irene Collis, took the photo. She was born in Rencontre East, NL. Clyde Bungay Via Downhomelife.com
Poor List of Potters Your list of potters, even for the Avalon, is very incomplete. There are some important long-time production potters which you missed: Sid Butt in Carbonear, Steve Thorne in New Harbour, Dane McCarthy in Ferryland to name three. There are others. Donald Beaubier
Via Downhomelife.com That sidebar to the main story from our July issue about the evolution of Newfoundland and Labrador pottery was never meant to be a definitive list, just a selection of potters, galleries and events you might want to check out. 16
September 2019
Thank you, Clyde and Dorothy, for the extra information, and for providing this new angle on the event.
Cape Bonavista Neglected Recently a friend from St. John’s took her holidays and came to visit me and my husband. She had never visited Bonavista and really wanted to see the puffins in Elliston, so we took off for Letters continued on p. 18 1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 17
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 6:35 PM Page 18
the day. First stop was Trinity, which she really enjoyed, then on to Elliston and finally Bonavista. I have been there several times, but have never seen the lighthouse and surrounding grounds in such poor condition. Our friend was surprised that such a popular destination for people from all over the world would look so shabby. Signs were unreadable, the lighthouse badly needed paint, and the traditional fence around the animal shed had all but fallen down completely in the overgrown grass. It was very disappointing to find the site like this, and we’re hoping the funds that are needed to improve this historic site’s condition are found.
RECENT TWEETS
Jean Way North West Brook, NL
Bonavista lighthouse is one of the most popular subjects of Newfoundland and Labrador photos that we receive. It’d be a shame to see it fade. Anyone else experience this over the summer? What other historic sites did you readers get to this year? Send us your vacation stories and photos via Downhomelife.com/submit.
Russell Lynch PHOTOGRAPHY @RushLynch Our little explorer loving her trip to Burin. Nothing beats exploring the hidden #beauty of #newfoundland with those you #love!
Biggest Catch of the Day This is the big fish I caught in Twillingate, NL, on July 28, 2019. It’s 40 inches long and about 50-60 pounds. Nice catch here this was. Edith Snow Wings Point, NL
Nice catch, Edith! Anyone else have big fish photos to show off? Share them like Edith did by submitting them to our website: Downhomelife.com/submit.
18
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 6:35 PM Page 19
Meet Salty,
A Baby Newfoundland Pony Love is in the air in Manuels, Conception Bay South! In a stable, to be exact. That’s where Sarah Kean’s Newfoundland Pony, Belle, gave birth to sweet ‘Salty’ on July 7. “We were waiting and watching for signs, and she surprised us,” said Sarah’s Mom, Kelly Power-Kean, who is also the registrar for the Newfoundland Pony Society. When Bruce Metcalfe, who owns the barn where Belle lives, dropped by to check on her, tucked away with Belle was her newborn baby. Belle is a 10-year-old registered Newfoundland Pony, #734, “Gusty’s Jewel of Bell Island Sunrise.” Salty’s sire is “Deerfield’s John Peter Payne,” registration #577. The birth of a Newfoundland Pony is especially meaningful to Power-Kean. As the volunteer registrar for the Newfoundland Pony Society, she is dedicated to tracking down as many as Ponies as possible and adding them to the Registry. “As a critically endangered species, every foal that is born helps the numbers,” she said. She estimates the current worldwide population is about 500-600 animals. In the 1960s, there were an estimated 12,000 Ponies on the island of Newfoundland. The numbers dropped to fewer than 250 by the 1980s. “The herd is growing every year. Newfoundlanders could not have survived without these incredible, hard-working animals. Now it is our turn to help them,” she added. To support the Newfoundland Pony, you can become a member for just $20. To learn more, visit www.newfoundlandpony.com.
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 20
homefront Downhome explores...
Rome’s Colosseum
Historic Hot Spot Noah and Ben Smith of Paradise, NL pose for a vacation snapshot outside the Colosseum. Colleen Smith Paradise, NL The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Rome and the world. It actually gets its full name from the nearby state of Nero – the Colosso di Nerone.
20
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 21
Best Seats in the House For their 40th wedding anniversary, this couple planned a trip to Italy and visited Rome’s famous Colosseum. Ann Elliott St. John’s, NL Built in the centre of Rome, the Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre in the world and can seat 50,000 people. It’s famous for its gladiator fights, but it was also a place for executions, plays and reenactments of military victories. It could even be flooded to reenact naval battles.
A Triumvirate in Rome
These three took a brief stop at the Colosseum during their Easter break vacation. Michelle O’Toole Via Downhomelife.com
The amphitheatre was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian, but it took 10 years to build and he died before it was completed. His son and successor, Titus, finished the grand structure in 80 AD. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
21
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 22
Expert answers to common life questions. By Linda Browne
Why aren’t we supposed to wear white after Labour Day? Have you ever hauled on a pair of white pants in the middle of September and wondered if the fashion police were going to come knocking on your door? After all, wearing white after Labour Day has long been hailed as the ultimate fashion faux pas. Where did this supposed “rule” come from? As with many of life’s peculiarities, there’s some debate and a couple of different theories as to how this idea originated. One points to a more practical purpose, says Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, a fashion historian and author of the forthcoming book Worn on This Day: The Clothes That Made History. “White has traditionally been worn in warm weather and for summer sports (like tennis, first played in the 1860s) because it hides unsightly sweat stains better than dark colours, and because it reflects light, keeping you cool,” she writes in an email to Downhome. “Back in the 19th century, wearing shorts and T-shirts wasn’t an option, so you kept cool by wearing suits and long dresses in lightweight, lightcoloured fabrics – if you could afford 22
September 2019
to, that is. Wearing white was associated with people who could afford to indulge in summer vacations and leisure activities,” she says, “and who could afford to have their clothes regularly cleaned.” Since white was the colour of choice for those wealthy enough to swap the stifling heat of the city for a leisurely getaway to the lake or seaside, this made a clear distinction between the haves and have nots and helped distinguish between the old money folks and the nouveau rich. Basically, if you had insider knowledge (and money and prestige) and fell in line by following the fashion rules of the society ladies, you were part of the club. When Labour Day was made an official holiday both here in Canada and the US in 1894, “it came to symbolize the end of summer, when you 1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 7/31/19 5:58 PM Page 23
returned from your summer home to the city and resumed wearing darker colours, which were more practical for urban life,” Chrisman-Campbell says. (Fall and winter also bring messier weather, for which white clothing isn’t the most practical choice either.) “The tradition of not wearing white after Labour Day was in place by the early 20th century. It’s never been an official rule, but for many decades it would have been considered gauche – at least among the elites of the East Coast, where these traditions originated, and where there was a clear division between summer and winter, both in temperatures and in lifestyles.” The big fashion magazines of the day, which were headquartered in large centres like New York City, helped set the tone for what was acceptable to wear and when. And when the trendsetters ditched their white clothing in favour of darker attire at the end of summer, others followed suit. Of course, rules are meant to be broken. And when it comes to fashion, it’s often the rule breakers who become the trendsetters (even the late fashionista Coco Channel rocked white yearround). The folks at The Emily Post Institute, the authority on everything etiquette related, agree that you don’t have to stash away your mighty whites if you don’t feel like it, especially if you live in a place with a warmer climate. “It’s more about fabric choice today than colour. Even in the dead of winter in northern New England, the fashionable wear white wools,
Rules are made to be broken - famous fashion designer Coco Chanel sported white outfits all year long.
cashmeres, jeans and down-filled parkas. The true interpretation is ‘wear what’s appropriate – for the weather, the season or the occasion,’” they state on their website. Chrisman-Campbell agrees, but with one small exception. “Today, almost anything goes in fashion. Of course, you can wear white after Labour Day. ‘Winter white’ is a thing – a slightly creamier hue, in winter fabrics like wool or fur. As a Californian, I cling to the traditional exception that white can be worn after Labour Day in ‘resort climates.’ There’s no need to stop wearing white if it feels like summer year-round where you live,” she says. “But I’d draw the line at wearing white shoes after Labour Day.”
Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate? Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com
?
September 2019
23
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 2:17 PM Page 24
homefront
That’s
AMAZING Wild news from around the world
Colour Me Yellow
What rescuers first believed to be an exotic bird found near Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, UK, turned out to be an ordinary bird with an extraordinary problem. The bright yellow fowl was just a regular herring gull that had somehow gotten covered in curry powder or turmeric. Nicknamed “Vinny” (for vindaloo curry), it was captured and taken to a nearby wildlife hospital, where it was given a thorough cleaning.
Sucks to Be Him
A Canadian man was fined $15,000 for bringing some unusual creatures into the country. He’d just arrived at the Toronto Pearson International Airport from a trip to Russia when a dog smelled his suspicious cargo. When his carry-on luggage was checked, officials found 4,788 live medicinal leeches!
Have Sauna, Will Travel
Someone in Estonia finally carried out an idea he’d had for years: turn his yellow 1984 Audi 100 Avant into a functional sauna! He’d first thought about it when he’d tried to rent a sauna for a friend’s birthday but found it too expensive. He calls his invention the “SaunAudi” and it can reach interior temperatures up to 60°C. Better yet, the car is still drivable, so he can take the sauna on the road. 24
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 08-29_Homefront - Letters 8/1/19 2:17 PM Page 25
Ultimate Pillow Fight
The small town of Ito, Japan has been the host of the All-Japan Pillow Fighting Championships since 2013. Two teams of five people face off, and they both have a “king” that must be protected from being hit. They all start the match under a duvet cover and when the buzzer sounds, they leap into action with their armoury of pillows.
Mystery Teeth
An archeologist sifting through things dug up on Water Street in St. John’s, NL found some of the usual things, like broken dishware, but he recently made a surprising discovery – 79 human teeth! Not believed to be a grave or burial site, it is more likely that sometime maybe over a century ago there was a dentist, or someone doing dentistry, working here.
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
25
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 8/1/19 1:26 PM Page 26
homefront life’s funny
No Appetite for Bears I have always had a dreadful fear of bears. A few years ago my husband, a friend and I were berrypicking. I was into a lovely patch of blueberries when they decided to go looking for partridgeberries. I was reluctant to be left alone, for fear of being surprised by a bear, but they were close enough that I could hear them, so I was okay. Hurrying to fill my bucket, I almost forgot to worry about bears… until I heard a growl that sounded like it was coming from behind a boulder in the blueberry patch. I looked but didn’t see a bear. I stayed quiet until I felt certain I was safe enough to keep picking the blueberries. Then I heard it again! This time I didn’t hesitate. I bolted towards my husband. He saw me and ran over to ask what was wrong. I told him what I’d heard and he said he couldn’t see a bear anywhere. I was shaking and needed to sit down. Then I heard the growling again, and our friend was close enough to hear it, too. He started to laugh so hard, he rolled on the ground and could hardly tell us that the growling sound came from my own stomach! My husband and friend have both passed away, but in all the years after this happened, they’d have a great laugh whenever they got together about my most embarrassing moment. Elizabeth (Betty) Brenton Glovertown, NL
Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories? Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details. 26
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:03 PM Page 27
ou wanna y n a e m u o “What do y e Blue Jays?” h play with t – Kimberly Martin
Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (sent in by Nicole Watson) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what the bird might be saying. Kimberly Martin’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: “Don’t land so... don’t land so... don’t land so close to me!” – Michelle Power “What do you mean ‘What’s for dinner?’ You’re supposed to bring it on your way here, remember?” – Grace K Chik “I told you we should ask for directions!” – Krista Danielle
Want to get in on the action? Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
www.downhomelife.com
“Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/downhomelife September 2019
27
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:03 PM Page 28
homefront lil charmers
Food Fun Little Lobster On a visit to his grandparents’ home, three-week-old Jacob Farr risks sleeping through dinner. Marcy Farr Burgeo, NL
Good ’Til the Last Drop This guy loves Vienna sausages so much, he even drinks the juice! Victoria Squires Jamestown, NL
28
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 29
Rhubarb Patch Kid Rory Grace helps herself to the rhubarb in Nan’s garden. Sabrina Collins St. John’s, NL
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
29
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 30
homefront pets of the month
ship shape Checking the Lines
Captain Lucky makes sure the SS Leonard is ready for her next voyage. Heidi Scarfone Fairbanks, NL
Dockside Doggy This boxer/Italian mastiff seems content to lie in the sun with the waterfront view. Wade & Valera Piercey Hopeall, NL
30
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 31
Paddling Pup Lukey loves taking to the water. Sarah Pike Woody Point, NL
Heave Away Skipper is ready and waiting for that boat ride. Hope Roberts Triton, NL
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
31
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 8/1/19 1:26 PM Page 32
homefront
Remember the floppy disk? These days, the floppy disk is better known as the save file icon, but that little image was once a real, physical object. The floppy disk drive was invented by IBM’s Alan Shugart in 1967, and the first floppy disks were eight inches wide. In 1981, IBM released a personal computer with a 5.25-inch floppy disk drive. By the late ’90s the CD drive had taken over and it seemed to be the end of days for the floppy disk. In 1998, Apple stopped putting floppy drives in their computers. In 2003, Dell stopped including them. With the rise of digital cameras and increasing file sizes for pretty much anything you’d want to save, the capacity of the floppy disk, which maxed out at 1.44 megabytes, was simply too small to be of any use – it wouldn’t hold even a single modern-day cellphone camera photo. Floppy disks – the 5.25-inch portable 32
September 2019
media storage devices that were actually floppy – were comprised of a thin plastic jacket that housed an even thinner magnetic disk where information was stored. For decades, magnetic storage media was the preferred method to store computer data. Before the days of large hard drives, it was common to store a program on disc and load it onto the computer when it was needed. The magnetic 8-inch disc replaced the spools of magnetic tape used when a computer was the size of a fridge. As things got smaller – the history of computers is the history of shrinking electronics – magnetic disks followed suit, first shrinking to 5.25-inch size, then to a rigid, plastic-cased 3.5 inches. You can still buy floppy disks on Amazon.com, along with floppy disk drives that plug in to a USB outlet. But aside from nostalgia, they don’t have a use in modern computing. 1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 33
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 34
homefront poetic licence
Just before I began my teaching career in 1968, my father said to me one day, “Ivan, you talk ‘different from we’ now, not like the crowd around the bay.” I had always wanted to write something about my Newfoundland roots, but never felt compelled to actually do it until several of my experiences came together late last summer. First: As a student of languages, I have developed a deep appreciation for all languages, all speech varieties, including their standardized forms as learned in schools and the colourful dialects spoken by my Newfoundland ancestors. Second: This past summer, after tearing down the rotted white picket fence around grandfather’s old Knight’s Cove house on Aylwards Lane, I was using his pick and shovel to uproot a few small trees that would eventually grow to block our view of the cove. After uprooting several of them, a friend from down the lane stopped by and said, “Ivan, you’re going to kill yourself doing that. I just bought a small backhoe that I’ll bring 34
September 2019
over to get rid of your trees.” When he finished, I asked, “How much do I owe you for doing all that?” He replied, in a truly genuine way, “Go on b’y, ’fore I gives you a smack.” Third: While roasting hotdogs over a small fire for our grandchildren on the rocks at the end of Elliston’s Sandy Cove beach, I picked up a piece of driftwood to stoke the simmering fire. My daughter asked, “Where did you find that stick?’’ “It’s a lobster pot ‘lat’ that drifted ashore.” “Dad, it’s not a ‘lat’, it’s lathe, spelled l - a - t - h - e,” she corrected me. I politely replied, “Out on these rocky shores, I don’t want book language, I prefer soul language.” As our traditional Newfoundland dialects fade away with the passage of time, I felt compelled to comment on my experiences in the following poem, “Going Modern.” 1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 35
Going Modern By Ivan Hibbs (2018)
Things are going modern out here in the cove, From my sweat driven pickaxe to Dan’s diesel backhoe. “How much do I owe you for doing all that?” “Go on b’y,” says Dan, “ ’fore I gives you a smack.” Old white picket fences have left Aylwards Lane, While our old folks’ lingo stays almost the same, Tied onto their soul, well anchored in time, Not sterile words in a TV news line. “May your big jib draw,” the young folks don’t say In coves and harbours, and in boats on the bay. Things are going modern out here in the cove, From my sweat driven pickaxe to Dan’s diesel backhoe. How much do I owe you for doing all that? “Go on b’y,” says Dan, “ ’fore I gives you a smack.” Our old spoken language is leaving the coves, For modern book talk in community schools. “Run to the store,” said my grandpa one day, “To get me some ‘backy’ while I mow the hay.” Off to the old general store I did go And asked for “tobacco” as spelled at the school.
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
35
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 36
homefront
reviewed by Denise Flint
The Wake
Linden MacIntyre Harper Collins
$32.99 (hardcover)
It won’t be long before the tsunami that struck the Burin Peninsula in 1929 will have disappeared from living memory. Those who remember it now are fewer and fewer; and for that reason alone, best-selling author and retired CBC journalist Linden MacIntyre’s book, The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Tsunami, comes just in time. MacIntyre uses that catastrophic event as a hook on which to hang a larger tale involving the fishery, foreign ownership of natural resources and, of course, corrupt government. But The Wake is also a story of the trials and tribulations that have beset the people of St. Laurence and the surrounding area almost since the get go, with occasional side forays into how miserable life was for people in Newfoundland and Labrador in general. MacIntyre, who was born in St. Lawrence and whose father worked at the fluorspar mine there for two years before moving the family back to Cape Breton, clearly wants to pay homage to the people of the area who suffered so cruelly, yet managed to maintain their humanity and basic decency throughout. However, that doesn’t always make for the best experience from the reader’s point of view. It’s a broad cast of characters and keeping them all straight can tax the hardiest memory, especially when they disappear for chapters at a time. MacIntyre’s ability to string words together in the most compelling way cannot be denied. The Wake is a must read for students of Newfoundland and Labrador history and for all Canadians uninformed about the youngest province with the oldest history, but it’s also a pleasure to read. One quibble – give me footnotes over endnotes any day of the week. 36
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 37
Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: Why is this particular story important to you? Linden MacIntyre: It’s been one of those parts of life that just folds into everything and you don’t think much about it. I’ve always been proud of my Newfoundland birth certificate. I told my editor I was born there because of an earthquake. It’s a story that really belongs to Newfoundlanders, and I was not sure how confident I am parachuting in. Then I thought, it is my story. I was born into that story. I have a connection and I’m going to tell it.
DF: You’ve been very successful writing both fiction and nonfiction. Do you prefer one? Why? LM: This book is probably the most engaged I’ve become with any of them. The story kept opening up in front of me and took me places I never expected to go. This one took a lot of work. There’s a certain standard you have to meet. So the lazy me says fiction; the me that earned his living for 50 years in journalism says the most rewarding is nonfiction.
DF: What led you to structure it the way it is? LM: I didn’t want to make it a personal intrusion, so I came up with this notion of conversations with the dead. The main narrative is linear – earthquake, tsunami, politics, the arrival of Seibert, the slow awakening of the people working there. I thought the tsunami victims deserved to be fleshed out and fully formed. Then I got into the evolution of the mining www.downhomelife.com
tragedy, and I wanted to do the same for them. I also want it to have relevance to the present day world, in the sense of what the people of Burin dealt with in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s is continuing in other places to this day. These are circumstances that are quite prevalent in Latin America, Asia and Africa. I hope it won’t be lost on people that while it’s history for Newfoundland, it’s not history for a lot of other places.
DF: Does nonfiction get the respect you think it deserves? LM: I think it does. It depends on how thoroughly it’s written. At the end of the day, I think that if the book gets enough attention to stimulate attention to the issues it raises, it will have done its job. Good nonfiction does well in this country.
DF: A lot of research went into this book. How do you know where to begin and when to stop? LM: It’s where to stop that’s the more difficult. There’s a cartload of books and records and files I was plugging away at. Eventually it all starts to crystalize and you start to write, and you realize how much you’ve accumulated that you’re not going to use. Eventually you have a conclusive theme or thought in your head and you start to work towards that.
DF: Do you feel a deeper personal connection to this area after writing this book? LM: Totally. I don’t think I can ever not feel part of it again. September 2019
37
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 38
homefront what odds
happy birthdays By Paul Warford
Whether it’s her Alright everybody, I’m afraid I don’t birthday or my have a lot of time for chit chat; I need to get to the mall and browse last-minute wife gifts. own, we each get Andie’s birthday is in four days and I haven’t to have a special even picked up her “big gift” yet. This year I’m her a tent because she loves camping and day where buying our tent is a two-man children’s model. I guess we can pretend that makes it a “two-kid” tent. we’re on I can’t remember if I told you about buying it before a trip to Europe we took a few years back. vacation and the The plan was to bunk in hotels, but we’d camp only thing that here and there to save some money. Just past the of Canadian Tire – this was a day or two truly matters is entrance before departure – I saw a shelf full of two-perensuring we son tents at a great price, so I immediately took enjoy ourselves. one to the checkout. I didn’t realize it was a children’s tent until we were packing. Did we use it? We did. Andie is tall enough for roller coasters, but she’s only about 5’ 3”. I’m no NBA star at 5’ 11”, but I could only sleep inside the tent by stretching corner to corner, with the canvas jammed against my face and the soles of my feet. So, I figure it’s time for an upgrade. The custommade “Happy Camper” mugs with our names on them (and matching bowl for the dog) should act as a nice bonus gift. The day’s all planned out because I was lucky to have Andie tell me the plan this year. We’re going whale spotting on a boat tour. Some of our friends have already reserved seats on deck, and there’s a good chance we’ll all grab dinner together if we make it back to land. The activity is a stark contrast from my own birthdays, when I just want my friends to sit around the house with me and play video games and maybe order a pizza. I mean, I’d be okay with something more lively, like laser tag or hitting a few choice slices at the driving range, but I’m content to just be near those I love and have people spend money on me.
38
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 39
I mean, I’d be okay with something more lively, like laser tag or hitting a few choice slices at the driving range, but I’m content to just be near those I love and have people spend money on me. I’ve come to learn during these four years of marriage that when one of our birthdays comes around, we both get to don the party hat. Whether it’s her birthday or my own, we each get to have a special day where we can pretend we’re on vacation and the only thing that truly matters is ensuring we enjoy ourselves. I like days like that; adulthood seems to have so few of them. Both of our birthdays are full of laughs and friends, and the odd keg stand. Only one of us gets presents, but who needs those? My wife does. She loves presents, and she acts like a kid about them; asking me what I got her, trying to guess, pleading with me to let her open them early. No matter how much thought or cash I put into her gifts, she always surprises me with what she cherishes most. Maybe I’ve bought her a slick new pair of running shoes, but all she cares about is the coffee mug I picked up on a whim, shaped like Captain America’s head. Another year I ordered her some business cards from a website, designed for her private caterings, and she was blown away by how thoughtful I had been. Meanwhile, I was blown away that someone could be so excited about business www.downhomelife.com
cards, and I was also blown away that someone could purchase 200 of them for $5. When my dad turned 50, his friends were eventually forced to park at the nearby high school because our rather large yard was too full of cars. The wives sipped white wine while the husbands poured cola over Lambs, stirring the drinks using their pinky fingers. I marveled at the crowd and tried to use the occasion as an excuse to stay up late. I think of that evening when the February sleet sheens the cars on my birthday because I’ve never had a birthday party as well-attended as Dad’s. I wonder if I ever will. Maybe not, but that’s okay. The important thing is I have a best friend to celebrate them with, and when it’s her special day in the summer, I get to congregate with those who love her too, and we all get to say, “This is it. This is the day we got her.” Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on Twitter @paulwarford September 2019
39
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 40
homefront in your words
Out
with the By Charles Beckett
Old
On a recent visit to a friend, Gerald Starks on Pool’s Island, we came upon his older brother Llewellyn’s exercise books from his Grade 11 studies at the Anglican St. James one room school in 1944-45. It brought us back to another era, and to the stark realization of how much has changed in every sector of society, including education. Schools in the 1940s, especially in rural areas, had no electricity or running water and were heated by wood or coal stoves. There were few libraries, laboratories, gymnasiums; teachers were underpaid and usually lacked any kind of formal training – very few had degrees. Despite those obvious drawbacks, on examining the work done by students like Llewellyn, one has to be impressed with the quality and competency displayed. The English language consisted of writing, composition, précis and par-
aphrasing, and grammar. English literature covered odes, sonnets, elegies and ballads, as well as Shakespeare. French was largely vocabulary, conjugation of verbs, and translating French to English and vice versa, lacking the essential oral or conversational French common today. Other core subjects were geography, math, biology, history and art. In retrospect (and looking through modern lenses), this system would appear antiquated. But there may have been intangibles; those students were
The Anglican St. James one room schoolhouse in Pool’s Island during the 40s 40
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 41
Left: A page from Llewellyn Starks’ 1940s era school workbook. Below: Llewellyn Starks, age 45, at Pool’s Island
committed to and took personal responsibility for their own education. They must have somehow captured the infinite joy of learning, as so many continued to read and recite poems and songs later in life. Just before his passing in 2002, Llewellyn asked if I could get him a copy of Alfred Noyes’ poem, “The Highwayman.” His brother Gerald is also adept at reciting and composing poems and songs. In the self-reliant, fishery-based economy of Llewellyn and Gerald’s days, education was not viewed as a priority. Illiteracy was high and school attendance sporadic. But learning is not confined to schools, nor to childhood; it’s lifelong. It’s rather ironic that the so-called educated (some with university degrees) are now the illiterates: the seniors who have not been able to master technological skills of www.downhomelife.com
the modern age for things like online banking and smart phone apps. Meanwhile, I’m sure many fishermen had to relearn the nuances of their industry to keep up with innovations and technological advances. As American writer and businessman Alvin Toffler said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” When I came to Gambo, NL, in the early 1960s under the denominational system, there were five schools. The baby boomer population explosion meant facilities were bursting at the seams, requiring rapid additions such as portable classrooms. Then in the late ’70s and ’80s, a rapid decline in the province’s birth rate pushed school enrollments down. Gambo is now left with one all-grade school of less than 300 students. To offer high quality educational programs and services will continue to be a challenge and future sustainability is questionable, but low-enrollment schools are about more than numbers. September 2019
41
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 42
homefront in your words
THE ORIGIN OF
NEWFY
It’s commonly said that the term Newfy (or Newfie) was coined by American soldiers stationed in Newfoundland during the Second World War. But according to this retired Legionnaire, Newfy was a Canadian term used in shorthand, not disrespect. By Robert G. Thorne Retired (DVA) member Br. 1 Royal Canadian Legion, HMS Newfoundland Association
Battleships and cruisers in St. John’s Harbour in 1942. Library and Archives Canada (MIKAN no. 4164991)
42
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 43
St. John’s Harbour 1941.
It is well documented in books relating to our military history of WWII that the term Newfy or Newfyjohn was used exclusively in relating to the Canadian Naval Base or St. John’s. The earliest reference to the terms that I found in my research was 1941. The Royal Canadian Navy, together with the Royal Navy, established a major naval base in St. John’s in early 1941 for convoy escort service, and it became known as the Newfyjohn Canadian base of operations for the Newfoundland Convoy Escort Force. In early June 1941, the first convoy sailed from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It was to be the main convoy route across the North Atlantic and became nicknamed the Newfy-Derry run. In 1942, the British light cruiser HMS Newfoundland came on the scene. For nearly 20 years she served in many theatres of war and won many battle honours. Again as a sort of shorthand, she became known affectionately as the Newfy. Having been an honorary member of the HMS Newfoundland Association and overseas correspondent for them for about 12 years, I am well aware of the word Newfy appearing www.downhomelife.com
in their publications, referring to their ship. In recent years, before their association folded, some members visited St. John’s – or Newfyjohn – on November 11 to lay a wreath at the War Memorial. They were also Screeched-in and had a great time. In summary, the port of St. John’s – or Newfyjohn – was a great place to be during WWII for the Canadian and British sailors stationed here, as they were warmly welcomed and there were many places for dances and refreshments. No doubt these sailors had many fond memories of having served in Newfyjohn. For further reading on this subject, I recommend these books that contain numerous references to “Newfy” and “Newfyjohn”: St. John’s and the Battle of the Atlantic, edited by Bill Rompkey; and Occupied St. John’s: A social history of a city at war, 1939-1945, edited by Stephen High. September 2019
43
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 44
homefront
On a warm
and overcast summer day in July during the 2019 food fishery, Skipper Lee Tremblett of Bonavista treated several tourists to a delightful afternoon on the water. Kim Ploughman of Portugal Cove-St. Philips, NL, captured the pure joy of cod fishing in this series of photos. The exuberant jigger is Brenda Luco of Calgary, AB, who confesses to being a wannabe Newfoundlander. Her help mate is Darcey Noble of Bonavista.
44
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:04 PM Page 45
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
45
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 7/31/19 5:13 PM Page 46
homefront 30-49_Homefront 2 8/1/19 1:27 PM Page 47
life is better Company on the trail in Goose Cove Melisa Troy, Goose Cove, NL
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:28 PM Page 48
features
A day that marked terror in the US and abroad also marked the start of a sweet friendship between a stranded Peruvian woman and a Gambo family.
By Lester Green
48
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:08 PM Page 49
time
quickly slips away, so that it’s sometimes hard to believe that 18 years have passed since the tendrils of global terrorism reached our front bridge in Gambo, NL, a short distance from the now internationally famous Gander airport. Everyone’s life would be forever changed; ours was no exception. I was a science teacher at Smallwood Academy, where my two daughters were students. On the morning of September 12, 2001, we arrived at the school parking lot at our usual time, but the lot was eerily empty. Immediately I thought, who on our staff had passed away? Did something happen to one of our school children? I went inside and asked the school secretary, Linda Dwyer, what was going on. She said because of the hijacking and crashing of the planes in the United States the previous day, all of North American airspace was closed and all planes had been ordered to land immediately at the nearest airport. Flights had already landed at Gander International Airport, about 45 km away. Our school was among those asked to help house stranded passengers, as there were so many more than area hotels could accommodate. We were asked to prepare to welcome 258 passengers from two planes, a United Airlines and a Delta flight. The operation was coordinated by the Canadian Red Cross and our school administrators, Dennis Lush and Murray Fudge. Camp cots and other materials soon arrived and the conversion of the school into accommodations began. We removed student desks from a www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
49
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 3:18 PM Page 50
number of classrooms and replaced them with camp cots, sleeping bags and pillows. Gift bags containing toothpaste, shampoo and other toiletries were handed to the arriving passengers. Information booths were put in place to answer questions. Local fireman Craig Russell noticed one lady who seemed extremely nervous. Her name was Isabel Vivanco, and her arrival at Gander via United Airlines flight 067 was hardly ideal. She had been travelling alone from France after a brief visit with her husband’s family. She was three months pregnant and bound for her home in Lima, Peru. Instead she was caught in a whirlwind of events where many decisions were beyond her control. She was in a strange country, in a very small town compared to her home city of almost 10 million people. She had very little knowledge of the events that were unfolding and no means of communicating with her family (cellphones weren’t as prevalent then as they are now). I was asked if my wife, Helen, and I could bring Isabel to visit our home for part of the day, to give her a break from the noise and commotion at the school. She could watch the events unfolding on TV in the comfort of our home. Of course we agreed, and we approached Isabel to introduce ourselves and invite her to our home. She accepted, and while we nibbled at lunch and took in the constant stream of devastating news, Isabel gradually opened up to us about her home, her family and her life in Lima. She used our phone to call her family, to reassure them she was safe and to receive comfort from them in 50
September 2019
return. Her dad, naturally, was very concerned about his daughter. He kept insisting that we purchase warm clothing for her to wear, thinking she’d landed somewhere in the far north. We assured him that it was 23°C outside, quite warm for September, and would remain that way for the next few days. Throughout the afternoon we could see the anxiety fade from her features as she became more comfortable with us. When the time came to return to the school, she asked to stay with us, and so she became our guest.
Isabel Vivanco (left) and Lester’s daughters Samantha and Amanda Green, in Gambo, NL, in 2001 That evening, I spread out a map of Newfoundland and a larger world map on the table to help her visualize our location in reference to Peru. I was explaining about the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon when her face brightened with a big smile at the words “Terre Neuve.” She kept repeating excitedly, “I know this place, I studied it in school.” She insisted that I return to Smallwood 1-888-588-6353
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:08 PM Page 51
Portrayal of a Peruvian family painted on beach rocks by Isabel that provided comfort and relaxation during her stay Academy the next morning and ask the administration to make a special announcement to the passengers, especially those who spoke French, that they were in Terre Neuve. It was amazing the reaction of passengers when they realized that Newfoundland and Terre Neuve were one and the same. Isabel stayed with us the entire time that passengers were grounded in Newfoundland. We shared information about our different cultures, and our education and political systems. We took her to see several local communities and spoke about the importance of the fishery and the role it played in determining our culture and traditions. When the call came for the return of all passengers to the school by midnight on September 15, we drove Isabel to the waiting bus. We hugged each other and said our goodbyes, then watched as our new found friend stepped onto the bus to begin her journey home. Her last words to us were, “If you ever visit Lima, Peru, please visit me. I want to introduce my family to the family who gave me comfort and safety when I desperately needed it.� As the bus drove away from the school, I thought that this would be the last time we would ever see Isabel Vivanco. Fate, however, has a way of bringing people together. www.downhomelife.com
From NL to Peru In August 2009, Helen and I travelled to Lima, Peru, to visit my brother, Rodney. He had married a Peruvian girl named Roxana Cochola and moved to her hometown of Lima in 2007. We were there to celebrate the imminent birth of their child. When we arrived at Jorge Chavez Airport, there was one thing on our bucket list: visit Isabel and her family. We placed a call to her home that was answered by her brother, who said Isabel was in France but would be returning within a few days. He assured us that she would be contacting us to make arrangements to visit her family. They were excited about the opportunity to meet the family who had welcomed their daughter into their home in Newfoundland when she desperately needed comforting. We were looking forward to meeting Pierre, the child she had been carrying when 9/11 occurred. He was now seven years old and also had a younger sister. After visiting Isabel, we finally understood why she was so nervous September 2019
51
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:08 PM Page 52
at the time of her arrival in Newfoundland. Her family lives in an upper class, gated community, tended by armed guards. All traffic entering was stopped at the gate, and licences were required and surrendered upon entry. To visit her, we had to hire a taxi with a special licence, not the regular street taxi. So just imagine, when Isabel and the other passengers were suddenly offloaded from the plane and bussed to our town with no evidence of security, she became overwhelmed by what she perceived was an extremely dangerous situation. Our visit to her home was very special and one that we will always remember. A few days later we were invited to visit her parents, an elderly couple who were still working at the family business. Her dad, who was in his 90s, still showed up for work. His son, who was educated in Boston, explained that his father was once asked about retirement and replied, “Only people who are ready to die, retire.” Our visit to Lima was completed with the birth of my niece, a healthy baby named Valentina. Isabel and my family were first brought together in Gambo, NL, by a tragic set of circumstances in 2001. Much happier circumstances brought us together again in 2009, this time in her hometown of Lima, Peru. 52
September 2019
Isabel’s family at home in Peru during Lester’s visit in August 2009.
Helen Green, Isabel Vivanco and Lester Green in Lima, Peru. 1-888-588-6353
48_911friendship_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:09 PM Page 53
54_HeroToTheRescue_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:46 PM Page 54
features
IT UPSETS HIM SOMETIMES when he thinks back
on it: how it could have gone wrong, how people could have died, how he might have died. But in the moment, he didn’t think. He acted. And because of that, three people survived a raging house fire and Stephen Scott is a bonafide hero. It was Father’s Day 2019, a Sunday morning, and Steve was on his way to work in Norman Wells, NT, where the 50-year-old Twillingate, NL, native has been living most of his adult life. Driving down a bypass road, he noticed a plume in the air off to the left. It was heat, not smoke, but it seemed odd and Steve’s gut instinct was to check it out.
54
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
54_HeroToTheRescue_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:46 PM Page 55
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
55
54_HeroToTheRescue_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:46 PM Page 56
ABOVE: STEVE AT HIS JOB SITE IN NORMAN WELLS, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES LEFT: THREE PEOPLE WERE INSIDE THIS BURNING BUILDING WHEN STEVE ARRIVED. HE GOT EVERYONE OUT SAFELY BEFORE TAKING THIS PHOTO. All photos courtesy Steve Scott
“It just didn’t sit right with me, so I detoured off my beaten path to go to work and drove over that way,” he recalls. When he rounded a corner he saw a house on fire. It was very early in the morning and there was no one else around. “I jumped out of my truck and ran right up to the door. When I opened the door there was nothing but billowing smoke coming out of it.” He yelled into the smoke-filled 56
September 2019
house and got a reply. Steve stepped in through the smoke and bumped into a man, then pulled him through the front door. He asked the man if there was anyone else inside and he said, “Yes. Evelyn’s in there.” “Then I realized which house it was – Evelyn Yukon’s.” Steve has known her for years. And the house she lived in was one that his ex had lived in 25 years ago. It helped that he knew the layout of the building. 1-888-588-6353
54_HeroToTheRescue_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:46 PM Page 57
“I got down on my belly because there was a little bit of a clear space under the smoke layer there. On the way in I was calling out and screaming, and I heard [Evelyn] to the left. Sure enough, I could see her ankles and legs – I couldn’t see her body. I crawled towards her. When I made contact with her I stood up, held my breath and rushed her out the door,” Steve says. Then he learned Evelyn’s adult daughter was still inside, so he rushed back in. “Same thing, back on my knees and belly and crawled back in. This time when she answered she was towards the kitchen area, which was straight ahead, maybe 10, 15 feet. I bumped into her, saw her feet and ankles, grabbed her and got her out the door.” After everyone was safely outside, Steve took a few photos of the burning log home before emergency crews arrived. “The first on the scene was my own son [Brandon], driving the fire truck,” he says. Steve helped Evelyn to a police car and, seeing everyone was in good hands, went on to work. It seems incredible to just go about your day after saving the lives of three people, but that’s where Steve’s background comes in. Working for years in the offshore and in the remote community of Norman Wells (only accessible by air or the Mackenzie River, and the nearest hospital is hundreds of kilometres away in Yellowknife or Inuvik), firefighting and first aid training are required. And he’s had to use his lifesaving skills before. “It’s not my first time saving a life. At the moment, [the danger] is not going through your mind. It’s adrenaline; www.downhomelife.com
it’s get the job done,” he says. If that burning house had seemed too dangerous to enter, “I wouldn’t have,” Steve says. “But I felt as if I could, and I knew those people were there. I mean, I would have been far worse a basket case if I were there and I couldn’t do anything and they died. It was just the grace of God, m’love; it was the right timing. There were people who drove past that place not 15 minutes before that and seen absolutely nothing.” No matter the training, no matter how often he’s responded to dangerous situations, Steve is still human and when the adrenaline drains, the space is filled by emotions. “I cried,” he admits. “I’ve had some weak moments since. You think about your family. You think about what could have happened. You think about your own children if they were in that situation, I guess.” Besides Brandon, Steve has twin teenage daughters, Makayla and Kendra. They were all present on July 1, when the Town of Norman Wells presented Steve with a heroism award. His children are proud of him, he says, and Evelyn and the others express their gratitude whenever they see him. But Steve insists he’s not what he would call a hero. “I just don’t feel as if I’m a hero. Heroes are people who fight cancer, adopt kids, work in a war ravaged country and donate their time. To me, that’s the real heroes of the world. What I did was just spontaneous: do what you gotta do, think compassionately for a person. I think most average Newfies would do the same as I did. That’s the way I feel about it.” September 2019
57
58_takingoUtTheTrash_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:48 PM Page 58
features
Local diver’s mission is to clean up the mess others have left in Newfoundland and Labrador harbours. BY TOBIAS ROMANIUK
58
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
58_takingoUtTheTrash_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:48 PM Page 59
For 20 years, Shawn Bath dove for sea urchins, earning a living off the sea the same way he did as a commercial fisherman before the cod moratorium. While searching out the spiny edibles on the sea bottom, he often saw old tires, trash and lost or tossed fishing gear. It bothered him, but he always figured that, sooner or later, the government would initiate a clean-up effort, the same way government employees clean up garbage on dry land. After two decades of waiting, he realized nobody was going to clean up the ocean trash and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. In 2018, no longer commercially diving for sea urchins and with some time on his hands, Shawn began diving for something different. Left: Scuba diver Shawn Bath hauls ashore old tires during a harbour clean-up Top: Small things like bits of plastic and fishing gear add up to bigger pollution problems in our oceans All photos courtesy Shawn Bath
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
59
58_takingoUtTheTrash_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:49 PM Page 60
Shawn posts photos like this, showing what he hauled out of the ocean, to his Clean Harbours Initiative Facebook page to get more people to care about this kind of pollution and take action. “I spent a lifetime making money off the ocean or in the ocean, and my favourite place to be is in the water,” he says. “After all these years of seeing the stuff, and seeing nobody doing nothing about it, I guess it just got to me. Somebody’s got to do it, and there’s nobody around that got any more motivation or reason to do it than I do. And if I don’t do it… well then, nobody’s going to do it.” That initial act turned into a regular thing, and Shawn soon formed the Clean Harbours Initiative, with the goal of removing 100,000 tires and tons of garbage from harbour bottoms around the island. Though he’s originally from Twillingate, Shawn did his first clean-up in his current hometown of Bay Roberts. 60
September 2019
“When I started doing it, I felt ridiculous,” he says. “Here was me from Twillingate over in Bay Roberts cleaning up the mess that came off some local fish plant and some local longliners and stuff. Down here in water, chin in water, cutting all this stuff off, working like a dog, free labour, not getting’ paid for nothin’, just trying to clean it up.” That first clean-up was to remove a mass of plastic and rope that had gathered around the wharf. Not needing his full scuba kit, he went into the water in just his dry suit and with a large steak knife. After hours of hacking away at ropes and plastic, he freed it from the wharf. It weighed, Shawn estimates, about 1,000 pounds, so he enlisted the help 1-888-588-6353
58_takingoUtTheTrash_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:49 PM Page 61
of a local fishplant forklift operator to get the pile onto the wharf. A half-ton of garbage on the wharf is a photo-worthy moment, and Shawn used those photos to get people to care about cleaning up the bays. He’s been posting photos and videos from his various clean-ups on Facebook under his own profile and on the Clean Harbours Initiative page (which has more than 1,300 followers as of press time). People seem to think that because you can’t see it, dumping things in the ocean is acceptable, says Shawn, who has found quite a few batteries around wharves that he figures people are throwing overboard when they replace their boat battery. The batteries can be brought to the surface relatively easily in the hands of a diver, but tires require a different approach. One method involves coiling a rope on the wharf, grabbing one end, diving and threading the rope through several tires. At the last tire of the string, he ties a knot. Then, back on land, he attaches the other end of the rope to his truck and slowly hauls the tires out of the water. It’s a time consuming process with only one person. And there’s a lot of garbage underwater. He could be doing this full time – there’s definitely enough work for it to be a full-time job, he figures – but his clean-up efforts aren’t generating an income. So Shawn has set up a Go Fund Me page to raise money to pay for Clean Harbours Initiative. As of press time, he’s raised $3,394 of his $25,000 goal. Like other social-good projects, the work is worthy and has a benefit to www.downhomelife.com
everyone – cleaner oceans mean healthier oceans – but there isn’t an obvious way to monetize it. Towns don’t want to pay for harbour cleanups. They’re even reluctant to waive dump fees for his trash drop-offs. Some towns, including Twillingate, have contributed with hauling trash or providing money for supplies. This clean-up effort is the sort of thing Shawn figures would make a great government program, and he’s been working with various government branches to raise awareness and funding. He’s had some success with government help in starting educational programs, but is still working on getting funding for equipment and expenses. With more funds, he’d be able to remove more trash, as well as ghost nets and other abandoned fishing gear, from the water. The problem of ghost nets goes beyond trash. Sitting at the bottom of the ocean, unattached to anything, these nets are still catching groundfish, flatfish, lobsters and even seals. Removing these ghost nets would go a long way to improving the marine ecosystem, and it could be done by dragging the ocean with modified fishing boats, says Shawn. “My goal is to bring enough attention to this problem so we can get government contracts on the go for the dive teams that are in the province, and for anybody else that wants to get involved,” says Shawn. Check out Shawn’s work on the Clean Harbours Initiative Facebook page. If you want to support his efforts, search for “Stop the Forever Fishing” on GoFundMe.com. September 2019
61
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 62
features
62
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 63
Welcome back to the second part of our three-part series on agriculture in the province. Last month we delved into the lives of local farmers, from a retired man who’s seen the highs and lows, to a first generation farmer just getting her business up and running. This issue we discuss what the provincial government is doing to improve food security and increase agricultural activity in Newfoundland and Labrador. To get the bigger picture, we’ve talked to the Hon. Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources; Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, director of the Labrador Institute at Memorial University; and representatives of the College of the North Atlantic on their new Agriculture Technician Co-op program set to start this month.
Moving It Forward In 2018, the Ball government made the lofty goal to double food production in Newfoundland and Labrador by 2022. It’s all a part of their Way Forward, a strategic plan of improving the province on an economic and social level. At the moment, we import 90 per cent of the food we consume. We put the question of how to change that to Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Gerry Byrne. The first thing to address, the minister says, is land. “Farming is a land-based activity; it’s dependent on land and it’s dependent on access to good land, good arable land.” So the government identified 62,000 hectares (that’s almost 150,000 acres) of good land suitable for farming and streamlined the land leasing process, he explains. Good farming land is now protected from being scooped up for www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
63
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 64
something like suburban sprawl. When future farmers come forward, either to start a new farm or expand an existing one, they’ll already know what land is available. Government is also bringing back cold storage facilities throughout the province, so farmers can store their produce and sell locally grown food year-round. With the vast majority of food eaten here being grown elsewhere and shipped in, the province is a long way from food security. “There’s no doubt that we’ve got a job ahead of us, but it’s an important job and it’s one that we can succeed in accomplishing,” Minister Byrne says. He notes that in 1949, the year Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada, we were almost completely self-sufficient when it came to food production and we had close to 4,000 active farms. We’re a far cry from that today. In fact, a Statistics Canada report reveals that between 2011-2016, NL dropped from having 510 farms to just 407. “It’s very startling, it’s very telling… And if that’s not a call to action, I can’t think of what would be any greater motivation than to try to reverse the tide of that. And that’s why our government established our agriculture sector plan, where we took agriculture seriously.”
Class is in Session One of the reasons there was such a rapid decline in farmers in the recent past was the absence of post-secondary training programs for agriculture right here in the province, Byrne explains. As of 2018, this was the only province or territory in Canada 64
September 2019
without any formal post-secondary agriculture training program. “Farming is not what it used to be; it’s a highly technical, scientific profession. With advances in soil science, advances in agricultural engineering, advances in better understanding of farming economics, farming is becoming a very, very technical profession, and I could say almost a lab coat profession, in some respects,” Byrne notes. “White lab coats are as much a part of farming today as would be a green thumb.” So this September, when students return to school at the College of the North Atlantic Corner Brook campus, 16 of them will make up the inaugural class for the Agriculture Technician Co-Op Program. The program was some time in development, including consultation with industry stakeholders in the agriculture sector who all helped design a curriculum. “The aim, of course, is to produce a program that reflects what we are being told people need in order to have skill sets to serve them as people who are engaged in farming enterprises in the province,” says Brent Howell, dean of engineering technology and industrial trades at the College of the North Atlantic (CNA). “It’s a pretty broad scope of courses in the program,” says instructor Sharon Wright. Over two years, students will cover topics such as soil as well as computers, field safety and how to manage a farm, including bookkeeping. It’s not just teaching students how to run a farm, but also how to operate their businesses successfully. Newfoundland and Labrador was 1-888-588-6353
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 65
As a part of Memorial University, the Pye Farm’s focus will now be on research and education. in need of its own agricultural program. There were people who were interested in farming but didn’t want to leave the province for further education or just couldn’t afford the move (the closest program was in Truro, Nova Scotia, run by Dalhousie University). “So this is an opportunity for them to be able to get the education here in their own province. The other thing is the courses that we’re developing; we’re developing them with an eye to Newfoundland and Labrador in particular,” she says. Our vegetable and fruit production, as well as certain aspects of the NL growing season and climate, are unique to the province, so the CNA courses are geared towards farming right here. “From our perspective, you know, we see this as a positive step towards at least providing an opportunity for www.downhomelife.com
people who might want to be in the business of farming or working for an existing enterprise,” Howell says. This co-op program is also a valuable contributor to the Way Forward’s goal to double food production in the next few years, as it will definitely help to have more farmers trained to work in this province.
Farming Up North In June, Memorial University announced a brand new initiative for the Labrador Institute: the purchase of the Grand River Farm (aka the Pye Farm) in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and the creation of the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems. It was a move two years in the making, says Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, director of the Labrador Institute. While the university is the owner of the farm, “we’re looking at ourselves September 2019
65
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 66
More arable land will have to go into production to greatly reduce the amount of food we have to import. Pye Farm/Labrador Institute photo in partnership with community. And so this whole property is looking to continue the community legacy that Frank and Joyce Pye really started, where we can work together to create great science that’s useable and timely,” Dr. Cunsolo says, “but also where we continue to bring people together around food and around growing their own food and being on the land.” In that two-year period, they heard that farming in Labrador is just one part of the food system. People are still actively engaged in hunting, harvesting, fishing, and foraging for wild foods and berries. “Those pieces connect to agriculture, so people might use fish bones in their garden or harvest kelp from the land and put that 66
September 2019
in soil. So for the way people are connected to the land in Labrador, it’s all part of a food system,” she explains. That’s all interconnected with people’s culture and families, as well as their physical and mental health. Labrador’s circumstances also pose some unique challenges, Dr. Cunsolo notes. It’s a colder climate and requires different farming strategies. They also have really long growing days but a short season. There are certain crops that thrive here, and there are plenty of local farmers who’ve already skillfully developed strong farms. The Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems will be used for scientific research and education, Dr. 1-888-588-6353
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:33 PM Page 67
Cunsolo explains, which she’s excited about. It will also be a “farmer-led, citizen science approach.” Research outreach will be a major component, so when they learn something new, they’ll do their best to share it and incorporate it into local farming to improve production. “And then the other part is around a social enterprise, so we really want to make sure that this farm stays as a central core to the community,” Dr. Cunsolo says. “And so we want to make sure there’s opportunities for people to come and grow in a community garden setting.” While the Pye Farm was recently acquired, the Labrador Institute is wasting no time: “This summer we’re really hitting the ground running.” They’re getting the farmland back into shape and doing intensive mapping of the land, including using GPS
www.downhomelife.com
and 3D imagery of the soil. Once that’s done, they can section off plots and determine where the community plots and experimental plots will be. The fall and winter will be spent mapping those places out and, hopefully, by next summer, they’ll start a full growing season. Food security is a major issue in Labrador, Dr. Cunsolo points out. While Labrador is attached to the mainland, the communities are quite remote and it’s expensive to import food even over the highway. It’s worse again for residents on the north coast where there are no roads and people rely on ferry services in the summer. In winter, people drive snowmobiles into communities or fly food in, which is very expensive. So the high cost of food means people are very food insecure, especially along the coastal and northern
September 2019
67
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:32 PM Page 68
NL FARMING BY THE NUMBERS 62,000 hectares of farmable land identified and protected by government
4,000 approx. number of active farms in 1949
407 farms in 2016 16 students enrolled in College of the North Atlantic’s new agriculture program
90% of food consumed here has to be flown or ferried in
100% increase in food production by 2022 targeted by government
68
September 2019
communities, she says. Part of the Pye Farm’s goal will be to look at ways a social enterprise can grow food in Labrador that’s then shipped to the north coast. They also have community freezers that they can help fill with different produce. “We’re always looking for ways to support community and support food security,” she says.
Farming for Food Security The plan to double food production by 2022 might be very ambitious, but Newfoundland and Labrador is on its way there. Through identifying and protecting good agricultural land and creating new educational opportunities, it all adds up. The new agriculture co-op program at CNA will hopefully pave an easier path for more people to become farmers. “And obviously, the overall objective [of The] Way Forward is certainly to… increase food production and reduce the reliance on our external procurement of food,” Brent Howell concludes. There’s also been a real shift in our attitude when it comes to food, with more people wanting local options, instructor Sharon Wright observes. She runs a farm in western Newfoundland with her husband, and they’ve seen more and more people coming by looking for locally grown produce. “That’s been a trend that we’ve seen over the last number of years,” she says. People are looking at the freshness aspect when they look for food. For instance, next time you’re at a supermarket, look for the harvest date on 1-888-588-6353
62_FarmingOfTheFuture2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:23 PM Page 69
fresh produce. Wright did this at a grocery store and found a head of lettuce had been plucked in California 26 days before she held it in her hands. “People are realizing now that if you can buy fresh food, it lasts longer, it tastes better, it’s crispy,” she says. Minister Byrne agrees that by growing our own food, we ensure we get the best food for our tables. As food ages, its nutritional value also goes down, he explains. The healthiest food is fresh food, something we can’t get if it’s trucked across the country and then loaded onto a boat. Food security encompasses so many issues, and they include employment and economics. More people growing food means there are
more jobs, which in turn also supports rural development and rural communities. It’s essential to the wellbeing of each and every one of us. If there ever was a situation where the mainland was having trouble feeding their own, “then we would be the very last to be served, and that’s what food self-sufficiency is all about. If commodities become scarce, choices are made by those who own the commodities,” Byrne cautions. “And we may not be in their first line of priorities. And that’s not a situation, I don’t think, any of us contemplate ever happening on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. But believe you me, it can happen. And we in Newfoundland and Labrador know that it can happen because we’ve already seen that it happens.”
Join us next month for the final installment of our three-part series of the future of farming, in which we look at what you, the consumer, can do about food security. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
69
70_OvarianCancer_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:32 PM Page 70
features
70
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
70_OvarianCancer_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:32 PM Page 71
This year alone, 40-45 women in Newfoundland and Labrador will be
DIAGNOSED with ovarian cancer.
About 65 per cent of them will die from it. There is no test to screen for it and, until 2015, there wasn’t even an advocacy group in the province for patients to turn to for support. Those were the hard truths facing Susan Glynn when she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2015, and she’s been leading the charge ever since to change that. When she learned the only support for ovarian cancer patients was a toll-free number to another province, she founded Women of Hope Ovarian Cancer NL. They meet the third Wednesday of every month at Daffodil Place in St. John’s. She launched a Facebook page and group for patients and their loved ones, caregivers and medical teams, which has more than 2,400 members worldwide. She campaigns to have municipal buildings light up teal to raise awareness, and she distributes posters outlining the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. “Support is paramount in our journey. We need it for survivorship,” Susan says. “Our focus, our mission, in Women of Hope is to support the patient and bring awareness about the signs and symptoms – and we’re doing that with our poster campaign – and to continue to advocate.” The poster is something that Susan and her oncologist, Dr. Cathy www.downhomelife.com
Popadiuk, created together in the fall of 2018. Susan had noticed posters everywhere reminding people to get screened for breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer – but no notices about ovarian cancer, even though it is often caught late with poor prognosis for survival. Her doctor created an easy to remember checklist, the 4 Bs: Bloating, Bladder (frequency, pressure or discomfort), Bowel (changes in bowel patterns, frequency, new constipation), and Blah (feeling tired, weak, short of breath, nauseous, poor appetite). Graphic design students at Academy Canada created the poster and Susan has been putting them up and mailing them out. To date, more than 6,500 posters have been distributed locally and around the world to members of the Women of Hope Facebook group. She’s gotten photos of women with her posters as far away as Kenya and the Philippines, where they use them to lead information sessions. September 2019
71
70_OvarianCancer_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:34 PM Page 72
Susan (left) and Dr. Popadiuk with the ovarian cancer awareness poster they designed.
Susan’s Journey
Always active in running, rowing and dancing, when Susan was having persistent back pain in 2015 she thought she might have a muscle injury. “I went to my doctor, Amanda Scott, and I said ‘Dr. Scott, I’m having pain in my back and it’s not going away… And when I go to stand up, I’m feeling pressure going down my legs.’ And I did notice a difference in my clothes [bloating]. I was going to the bathroom [a lot], so the bladder for sure [was a symptom], but the bowel I didn’t take much notice in. But the exhaustion I did, because I kept saying to Dr. Scott, ‘Oh my god, Dr. Scott, I’m tired, I’m really tired.’” Because she was already diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, they thought it could be that. Or maybe she was low on magnesium or some other mineral or vitamin. She credits her doctor for taking all of her concerns seriously and investigating her condition thoroughly. After a check of Susan’s abdomen, Dr. Scott sent her for a vaginal ultrasound. The 72
September 2019
result of that led to a CAT scan. “When [the results] came back, we were shocked, we were all shocked, because ovarian cancer is like a sneaky cancer. It is somewhat silent and it does mask other things.” The test discovered cancer in both ovaries and a tumour on her stomach the size of a melon. “I’ll be honest. I did not know anything about ovarian cancer until I was diagnosed. Nilch, nothing,” Susan says. “But I do now because I’ve done my homework.” According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the general prognosis for ovarian cancer patients varies with the type and stage of their cancer. Susan quotes the survival rate at 35 per cent, noting that many women don’t make it past five years. “But we’re not defined by the stats because you have to get out and live your life and try to hold on to hope, and make goals and try to achieve what you can. It’s a hard cancer. There hasn’t been great advancements in over 50 years, and there’s 1-888-588-6353
70_OvarianCancer_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:32 PM Page 73
no screening test, and a pap test does not detect ovarian cancer.” Susan says, “I’m four years into my journey now. I just completed my 40th round of chemotherapy, and it’s been a very difficult journey on many levels.” There have been highs and lows. She was declared NED (no evidence of disease) for 14 months, but the cancer returned in 2017. “I almost died three times,” she confides. And now she’s facing radiation treatments for a tumour in her abdomen. Her doctor told her that ovarian cancer is “like a chronic illness, something that you could have for the rest of your life,” Susan says. So after her radiation treatments and a followup scan, Susan will return to the chemotherapy clinic for round 41, as her journey continues. While she does get worn down by it sometimes, she’s not giving up. She says ovarian cancer is the biggest battle of your life, and you got to have the mindset to “put your big girl boots on,” go out there and fight.
Raising Awareness
In addition to the support group meetings, Facebook group and poster campaign, Susan created an online petition this summer to governments of the world, urging them to help support ovarian cancer patients through awareness and funding. The Change.org petition is called “Ovarian Cancer It Matters!” This past spring, Susan petitioned for and got her request to have Confederation Building, St. John’s City Hall and the CN Tower lit up teal – the colour for ovarian cancer awareness – for World Ovarian Cancer Day, May 8. www.downhomelife.com
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and Women of Hope has gotten several municipalities on side with marking the occasion. There will be a flag-raising ceremony at St. John’s City Hall. On September 16, buildings will go teal in Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, Corner Brook, Labrador City and Torbay. In St. John’s, Signal Hill, Confederation Building and Government House will go teal. E.C. Boone will erect billboards around the city and beyond, spreading information about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. And on September 15, Women of Hope, supported by The Running Room, will host a Walk for Awareness at Quidi Vidi Lake at 3 p.m.
The Fight Continues
When Susan visited Downhome for this interview, she’d just come from a chemo appointment and was one week out from running the Tely 10 – her fifth Tely while battling cancer. She says again this year, “My parents, they’ll be out there at the Tely giving me the thumbs up, giving me a cold cloth to cool me off.” Her parents and her sister have been an important source of support in her journey, Susan says. And she finds strength and joy in spending time with her godchildren – Gabrielle, Alexis and Bethlehem – and her nephew, Kyle. She tries not to let the cancer hold her back. “Life is a gift. We don’t know, whether you have cancer or go out tomorrow and get hit by a bus, we don’t know what tomorrow’s gonna bring. But you gotta live your life and be grateful. When you wake up, say ‘I’m grateful for this day’ and go out and live it.” September 2019
73
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 74
features
She was born July 1, 2019, in Bay Roberts, NL. Named Dawson’s BeaumontHamel, this little Newfoundland pony on this month’s cover not only honours a significant piece of Newfoundland and Labrador war history, she’s also a symbol of hope for a threatened, beloved breed. The Newfoundland Pony Society estimates there are 500-600 Newfoundland ponies living in Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada and in the United States, including about 100 that are eligible but not formally registered with them. That’s an improvement from the fewer than 250 ponies that existed in the early 1990s, but it’s still a long way from their high point of 12,000 ponies in the 1970s. And of those 500600 animals, only a portion are available to breed. So while there is hope, there is still much work to be done to rebuild the Newfoundland pony population.
Bernie-Frank and his momma in Bay Roberts. Dennis Flynn photo
74
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 75
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
75
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 76
Salty arrived July 7 in Conception Bay South. Dennis Flynn photo As of August 1, there were six foals born in 2019 in Newfoundland and Labrador (see sidebar on p. 79), and a few more are expected to be born before the year is out. Plus the Society is aware of more than 10 Newfoundland pony mares in other 76
September 2019
provinces and in the US that have given birth or are due to this year. From the time they are mature enough (two to three years old) until they are 15-18 years old, mares can be bred as long as they’re healthy. The gestation period is about 11 1-888-588-6353
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 77
Beaumont-Hamel, just days old exploring a field. Dennis Flynn photo months, and the mares generally only carry one foal at a time. When the babies are born, they’re not long getting on their feet. Typically, newborn foals should be standing within their first hour and nursing within two hours. Their first steps are tentawww.downhomelife.com
tive, but within a few days, the little ponies are kicking up their heels and frolicking in the field. Foals will stay close by their mother in their early days. They are born without teeth, so they rely on their mother for nourishment. But they September 2019
77
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 78
Harbour Ace was a winter arrival, born March 4. watch her closely and will even pretend to eat grass like her. Eventually, they get bolder and more curious and begin exploring their surroundings. In those early days, according to the NPS, it’s important for foals to have human interaction. This early 78
September 2019
imprinting allows for easier training and better behaviour as the ponies mature. As we celebrate the “class of 2019,” the work of the NPS and the struggle for survival of the Newfoundland pony breed are far from over. Even 1-888-588-6353
74_OurLittlePonies_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:35 PM Page 79
2019
NEWFOUNDLAND
PONIES
*born in NL as of press time
Harbour Ace
Colt, born March 4 Owner: Johnna Pike
Midnight’s Miss Mattea
MiDorothy-Ann, a fine filly. with 20 ponies born a year, it’s not enough to grow the breed and barely enough to sustain their numbers. In the NPS registry, there are more ponies listed that have no offspring than those that have any. There are lots of possible reasons for this: low number of mares and studs available for breeding, the dispersion of the population around North America, owners who do not want to breed their ponies etc. The NPS encourages Newfoundland pony owners to register their ponies to help raise the breed’s profile and to consider breeding them. The Society is also running a free DNA program to help owners identify whether they have a Newfoundland pony and to add them to the registry. The Newfoundland pony is a domesticated animal. It cannot save itself. And besides, couldn’t the world use more baby ponies? www.downhomelife.com
Filly, born June 30 Owner: Harrison Verge
Dawson’s Beaumont Hamel Filly, born July 1 Owner: Kevin Dawson
Driftwood’s MiDorthy-Ann
Filly, born July 2 Owner: Dr. Jessica Boyd
Metcalfe’s Salty of Manuels Filly, born July 7 Owner: Sarah Kean
Dawson’s Bernie-Frank
Colt, born July 9 Owner: Kevin Dawson September 2019
79
82_whatsonthego_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 3:58 PM Page 80
explore
what’s on the
Go
September 7
September 9 – 16
Moncton, NB
English Harbour, NL
Mix a bit of art with a bit of shopping at the Downtown Moncton ArtWalk, an event that sees local businesses host artists and display their works. The organizers, Amber Effect Events, are hoping to not only promote local business and art, but also encourage more businesses to display art in their shops. The event is free to attend.
If you’re an art lover, you owe it to yourself to head down to the English Harbour Arts Centre to check out Flattering the Master II, in which writers and artists celebrate the life and work of artist Gerry Squires. The event is presented by Pedlar Press.
September 7 – October 27
Various provinces Comedians Colin Hollett, Mike Lynch and Brian Aylward are going on a crossCanada tour this fall, with plenty of dates around Newfoundland and Labrador. The Best Kind Comedy Tour 2 will bring their unique Newfoundland sense of humour to audiences across the country. Last year several dates sold out, and this year’s show promises to be just as good. Visit BestKindComedyTour.com to find a show near you.
Colin Hollett
80
September 2019
Alan Doyle
September 11 – 21
St. John’s, NL The Iceberg Alley Performance Tent returns to Quidi Vidi lakeside. This year’s performers include Glorious Sons, Monster Truck, The Novaks, Metric, Dawes, Matt Mayes, Alan Doyle, Shanneyganock, Celtic Connection, The Waterboys, Everclear, Sister Hazel, Crush, Colin James, Matt Andersen and the Mellotones, Willie Nile, Bret Michaels, Haywire, Tim Hicks, Blackjack Billy, Damhnait Doyle, Loverboy, Kim Mitchell and David Wilcox.
1-888-588-6353
82_whatsonthego_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 3:58 PM Page 81
September 12 – 15
September 24 – 29
Gander, NL
St. John’s, NL
What do you do when your town is the subject of an award-winning hit Broadway musical? You host the Gander Musical Theatre Symposium, of course. This multi-day event will focus on “the creation of new work in musical theatre, along with the development of design and technical theatre skills” with industry professionals offering guidance and instruction. There’s a youth component, and participants will get a guided tour of Gander and the landmarks in “Come From Away.”
Calling all lovers of a good tale – gather round, it’s time for the St. John’s Storytelling Festival. Shayna Jones, from British Columbia, and Sage Tyrtle from Ontario are this year’s visiting storytellers. The festival aims to preserve local storytelling traditions while also exploring new ways to tell stories. There will be throat singing, recitations, poetic soundscapes and more. For details, visit www.storytellingstjohns.ca.
September 24 – 27
Various Locations, NL September 13 – 15
Winterton, NL Stages and Stories is a celebration of our nautical heritage that offers handson experiences with knitting nets, hooking rugs, caulking boats and other traditional skills. There will also be opportunities to get aboard a wooden boat. The event is hosted by The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador and includes the museum’s annual general meeting.
Hotel California, an Eagles tribute band, is playing a series of shows at Arts and Culture Centres across the province. Formed in the 1980s, the band has travelled the world to bring a close-to-the-real-thing Eagles experience to fans. The island portion of this tour sees the band visit Stephenville, Corner Brook, Gander and Grand FallsWindsor, then on Oct. 16 and 17 they visit Labrador West.
September 25 September 21
Corner Brook, NL
Corner Brook, NL
Spend an evening at the Royal Canadian Legion with Patsy Cline. Sort of. Bonnie Kilroe plays the late country star and brings to life some of Cline’s best known songs, including “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Kilroe brings a sense of showmanship and strong vocal skills to the stage, ensuring an entertaining evening for country fans.
Whether it’s early Christmas shopping or a treat for yourself, there’s plenty of handmade local goodness to be found at The Fall Craft Fair, held at the Corner Brook Civic Centre. In addition to the artwork, crafts and jewelry on sale, there will also be a kids craft area and face painting. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
81
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:39 PM Page 82
explore
82
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:39 PM Page 83
18 years old when she took a seat inside the theatre at the historic LSPU Hall in downtown St. John’s. The year was 1993, and it was the first time the university student had attended the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival (SJIWFF). It was also the first time the aspiring filmmaker could see her dream becoming a possibility. It was a short piece by local filmmaker Anita McGee, based on the poem “Out on a Limb” by St. John’s writer Geraldine Chafe Rubia, that caught Foley’s attention. You might call it her lightbulb moment. “It was really striking to me that someone in my own community had actually made a short film… I think that was very inspirational to me,” she says. Still, Foley says, a career in film seemed out of reach. “There was a film industry here, but I don’t think it was as well known... it wasn’t a common thing, when I graduated from university, to go to film school. So that wasn’t really presented as a choice.” www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
83
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:40 PM Page 84
less Romantic (a collaborative effort with five other Atlantic Canadian filmmakers). She’s also returned to the festival as a guest panelist over the years to share her experiences and expertise with other aspiring and emerging filmmakers. Not bad for a “young girl from the suburbs” who sat in that darkened theatre and dreamed about one day seeing her own films on the big screen.
A Bold Vision Filmmaker Deanne Foley at the opening gala of the 2018 St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival. Flash-forward to present day and the St. John’s director, writer and producer has won numerous awards and accolades for her work, including her first two feature films: Beat Down, about a teenaged girl, played by Marthe Bernard, with dreams of becoming a professional wrestler; and Relative Happiness, about a B&B owner (Melissa Bergland) looking for love. She’s also had all her films screened at the same festival that inspired her all those years ago. “They’ve been incredibly supportive of my work over the years, from my first short, which was Trombone Trouble, and that was back in the early 2000s,” Foley says. Last year, Foley both opened and closed the SJIWFF respectively with An Audience of Chairs (her critically acclaimed film based on Joan Clark’s novel of the same name) and Hope84
September 2019
Success stories like Foley’s is what the SJIWFF is all about. Back when it was formed in 1989, the festival was a small affair with a big vision: to support and promote the work of women employed in the film and television industries around the world. It was founded by Dr. Noreen Golfman and a partner, who helped lead the festival’s activities for the first few years before retiring from her role, and organized out of Golfman’s home. “Everything was done out of my living room, and I’ve got the boxes and the archives still in my basement to prove it,” Golfman laughs. In the beginning, the festival was purely a volunteer effort and consisted of a single evening of screenings. This was before a time when film buffs could easily go online to track down indie releases that tend to fly under the radar of mainstream cinemas. “I just was really focused on giving our local audience an opportunity to see material that they would not ever have a chance to. And, of course, we’re talking about a kind of predigital age, too. So the exhibition of films in a theatre was really the only way you could see this material,” 1-888-588-6353
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:41 PM Page 85
Golfman says. “I also was really interested in fostering a climate or a culture where women would feel comfortable making this stuff in the first place. And so having an exhibition space for them really helped give them something to shoot for.” While the film festival has helped foster the acceptance of women in the industry locally, Golfman says, it appears to have had an even larger impact. “A lot of people said that to me over the years, that [the festival] has had a big role in the success of the industry itself. And at first I said, ‘Oh, that’s not true, we’re just a little festival.’ But I’ve come to see it and believe it, frankly, myself.” That “little festival” has since
at cond from left, s. se , an fm ol G n Dr. Noree SJIWFF in the 1990 the 3rd annual www.downhomelife.com
become one of the longest running women’s film festivals in the world and has helped put St. John’s and the entire province on the map. Today, the SJIWFF operates year-round, bringing workshops, educational boot camps for youth, and film screenings across the island and into Labrador. Each fall, the festival culminates in five days of events and screenings including documentaries, short films and features from local, national and international filmmakers. It’s hectic, Golfman says, but also a lot of fun. “It’s a kind of five-day marathon of networking and socializing and partying. Our tagline is ‘films by women, made for everyone.’ So this is not a woman exclusive or gender exclusive event, for sure.”
SJIWFF meeting at Gol fman s house, early 1990s ’
September 2019
85
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 3:24 PM Page 86
“There’s never, ever been a problem with finding people to volunteer their time. We’re talking about a lot of time. Just this summer alone, we’ve had almost 600 submissions, and it’s a small group of us who are really watching all those films... It’s a pretty big testament, I think, to get a very fundamental commitment to seeing this great project realized every year.” - Dr. Noreen Golfman
Adjusting the Lens
This fall, the festival will ring in its 30th anniversary October 16 - 20 in St. John’s, and there’s certainly a lot to celebrate. This year alone, the festival made USA Today’s list of 10 best film festivals worth travelling for; it was inducted into the ArtsNL Hall of Honour for its contribution to the cultural life of Newfoundland and Labrador; and Dr. Golfman, founder and chair, was also named Woman of the Year by ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists). In 2016, Telefilm Canada also recognized the SJIWFF team for their work toward gender parity; and in 2014, Women in Film and Television Vancouver honoured them for their leadership in the Canadian movement for gender diversity in the film industry. Golfman says she never anticipated this kind of success, and credits it to the festival’s staff, board and volunteers (about 75 each year, some of whom have been with the festival since the start), past and present, who’ve worked tirelessly to make it 86
September 2019
all come together. “We have a very strong volunteer culture on this island,” she says. “There’s never, ever been a problem with finding people to volunteer their time. We’re talking about a lot of time. Just this summer alone, we’ve had almost 600 submissions, and it’s a small group of us who are really watching all those films... It’s a pretty big testament, I think, to get a very fundamental commitment to seeing this great project realized every year.” But the festival’s not just about a bunch of people getting together to enjoy great films. Through its Film Industry Forum, the SJIWFF brings in industry leaders for panels, workshops and face-to-face meetings, allowing filmmakers and other creators to pitch their ideas, get advice and make connections. It’s these kinds of opportunities, Foley says, that make all the difference. “And having international filmmakers come and other filmmakers from across Canada – I think it’s really built a family,” she adds. “I’ve attended a lot of festivals from around the world and you can kind of get really lost in the wave... it can be 1-888-588-6353
84_30YearsWomenFilm_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 5:39 PM Page 87
quite huge and impersonal. But I feel like in St. John’s, Jenn Brown (SJIWFF’s executive director) and her staff do such an incredible job of making filmmakers not only feel welcome, but connecting them to the different events, and being able to create a festival where people get to know each other.” While women working in the film industry have made great strides, there’s still much work to be done. In fact, according to the 2019 report from Women in View (a national non-profit that aims to strengthen gender representation and diversity in Canadian media), “Women’s share of writing, directing and cinematography work in both film and TV remains below 25 per cent,” with women of colour and Indigenous
women not sharing the same gains as others. Events like the SJIWFF, Foley says, are needed now more than ever. “We’ve slightly adjusted the lens to include more female filmmakers in the industry, but the numbers are still quite dismal [and] we do not have gender parity,” she says. “It’s so important for a festival like the Women’s Film Festival, that 100 per cent supports female filmmakers in this province and around the world. And it’s important that people come and support it.” To discover more about the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival and for a schedule of this year’s events, visit their website: Womensfilmfestival.com.
A panel prepares to take questions from the crowd at the LSPU Hall during the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival in 2018. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
87
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 88
explore
This relatively new museum is reviving interest in Twillingate’s wooden boats. By TOBIAS ROMANIUK
88
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 89
On a cold winter’s day in Wild Cove, Lewis
Roberts is outside working on his latest boat. He’s a fisherman and a boat builder, the third generation of his family to build the boats essential to the local fishery. He’s built all manner of boats, from punts all the way up to schooners. This boat, although he may not have realized it at the time, would be one of the last he’d build. It’s a passenger boat, made entirely of wood, 60 feet long. He’s building it in his yard, taking occasional breaks from building to shovel off the accumulating snowfall of an early 1940s Newfoundland winter.
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
89
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 90
Each year, says his great-grandson Tony Roberts, Lewis would begin a boat on the first of January. To get the larger boats from the build site to the water when they were ready to launch, he would make a slip. It was a fair distance to the water, so there would end up being more wood in the slip than in the boat. Local boys, including Tony’s father, would climb aboard the boat on launch day. They would hold on as the boat slowly started on its dry land voyage to the sea, picking up speed as it went through the neighbour’s potato patch and over vegetable gardens, across the road that is now a main street, faster still across the beach until, with a large splash, it came to a bobbing halt in the sea. It was, says Tony, Twillingate’s first rollercoaster.
Tony’s grandfather was also a boat builder, but his dad wasn’t and neither was Tony. Though he wanted to build a boat for as long as he can remember, Tony trained as a carpenter instead, building houses, furniture and, most recently, working at Muskrat Falls. But the desire to build a boat never left him. “Ever since I was a boy watching my grandfather, I always wanted to build a boat. Always. And I actually learned, when I was a teen, how to build models of schooners,” he says. Then one day he got a call asking if he’d be interested in being the resident boat builder for a Twillingate boat museum. Three years later, Tony is telling stories of boats and builders to Downhome, having just finished a day in the workshop, splitting his
A rodney, or punt, of the type used in harbours or for the inshore fishery
90
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 91
time between building a row punt and talking with tourists about building boats at The Isles Wooden Boat Builders Museum and Workshop. This season, Tony is building a punt based on one that, by the time his great-grandfather was building that passenger boat, would have already been at least 30 years old. The punt was built from a half model that Titus Manuel – who died in 1915 – made some 130 years ago. There hasn’t been a boat made from that model in about 100 years, says Tony. “I’m actually building it again to see what that boat would be like in full size,” he says. Like Titus, Tony is building from the half model, as opposed to starting from a paper plan or blueprint. And, like Titus would have, Tony is using wood from trees selected for their natural bend. Today, there are several ways to create a bent piece of wood, including laminating several pieces in a mold or steam bending a piece to shape. But for hundreds of years in Twillingate, building a boat began with a walk in the woods, looking for trees with just the right natural bend to make a stem or ribs or knees. Tony is spared the foray into the forest, though, as he’s using lumber collected by old-timer boat builders who gave it to Tony and the museum for use in boat building. This is, undoubtedly, the most difficult way to build a boat – shopping at the local lumber store is a far easier way to gather materials – but for Tony, and the museum’s board, this is about more than just building a boat. It’s about preserving a craft. www.downhomelife.com
“We realized, as a museum, that the traditional way, like a lot of things, is dying out,” he says. “Ever since ’92, when the cod moratorium happened, most commercial fishermen have transitioned from a wooden boat into a fiberglass boat. So the knowledge and understanding of building a boat, there’s very little of it left in the community.” Those who do still have that knowledge are getting on in years – the youngest master boat builder in the Twillingate area is 80 years old – and there’s a risk that once these folks are gone, no one will be left who knows how to build a boat the old way. “I can set up a steam box; I can steam all my timbers and ribs in my boat,” says Tony, “but the uniqueness of doing it the traditional way that’s been done for hundreds of years is what we’re trying to capture and keep going, and not let it pass away when these gentlemen are gone.” Boat building these days is largely an old-timer’s pursuit – Tony, at 53, is considered a younger boat builder – but those who appreciate wooden boats are all ages and come from everywhere. There is a global appeal to the small craft of Newfoundland outports, as seen by the popularity of the museum in Twillingate. Now in its third year of operation, midway through the season they had already surpassed last year’s visitor numbers, and if this pace keeps up, the museum will have seen some 9,000 people pass through its doors this season, with visitors from around the world. Granted, many are visiting the museum because they’re in the area for other reasons, like icebergs and September 2019
91
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 92
Tony Roberts, working on his next boat inside The Isles Wooden Boat Builders Museum and Workshop, Twillingate whales, but regardless of the reason for their visit, each person that becomes interested in wooden boats is one more person who, potentially, may buy or use a wooden boat. That part – the using of the boats – is vitally important “because that’s the only way you’re going to keep this tradition alive,” says Tony. What that boat looks like will depend largely on where it was built. 92
September 2019
Take, for instance, the punt, or rodney. This small boat was used, back in the day, to get around the harbour or to go do a bit of fishing, or it was sometimes brought along as a tender for a larger boat. Each outport had folks who knew how to build a boat, and each harbour built their boats slightly different. The Winterton punt is different from the Fogo Island punt, which in turn is different from the Twillingate punt. Likely, the punt design came from England, and more specifically the West Country, and was brought over 1-888-588-6353
88_BuildingFromMemories_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:04 PM Page 93
here by fishermen back in the 1700s. Like the boat builders of today, the craftsmen of yesteryear would have, after using their boat in local waters, noted ways it could be improved and then incorporate those changes into the next boat. This incremental, iterative approach to boatbuilding led similar boats to have regional distinctions. Last year, Tony built a punt designed by Frank Lane of Fogo Island. Frank recently passed away, and his punts are regarded as fine examples of the Fogo Island style. Compared with the boat Tony is building this year – the one based on the century-old half model of Twillingate’s Titus Manuel – there are several discernible differences. “The one I’m building now, they say she’s a Twillingate punt,” explains Tony. “She’s a little higher on the gunnel rails compared to the one I built last year. The one last year would be more stable because she’s wider, but she would be a slower boat. This boat, where she’s narrow, would be a nice fast boat.” Each builder makes a slightly different boat, and while some aspects can be attributed to the personal tastes of the builder, other differences – ones that affect handling and stability – can be attributed to the local conditions. “I think it’s just an understanding of the water around you,” says Tony. And that understanding of local seas explains why you won’t see a dory in the waters off Twillingate. Those flat bottom boats once used in the Grand Banks schooner fishery sit high in the water. In choppy waters like that of Twillingate, they tend to be a bit cranky, or unstable, says Tony. www.downhomelife.com
Look carefully and you’ll still see small wooden boats around Twillingate. Some of them have been glassed over (i.e. coated in a layer of epoxy and fiberglass), while only a layer of paint protects others. Tony estimates there are about 15 boats of various shapes and sizes around Twillingate. And there are still people, like Roy Jenkins, building boats in the area. It’s not many, but it’s more than none, says Tony, and there are definitely more than there were several years ago when it looked like wooden boats might follow the cod into oblivion. “There’s not many wooden boats around Twillingate, but it’s starting, you’ll see more and more of them now,” he says. In his work, Tony preserves the traditional skills of building boats the way they did it in Victorian times through his builds, while also looking toward the future and encouraging the next generation to get interested in building these fine craft. His shop apprentice at the museum is a young feller, about 20 years old, and Tony is working on going into area schools to share his boat building knowledge. Maybe some of those students will pick up the craft even if, like Tony, it is years down the road after a lifetime of interest in wooden boats. The Isles Wooden Boat Builders Museum is open through September. Learn more about it online at Isleswoodenboatbuilders.com. To follow along with Tony’s boat building, and for news on wooden boats in Twillingate, head to Facebook and search “Twillingate Wooden Boat Discussion Group” in the groups tab. September 2019
93
92_SinkTheHazard2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:07 PM Page 94
explore
THE ALMOST FORGOTTEN STORY OF ST. MARY’S BATTERY By David Fagan
94
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
92_SinkTheHazard2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:43 PM Page 95
STANDING ON THE GRASSY POINT, with the wind in your face smelling of the salty air coming across St. Mary’s Bay, it could be the most peaceful place on earth. But for the restored canons and new storyboards, you might never know of the wilder times on this coast that led to the need to arm this lookout in St. Mary’s. The story of the Battery goes back to the mid 1770s, when the rich fishing grounds in the British colony of Newfoundland needed protection from American privateers and other foreign belligerents. As a result, Governor Richard Edwards ordered fortifications to be built on the shores of the Southern Avalon Peninsula, and under the guidance of Naval Chief Engineer Robert Pringle, seven gun batteries were installed along the coastline. In 1779, the Battery at St. Mary’s was built at the mouth of the harbour, with two cannons facing north and two others facing east on a parcel of land known as The Point. Although St. Mary’s was rarely the site of real trouble, when need arose, soldiers based in St. John’s would be dispatched and billeted at, or rented, local homes for short periods of time. Naval personnel also taught local people how to fire the cannons. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
95
92_SinkTheHazard2_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:07 PM Page 96
Opening ceremonies for Battery Park in St. Mary’s, September 16, 2018
In September 1782, word arrived that an American privateer, the Hazard, had been harassing vessels at North Harbour in St. Mary’s Bay. The Battery was unmanned at this time, so a sloop belonging to a local merchant was outfitted with six cannons borrowed from various ships in the harbour, and a crew of 22 volunteers set out to confront the menacing privateer. Unable to defend itself or make an escape, the Hazard surrendered without much of a fight. The ship was taken to St. Mary’s Harbour and its crew was transferred to St. John’s to face the law. Newly appointed Governor John Campbell was delighted by the warlike spirit displayed by the people of St. Mary’s and wrote to congratulate them on their actions. As a reward, he gave them “...the right to dispose of the prize to the satisfaction of all 96
September 2019
involved...” One can only imagine the excitement of this sudden windfall in the community, in those depressed economic times. In 1815, the Battery ceased operations and fell into disrepair. Eventually all that remained of the site was one cannon, submerged in the waters of the harbour. The property became farmland and, in recent years, merely a grassy hill with no signs of its former majesty. In September 2017, some local residents began discussing the possibility of returning the site to its original state, and the St. Mary’s Battery Restoration Committee was born. We began educating ourselves by researching the history of the Battery, networking with likeminded groups, reaching out to several provincial, federal and international agencies, including KEW Gardens in 1-888-588-6353
92_SinkTheHazard2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:44 PM Page 97
London, England. Our Provincial Archives provided us with details of an archeological dig at the former site of the Battery in 2000. Many artifacts were uncovered, including glass shards, buckles, a handmade knife and parts of clay smoking pipes made in Glasgow, Scotland circa 1750-1800. These items are kept at The Rooms in St. John’s until a suitable location is found for display in our community. On September 16, 2018, the official opening of Battery Park was held. Storyboards, picnic tables, park benches and, of course, the original cannon created a historical environment. The Canadian and Newfoundland and Labrador flags, as well as a replica of the pre-1801 Union Jack, flew proudly as two cadet marching bands provided an official touch to proceedings. A town crier cited the letter of the governor congratulating the town on the capture of the Hazard on this date 236 years ago. www.downhomelife.com
After the ceremony, the public was invited to fire custom made “potato cannons” at a replica of the privateer Hazard moored in the harbour. This year, on September 15, there will be an unveiling of three more cannons, bringing the Battery back to its original complement of four “Nine Pounders.” After the unveiling, the public will be invited to fire one of the custom made potato cannons, on the very site that saw cannon fire more than two centuries ago. To coin a new phrase, our spud cannons are being billed as “Weapons of Mash Destruction!” David Fagan is president of the St. Mary’s Restoration Committee. Other members include Peter Buiteman, Patrick Monsigneur and John Gibbons. The comittee also acknowledges Michael White and the Gulch Beach Improvement Committee for their encouragement and initial support. September 2019
97
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 98
explore
98
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 99
Benny, Tanja and their dog “Smudu,” their VW , Jago, in front of Syncro Vanagon
In the early hours
of a July morning, a white 1980s-era VW Vanagon camper van with European licence plates rests in the parking lot of Bowring Park, off Waterford Bridge Road in St. John’s, NL. In a few hours this gravel parking lot will be full, but for now that van is alone. Inside, Benny and Tanja and their dog Jago are waking up. Soon, the side door will be open and they will step outside, coffee in hand, to greet the day. For the past two-and-a-half years, Benny and Tanja, originally from Germany, have been travelling around the world in their home-on-wheels, first in a Unimog, and more recently in the VW Syncro Vanagon. They’ve been to 16 or 17 countries so far, covering Eastern Europe, northern Africa and Canada in the Unimog. It was on that cross-Canada trip – done in the dead of winter – that they realized the Unimog was too big. Returning to Germany, they swapped vehicles, choosing the Vanagon for its size and its off-road capabilities.
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
99
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 100
Zagora, Morocco They named it Smudu, refitted it for adventure travel with a second fuel tank, rooftop solar panels, a rebuilt camper interior and dirtcapable tires. Then they returned to Canada, this time intent on exploring the eastern parts of the country – their previous trip was mostly spent out west – before heading down the eastern side of the United States, then over into Mexico and through Central America. And that’s about as detailed as their plan gets. Most people embarking on a road trip in a camperized vehicle stick to one continent. But little things, like getting a van across the Atlantic Ocean, don’t bother Benny and Tanja. They used a roll on, roll off (RoRo) shipping service to get their van into Canada from Germany via Belgium. The couple refer to themselves as overlanders, and to understand why 100
September 2019
this actually means something, we need to take a dive into the traveller subculture. Travellers, while sometimes being tourists, separate themselves from the cargo-shorts-andfanny-pack crowd in a few ways, the most visible being their luggage (backpacks, not suitcases) and choice of lodging (hostels, not hotels and never resorts). Among these travellers, the land-based folks tend to use vans or converted vehicles, as opposed to travel trailers or motorhomes. And this van subculture (look up #vanlife on your preferred social media for a glimpse at the lifestyle) is further divided into people who prefer the overland style of vehicle, typically a vehicle outfitted for off-road travel. And Smudu is most definitely off-road capable. It’s in the emptiest places, where they are completely alone, that Benny and Tanja are happiest. 1-888-588-6353
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 101
They’d prefer to be surrounded by nature, off the beaten path. Their Instagram is filled with photos of their van in remote places, sometimes doing things most people wouldn’t attempt in a Jeep, let alone a 30-year-old camper van.
Off the Couch and On the Road This entire story can be blamed on television. One night, back when they still lived in a conventional, rootedto-the-ground home, the couple was watching a documentary about people travelling around the world. It looked like something they wanted to do. But, not wanting to make a rash decision, they slept on it. Next morning they still wanted to do it. The preparation was a bit stressful,
Benny admits, since they had to make sure they had all the proper insurance and a plan, and that everything was prepared in advance of their travels. Plus they had to sell nearly everything they owned – the few remaining furniture pieces are stored in Benny’s parents’ attic – and they had to prepare their vehicle for being lived in. They figured it all out, though, and on March 17, 2017, they pulled out of the driveway in Freiburg, Germany to start their world tour. A few miles down the road they got a phone call saying Benny forgot his phone. They turned around, drove back for the phone, said goodbye again, left again. Alright. This time they were really on the road to everywhere. “You realize on the first maybe three or four days that you’re really
Nova Scotia - PEI www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
101
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 102
travelling now,” says Benny. “That you’re not on vacation now and that you don’t go back in two or three weeks,” continues Tanja. In the beginning they were intent on seeing the entire world. Then they visited some places they didn’t really like and realized that having enjoyable experiences was more important than crossing countries off a list, so they modified their plan. Now, they only go where they want to go and see what they want to see. That’s what brought them to Newfoundland and Labrador – they wanted to see icebergs and whales. They had no preconceived notion of exactly what they would find, since they don’t look at travel guides when visiting a place. It’s all part of their plan to experience each new adventure with no expectations. It helps add to the wonder and “wow factor” of each new experience, says Benny. Once on the island, they heard there were icebergs in Langdon’s Cove, Green Bay. So they headed there, and they were not disappointed. Had they seen a great big iceberg in a tourism guide, then in real life only seen a small berg, they would have been disappointed, explains Benny. And had they gone to somewhere like Twillingate – the 102
September 2019
default place tourists are told to go for iceberg sightings – they would have been surrounded by crowds of people. They prefer to experience things in as natural and authentic a state as possible, which is exactly what happened in Langdon’s Cove, where they met a local who took them capelin fishing and gave them a feed of the little fish. Then, just down the road, they saw a whale. Newfoundland bucket list complete. But they still wanted to see the eastern part of the province, so on they ventured, finding their way to St. Vincent’s on the southern Avalon, where they stood on the beach and watched families of humpback whales just metres from the shore. After completing the Irish Loop, they found themselves in St. John’s.
Newfoundland 1-888-588-6353
96_LifeOnWheels_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:15 PM Page 103
oundland Gros Morne National Park, Newf On the day that started in Bowring Park, their plan was to fill the van’s water tanks, pick up some groceries and do some online surfing and blog updating. Maybe they would go see Cape Spear’s lighthouse, but then again, maybe not. After all, that’s how they roll. Beyond St. John’s, they planned to head west to hike the trails and see the fjords in Gros Morne National Park before heading across the strait to Labrador. After driving across Labrador into Quebec, they’ll head south through the Eastern United States and spend the winter in Mexico, then next spring and summer make their way toward Alaska, because they haven’t been there yet, says Tanja. But things could change. They never make definite plans to be across a border because then they may find themwww.downhomelife.com
selves rushing to make a deadline for a visa or a permit, which would take all the enjoyment out of their journey. So while they have a big picture idea of where they’d like to go, the actual plan always remains relatively short-term and open to change. “We’re not sure yet,” says Benny of their future travel plans. “We go the Labrador highway to Quebec,” he repeats, as if to drive home the point that anything beyond that doesn’t matter yet. For these two, life really is an adventure free of expectation. To follow along on the adventures of Benny and Tanja, visit their blog, www.tour-de-world.com, where you’ll also find links to their social media accounts. To see a video tour of Smudu, head to Downhomelife.com. September 2019
103
104_HolyroodMuseum_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 4:32 PM Page 104
explore
104
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
104_HolyroodMuseum_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:22 PM Page 105
With the town of Holyrood
celebrating its Come Home Year in 2019, it’s unlikely that traffic at the Holyrood Heritage Society Museum, Art Gallery & Gift Shop is going to slow down anytime soon. Between tour groups, visitors and locals checking out the newly opened Holyrood Heritage Society Museum located at 429 Conception Bay Highway, museum operator Linda Fraser is having a very busy summer. “We never stopped today… we’ve just been flat out. Nobody’s had a break, a day off, time for lunch or anything,” Linda says with a laugh. It’s been a busy summer, but the Holyrood Heritage Society dates back many seasons – they came together as a small group of volunteers in 2003. More than 50 people are now involved with various committees set up by the Heritage Society – to look after heritage properties, commemorate Remembrance Day etc. – teaching each other and learning about the local heritage as they go. The Society recently presented a number of awards to prominent historic hotspots, including the Chapel Cemetery, the Fjordheim Property, the Lulah-Oh/Carroll Property and www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
105
104_HolyroodMuseum_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:45 PM Page 106
the Veitch Property, all of which played a part in creating the town of Holyrood as it’s known today. The awards program was well received by the community. “After that, we thought, well, what else are we gonna do? We have to keep building on this success,” Linda says, explaining how the idea for the museum came about. It was a lot of work, Linda says, “but here we are.” Seven rooms of the building are now fully decked out with museum installations, as well as crafts/wares from local artisans and artists, including visual artists Keli-Ann PyeBeshara and Rosemary Byrne, photographer Jim Hart, jeweller Linda Smith, and many more. The historic items came from local people, some of which was collected as far back as 15 years ago. Some of it was spontaneously offered, and more came in after the museum put out the call for interesting things. “We put it out on Facebook, we put it out in the community, we put posters out, and items have come from nearby communities, too, not only Holyrood. They’ve come from 106
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
104_HolyroodMuseum_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 4:22 PM Page 107
Conception Bay down to Kelligrews, everywhere. People say, you know, ‘We’ve got this, is it any good to you?’ I always say, ‘If it sparks a memory for somebody that walks into this building, we’ve made our point,’” Linda says. “I’d say 70 per cent of what’s in there came in when word got out… it’s coming in and bits and pieces from everywhere, but every day we’re getting new things.” Some of the items include furniture from a local home built in the 1850s, as well as photographs, dishes and other www.downhomelife.com
housewares. The response from locals and tourists has been extremely positive thus far. “It makes the seniors feel like, ‘We do exist. We do matter.’ Like somebody appreciates the hard times we came through, as well as the good times,” Linda says. “When they are walking into a room, and hearing an old radio playing songs from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, with those scratchy background noises, you know, it lights a spark within, that somebody else appreciates it and that their own heritage is being celebrated and remembered. “Even in the past two weeks that we’ve been open now, the stories we’re hearing are just unreal… Some of them are sad, some of them are a lot of fun, and they all have connections to the area. I could tell you so many stories,” Linda says, sounding like a local expert. But her personal history is not in Holyrood. Linda is from Curling, on the west coast of Newfoundland near Corner Brook. Her husband Stuart is from St. John’s. They’ve been living in Holyrood for about two decades. “We love it here. And the people are good, genuine, hardworking people,” she says of her adopted community. “There’s just so much to know. It never ends,” she says of her learning experiences with the Holyrood Heritage Society and, now, the museum. By creating the Holyrood Heritage Society Museum, Linda and the rest of the Heritage Society hope that they can pass on their knowledge to a new generation while paying homage to the generations of local people who built the town of Holyrood. September 2019
107
108_EG_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:37 PM Page 108
food & leisure the everyday gourmet
Baked
Cod
108
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
108_EG_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:37 PM Page 109
the everyday gourmet By Andrea Maunder
Andrea Maunder is the owner and creative force behind Saucy & Sweet – Homemade Specialty Foods & Catering.
www.downhomelife.com
We still have some dates left in
the food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador for September, so how about a recipe to enjoy some of your catch? Baked cod is deceptively simple: it’s incredibly delicious but easy, fast and practically foolproof. You can make up the breadcrumb crust in advance (even do a big batch) and keep it in the freezer, so you can make this scrumptious meal at a moment’s notice. And while this recipe calls for cod, it’s also gorgeous on chicken, pork and thick slices of vegetables like eggplant and Portobello mushrooms, for a delicious veggie main course or side. This recipe is quick enough for a weeknight dinner, but delicious enough to serve to company. And the ovenbaked method means you can relax and enjoy your guests, knowing your pan of fish is ready to go in the oven and needs very little tending. We make this for our group functions at Tongue & Cheek restaurant (at O’Brien’s Boat Tours in Bay Bulls) and constantly get asked for the recipe. If something that can be easily prepared for 50 people gets rave reviews, you can feel pretty good about serving it to your family or guests, despite how little effort it took you! To serve gluten-free, look for panko made with rice flour and use glutenfree bread to make the crumbs. September 2019
109
108_EG_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:37 PM Page 110
Baked Cod
(Serves 4)
1/3 cup butter 2 tbsp savoury 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/4 tsp celery seed 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper Pinch cayenne pepper Zest (grated skin) of half a lemon 1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs 4 nice-sized cod fillets (7-8 oz per piece is nice, but use whatever you have) 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard (bumpy or smooth, as you prefer) Salt and pepper to taste (for sprinkling on fish)
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large, non-stick fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the seasonings and lemon zest. Stir a few minutes until it becomes fragrant and the butter begins to brown a bit (3-4 minutes). Stir in the breadcrumbs and panko, and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray or brush with a little oil. Lay out the fish leaving a little room in between the fillets. Brush each with a thin coat of mustard. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper to taste. Top each fillet with breadcrumbs. Set aside until ready to bake (refrigerate if not baking within an hour). Bake 20-25 minutes until fish is cooked through and flakes easily, and crumbs are toasted. (Thinner pieces cook faster and thicker take longer, naturally.) Serve immediately with your choice of side. Salad is great for lunch. For dinner, baby potatoes roasted with olive oil, garlic and lemon are a perfect accompaniment. Bon appÊtit – and happy fishing! 110
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
108_EG_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 3:11 PM Page 111
life is better Taking part in the Herring Neck Dory Festival Julian Earle, Twillingate, NL
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 112
everyday recipes.ca
Two big weekday questions for most busy families are “What’s for breakfast?” and “What’s for lunch?” These recipes are the delicious answers you’ve been looking for, and they can even make a quick weeknight supper.
Grilled Chicken Salad Wrap 2 flour tortillas, 10” or larger 2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded/minced 1/2 cup mayo 3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup each of red and yellow peppers, small dice 3 tbsp raisins 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp garam masala
Mix all filling ingredients together and spread on tortilla. Dress with your favourite toppings (e.g. iceberg lettuce, roma tomatoes, sliced apples etc.) Tightly wrap tortilla. Yield: 2 servings
All of our recipes are brought to you by the fantastic foodies in Academy Canada’s Culinary Arts program, led by instructor Bernie-Ann Ezekiel.
112
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 113
Chapati Rolex Bread 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup finely grated carrot 1/4 cup minced white onion 2 tbsp melted butter 3/4 cup warm water 1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
Rolex 2 cups green cabbage, shaved 2 roma tomatoes, small dice 8 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp celery seed 6 shakes Tabasco sauce Olive oil for frying
Bread Mix all dry ingredients together. Add carrot and onion. Mix butter into the water and add to the dry ingredients. Mix into a dough and knead until it’s smooth and elastic (add more flour if necessary to ensure it’s not too sticky – tacky is OK). Cover, and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into four equal portions, and roll out each to the size of a dinner plate (dust rolling surface with a little flour). Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Fry the bread one disc at a time, flipping occasionally to ensure it’s cooked evenly (8-10 min). A good indicator is deep golden spots on both sides. Stack fried bread atop each other so they remain soft and pliable while you prepare the rolex.
Rolex
www.downhomelife.com
Whisk together eggs, spices and Tabasco sauce. Divide into four equal portions and set aside. Divide cabbage and tomatoes into four equal portions. Using the same frying pan used for the bread, heat it to medium, add a tbsp of olive oil, swirl and add one portion of cabbage. Stir cabbage and once it just starts to soften, add a quarter portion of the egg mixture to the pan and briefly stir. Allow to cook, undisturbed for 1-2 minutes (or until a crust starts to develop on the bottom), then flip the entire mixture over like a pancake to cook the other side. Once fully cooked (another 1-3 minutes), slide the rolex onto a portion of bread, top with tomatoes and roll tightly. Repeat with remaining 3 portions. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings
September 2019
113
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 114
Quesadilla on the Go 1 2 4 2 1
tortilla wrap, 10" or larger tbsp butter button mushrooms, sliced thinly tbsp white onion, minced sausage patty, cooked and diced small
2 sundried tomatoes, minced 1 green onion, sliced 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup old cheddar, grated
Add butter to a large frying pan heated over medium-high heat. SautĂŠ mushrooms until soft. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and toss to coat in butter and heat through. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl. Turn off the burner under the frying pan and lay the tortilla in the pan to warm it. Lay half the cheese over one half of the tortilla, then cover the cheese with hot filling and top with remaining cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla over and press down. Turn the burner back to medium and allow the tortilla to brown. Flip it over carefully and allow the second side to brown. Remove from heat and set on a cutting board to rest for about five minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with sour cream. Yield: 1 serving
114
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 115
BLT Wrap with Smoked Cheddar 1 flour tortilla, 10" or larger 2 tbsp chipotle mayo 1/4 cup smoked cheddar, shredded
1 tbsp plain mayo 1/4 cup cooked bacon bits Shredded romaine lettuce 1/2 tomato, small dice
Mix both mayo flavours with the cheese, and spread over tortilla. Layer remaining ingredients and roll tightly, tucking in ends. Serve cold. Yield: 1 servings
For printa recipe ca ble rds visit
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
115
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 116
Western Crêpe-Omelette Crêpes 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp milk 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, minced
Omelette 8 eggs, whisked 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup cooked frying ham, small dice 1/2 cup red pepper, small dice 1/2 cup onion, small dice 1 cup old cheddar, grated
Crêpes Sift dry ingredients together. Whisk wet ingredients together. Gradually, add wet to dry and whisk thoroughly to remove lumps. Whisk in parsley. Coat a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Into hot pan, pour in 1/4 cup of batter and swirl the pan around at the same time to evenly coat the entire bottom of the pan (the batter will be fairly thin). When the top has dried (less than a minute), use a rubber spatula to loosen the edge so that you can grab it with tongs and flip it over. Cook another 20-30 seconds and remove to a rack. Repeat until you run out of batter. (If the crêpes become any more than a very pale golden colour, the heat is too high. Extra crêpes can be frozen for later, laid flat and separated by parchment paper.)
Omelettes Preheat broiler to high. Whisk eggs, salt and pepper together. Spray a non-stick, oven-safe frying pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Into the hot pan, add 1/4 of the ham, peppers and onions; sauté until onions start to soften. Add 1/4 of the egg mixture and stir briefly. Allow the mixture to cook undisturbed for about 1 minute. Place the frying pan under the broiler for about 30 seconds. Remove from oven, sprinkle top with 1/4 of the cheese, then return to oven for another minute or so until egg is set and cheese is melted. Slide egg onto a crêpe and roll up tightly. Slice and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings + extra crêpes for next time
116
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 3:28 PM Page 117
Jerk Chicken Wrap 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 flour tortillas, 10" or larger Lettuce Tomatoes Mayo Marinade 1 large red onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves 2 jalapeños, chopped
2 tsp brown sugar 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 3/4 tsp dry thyme leaves 1/4 tsp allspice 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Blend all marinade ingredients together in a food processor, until nearly smooth. Add chicken to a zip-close plastic bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Massage the chicken around so it’s all in contact with the marinade. Refrigerate for about 4 hours. Heat BBQ or oven to 350°F. Remove chicken from the bag and shake off excess marinade. Place chicken on a greased grill (or parchment-lined pan for the oven). Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F and remove to rest before cutting. Dress the tortillas your favourite way – mayo, lettuce, tomatoes etc. Add the sliced chicken and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
117
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 118
Breakfast Wrap 1 1 3 2 2
flour tortilla, 10" or larger tbsp bacon fat tbsp red onion, minced tbsp cooked bacon bits eggs, beaten
1 avocado mashed with 1 tbsp lime juice 1/3 cup mozzarella 1/3 cup tomato, small dice
Heat bacon fat in a frying pan over medium heat. SautĂŠ onion until translucent. Add bacon bits and stir until heated through. Add eggs and stir while cooking until the eggs are scramble-cooked. Spread avocado mash onto the tortilla and pour the contents of the pan onto the tortilla, top with cheese and tomatoes. Roll tightly and serve immediately. Yield: 1 serving
For printa recipe ca ble rds visit
118
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
112_ER_0609 index.qxd 7/31/19 6:40 PM Page 119
Nashville-Style Chicken Wrap 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs 2 flour tortillas or 2 Kaiser rolls Lettuce Tomato Mayo Dry Rub 4 tbsp cayenne pepper 2 tbsp dark brown sugar 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp celery salt
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and rub over the chicken. Place chicken and any excess rub in sealed bag in the fridge for 2 hours.
Rub
Egg wash
Blend all ingredients
thoroughly.
Dredge Sift all ingredients together thoroughly. Preheat deep fryer to 350°F. Remove chicken from the bag, shake off any excess rub and dip chicken in egg wash. Let excess drip off, then dredge in dry mixture. Shake off
www.downhomelife.com
1/2 tsp cumin, ground 1/2 tsp smoked chili powder Egg Wash 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup whipping cream 1 tsp white vinegar 1 egg Dredge 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt
excess and repeat egg wash, dredge and shake, once more. Fry chicken until coating is crispy and deep golden brown, and internal temperature reaches 165°F (if the outside starts to get too dark for your liking, finish the chicken in the oven to get the safe internal temperature). Drain well, and serve hot in a wrap or bun with mayo, lettuce and tomato. Flavourful alternative: replace mayo, lettuce and tomato with coleslaw! Yield: 2 servings
September 2019
119
124_stuff about2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:46 PM Page 120
food & leisure stuff about
Sandwich Though these handy eats have been around in some form since the Middle Ages, they got their “modern” name from the Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), a famous lover of food between slices of bread.
The internet court of public opinion often fights over whether some foods, such as pizza, qualify as a sandwich. But it was in a Boston court of law, in a 2006 dispute between a sandwich shop and a burrito restaurant, that a judge ruled that a sandwich by definition has two slices of bread.
The Fool’s Gold Loaf was a favourite snack of Elvis Presley, according to the Colorado Mine Company restaurant that makes it and served it to him. The famous 8,000-calorie sandwich is a French loaf hollowed out and filled with one jar of smooth peanut butter, one jar of grape jelly and a pound of bacon.
120
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
124_stuff about2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:46 PM Page 121
The Hawaiian Islands were named Sandwich Islands by cartographer and explorer, Captain James Cook, who visited the islands in 1778. He named them for the Earl of Sandwich. The local name, Hawaii, came into general use on world maps a century later.
The town of Sandwich, New Hampshire, is the backdrop for some of the opening scenes of the 1980s TV show Newhart (set in Vermont). It’s also host to an annual Sandwich Fair (at which sandwiches may or may not be served).
An historic district in Windsor, Ontario, is Sandwich, or Old Sandwich Town (est. 1797). Founded on the Canada-US border with Detroit, MI, it was a battleground during the War of 1812. It was also a critical terminal in the Underground Railroad, where slaves fleeing the US found freedom.
www.downhomelife.com
Subway, employer of the Sandwich Artist®, is the largest restaurant operator in the world. Its first outlet was Pete’s Super Submarines in Connecticut in 1965. It was renamed Subway in 1968.
April 2 is National Peanut Butter and Jelly day in the United States, the country where the average citizen will have eaten about 1,500 of these sandwiches before they graduate high school.
September 2019
121
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:47 PM Page 122
food & leisure down to earth
Basic Recipes for Gardeners By Ross Traverse
122
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:47 PM Page 123
Gardening is something like cooking. There are basic recipes, but lots of variations. For example, there is a basic recipe for a cake, but look at all the variations. The same is true for gardening activities. If you follow these basic recipes, you are sure to have success. In Newfoundland and Labrador, where we have a cool, short growing season and the natural topsoil is shallow and acidic, these basic recipes may vary for other parts of the country. Soil Preparation for Flowers and Vegetables The recipe is the same for annuals and perennials. Mix organic matter (up to one-third by volume) into the existing, natural topsoil. This can be peat moss, well-rotted manure, compost and/or kelp. Spread a layer of organic matter up to 10 cm thick over the surface of the soil, then dig and mix it in completely. At the same time, agricultural limestone should be mixed in at the rate of 5 kg per 10 m². Also, a general-purpose fertilizer such as 6–12–12 must be mixed with the soil at the rate of 2 kg per 10 m². All weeds, including grass and dandelions, should be removed when the soil is dug up. Avoid soil compaction from foot traffic or heavy equipment. The soil is best worked when it is dry.
Planting and Care of Annuals Set plants after the danger of frost and apply a soluble fertilizer like 20–20–20 at the rate of 15 ml (1 tbsp) in 4 L of water. Apply a 5 cm layer of a peat-bark mulch around the plants to conserve moisture and help keep the weeds down until the plants cover the bed. Fertilize the annual flower plants every two weeks or so with a soluble fertilizer, like 20–8–20 or 20–20–20, mixed at the rate of 15 ml (1 tbsp) in 4 L of water. Remove faded flowers to keep the plants blooming all summer. Containers for planting annuals should have large drainage holes. Plants in containers should be fed every two weeks with a soluble fertilizer the same as is used above for the beds.
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
123
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:47 PM Page 124
Planting and Care of Perennials When preparing the soil, make sure all grass and weeds are removed from the beds. Always plant perennials in groups of three or more to give a good splash of colour. Check out how high the plants will grow before planting. For example, tall plants such as phlox should be at the back of the bed. In order to get good colour all season, you need to plant perennials that bloom in spring, summer and fall. Most perennials do not bloom all season. Only fertilize perennials in the spring and early summer. You can mix in a general-purpose fertilizer like 6–12–12 (2 kg per 10 m²) or use soluble 20–20–20 (15 ml in 4 L of water). Lime should be applied both to new and established perennials either in the fall or early spring at the rate of 5 kg per 10 m². Faded blooms should be removed to prevent some perennials from becoming weeds.
Apply about 8 cm of a bark mulch after planting new perennials.
Seeding a New Lawn A seed mixture of 40% Kentucky bluegrass, 40% creeping red fescue and 20% annual ryegrass is recommended for our climate. When preparing the soil, large stones should be raked from the surface. Before seeding, you need to rake in lime and fertilizer as deeply as possible. Apply lime at the rate of 5 kg per 10 m² and 6–12–12 fertilizer at the rate of 2 kg per 10 m². After the lime and fertilizer is raked in, the seed should be spread evenly at the rate of 2 kg per hundred square metres. It should be lightly raked into the soil. If the soil dries out you should apply water to help the seed germinate. Mow the new grass when it gets about 8 cm high. Always mow the grass high so that you leave about 5 – 8 cm of grass. This will help smother out weeds and keep the lawn in good condition. Apply 15–5–15 fertilizer after the first mowing at the rate of 1.5 kg per 10 m².
Keeping a Lawn Green and Healthy Lime should be applied to the lawn every year at the rate of 5 kg per 10 m². It can be done anytime, but it’s best if you apply it in late fall – then you don’t have to do it in the spring. Fertilize the lawn in the spring, again in midsummer and in September at the rate, each time, of 1.5 kg per 10 m². This rate can be reduced if the grass is growing back fast because of 124
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 1:47 PM Page 125
the weather and soil conditions. As mentioned earlier, you should mow the grass as high as possible and mow often so that only the top third of the grass is removed. At least 5 - 8 cm of green grass should remain after mowing. If the lawn is mowed too close it will weaken the grass, and moss and other weeds will move in. If you need to renovate a lawn you should rake out the moss and remove weeds manually, then reseed following the instructions for seeding a new lawn.
Planting Trees and Shrubs When planting or transplanting a tree or shrub, dig a hole twice or three times as wide as the root ball, but no deeper than is necessary to bury the roots. Loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole to improve drainage; waterlogged soil due to poor drainage is one of the biggest killers of newly transplanted trees and shrubs. Mix one or two handfuls of lime, depending on the size of the plant, with the soil that has been dug from the hole. Organic matter, such as peat or well-rotted compost, should be used sparingly and mixed completely with the soil that has been dug out. Do not use any more than one-third by volume of organic matter. Do not apply any fertilizer until after the tree or shrub has started to produce new growth. A generalwww.downhomelife.com
purpose fertilizer will be beneficial and is applied to the surface of the soil underneath the mulch. The soil should be firmed around the root ball and watered so that the soil is completely saturated. A bark mulch should be applied to prevent grass and other weeds from growing within 60 – 90 cm of the stem. Large trees should be staked so that they do not move in the wind and interfere with new root development. You can use three guy lines secured by wooden or metal stakes in the ground. It is critical to keep the soil moist for the first year while the new roots are getting established. When there is little or no rain, the soil around the root ball should be saturated. Dr. Ross Traverse has been a horticultural consultant to gardeners and farmers for more than 50 years. downtoearth @downhomelife.com September 2019
125
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 2:19 PM Page 126
122_Down_to_Earth2_0609 index.qxd 8/1/19 2:19 PM Page 127
122_Flashbacks_0609 Home Front.qxd 7/31/19 5:19 PM Page 128
reminiscing flashbacks
Picture Day This class photo is of the Grade 8 class of St. Matthew’s School in Humbermouth, NL for 1954-1955. The submitter says this school burned down a number of years ago. Front row (l to r): Sandra Brake, Joyce Batten, Barbara Brake, Maxine Wheeler, Rita Wells, (first name unknown) Frazer, and Joan Bradshaw. 2nd row (l to r): Miss Myrtle Skeffington (teacher), unknown, Velda Mosher, Marilyn Martin, Pearl Daniels, Shirley Brake, Jocelyn Sinnicks, Chesley White and Mr. Eric Parrott (principal). 3rd row (l to r): Jim Martin, Ron Brake, Alex Park, Gordon Anderson, Fred Wall, Carl Frazer and Stanley Brake. Sandra (Brake) Roberts Cambridge, ON
128
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
122_Flashbacks_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 1:48 PM Page 129
Bowring Park 1931
This painting was on the cover of a 1931 calendar the submitter’s son found at a flea market in Surrey, BC, several years ago. You can see Malloy’s Lane running alongside the pond and McNeil’s Lane heading up towards the Sanitorium at the top of the image. The submitter believes the McNeils had a farm and supplied milk to the nearby convent. He also remembers when you could return soda bottles for pennies at the Bowring Park Bungalow. Anyone have old stories about Bowring Park? Turn to page 9 for instructions on sending stories and photos to Downhome. Tom Ryan Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, BC
This Month in History Rev. Dr. Moses Harvey was born in 1820 in Armagh, Northern Ireland, and grew up to become a noted essayist, clergyman and naturalist. According to The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, Rev. Harvey was educated at the Royal Academical Institute, and in 1844 he was ordained by the Presbyterian ministry. Soon after, he and his wife moved to Newfoundland and Labrador, where he became the minister for St. Andrew’s Free Presbyterian Church. In the ensuing decades, he became a well-known figure in the country. He was president of the Athenaeum Society, secretary to the Newfoundland Fisheries Commission, wrote several books and catalogued all manner of beings that lived on the island, including birds and wild flowers. Though he’s probably best remembered for purchasing a giant squid carcass in 1873. Rev. Harvey died at the age of 81 on September 3, 1901, at his house on Devon Row, St. John’s, NL. 1-888-588-6353
September 2019
129
130_Newfoundlandia_0609 Home Front.qxd 7/31/19 5:22 PM Page 130
reminiscing
The Spy Next Door by Chad Bennett
Philip Knowling Jr. was born August 10, 1911, in St. John’s, NL. He grew up on Monkstown Road, played in Bannerman Park and boxed at the Majestic. He grew up a normal Newfoundland lad, before he became a genuine international spy. During the Second World War, our Philip Knowling was a secret agent in the employ of the British secret service. The year was 1942. With the world hanging in the balance, the British secret service was about to try to tip the scales with Operation Mincemeat. Philip and his colleagues had been hidden for weeks in a submarine off the coast of Spain. The air was tense and stale. The initial excitement of action had given way to the slow scrape of waiting. They needed the perfect moment in the perfect spot to deliver a certain something to a busy stretch of coastline without being seen. Just below the surface, the ship’s clock ground its track. A night of thick velvet black was filling the sky; clouds blotting out the stars and a failing breath of wind set the stage. “Gear check!” Commander Foster snapped. It had been routine to make ready every night at sunset. Going through the list of equipment and procedures had become dry and 130
September 2019
robotic, but tonight Philip felt his heart quicken and his mouth go dry. “Knowling,” the commander said, turning to Philip, “is the package ready?” Philip looked to the long black bag tightly sealed at his feet. “Package is ready, Sir.” Let that be the last time I need to say that, please, thought Philip. The black bag at Philip’s feet contained a body. He’d been told it was a tramp who died on the streets of London (Philip knew better than to question it). The secret service had transformed the tramp into one William Martin, a British Royal Marine courier. Every possible record, ID and detail going back as far as time and ability would allow had been created. If the Nazis had the ability to check the dental records of British citizens they would have found a match. William Martin lived 1-888-588-6353
130_Newfoundlandia_0609 Home Front.qxd 7/31/19 5:22 PM Page 131
a perfectly full, average British life – except that he never existed. The corpse and mission critical documents had been left in Philip’s care. Every night the body was removed from the salt water tank used to both preserve and condition it and placed into a sealed body bag. The smell wouldn’t leave Philip’s nose and the shadow of this body in a fish tank had begun to disquiet his dreams. The MI6 commander continued to tick the boxes. “Coast check?” “Clear.” “Horizon check?” “Hold, two surface contacts.” “Identify.” “Civilian fishing boats, Sir.” The commander looked at the captain. “If you’d bet your life on that identification, then we hold position.” The captain looked through the periscope for a long minute. “Hold position, lower periscope. All silent,” ordered the captain. The Royal Navy man had had quite enough of these spooks commandeering his boat. Tonight would be the night. Operation Mincemeat was a go! The submarine broke the surface with just enough clearance to open the hatch. Commander Foster scanned the coast, horizon and sky listening for the slightest sounds. They were about to sneak across enemy lines into fascist Spain, a silent ally of Nazi Germany. “Move.” The seven-person crew had rehearsed every move so often that a small boat was assembled, loaded and launched without a single word. Landing on the beach, all players hit their marks: three to turn the boat, two scouts weapons drawn, and two to deploy “the package.” Commander Foster and Philip removed the waterlogged corpse from the body bag and 1-888-588-6353
laid it out as though it had freshly washed ashore, IDs and personal effects in the proper pockets. An attaché case was chained to the wrist, containing a myriad of documents. Most were benign, except one: a letter to a British officer in Tunisia detailing a secret Allied plan to invade Sardinia and Greece. The body was found the following morning. Authorities in Spain took the bait and turned the body and documents over to their Nazi allies. The Nazis, for their part, took their time to examine every thread exhaustively. In the end, they decided that it was real intelligence and, what’s more, that the British had no way of knowing about the interception. The Nazis took decisive action, moving tank and infantry divisions from Italy to Greece in order to crush the Allied invasion. The Allies did invade in 1943, just not Greece. They invaded Italy and Sicily instead, catching the Nazis off guard. Italy soon surrendered, even if the Nazi forces did not. Operation Mincemeat may have been the most successful campaign of misinformation carried out by the British secret service. It is not known, for sure, if our Philip Knowling participated in this particular operation, as most records are still classified; however, we are told by author F.G. Adams that “he had a most exciting and interesting career.” Perhaps one day we will find out just what our secret agent did – a tantalizing thought. This is a reimagining based on real events. Source: St. John’s: The Last 100 Years by F.G. Adams, and sources detailing Operation Mincemeat. September 2019
131
132_DriftingBack2_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 1:49 PM Page 132
reminiscing Downhome Memories
Back in the day, before technology and communication destroyed the simplicity of outport Newfoundland and Labrador, the local store was the pulse of the community. Besides supplying almost everything required to sustain outport living, it was a gathering place where news was shared, rumours were spread and escalated, lies were started and jokes were told. My uncle had such a place in Seal Cove, White Bay.
132
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
132_DriftingBack2_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 1:50 PM Page 133
I remember the smell of the apple barrels, the wooden boxes of grapes packed in sawdust and the big, round bulk cheese. I witnessed on many occasions, several old geezers plucking a grape from the open box of fruit as they passed it, as if they had the right to sample them before they were sold – though they did it when the storekeeper’s head was turned. One elderly chap, not very “fleet of
foot” and with failing eyesight, fell down the stairs to the basement as he attempted to sneak a sliver of cheese. My uncle was well aware of these “free samplings,” but chose not to confront the culprits. He chalked it up to occupational annoyances. I recall one unusually hot and dry summer, when my uncle joined forces with the school principal in pulling a prank on one of the afore-
Above: Gary Rideout and Fred Rideout, 7 and 9 years old, respectively. 1-888-588-6353
September 2019
133
132_DriftingBack2_0609 Home Front.qxd 7/31/19 5:25 PM Page 134
In this undated photo, students parade past the author’s childhood home and the theatre behind it. mentioned samplers. In the 1950s, the teacher was a revered figure in the commu-nity. This, along with the fact that the old guy they were tricking couldn’t read or write, greatly increased the likelihood of successfully pulling off the prank. The two tricksters fabricated a letter and placed it in an official looking envelope with the pretense that it came from the government of the day. The schoolteacher opened the letter and read it aloud in the shop as 134
September 2019
the old fellow cut his plug of beaver tobacco in preparation for smoking his pipe. The letter stated that there were to be no open fires, no lighting matches etc. until further notice. The old chap put his pipe and matches away and chewed his tobacco instead of smoking it. He did that for weeks, until he finally found out he’d been duped. My uncle also had the movie theatre in the cove and showed movies every Saturday night. I remember 1-888-588-6353
132_DriftingBack2_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 1:51 PM Page 135
“I remember some of the older gentlemen perched on the back of the seat at the rear, so as not to miss any of the action. Most of the movies were westerns with the same theme: the smart feller versus the crooks. The guys in the back, having had little exposure to the outside world, thought the movies were the real deal.”
some of the older gentlemen perched on the back of the seat at the rear, so as not to miss any of the action. Most of the movies were westerns with the same theme: the smart feller versus the crooks. The guys in the back, having had little exposure to the outside world, thought the movies were the real deal. When the scenes resulted in fisticuffs, they would shout out “Give it to the SOB!” or “Kill the SOB!” The movie theatre was right next to the house I grew up in, so as a boy, I galloped home many a night after the conclusion of a good western. The theatre was also where my 1-888-588-6353
older brother and his friends would get together for their weekly band practice. At one of these practices, a rat made the mistake of scampering across the floor. After being cornered with no means of escape, he ran up my brother’s pants leg. He quickly stopped the rat about six inches from the place that makes boys different from girls. I raced next door to get my father, who quickly dispatched of the rat, much to my brother’s relief. True stories like these recalled here were plucked from a reservoir of memories that 70 years of outport living had no problem keeping full. September 2019
135
138_BVB_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 3:31 PM Page 136
reminiscing
between the boulevard and the bay
Legendary Wilf Doyle By Ron Young
He made his first public appearance when he was only nine, at what they called a “kitchen racket” or house party.
136
September 2019
In looking over Wendy Rose’s article on the new Holyrood Museum (page 104), I saw a photo of a room dedicated to the music of Wilf Doyle. It brought me back to this column of April 2003, when I interviewed Wilf at his home in Conception Harbour.
Wilf Doyle was a star when I was growing up in Newfoundland and Labrador. All of us kids aspired to be as good as Wilf Doyle, even those of us who couldn’t carry a tune. I think the sales of accordions even saw a boost in this province back then. What we didn’t know at the time (and I don’t even think Wilf knew it) was that he was making history. As a boy, Wilfred Joseph Doyle would hang around outside halls and listen to musicians perform. He made his first public appearance when he was only nine, at what they called a “kitchen racket” or house party. But many of the tunes he would later record, he learned from women “diddling.” Also known as chin music or mouth music, diddling is just a form of singing notes without putting the words to the music. “There was an old lady who lived next door, who would come out to the wood horse to pick up chips in her apron, and when she’d take a spell she’d diddle a tune, like, ‘To me dum diddle, diddle, to me diddle, diddle, dum.’ She wouldn’t know the names of any of the tunes she diddled any more than the man in the moon,” Wilf told Lila and me when we visited him and his wife, Geraldine. Like many Newfoundlanders, Wilf learned to play on the province’s most popular instrument at the time, the mouth organ (harmonica), and it wasn’t long before Wilf learned to play the accordion, too. His first big break came in 1944. Bands and entertainers, such as Mickey and Derm Duggan and Biddy O’Toole from St. John’s, 1-888-588-6353
138_BVB_0609 Home Front.qxd 8/1/19 3:31 PM Page 137
would play at the annual garden party in Conception Harbour back then. In the summer of 1944, they couldn’t make it so Father O’Brien, the parish priest, approached Wilf about putting a band together. Father O’Brien had a set of drums he could play and they picked up a guitar player. The new trio’s performance was a huge success, in spite of the fact that Wilf’s old accordion squeaked. In 1949, Wilf married Christine Barron from Holyrood, a fine musician in her own right. Together the couple did fairly well playing in all the parishes from Holyrood to North River, but Wilf understood the power of advertising and wanted to reach other venues. “I was listening to an ad on the radio for Good Luck butter, and they said if you can keep that name in front of the people long enough they will buy it, so I decided I needed some advertising. I said, if Good Luck can make a go of that, so can I,” Wilf told us. “The Wilf Doyle Show” became his new band name and brand name. He put together a 15-minute show on his old tape recorder that started with a theme song, “The Wilf Doyle Show,” written by Wilf and sung by Chris. He approached VOCM owner Joe Butler about playing his 15-minute shows on the radio. Joe agreed to play them, without any payment, once a week. These taped shows became so popular that fan letters from listeners started arriving at VOCM, which opened a new door for Wilf. “Joe Butler told me that if I could do a halfhour live show, he could get the sponsors,” Wilf said. The live “Wilf Doyle Show” was soon heard on VOCM 1-888-588-6353
every weekday morning, and Wilf and Chris were getting paid $100 a week – a good paycheque at the time. But there was more to come. Sagebrush Sam had a contract with Rodeo Records to put out a 45 rpm record and asked Wilf and Chris to back him on it. When George Taylor of Rodeo Records heard the master, he made a request to meet with Wilf and discuss this “new” Newfoundland music he hadn’t heard before. George came to Newfoundland, met Wilf and offered him a recording contract for an album. Jigs and Reels of Newfoundland was a hit and was followed by 15 more albums. “The Wilf Doyle Show” was also on the road all this time, playing in venues around the province. The couple’s children, Brenda and Wilf Jr., often played with them on tour and the road show continued until, sadly, Chris passed away from cancer in January 1980. Wilf remarried in 1982 to Geraldine Hawco, and they had a daughter, Cheryl-Ann. Wilf put a lot into his music and got a lot out of it, including two East Coast Music Awards. He is one of the people who paved the way for others to take our music to greater levels and give it more worldly exposure. He earned himself a place in the colourful history of this province, of which music is very much a part. Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com
September 2019
137
DH_subAdDPS-3_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/2/18 3:13 PM Page 138
OVER $25s in saving ! by joining
Now more than ever a Downhome membership is a great value. Not only do you save over $25 off the cover price, you receive: 1 Year (12 issues) OF DOWNHOME
Free WALL CALENDAR Free EXPLORE TRAVEL GUIDE 2 Issues INSIDE LABRADOR †
††
*
}
All for just
$39*
12 issues for $39* or 36 issues for $99**
Save up to $104** – 51% when you sign up for 3 years! Delivered with December’s issue. ††Delivered with June’s issue. Canadian mailing only. *Delivered February and August issues. **$104 off cover price.
†
Tony McGrath photo
DH_subAdDPS-3_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/2/18 3:13 PM Page 139
Sign me up for a Downhome membership for just $39.00* Name:____________________________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________________ City:__________________________________________ Prov/State: ____ Country: _______________ Postal Code: ____________________
Phone: (
) _________________________________
E-mail: __________________________________________________________________________ ❏ Cheque Enclosed*
❏ Credit Card
❏ Invoice Me
❏ I would like to send a membership as a gift.
❏ Moving? Update address below.
Please send Downhome magazine to who I have listed below.
Card#:_______________________________________________________ Expires: ______ /______ Name:____________________________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________________ City:______________________________________ Prov/State:_________ Country: _______________ Postal Code: ____________________
Phone: (
) _________________________________
SIGN GIFT CARD FROM: _______________________________________
* Valid in Canada on a 1-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00. ** Valid in Canada on a 3-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $99; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $103.95; ON $111.87; NB, NS, PE $113.85. US and International mailing price for a 3-year term is $140.00.
Send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or call 1-888-588-6353
ORDER ONLINE TODAY!
visit www.downhomelife.com/membership
1909b mail order_Mail order.qxd 7/31/19 6:27 PM Page 140
GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
The Secret of the Ring Patrick Collins #77806 | $18.95
NL Map w/Home Mug #77163 | $10.99
Will Your Anchor Hold? A fisherman’s Tale Kenneth Ball #77807 | $18.95
Newfoundland Moose Facts Mug Green, blue, orange or burgundy
#58692 | $10.99
Inquiries: Poems - Michelle Porter #7772 | $19.95
Newfoundland & Labrador Mug #75030 | $9.99
Sale!
Fog Globe #72874
Regular price: $29.99
Now $19.99
Buffalo Plaid Ladies Zip Up Jacket (S-XXL) #77700 | $64.99
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR SEPTEMBER 2019
• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last
Three Berries T-shirt (S-XXL)
#45863 | $24.99
1909b mail order_Mail order.qxd 7/31/19 6:29 PM Page 141
FOR MORE SELECTION VISIT: www.shopdownhome.com
Plush Mako Shark - 18" #77687 | $19.99
Corky 11” Pillow #77770 | $24.99
Canned Plush Puffin - 6.5" #77410 | $15.99
Newfoundland / Canada Cap #76905 | $19.99
Newfoundland Chocolate Bars - 42g
Blueberry #50684 | Coffee Hazelnut #75356 | Dark Orange #75359 | Dark Wildberry #50687 Fruit and Nut #75358 | Hazelnut #50688 | Dark - Low Sugar #47303 | Dark Mint #50686
$5.99 each
Spice Packages
Taste of 'Ome 65g #77378 Steak & Burger 100g #77377 Newfoundland Cod 65g #77379 Duck 70g #77374
$7.99 each
Republic Est 1949 Licence Plate #49329 | $9.99
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
2020 Calendar Newfoundland & Labrador - 11”x8.5” Michael Winsor Fine Art #77730 | $19.99
1909b mail order_Mail order.qxd 7/31/19 6:28 PM Page 142
GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Salt & Pepper Caps Infant Pink #49655 | $17.99 Infant Grey #28067 | $17.99 Medium #23904 | $26.99 Large #23903 | $26.99
Ornaments - Bobbi Pike w/Storage Bag Fortified #52924 | Last Call on George #53226 Samantha 53230 | Party on Prescott #61203
$16.00 each
Coasters - Bobbi Pike - 4”x4” each Bird Island Roots #73124 Finish Line #53683
$9.49 each
Wooden sign What Happens at the Cabin - 3' x 6" #74724 | $2.99
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR SEPTEMBER 2019
• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last
Moose -Tea Towel #44809 | $7.99
Item #
Description
Central and Western Canada. 2-3 weeks USA. Guidelines set by Canada Post.
Delivery Time 3-5 days NL, NS & NB. 7-10 days
isfied, please let us know. We will exchange any item in resaleable condition. Sorry, no returns on earrings, books, CDs or DVDs. If you do not receive your order or it is damaged upon delivery, please let us know within 3 business days. Overnight delivery available: please call for details. Product prices and shipping costs may be subject to change without notice.
Service Guarantee If you are not completely sat-
Qty.
Colour
TOTAL
*
Tax (your provincial sales tax )
USA add 15% (+ Shipping)
Shipping & Handling
SUB TOTAL
Size
$17.00
Price
*
NL, NS, PE, NB 15%; ON, 13%; BC, AB, NT, YK, NU, SK, QC, MB, 5%
Please make cheques payable to Downhome Incorporated and send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 • Fax: 709-726-2135 mailorder@downhomelife.com • www.shopDownhome.com
*
Card #: ___________________________________ Expiry Date: _____ /_____
Payment Info : ❒ Visa ❒ Amex ❒ MasterCard ❒ Cheque/Money Order
Gift Card to read: _________________________________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send Gift to:_____________________________________________________
Gift Service Information
Telephone: _____________________ E-mail: __________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send to: _______________________________________________________
Please complete your order form carefully. Please send this form along with payment to the address at bottom, or fax to 709-726-2135.
Shop online for more selection Visit: shopdownhome.com
1909b mail order_Mail order.qxd 7/31/19 6:28 PM Page 143
1909Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 8/1/19 3:37 PM Page 144
OCEAN FRONT EASTERN NEWFOUNDLAND
LOG HOME
Brigus Junction Only 35 min. from St. John’s.
56 acres of wooded ocean front land on Smith Sound, Trinity Bay. Priced at CAD $800,000
Contact Paul Quigley
709-747-2797 pquigley@penav.nf.net
Over 4000 sq. ft.
Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, two car garage, heat pump, electric heat and a Pacific Energy woodstove, artesian well, developed basement all on a serviced roadway.
$485,000
FOR SALE Skipper Shea’s Lounge with House FLEUR DE LYS, NL
6000 Sq. Ft.Turnkey including: cold room, ice maker, glass washer, pool table & more! Propane Fireplace, Oil/Electric Heat. House includes: 2 BR, 3 Bath, Propane Fireplaces, Solarium, Jenn Air BBQ, Sauna & Hot Tub $449,000
Call Dean 709.689.4228
Contact ShirleyRShea@yahoo.ca • 709-253-2121
Waterfront Property
One story ranch/colonial style home. Beautiful view of Halls Bay. 3 bdrm, living rm, kitchen/dinette, family room, 4 pc. bath, garage/workshop, basement, large verandah, patio, beautifully landscaped. 2700 sq. ft. total. Exceeds R2000, Electric heat , propane fireplace, water softener, HRV w/HEPA filter, hardwood flooring, new built in appliances, plus more. Information package can be provided. $375,000 BAYVIEW ROAD • SPRINGDALE Pat or Carl: 709-673-2000 or cgillard@nf.sympatico.ca
October 2019 Downhome Ad Booking Deadline August 23, 2019 144
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 8/1/19 3:38 PM Page 145
Announcements
FOR SALE
GLENBURNIE • BONNE BAY
House & Land, Furnished, 6 Room Bungalow, $67,000 For further info contact:
709-634-7492
CODROY VALLEY LAND FOR SALE Woody Point Bonne Bay
Bungalow with beautiful view of mountains & river. 3 Bed • Full Basement 2 Sheds • 11.5 Acres
$179,000
Call 709-422-4590
Beautiful view of the bay & Gros Morne Mountain • Water & Sewage Hook up • Sold as is
Contact 416-948-8191
FOR SALE
Near Howley West Coast
1700 Sq. Ft. Home & 2200 Sq. Ft. Garage on 1 Acre, 2 Bed, 1.5 Bath, Electric & Wood
lorna-pike@hotmail.com Or 1-587-435-0587
(709) 726-5113 1-888-588-6353
advertising@downhomelife.com
Discount Storage St. John's, NL
8x20 unheated storage units. 709-726-6800 www.downhomelife.com
For Sale House/Cottage Old Mill Road Goobies 3 bdrm 1.5 bath. Fully developed basement. Shed on property. Electric heat with propane fireplace. Artesian well. $174,000
709-427-6906
King, Roy Scott After a lengthy illness, Roy died at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital on Wednesday July 10th, 2019. Roy King, of Picton, born and raised in Victoria Cove, Gander Bay, NL, at the age of 81. Beloved husband for fifty-two years of Dorothy (nee Dunlop). Loved father of Angela of Red Deer, AB and Sheri of Toronto. Dear brother of Archie (and the late Joyce), Margie (Laurence), Roxanne (Jim), Gloria (Wayne), Mark (Wanda), Enid, Lorne (Carol) and brother-in-law of Kate (and the late Bob), Tom (and the late Joyce), Patsy (and the late Norman), Ann, Warren, John, Marjorie and Beverly (and the late Calvin). Remembered fondly by his many nieces, nephews and their families. Enlisted in the army at 19 in St. John’s NL, he was based in Camp Picton for 3 years. After brief employment in Ottawa, he returned to PEC and was employed for several years at Proctor where he met Dorothy. Roy subsequently gained employment with the Federal Government from which he retired after a 30 year career. Among his varied interests, Roy enjoyed gardening and spending time in nature and was an avid photographer capturing PEC and Canada’s beauty through his lens. His interest in photography eventually grew to include portraits and weddings. A lover of music, Rzzoy played guitar and for several years was a member of the family band The Dunlop Orchestra. Cremation has taken place and a celebration of Roy’s life will be announced at a later date. If you wish to remember Roy, please consider making a donation to our hospital through the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation www.pecmhf.ca. Arrangements entrusted to the Whattam Funeral Home, 33 Main Street, Picton.
September 2019
145
1909Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 7/31/19 5:43 PM Page 146
Movers & Shippers FIVE STAR SERVICE Without The Five Star Price! ★ Local & Long Distance Moves ★ Packing
Voted CBS Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
A Family Moving Families Professionally and economically
★ Door-to-Door Service Across Canada ★ Replacement Protection Available ★ NL Owned & Operated
MOVING INC. 709-834-0070 866-834-0070 fivestarmoving@outlook.com www.fivestarmoving.ca
Over 25 Years Experience in the Moving Industry
Clarenville Movers Local & Long Distance Service Your Newfoundland & Alberta Connection Over 30 years Experience Toll Free: 1-855-545-2582 Tel: Cell:
709-545-2582 709-884-9880
clarenvillemover@eastlink.ca www.clarenvillemovers.com
Moving you from Ontario and Newfoundland... or any STOP along the way!
DOWNEAST CONNECTION 709-248-4089 905-965-4813
Hawke’s Bay, NL (collect calls accepted) downeastconnection@yahoo.ca
A&K Moving Covering all Eastern & Western Provinces and Returning Based from Toronto, Ontario Discount Prices Out of NL, NS & NB Newfoundland Owned & Operated 35 Years in the Moving Industry
Andy: 416-247-0639 Out West: 403-471-5313
aandkmoving@gmail.com
Coast to Coast in Canada Fully Insured
Newfoundland Owned & Operated
Contact: Gary or Sharon King
Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com
SAMSON’S MOVING Let our Family Move Your Family Home
Newfoundland, Ontario, Alberta and All Points In Between Newfoundland Owned & Operated Fully Insured, Free Estimates Sales Reps. in Ontario and Alberta
Call Jim or Carolyn - Peterview, NL 709-257-4223 709-486-2249 - Cell samsonsmovers@yahoo.ca www.samsonsmovers.ca
Movers & Shippers Rates start at $175 for a 1 col. x 2" ad.
Call Today! 709-726-5113 Toll Free 1-888-588-6353 Email advertising@downhomelife.com
October 2019 Downhome Ad Booking Deadline August 23, 2019 146
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 7/31/19 5:43 PM Page 147
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 148
puzzles
The Beaten Path
Stephen Colbourne photo
By Ron Young
Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over will spell out the name of the above place name in letters that get smaller in size.
J L R
M
M
K
E
S
H
T p S T
n
H V U x Q J L M R K
E
m
S
T
m
A
S
M
A
M
V
S
K
Q
m
J S I A H H
T
n
S
H H
Q
M
K
x
R
U
L
p T
K L
A
V S
Q
n
U
x
S
S
E
H K
p
K
m
A
V
O
H
M
M
Q
S
S
T
T
J
Last Month’s Community: Roddickton 148
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 149
Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Skill level: Medium Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Visit DownhomeLife.com/puzzles for step-by-step logic for solving this puzzle
www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
149
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 150
Downhomer Detective Needs You After more than two decades on the Urban City Police Force, Downhomer Detective has come home to rid Newfoundland and Labrador of a new threat – cunning thief Ragged Rick. A real braggart, the slimy criminal sends DD a blurry photo of his surroundings plus clues to his whereabouts just to prove he’s always a step ahead. DD needs your help to identify where in Newfoundland and Labrador Ragged Rick is hiding out this month.
Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • Settled centuries ago in Motion Bay • Site of NL’s first hydroelectric station • Hollywood movie Orca (1977) was filmed here • Home of Canada’s longest zipline • Alan Doyle grew up here
Last Month’s Answer: Placentia
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Come by Chance 150
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 151
In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: In the place where one finds billowing fumes, one finds combustion In Other Words: Where there’s smoke there’s fire This Month’s Clue: Fibber perjurer trousers aflame In Other Words: _____ _____ _____ ___ _____ .
A Way With Words MODRIVEVIE
Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young
Last Month’s Answer: Drive In Movie
1. To sign the agreement is to ____ the ____ 2. A shaken chef is a _____ ____
This Month’s Clue
LIVING THE EDGE
3. A cruise vacation is a ____ ____
ANS: ______ __ ___ _____
1. smart art, 2 walk and talk, 3. take a snake
Scrambled Sayings
Last Month’s Answers
by Ron Young
Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.
E S M A N F E H E P M F I T O I O H T H I S R O Y T S S T O U T T O T R
E M S U
E L D F T C E E A A E P L T E U T H I O F P O R O O W H R S H T P V T O Y U W
E E E I
N R R S
Last month’s answer: There are two great days in a person's life, the day we are born and the day we discover why. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
151
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 152
Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. fit 2. cruel 3. spotless 4. lime 5. witnessed
______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
Last Month’s Answers: 1. pose, 2. crows, 3. close, 4. suppose, 5. grows
Tangled Towns by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young
Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression. For best results sound the clue words out loud!
Caw Tin Eight Rap ______ __ _ ____ Easel Higher ___ _ ____ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Nor Whom Ford Out Answer: No room for doubt Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Thick Hull Foam Heck Sicko Answer: The Gulf of Mexico
A
nalogical
A
Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.
1. YREG VERIR 2. NISOCRAF 3. AMERA 4. ROBGUE 5. STEPITE Last Month’s Answers: 1. Rose Blanche, 2. Fox Roost, 3. Margaree , 4. Grand Bruit, 5. Mouse Island
nagrams
Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. ACNE LID HER – Clue: really lights up a room 2. SILVER QUIT NOT – Clue: talks to the hand 3. TONE SHY – Clue: not a word of a lie 4. BOAT DUO RUN – Clue: got you going in circles 5. DIN WOW – Clue: always framed for something Last Month’s Answers: 1. bread, 2. spirits, 3. invitation, 4. chauffeur, 5. blushing 152
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 153
Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s By Ron Young
Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction.
1-5: addiction 1-10: routinely 1-21: sew 1-91: shed blood 3-5: piece 3-23: large 3-43: racist 5-35: secured 6-96: eventually 7-10: confederate 7-27: fuss 9-39: forfeited 12-16: keep watch 12-32: big tub 14-11: impart 17-57: ring-shaped sweet 20-17: cargo 21-26: lodestone 24-26: profit 24-64: mean 26-29: playthings 32-35: amphibian 32-62: youth 35-37: noise 39-69: throw 44-14: serenaded 44-64: pigpen 45-85: out front 46-41: overcome 46-43: sail pole 48-8: regal 48-46: toddy 48-78: study 50-46: meeting place 51-54: relaxation 54-57: the one 55-59: despises 59-57: place 61-81: witch 64-62: yearning www.downhomelife.com
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
64-66: however 64-94: shout 66-46: beret 66-70: salute 73-43: for fear that 73-93: lick 77-57: pan’s pard 77-75: pod product 78-98: payable 79-59: donkey 80-78: depressed 81-84: aim 86-89: oaf 91-96: hire 91-100: work 92-62: Luna 93-43: lightest 97-77: swab
93-96: tactic 100-10: with class Last Month’s Answer
A B B R T AME T L E A E L A S M I NO P A I N TMP A I I A B NNN L GE N E
E V I U E S DNO I D E R E D A B I GE S EGA AME RO S
A A B A O S E N T I
T E E L L E RM N E ON OT GA AR T Y
September 2019
153
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 154
The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1
2
3
by Ron Young 4
5 6
7
8
9
10
11
12
18
21
13
14
15
19
16
17
29
30
20
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
31
32
33
37
38
41
34
35
36 39
42
44
45
40 43
46
47
154
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 155
ACROSS 1. covered vase 4. born 5. driver’s licence (for short) 6. Toronto Stock Exchange (abbrev) 7. tint 9. crustaceans 14. flat-bottomed boat 18. each (abbrev) 19. we 20. period 21. wound 23. person who beheads codfish 25. ugly harbour scavenger fish 26. Edgar Allen 27. lid 28. meadow 29. New Jersey (abbrev) 31. one, in St. Pierre 32. ______ boughs – red, dead boughs (colloq) 36. therefore 37. physician’s title 38. popular evergreen 39. __ John’s 40. Auditor General (abbrev) 41. Thomas ____ and the Red Albino 42. ____ Head, NL 43. fast dance (colloq) 44. sat (colloq) 46. landwash 47. as low as it gets DOWN 1. division 2. “___ ___ at night, a sailor’s delight” (2 words) 3. compass direction 7. pickle flavour 8. recede (as in tide) 10. swoil 11. plastic sheet 12. destroy www.downhomelife.com
13. steamship (abbrev) 14. “Na na na na, good ___” 15. do over 16. “O, Lukey’s boat is painted ____, aha, me b’ys” 17. auricle 21. read 22. hockey trophy 23. “He would go to mass every Sunday if ___ water was whiskey” 24. “April Fools is gone _____ and you’re the biggest fool at last” 25. seal’s rear flipper (colloq) 30. “I can handle a _____ and I cuts a fine figure” 32. Corner _____, NL 33. Automatic Frequency Control (abbrev) 34. British title 35. German brown 37. Compact ____ 40. “Frost fills the ___ and the cold north winds roar” 43. work 45. tuberculosis (abbrev) 46. St. Mary’s (abbrev) N I N E T Y K N O T S A N H O U R
H S I U N ANSWERS TO LAST C MONTH’S H E CROSSWORD A J V A E C K I N T H E F I T S K E A E D I T E A F F E T Y A N M A T I L L A D M I R A L E R O S O L A S S S A W E L L R A N T O T T E N Y E S I E S E A S I S H E R R A R S E N Y C A AW S EWA G E F E E T September 2019
155
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 156
DIAL-A-SMILE © 2019 Ron Young
Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face. ___ 468 __ 69
_ 2 ___ 653
___ 639
_____ 74663
__ _ 66 3
_____ 86329
______ 324533
________ 79466464
’
___ 843
____ 8378
Last Month’s Answer: If we shouldn’t eat at night, why is there a light in the fridge?
©2019 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE b
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =S Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ wL
_ w
_ _ _ _ _ _ i Q Qb w
_ _ _ _ n i xQ
n
_ _
_ _ _ _ _ _’S _ _ Rl b n b w Q7 _ _ _ _ _, _ _ _ _’S _ _ _ l Q b i n n l b n b b \\ _ _ _ S _ _ _ _ S S
nX
n
n lQ
_ w
b x Z ZQ b b _ _ _ _
n Q Qp
Last Month’s Answer: If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. 156
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 157
Food For Thought
© 2019 Ron Young
Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”
concealed =
movie =
_ _ _
}fd
_ _ _ _
vfmK
squander =
pram =
student =
y b wI i
_ _ _ _ _ _
v b Kfme _ _
vwf i]dw}f c w _ _ _
_ _
av
I} i
b wwf b o i _ _ _ _ _ _ _
wV}am b w
cupboard =
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
V
_
c b]Iw e
_ _ _
b ]d _ _ _
b wi
_ _ _
I ya
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ow i b I i wI
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
vb
_ _ _ _ _
_ _
mfI b Iaww av
Vf
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
} b c c f]i ww Last Month’s Answer: Life is about making your own happiness - and living by your own rules. www.downhomelife.com
September 2019
157
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 158
Different Strokes
Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.
ERN AND COAL BIN AT SANDBANKS PROVINCIAL PARK, BURGEO
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Bottle; 2. Cap; 3. Guitar; 4. Sleeve; 5. Accordion player; 6. Ugly stick; 7. Tray; 8. Coal Bin; 9. Dart board; 10. Jacket; 11. Wood stove; 12. Hair “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.
158
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 7/31/19 5:42 PM Page 159
HIDE & SEEK NL ATHLETES
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line. ADAM BAIKIE BAZELEY BYRNE CLEARY CLOWE CUTLER DAVIS DRUKEN FEWER GILLINGHAM GUSHUE HAYLEY HAWKINS HICKEY JACQUE KING KORAB LUNDRIGAN
E J E W H C U R O B D P G M N Z P Q
I I G V U U L E S J R K W U R M B F
L W K T G S D W U C U A T T S G H M
N S L I L N F E T A K P X A N H B K
K E B A A J B F B Z E H H P V J U L
RYAN RYDER SLANEY SNOW TAPPER
NICHOLS NORRIS OSMOND PARDY PURCELL ROXON
Last Month’s Answers
R I N J S B N U D A N B K P K W E E
W E T I R A Z E H G R L G E R C U M
www.downhomelife.com
Y I V O Y F V R I F U O H R L S Q R
Q A X R U Y L L J A A O K S O A C X
D O Y X E L L U F C F D L D D X A A
N M B K N I Q A F L O O A B Z E J Q
T N C A N U N P Z B H Y C M N D X R
Y R R U B Y J Y P C O L B O U R N E
M I E G Z E M I Z C V N N C L O W E
U R S M T L C S D V J L S D D B C O
N P R T A B A L L M G P K E T H I W
H C H T J E Z Z I D I R O F S Z N A
K S E A Q S A C D X Q G V O U C A U
Z R S U B N S C K P P O Z B C A W R
I A L C W N L N P X K B U V R K C U
P W V E O F B I K W B R B Z O H C T
Y U M D L D R U E A O S B G D W B J
M T U X R W L E Q P C H J R Y Q I K
O J C V O K Y O B Z I O O D U D I G
D A C S U I C M S F R R D M M R Q W
S J N W W R L F Y E A F H W D G Z R
M N C N V Z N U K I Z G R P O Y Y Q
N I L E H C I M T N L C P E B Z H M
K I D V N E E Z C E H U O O E L T K
G I L L A R D S N S A P A C T F X W
L N I N P W Q E S T S A E Y R O J H
E U R K Z K C Y R A E L C N R Z I V
X T E A F E A R V K A D W H C P Q X
Y F I L K H P I Q N G C G T A A V H
D S I R W R R R M T U L Z S K I N G
K D Q L X D W U J G A O A M R S J P
P I K E S M J Q R G S Z W T U D C V
D W G N O L U B Y N D U M B T J G D
I N M L I M P S O S F V I E B F M J
F M S C G J R R E J T S P Q E G M X
A F A K W N P Y D R A P F F Y Z A F
E L F C J B E E P O T T L E N Y H E
K Z O M V D E M U S N D Z P N D U C
N V N D N O M S O F U Y F P Z R T R
L G P W N E A E D P E G T R E O G W
C L X U E Z G H Y W G J W A T M Y W
X I H A W K I N S X U E B G A U N E
September 2019
J E A N R R C T O H G L H T T V T A
P M B P H C S R F N F D X T M B B S
H A Y L E Y W B S M E U O W T N H E 159
1907photo Finish_0609 Photo Finish 8/1/19 9:09 AM Page 160
photo finish
Early Bird Gets the Shot
This was the scene at Clark’s Head, Gander Bay, NL, early one morning as the submitter was on his way to catch the Fogo Island ferry. Robert Carter Chamberlains, CBS, NL
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share? Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 160
September 2019
1-888-588-6353
1909-Cover-NL_0609-Cover-NFLD 8/2/19 9:01 AM Page 3
1909-Cover-NL_0609-Cover-NFLD 8/2/19 9:01 AM Page 4
