0 - Digital Archives Initiative - Memorial University of Newfoundland

4 - DECKS AWASH 

SPECIAL PROJECTS - WORK ORIENTATION PROGRAMS 

HELPING PEOPLE IN CHOOSING AND FINDING JOBS 

Canada Employment and the Division of Adult and Continuing Education 

together, ofter a variety of work orientation programs 

designed to help unemployed adults to become employed. 

The target groups include re-entry women, youth, sole-support 

mothers, and other unemployed adults. Whatever the background 

of the individual is, the courses have one thing in common - they 

are all geared to help people find their job in a competitive work 

force. 

The sessions,offered full-time in a workshop setting,focus on topics 

such as: 

1. The interests, skills, etc., of the individual and relating these 

to careers. 

2. The mechanics of a well-planned job search, including resume 

writing and interview practice . 

3. Development of the self-confidence that impresses prospective 

employers, and raises positive feelings about oneself. 

More information can be obtained from Employment Centers, or 

at the 51. John's course site at 754-2770.

history 

St. Lawrence 

n her book, NOles toward a history of St. Lawrence 

I Ena Farrell Edwards states, "St. Lawrence is popularly 

believed to have been named by a group of shipwrecked 

sailors from Sir Humphrey Gilbert's ship, the 

Deljght. which went down off Sable Island in 1583."The 

ship's master, Richard Clarke. left an account of their 

arrival at a place which they named St. Lawrence, which 

is believed to have beentoday 's Little St. Lawrence. Mrs . 

Edwards points out that Clarke is said to have returned 

to Newfoundland in later years , and there has been a family 

of Clarkes in Little 51. Lawrence for a number of 

generations. 

That is not , however, the only theory. Mrs . Edwards 

also mentions that an essay by H.W.LeMessurier in 1910 

disputes this theory , claiming that 51. Lawrence was 

probably named by a Jerseyman who kept a room at the 

harbor. The community may also have been named by 

the Frenchas various earl)' French maps show 51. Laurent. 

It is also possible that the C. Lorenzo on the 1559-61 

map ot "Terra Nova" by Varrese at the Vatican in Rome 

is St. Lawrence. John Dee's map of 1578-80 also shows 

S. Laurens. 

It is clear, however, that there were people living at 

St. Lawrence as early as 1793 for the Reverend Evans 

reports that year was a bad one for the inshore fishery, 

mentioning that fishermen at 51. Lawrence caught only 

60 quintals each. St. Lawrence is also mentioned by 

Governor Gower in 1807who reported there were "considerable" 

merchants and planters settled and carrying 

on a fishery at Great St. Lawrence. 

A report dated 1824notes a school at 51.Lawrence dating 

from 1817. There were 30 pupils in the charge or wtl 

Ham Tuck whose salary was 15 pounds sterling annually. 

The census of 1836, however, makes no mention of 

a school in the community. At that time there were 263 

residents in 25 houses . The census reports there were 

23 Protestant Episcopalians, 31 Protestant Dissenters 

and 178 Roman Catholics in the community. 

By 1845 the population had jumped to 396. There were 

120 flshennen and T1boats operating out of St. Lawrence. 

Roman Catholics dominated the Church of England by 

R.C. Church & Presbytery, 1948. (Photo courtesy Ena Fat· 

relt Edwards) 

OECKS AWASH - 5 

Some of the SUrvIvors - U.S. Sailors at graveside of leltow 

shipmates. (Photo courtesy Ena Farrell Edwards) 

325to 71. And there was once again a school in the commtmity 

with 65 pupils in attendance. 

Church records show that Father Cullan established 

the Roman Catholic parish of St. Thomas Aquinas at St. 

Lawrence in 1849 which, by 1857 had 390 parishioners. 

There were also 110 Church of England members and 

one Wesleyan. By this time 51. Matthew's Church of England 

church had been built by Rev. John Cyrus A. 

Gatherole who had served the people of 51. Lawrence 

from the mission at Burin as early as 1847. The school 

now had 116students registered. The 132 fishermen now 

were involved in the seal fishery as well as the cod fishery 

as there were three sealing vessels with 12 crew 

members between them. There were 100boats involved 

in the cod fishery and 7630 quintals of cod were cured 

the previous year. There also were three merchants and 

traders listed. 

The first business establishment, however, was begun 

in 1860 by Celestine and Gregory Giovannini who immigrated 

from Lucca, Italy. Their store sold dry goods, 

food stuffs, and fishing gear which arrived by coastal 

boat from Prince Edward Island. They brought fish from 

local fishermen in return for goods. 

In 1871 Sacred Heart Convent was opened by the Sisters 

of Mercy. They opened their first school that same 

year in a fishing shed with 95 pupils. 

By 1898 there was a whaling factory at Little 51. 

Lawrence. It was owned by an American firm and ron 

by Captain Lemarkwell, The factory employed 50-60men 

and had two vessels, each with a crew of 10 Norwegians. 

The factory workers received 17t.2t per hour. 

In the 189()s.,1bomas FarreU arrived in 51. Lawrence 

\\ith twobanking schooners: The"Ronald H and the Klondike 

. Each had a crew of 20 with 10 dories. 

Cod traps and decked sailing skiffs were introduced 

in St. Lawrence around 1900and trawl lines soon Iollowed; 

inshore fishermen began fIShing up to 10 miles 

off the coast. The trap fishery was operated by three 

finns in the early 19005: Thomas Farrell and Sons, A.A. 

Giovannini, and Pike and Bradley. 

In 1915 there was a very poor offshore catch and the 

ba.. fIShery ceased in 51. Lawrencebut the inshore fishery 

remained strong until the tidal wave of 1929.111e 

wave struck on November 18th. 'Thefirst sign was the

6 _ DECKS AWASH 

earth shaking from the earthquake on the Grand Banks. 

Then at 8 p.m. all the water drained from the harbor and 

then the first wave, a wall of water 30 feet high struck. 

As it receded it met a second wave and struck again with 

even greater force to be followed by a third. Fishing 

flakes. stages and stores were washed into the harbor, 

homes were destroyed and hundreds of quintals of fish 

were ruined. 1bomas Farrell and Sons lost a whole shipment 

of fish and A.A. Giovannini had his large store 

washed out into the harbor. The marine life and vegetation 

which provided food for fish was destroyed and 

it was many years before fishing returned to normal in 

S1. Lawrence. 

Although the mine opened in 1933, in 1935there were 

57 dories. 17 motor dories and 22 motor boats in S1. 

Lawrence. Gear included 72 nets, 10 cod traps, three 

salmon nets, 60 herring nets, 16 caplin seines. Most of 

the fishermen ho.....ever. were miners who fished parttime 

and there were very few full-time fishermen. 'There 

was one liver factory still in operation. 1bere were three 

schools: two Roman Catholic. one Church of England. 

Each denominatioo had a church although there was just 

one clergyman. 

The house that Gregory Giovannini built. 

Mining at St. Lawrence 

he existence of mineral deposits in the 

T St. Lawrence region was first known during the last 

century. but little more than exploratory work was performed. 

Veins of the mineral fluorspar were worked at 

Mine Cove vein and at Chambers Cove prior to 187.Bethlehem 

Steel did exploratory work in 1910. Surveying .....ork 

continued during the early part of the century and W.H. 

Taylor of $1. John's acquired mineral rights to a fluorspar 

vein known as Black Duck. 

In 1929, Taylor embarked for New York and managed 

to sell the rights for little more than his expenses to W.E. 

Seibert. an accountant with the Corporation Trust Co. 

Ltd. of New York. WhenSeibert arrived in S1.Lawrence 

in 1932with three partners to view his mineral claims, 

85 per cent of the population was on relief receiving 6t 

a day. He said the merchants and the local priest, Father 

Fish drying on the Farrell premises during the 3Os. (Photo 

courtesy f:na Farrell Edwards) 

1be mines ensuredcontinued grow..th in S1. Lawrence 

over the next three decades. In 1951there were 1451peopie. 

which had jumped to 2095 by 1961. In 1969the R0man 

Catholic and Anglican school systems were 

integrated to improve teacher services and accommodations 

for the students. 

By 1971 the population had grown to 2173, but 1976 

showed the last increase over the previous census period 

when the population stood at 2258. TIle Alcan mine 

closed in 1978and some of the miners returned to fishing 

to earn a living. Today there are approximately 20 

inshore fishermen operating out of S1.Lawrence. mostly 

in medium-sized boats. They sell their catch fresh to' 

the Fishery Products International plant which was completed 

in 1979 to help alleviate some of the unemployment 

created when the mine closed. Some did move 

away after the mine closed and in 1981 S1. Lawrence 

registered its first decrease in population when it 

dropped to 2012. Residents enjoy the services of a community 

centre, public library and the U.S. Memorial 

Hospital which was built by the United States government 

in thanks to the people of Lawn and St. Lawrence 

fo their help in rescuing and caring for the men who were 

shipwrecked on the USS Truxton at Chamber's Cove and 

the USS Pollux at Lawn Point in February 1942. While 

168 were rescued, 204 men lost their lives. m 

Thome, pleaded with him to start an industry. Seibert 

hired six prospectors and discovered several fluorspar 

:veins. Seibert then offered to supply mining equipment 

If the men of S1.Lawrence would mine and handpick the 

ore to market specifications without pay until the first 

shipment of ore had been sold. The men agreed and the 

local merchants staked the miners until they were paid. 

Tbe St. Lawrence Corporation of Newfoundland was 

formed - known locally as the Co-operation. 

Seibert returned to New York and. remortgaged his 

houseto raise"...somewhere between five and. ten thousand 

dollars". He then purchased used mining equipment 

from a bankrupt contractor and. shipped it to S1. 

Lawrence in the spring of 1933. Using sleds. the men 

moved the equipment to the Black Duck site, then with 

no previous mining experience, built an ore mill and set

about mining with drills and picks . 

It tooka year to mine and handpick the first 2,000tons 

and ship it to the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation's 

plant at Sydney, Nova Scotia. The shipment sold for $12 

a ton, and the men were paid at the rate of IS( an hour 

for their year's work. 

The speculative nature of Black Duck, the lack of 

money aDd equipment, and the need to make a quick 

return was forced by circumstnaces upon the St. 

Lawrence Corporation. The mine was started using the 

relatively inexpensive epee-cut method rather than sinking 

shafts. The overburden

casioned by the development of mining in the area 

between Lawn and St. Lawrence. 

In the early 1950sthe government built a fish plant at 

Lawn for approximately $80,000. It was reported that it 

was later turned over to the Lawn Co-operative that 

operated the plant sporadically, mostly as a filleting 

plant, which sold to other plants in the area. It then lay 

idle for some years. 

The Lawn area seemsto have been the sceneof large, 

inshore cod catches. In 1967a resident of Lawn. Robert 

Lambe, won the Centennial medal for bringing in a 

record catch of 1.5 million pounds with a trapcrew of 5. 

In 1969, Lawn. mayor Fred Cox and deputy mayor 

Harold Fitzpatrick, travelled to St. John 's to persuade 

government to turn the town's unused fish plant into an 

abattoir and mea t processing plant. It was hopedthat 

the new operation would employ 25 to 30 people and be 

an ootlet for cattle from the nearby Flying L Ranch. The 

idea was to export both grain-fed and commercial grade 

beef in a chilled rather than frozen slate to other parts 

of the Island 

In 1969Lawn was also designated as a Major Collection 

Centre under the terms of the Household Resettlement 

Program. This resulted from a recently completed 

townplan which gave the town "access to unlimited land 

expansion and development through the valley". This 

was after a previous town plan drawn up four years earlier 

had indicated there was insufficient land for development. 

The significance of the change was that anybody 

settling at Lawn was eligible for a resettlement grant, 

but not eligible for the supplementary allowance paid 

to people who went to Major Growth Centressuch as Fortune 

and St. Lawrence. 

Mayor Cox commented, "This action is the first real 

encouragement we have received for the future develop- 

Lord's Cove 

he first mention of Lord's Cove is the censusdl881. 

T The population was 83, 21 Church of England members 

and 62 Roman Catholics. None of the 24 children 

attended school. There were 50 Iisbermen with 19 boats, 

28 nets and one trap, catching 510 quintals of cod and 

4 barrels of salmon for a total value of 520 pounds sterling. 

The people also kept cattle, milch cows and sheep 

with 85 acres of land under cultivation. 

East Head, Lawn 

ment of the community." 

In 1980 the Roman Catholic School Board decided to 

phase out the school at Lawn. It appears that when St. 

Lawrence applied for a DREE grant to build its new 

school, it had included the student population of Lawn 

in its plans without consulting parents. With the completion 

of the newlarger school the Board could nolonger 

afford the upkeep of the Lawn School and had decided 

to amalgamate it with the 51.Lawrence school. 

Parents of the 150 Lawn children appealed to the 

courts, but Mr. Justice Noel, while being sympathetic 

to the parents' case, said the court had no right to interfere. 

The editor of the Daily News, having discovered 

that the government had no jurisdiction in the case 

either, thought it incredible that the church was the only 

bodyto which a schoolboard decision could be appealed. 

The dispute was finally settled mid-September 1980 

when the parents agreed to the busing of grades 9 to 11 

to St. Lawrence for the remainder of the year until funds 

could be obtained to upgrade Lawn High School . 

In 1976the population of Lawn stood at 1,025,and most 

recently in 1981 it was recorded as 999. II 

By 1891the population had dropped to 80. There was 

one merchant registered along with 42 Itsbermen. By 

now 21 women were listed as curing cod fish. TIle total 

value of aU fIsh products for the previous year was $t593. 

including 402quintals of cod and the production from a 

lobster factory. There were 13 students attending school, 

but no record of a school. 

The population continued to grow and had reached 120

Lord's Cove 

by 1901.A second merchant had moved into the community 

which also had 2 office/shop workers, two farmers, 

':rl fishermen and 32 women curing fish. There were 25 

boats, 54 nets, two traps and 1610quintals of cod landed 

for a total value of $5960. There was no menlion of the 

lobster factory of the previous decade. A school, 

however, now is mentioned with 34 students. 

In 1911the population had almost doubled its original 

number reaching 153. Roman Catholic remained the 

dominant religion with only 13 members of the Church 

of England. There was just one farmer but there were 

40 fishermen with 35 boats, 1031nets and lines and three 

traps. The total catch was 1234quintals of cod. 

By 1921the number of members of the Church of England 

had dropped to two, with 206 Roman Catholics who 

now had their own church and school with 33 students. 

The census makes no mention of merchants or farmers 

and the number of fishermen had increased to 54 with 

36women curing fish. The total value of aU fish products 

was $23,101.There were 46 boats and 17 fishing rooms. 

In 1936the population had reached 'lZl people. F ishermen 

now also caught herring and caplin in add ilion to 

cod. But the amount of gear had declined drastically. 

There were only nine nets and 4 cod traps, along with 

9 herring nets and two caplin seines. There were a total 

of 51 small boats in Lord's Cove but it is possible that 

Taylor 's Bay 

aylor 's Bay is first mentioned in the Census of 

T 1881.At that lime it had a population of 21, all of 

whom were members of the Church of England. There 

were four children under the age of 15 but they had no 

access to formal schooling. The community had 17 

fishermen who owned six boats and 13nets. They landed 

212 quintals of cod, one barrel each of salmon and 

caplin the previous year which had a total value of 212 

pounds sterling. 'Thepeople also kept 14cattle, 14milch 

CO'o'o'S, 17sheepand one horse. 1bere were 2Sacres of land 

under cultivation. 

By 1891, the population had jumped to 36, and one 

Methodist had disturbed the homogeneous nature of the 

settlement's religious make-up. Although no school was 

reported, seven children wereattending school. TIle total 

value of fish landed was $1176and the number of 

most were part-time fishermen who worked in the mine 

at 51. Lawrence. The 1929tidal wave had also ruined the 

fishery in the area and it was not until the next decade 

that the fish returned to their former abundance. The 

fishery continued to decline, and by 1945there were only 

35 boats although the community had grown to 323 

people. 

In 1956the population had reached 361, and in 1961it 

had risen to 391. The last year that growth was 

registered, however, was 1966when the population was 

418.In 1971the populalion showed its first decline to 398 

and although it rose to 409 in 1976,the 1981population 

dropped once again to 384. Today H.B. Dawe operates 

a saltfish processing plant in Lord's Cove. The plant was 

originally a fresh fish operation established by Fortune 

Fisheries in the mid-tsrcs. I! 

Lord's Cove 

flshennen had increased to 'Z1.There were also 11women 

curing fish. 

In 1901there were 10Salvatioo Army members among 

the 59 inhabitants. One farmer was reported that year 

but the number ci fishermen had dropped to 13 including 

one bank fisherman but the total value of all fish 

products landed in 1900was $1442. By this time there was 

also a school in the community with 18of the 20children 

. under the age of 15in attendance during some period of 

the previous 12 months. 

Ten years later the Salvationists had left Taylor's Bay 

while one Roman Catholic had moved in with a total 

population of 58 - one fewer than 10 years before. The 

Church of England school had one female teacher with 

22PJpiJs in her charge. Residents occupied10houses and 

had built 18 barns and nine fishing rooms. There were

18"s hore" fisherme n who reported owning 12boats , 172 

nets and lines , a nd two traps, catching 505 quintals of 

cod . Agricultural produce was valued at $366. 

In 1921the populationwas up to 82, including 75Church 

of England members, one Roma n Catholic, four Salva 

tionists and two Methodists . The number of fishermen 

had increa sed to 23 and 15 women cured fiSh. 1be total 

value of fish products landed reached an all-lime high 

of $6381 . 

By 1935motors had been introdu ced with eight of the 

12dories motorized . In addition , there was also one larger 

motor boat in use . The fishermen, besides cod, now 

also caught salmon, herring and caplin. The population 

had reached 104. 

By 1945the population had reached its highest point 

at 105residents. Fishing continued to be important to 

the community which registered 15dories , six cod nets , 

one cod trap, five salmon nets, one caplin seine and nine 

fishing rooms in use at Taylor's Bay at that time. 

Today Taylor 's Bay has lost most of its residents. The 

community is not listed separately in the Census . There 

now are fewer than 10housesinhabited and the residents 

of today still keep their kitchen gardens as did their forefathers. 

n 

Point au Gaul 

oint au Gaul appears at various times from 1881as 

P Point aux Gaul and Point-au-Gaul. The first listing 

in 1881shows a total of 104people , 63 members of the 

Church of England and 41 Roman Catholics. The community 

had 55fishermen engaged in the cod and salmon 

fishery . They landed 970 quintals of cod and nine bar 

rels of salmon. The total value of fish products was 975 

pounds sterling. None of the 33children under the age of 

15 attended school. There were 62 acres of improved 

land , most of which served as pasture for 'J:1 cattle, 38 

milch cows, 2 horses and 53 sheep. 

Ten years later the population had risen to 120. The 

Church of England still dominated with 91 followers . 

'Ibere were 70fishermen in thecommunity with 31worn- 

Tay\of's Bay 

DECKS AWASH - 15 

en curing fish . A sc hool had been built and boasted 23 

students. By this time a merchant had also set up 

business. 

The number of fishermen declined over the next 

to-year period and in 1901there were only 43fiShermen 

with 41women curing fish. In spite of ttle drop in numbers 

the men increased both their catch of cod and incomes; 

1292quintals of cod (up from 946) and three 

barrels of salmon for a total of $5426 (up from $3822). 

Point au Gaul now had one Wesleyan and 23Salvationists 

lnaddition to 35 Roman Catholics and 99 Church of England 

members. 

The lone Wesleyan must have either converted to 

another religion or moved for by 1911there was no Wes-


leyan at Point au Gaul. All other denominations estab 

Iished in the community had increased their numbers: 

60 Roman Catholics,:n Salvationists, and 129Church of 

England members for a total population of 226. The 

Church of England school had a female teacher with 28 

students in her charge. The place of worship, however, 

was that of the Salvation Army which had a capacity of 

60 people . There were 55 fishermen with 52 boats involved 

in the Nev.1oundJand "shore " fishery and gear 

included 508 nets and lines, and nine cod traps. The total 

codcatch was 2494quintals. The community nov.'also 

had one government employee and one office/shop 

worker. . 

By 1921the local residents had built a Church of England 

parish haD but the only place of worship listed was 

that of the Salvation Army which was listed in 1911. 

'There was also a Loyal OrangeAssociation (LOA) Hall. 

TIle total value of fIShproducts landed was $13.328with 

Lamaline 

t has been suggested that the name Lamaline 

I comes from La Maligne meaning malignant. evil. or 

wicked . This might refer to the many treacherousshoals 

and smaD islands off the harbor which made navigation 

difficult for early sailors. 

The 1836censuscredits LamaJine with 263inhabitants 

but only 36dwelling places which suggests that the community 

was seasonally inhabited. Unlike nearby Lawn, 

the majority of inhabitants were Church of England 

rather than Roman Catholic. although the first Church 

of England priest did not arrive until 1849. 

In 1845,the population had grown to 335people housed 

in 61 dwellings. One hundred and nineteen fishermen 

owned 68 boats showing fishing to be the dominant occupation. 

The flat, grassy lands surrounding Lamaline 

supported 210cows and 34horses while 220acres of land 

were under cultivation. 

By 1857 the population was 524, there were two 

churches, two schools, and three merchants operating 

in Lamaline. In 1869the population was 680, in 1874it 

jumped to 913, then declined to 737 in 1881, and 649 in 

1891-probably reflecting a decline in the fishery at that 

time. 

On 13September 1878,Anastasia Lundrigan was born 

to James and Mary Cousins on Allan's Island. One 

hundred years later she was still alive in Lamaline. She 

recalled, "We were very independent people and made 

all our own clothes. carded and spun the wool for our 

knitting, and reared our ownvegetables as well as made 

58 fishermen, and 38women who cured fish. There were 

now two teachers with 58students; 11children of school 

age did nol attend school. The population had reached 

239. 

The population showed an increase for the last time 

in 1935with 243 residents. There were 37dories and one 

motor boat used in the shore fishery and the fishermen 

now had added herring and caplin to their catch of cod 

and salmon. 

The population and the fishery both declined over the 

next 10years and in 1945there were 221people. none of 

whcm were officially registered as fishennen. There was 

also no gear reported, the valueof fishing gear was listed 

as a meagre $20 and only one dory was registered. 

TIle community of Point au Gaul was incorporated in 

1966. The population has continued to decline during the 

subsequent decades and was 140 in 1981. I! 

Walter Foote 

our own fish." She added that people seemed closer and 

seemed to help each other more. 

An example of this took place in 1885.Lamaline residents 

John Walters, 19,and John Hepditch. 18.shipped 

with Captain Bonnell in his 6O-tonschooner to Fortune 

Bay to fish for herring . Leaving Harbour Breton for 

Lamaline on Christmas Eve, they ran into a storm and 

were wrecked on Little Green Island just east of St. 

Pierre. Captain Bonnell was drowned but the boys survived 

and lived for a week beneath an upturned dory on 

the beach. They managed to ferry themselves and the 

body of the dead captain in the dory back to Lones and 

thence to Lamaline. 

The population, which in 1881had been 7:rl. continued 

to drop to 424in 1001. Then by 1911the trend had reversed 

for 513 inhabitants were recorded that year increasing 

to 738in 1921.This was despite the effects of World War 1. 

Captain B.C. Hooper, a Lamaline resident born in 1892 

spent the war years in an unusual way. He had gone in

1916to Halifax and signed on the Pearce. a three-masted 

schooner bound with sailfish for Brazil. The Pearce was 

apprehended by the German raider Seeadler commanded 

by Count von Luckner known as the "Sea Devil " . 

Hooper 's vessel was sunk and he was captured. 

Prisoners were required to work, but they were also 

trained. educated, and paid. Hooper said he learned a 

great deal from his captors. Finally repatriated at Rio 

de Janeiro he ultimately joined the Dominion Steel and 

Coal Corp. alSydney, N.S. and rose to be marinesuperintendent 

before retiring in 1961. 

The tidal wave of 18November 1929that swept the Burin 

Peninsula, inflicted its share of damage upon Lamaline. 

Fonner mayor and Justice of the Peace Walter 

Footewas 18at the time, but he remembers the incident 

well. Walter felt an earth tremor while walking home . 

Two hours later, at 6:45 p.m. , the wave arrived with a 

tremendous roar - Walter's stepmother accused him of 

putting something flammable in the stove . But the noise 

was outside and Walter ran to a nearby hill to seea white 

wall of water 15 to 20 feet high advancing tov..ards the 

land. 

By the time he relurned to his house the wave was in 

and the entire harbor was "smack smooth and gone". 

Stages and boats had all vanished. Mrs. Hepditch and 

her four children were upstairs in their house floating 

in the harbor, spinning in circles with an oil lamp shining 

from the window. Mr. Cake's 25-by-45foot store had 

been taken up to the road 100yards away. Mr. R.J. Bonnell's 

shop, a two-storey, building loaded with goods, was 

swept across the road to stop by the gate to his house. 

Remarkably the wave only went as far as the gate post 

too. Rocks came ashore, some of them two and three 

tons. 

Walter was staggered by the power in the wave. As 

he walked through the water there was a crackling sound 

in it, as though a giant can of lye had been thrown in hot 

water. Several of the buildings had gaps in the boards 

big enough "too shoot goals through", but the interiors 

remained dry. Bonnell's store had six or seven tons of 

goods at one end, the weight should have up-ended it once 

was afloat, but the wave moved it "perfect fair" and it 

remained upright. AUMr. Cake's winter flour was in his 

building, it all remained dry. Mrs. Hepditch's house was 

St. Mary's Anglican Church completed 1907, restored in 1980 

Lone fisherman at Lamaline. 


rescued by two fishermen. the lamp in her house never 

went out. 

Walter recalls, "It was the beginning of sorrow for 

Lamaline." The Ilshing grounds off Lamaline were 

stripped of their ranrients for six or seven years. "It was 

a famine here, you never could get a fish to eat." Even 

the "goose grass" that grew in the barasway was 

stripped out and did not reappear for 25 years. 

By 1935 the population of Lamaline had grown to 1031, 

but it declined in thepost-war years to 826.One man who 

left at this lime was Albert J . Hillier . He served in the 

Royal Navy during World War II on everything from 

minesweepers to an aircraft carrier. Discharged in 1946, 

he attended the University of Rhode Island and later 

skippered a fishing boat out of New Bedford. He returned 

to the University of Rhode Island as an assistant professor 

teaching net repair, design and construction, and 

achieved enormous popularity among the students. In 

1982the 60-year-old teacher was voted teacher of the year 

out of 145nominees. One student noted, "This man is an 

trreplacable master of twine." 

The decline in Lamaline's population began in the early 

war years as men went overseas or to work on 

military bases in other parts of Newfoundland. The 

trend gathered momentum in the post-war years, ac-


celerated by a failure in the fishery. In 1951the popula 

tion was 500, in 1956it was 548, in 1961it dropped to 530. 

Since the fishery and agriculture tend to be interdependent 

in the area, fishermen working at both, agriculture 

also declined . TIle trend was not reversed until 1966when 

the population rose10644,possibly from an influx of peopie 

from resettled communities. 

In 1971the population had dropped to 553 causing concern 

and even suggestions that Lamaline might have to 

be resettled. TIle problem was addressed by a joint con- 

Point May 

r'J'le community of Point May had very small 

.I. beginnings in 1874when two residents were reported 

, one male and one female. Both were over 70 years 

of age and Roman Catholic . There was one house occupied 

. It is probably safe to assume that the two inhabitants 

were man and wife. Oneof them was listed 

as foreign-born , i.e.. a country not of the British Empire. 

TIle gentleman was reported to have been a fanner and 

had six acres of land under cultivation. yielding 15tons 

of hay , 12 barrels of potatoes. He also kept six cattle, 

six milch cows, 12 sheep. one swine and one goat. 

By 1881, the population had jumped to 139 residents. 

There were 88 Church of England members, 50 Roman 

Catholics and one Wesleyan . There were 149acres of 

land under cultivation. The 81 fishermen caught 1222 

quintals of cod which, together with 95 barrels of caplin 

amounted to a value of 1222pounds sterling. 

In 1891 Point May drops out of the Census and is 

replaced by two communities: Lories to the west of Point 

May Pond. and High Beach to the east. The combined 

population of the communities was 121.Roman Catholics 

dominated at Lories with 45 to 4 Church of England 

members while the reverse was true of High Beach with 

57 of the Church of England faith and only 15 Roman 

Catholics. Lones had a school with 11 children attending 

and one merchant operating out of the community. 

While there is no school listed at High Beach, there were 

22 children registered at school. The total value of cod 

landed was $550at Lorles and $738at High Beach. The 

combined number of fishermen stood.at 58with 33wornen 

curing fish . 

By 1001 the 94 residents of High Beach also had a 

school. Lories, now listed as Lorie's Cove had 84 resi 

dents. A total of 51 fishermen operated out of the two 

communities and 36women helped in the curing of fish. 

ference of the Lamaline Area Development Committee 

and Memorial University Extension Service. Subsequently, 

the population has sta blized being 543 in 1976 

and 548 in 1981. In 1978, 5 1. Joseph'sSchool costing $1.25 

million was built at Lam ali ne to serve the surrounding 

area, serving all gr ades with 21 teachers. At the opening 

, T. Alex Hickman rema rked on the progress and 

prosperity of the region in recent years, especially since 

the road from Lawn to Fort une had been paved. He said 

the area was becoming economica lly more via ble each 

year . I!I 

Point May 

Lone's Cove also boasts one merchant, one office worker 

and one farmer. Fish products brought in $4621in 

Lone's Cove and $2137 in High Beach. There was a school 

with21 students at Lone's Cove but no teacher listed for 

the community. High Beach, on the other hand, listed 

one teacher with 19 students. 

By 1911 there were three religious denominations 

represented in the two communities. There was one Salvationist 

at Lories , 2 Church of England members and 

161 Roman Catholics. Lories now also had a Roman 

Catholic church and school with one teacher and 18students 

in attendance. High Beach now ceased to rival 

Lories in population .....ith only 78 residents, 61of whom 

were of the Church of England faith and the remainder, 

Roman Catholics. Although there .....as no church, there 

was a Church of England sc hool with 18students. There 

were eight cod traps now in use in the two communities 

and 498 nets and seines with a total of 62 "shore" 

fishermen. 

By 1921people had set tled in the area behind Point 

May Pond between Lottes and High Beach . This settlement, 

now called Calmer, had 67 residents while Lones 

had dropped to 153and High Beach to 30.The total population 

for the area had risen by only 3 so it appears that 

Calmer was made up of former residents of the other 

two communities. Lones reports 39 fishermen, Calmer 

16, and High Beach 10. The total value of fish products 

ranged from $11.528at Lones, $3568 at Calmer to $3321 

at High Beach. Most of the improved land in the area

20 - DeCKS AWASH 

the area tod a y 

st. Lawrence 

History buff 

I 

f you want to know anything 

about days gone by in St. 

Lawrence, people in the community 

will tell you to go and see 

"Mrs. Ena " at the library. In fact , 

Mrs . En a has become part of the 

folklore of St. Lawrence herself. 

But when you visit her be prepared 

to compete for her a ttention. 

"Mrs. Ena, did any new books 

come in since last week?" asks a 

teenag e girl. 

"Mrs . Ena , got a ny bookson the 

hist'ry of St. Lawrence?" 

The last one strikes gold. The 

I ..14....,"\'\' 

child is given a copy of the book, 

Notes Thward a History of St. 

Lawrence by Ena Farrell Edwards 

- Mrs. Ena herself. 

"WhenI tookover the library in 

1967it struck me that there was 

nothing written on the history of 

St. Lawrence. I thought it was terrible 

and that's what started me 

off. I researched everything on 51. 

Lawrence. I went to the Gosling 

Library and the Archives in 51. 

John's. But most of the information 

I got was in old books belonging 

to my father. Also, my 

mother-in-law Molly (Gree n) Edwards 

had a collection of books on

Newfoundland at her house that 

she had put together teaching 

school here for 40 years. 1 

managed to put all the bits and 

pieces together, had it typed up 

and 1would give it out to the chlldren 

to use for school. Then it occurred 

to me that 1won't behere 

forever . So 1sent the manuscript 

off to Breakwater Books and after 

some additions and changes it 

was published." 

Mrs. Ena has several copies in 

the library and plans to put one 

in the museum as well. But it 

comes as no surprise that Mrs. 

Ena would have done all that 

work. She confesses to have always 

been a history buff even to 

the point of being a bit of a pest 

as a young girl. 

"I can still remember my 

mother telling me to stop bothering 

my grandmother with ques 

tions about the old days in St. 

Lawrence. Everyone was tired of 

hearing them , except me, of 

course. Wehad a very large howe 

and up on the third floor there 

was a room where all the old 

books, post-card albums, photo 

albums and old magazines were 

kept. And that's where I spent my 

time looking at them and asking 

questions about them. My grandmother 

used to Jove to talk about 

them with me. Now I wish I had 

thought to write it all down when 

I was a child because there are 

some things I'd forgotten when I 

got around to writing the history," 

One of the stories Mrs. Ena 

heard from her grandmother was 

that of the arrival of her grandfather, 

Gregory Giovannini in 

Newfoundland. He and his 

brother Celestine are credited 

with setting up the first business 

in 81. Lawrence in 1850. 

"Before that the people had to 

rely on traders coming in by boat 

for their goods. The Giovanninis 

were a merchant family in Lucca, 

Italy, and three young 

Mrs. Ena's museum . Pewter creamer set from the original Giovannil'li home on bot· 

tomshelf,left. 

brothers taken by the spirit of adventure 

set out to make their way 

in the New World. They arrived in 

St. John's on the day of the Great 

Fire in 1846.But they wanted togo 

to a place that was sparsely populated 

and just beginning, They 

decided to take a boat along the 

coast to look at all the communities 

before deciding where to settle. 

One brother liked Rencontre 

East which had a thriving herring 

fishery at that time. But 

Celestine and Gregory came 

back to 81. Lawrence." 

Gregory married a local girl, 

Esther Fitzpatrick, and built a 

large it-room house with a mahogany 

staircase and a fireplace 

in every room. 

"He brought in carpenters from 

England, masons from Germany 

and paperhangers from Italy, and 

all the walls and ceilings were 

plaster." 

Unfortunately, Gregory passed 

away shortly aftercompleting the 

house and Mrs. Ena's grandmother 

was left with a family to 

raise and no business experience. 

"Her brother tookit over for her 

but he was a drinker and before 

long the business was in bad 

shape. It was put up for sale. In 

the meantime my grandmother 

had opened up a boarding house. 

One 01the boarders, 'Thomas Farrell, 

was a banking captain and

was down to three teachers from 

six. Nobody would come here. 

Now there's plenty of teachers 

but we can't hire them." 

The school is a large, handsome 

building erected in 1976 under 

a DREE grant. It 

accommodates 300students from 

grades 7 to 12, boys and girls, of 

which about three-quarters are 

Roman Catholic. The rest are 

mostly Anglicans and although 

the school has a Roman Catholic 

board, clergy of other denominations 

visit freely. 

"It's much better having 

everybody under one roof," says 

Bob. "And of course we can offer 

more courses this way. We have 

17teachers including myself and 

the vice-principal. 

"The students enjoy the new 

grade 12. Of course, last year 

some of them were a bit browned 

off, they said they would have 

finished school but for grade 12 

coming in. But this year they all 

enjoy it and they oniy have to 

have 36 out of 42 credits so they 

can afford to fail a few courses 

and still graduate. Before, they 

had to repeat the year. Now if 

they fail an essential core credit 

they can repeat it and fit it in with 

their other subjects. The program 

is terrific - if you have the 

space, materials, and teachers to 

offer the courses." 

U's a big "if". The school lost I 

a teacher last year, but the staff 

is managing to spread the work 

around. Bob himself teaches 18 

periods out of 42in addition to his 

duties as principal. In 1986 they 

are scheduJed to lose another 

teacher and this worries Bob. 

"I'm half afraid we may go 

back to the older system - one 

type of education for the large 

schools in places like 81. John's 

and another, inferior type (or the 

smaller schools like ours. 

"We now offer basic and academic 

math and the three major 

sciences: physics, biology, and 

chemistry. I figure with that 

background a student should be 

able to go to any of the postsecondary 

institutions. University 

is the most popular, but we 

don't have anybody going from 

here to the Fisheries College and 

I think that's crazy. We had two 

men come down from the College 

some years ago to talk to the students, 

but they can't come down 

just once and get the kids' attention 

in one hour. to 

For many years Bob taught industrial 

arts - a subject he enjoys. 

"You can see the students 

improve year by year. When we 

started only boys took it, but tbat 

tradition is breaking down. Girls 

take woodworking now and they 

are good, very meticulous. Some 

of the boys ...well, we were making 

bird-houses from half-inch 

plywood and one-inch finishing 

nails, then selling them for about 

five dollars. Some beys would put 

the nail right through the other 

side and their joints would be off. 

St. Lawrence Central High School 

DeCKS AWASH - 25 

You'd point it out and they'd say, 

'Ah sir, that's good enough sir.' 

It's frustrating at times." 

Today Bob teaches 12 periods 

of religious instruction. 

"Some of the students are skeptical, 

but some surprise you. I 

was talking to a class about people 

who go to Mass but hang 

around outside the church smoking 

and yarning outside insteadof 

sitting through the service. A 

young Anglican girl spoke up." 

"Yes sir, that really burns me 

up, too." 

"Why. do you have that in your 

church, too?" asked Bob. 

"I'm not talking about my 

church sir, I'm talking about 

when I go to Mass." 

"You go to Mass?" 

"Sure I go to Mass every now 

and then with my friends," she 

replied. 

"That really surprised me," 

commented Bob. "That's really 

great. When I first came here you 

wouldn't catch an Anglican going 

near a Roman Catholic church." 

Bob's other great love is 

fishing. 

"1 would have gone fishing if I 

had not gone teaching. Being out 

there on an August morning before 

dawn, on a calm sea waiting 

for the cod, you are in a world of 

your own. Of course you can't get 

a licence to go fishing anymore. 

You'd get a licence to go to the 

moon quicker than you'd get one 

to go fishing," concludes Bob 

with a laugh. .,


I'd do it again 

t. Lawrence has three hard 

S ware stores. One, a Handy 

Andystore, is owned by brothers 

Gary and Harry Edwards and 

their father Harry Edwards. 

It's a franchise operation from 

Mootreal that celebrated its 50th 

amiversary last year," says Gary 

who started the store in April 

1982. Why anybody should start a 

store in St. Lawrence at that time 

is a little puzzling . 

"Well. I worked in a Home 

Hardware store for ten years and 

then I left and went selling cars 

for a year. But at that time interest 

rates hit 24 per cent and 

people stopped buying cars. I had 

it in my mind for awhile to start 

a hardware store, so when the 

news came that we were getting 

a newfish plant, I figured it was 

as well to go now." 

The Edwards put together a 

line of credit and built a store 

with 2500 square feet of retail 

space. Then with over $50,000 

worth of inventory they opened 

their doors and kept them open 12 

hours a day six days a week. The 

fish plant turned out not to bethe 

community's salvation, but Gary 

has no regrets. 

Gary Edwards 

"Well hoy, I'll tell you. If I had 

to start again next week I think I'd 

do it again. Considering the economic 

situation in the community 

we've done quite well. Oh, it's 

been rough at times, but overall 

we've maintained th e sales 

projections we set for ourselves." 

Part of the store's success is 

due to the franchising operation. 

Gary requires only one supplier 

instead of many. He knows exactly 

when the delivery truck is leaving 

Montreal and when it will 

arrive. He sends his orders via an 

electronic device that couples to 

his phone and communicates 

directly with the computer at the 

Montreal warehouse. And his 

prices are in line with those 

across Canada so he is able to 

compete with the big chains. 

"If a salesman were to come 

from 51. John's I'd have to go 

around the store with him and 

wait on customers, and it would 

still take me twoweeks to get orders 

from St. John's. This way I 

come in for two hours a coupleof 

nights a week and do my ordering 

and bookwork." 

Gary, who does aU his awn 

bookkeeping, gained his accounting 

knowledge when he went to 

the College of Trades and Technology 

at St. John's in 1970. 

"It was a two-year course, but 

I left in April the first year when 

I got a job with Alcan. I thought 

it would be permanent employment 

but in OCtober I was laid off 

- which also fixed me for going 

back to the Trades College," says 

Gary ruefully. "But the accounting 

I got has been hasically helpful. 

We look at our figures each 

month and compare them to the 

same month last year to see 

whether we're up or down. Wetry 

to keep the cash Ilowing." 

The store carries a variety of 

hardw are items, their specialty 

being the number of automotive 

parts it has . 

"There's also the seasonal 

items like chain saws . snowmobile 

parts, and sporting goods. We 

change with the season, something 

like automotive parts alone 

wouldn't be enough to operate. 

And yoo can send the unsold slllff 

hack to the warehouse. You're not 

stuck with it, which is another 

good thing about a franchise. 

"Right now the fastest moving 

items are body filler and poprivets. 

A fellowhas got to keep his 

car going. But in winter people do


plants," says Murray. "We employ 

approximately 120 people 

with about 100of those working 

on the production floor. There is 

one shift per day . This year we 

processed fish from May 16th to 

August 25th. Since then we have 

been buying from the fishermen 

and trucking it to other plants for 

processing . Right now, because 

of the trawlermen's strike, the 

closest plant in operation is the 

one at Bonavista and that is 

where our fish is going. This is 

feasible as long as we can get a 

truckload every second day ." 

The plant is supplied by approximately 

40 inshore fishermen 

, 20each from Burin and St. 

Lawrence. With one shift in operation, 

as was the case this season , 

Murray estimates the daily 

production capacity of the plant 

to be between 60 - 70,000 Ills . 

" The fish arrives at the dock 

iced and gutted, II he says. "We 

weigh it to determine how much 

we owe the fisherman and then 

immediately ice it again. It is 

then stored overnight. The next 

Fighting to win 

"You see that fish plant?" 

asks Mayor George 

Doyle of St. Lawrence, pointing 

emphatically at the closed Fishery 

Products International plant 

on the next pier. "That's what I 

want you to emphasize in your 

story . The mine is going to reopen 

some time next year but I don't 

think it's going to be the answer 

to all our problems. We have 

nearly 500 people available for 

work in this community and the 

mine will only take about 100or 

so. That's not enough!" 

If it sounds lil


The big one didn't get away 

eorge Powerand BillMoUoy 

G have been fishing together 

in George 's boat for to years. OCcasionally 

Edgar Beck joins 

them when he's not workin g in 

the local fish plant. 

" I have to show those two 

where toget the fish," jokes Edg 

ar as they pull up to the community 

wharf in 81. Lawrence . The 

three men have been out trawling 

since early morning. They fish 

about nine miles from shore at 

this time of year . 

"We spent two months this 

summer in Trepassey fishing 

over there ," says George . "There 

aren't enough fish in this area so 

we stay down there and sell to the 

plant in Trepassey. We had a 

very good summer." 

" The fall fishery is a bit better 

around here than in sum mer," 

adds Bill. "So we come back and 

fish out of St. Lawrence and sell 

to the local plant until they stop 

buying ." 

Today has been a good day for 

the men . Their catch weighs in at 

the plant at 1300Ibs. One cod is 

approximately 70 Ibs. 

"It took all three of us to get 

that one aboard the boat, " says 

Bill. "And there's a few more 

almost as big in this catch. The 

only thing is that yoo can 't get out 

George Power behind 1m. whee601 his boat, Bill Molloy with buck et. 

look like we'll get out tomorrow 

if the weather gets much worse." 

This is the last week George 

and Bill will fish this season . 

Each year George goes to the 

mainJand to work as a miner . 

This year he will spend the winter 

working in the gold mines at 

Kirkland Lake, Ontario . Then 

next spring it's back to sea to 

take up the fishery again. I!

Building a better boat 

T 

here is the noise of a chain 

saw, and as we round the 

bend George and Norma n 

Reeves, father and son, can be 

seen molding pieces of lumber 

out of the timber the y have cut to 

build their new longliner . 

"We've been a t it since June," 

explains George . taking a break 

fn::mhis work . "That's almost six 

mooths of slow going but we only 

get to it on days when we aren't 

fishing." 

The boat is mostly spruce 

which Geor ge and Norman cut 

themselves along with another 

son, Robert. Initially, they had 

the timber milled professionally 

for the shell of the boat. They now 

are doing all the work themselves 

with hand tools. 

"This is the first boat I ever 

built ," says George . " We got the 

blueprint from the Fisheries 


The frame of the Reeves' new boat. 

Loan Board. We 'lofted' it out on that's where you draw out the 

plywood on the basement floor - plans full scale. 

"She's 35feet long and 121,lz feet 

to 14 feet wide. We've got a 130 

h.p. diesel engine which cost 

$11,000. And don't ask me when 

we expect to finish it because I 

couldn't even guess ." 

George has been fishing for a 

living since the late 19508.He also 

spent four years working as a 

mucker for the St. Lawrence Corporation 

Newfoundland Limited 

at the Iron Springs fluorspar 

mine . Prior to that he was employed 

as the Iightkeeper at Middle 

Head at the entrance to St. 

Lawrence Harbour. 

" My father went out there as 

lightkeeper when I was about 

seven years old," he recaUs . 

"There was no road then ; just 

bog in front of you as far as you 

could see . I used to walk in to St. 

Lawrence for school each week 

and stay at my aunt's until Friday. 

Then I'd walk hack out to the 

lighthouse for the weekend. Once 

in a while I'd come in by boat but 

not very often . 

"I took over as lightkeeper 

shortly after the wreck in Cham 

ber Cove in 1942when the Truxtonsank 

. My father was involved 

in the rescue operations. I


worked out there until the 19505. 

There was still no road and my 

wile had taken ill out there, the 

youngsters had to go to school. So 

I quit and moved to St. Lawrence . 

That's when I went to work in the 

mines." 

But the Iron Springs mine 

closed in 1957 when the St. 

Lawrence Corporation lost its 

market in the United States. After 

a short stint as a janitor for 

Alcan, George had no choice but 

to turn to the sea to earn a living. 

George and his two sons fish 

from late April until October . 

Their days are long, sometimes 

beginning as early as 2 a.m . and 

ending at 8 p.m. after they have 

baited the next day's trawl. This 

was the last week the Reeves will 

go out fishing this year because 

the plant in St. Lawrence stopped 

buying from them on October 25. 

"You can't fish this time of 

year on this coast anyway," says 

Norman. "You can't get out of 

the harbor for the wind. We're 

lucky to get a couple of days a 

week in OCtober. Most days in 

summer though we manage to 

get out four days a week at least. 

Then towards the last part of August 

and September months you 

start losing days more often ." 

"This year was unusual 

though," adds George. " We 

never lost a single day in September. 

But even so, it's a bad year 

because there's no fish on the go 

and what there is is small. We're 

managing to make a living but 

it'sa damn poor-one. Restructuring 

of the fishery was supposed to 

help us but I can't see where it's 

done us much good at all . The lish 

plant was only open 18weeks last 

year and this year it was down to 

15 weeks . That doesn 't do the 

plant workers or fishermen much 

good at all." 

" Another problem is the draggers," 

adds Norman. "There's 

draggers from all over the world 

out there orr our coast taking fish 

in large quantities. Wecan 't have 

fish there for them and for the in- 

A part of the community 

ister Betty Morr issey is noth 

S ing if not straight forward 

a nd direct. 

"And tha t's what I don' t," she 

replies, looking our reporter 

straight in the eye when asked if 

she minded being asked her age. 

"I'm 42 years old a nd I've been 

a Sister of Mercy for 25 years." 

So much for the image of the 

unapproachable nun. Sister Betty 

is principal of Marian Elementary 

School, SI. Lawrence, but 

her involvement in the community 

goes far beyond that role. 

"I became a sister to bring 

Christ to others," she explains. 

"As a member of a religious community 

I cannot be totally part01 

this world, but I cannot be shut 

off from it either." 

That philosophy helps to explain 

the variety of the involvement 

the Sisters of Mercy 

statio ned at S1.Lawrence have in 

the lives of the people in the community. 

Sister Betty explains that 

all four sisters are involved as 

Caught in the wind . Sister Betty is always 

on the run. 

teachers, Extraordinary 

Ministers of the Eucharist, with 

the youth , the mentally han- 

shore , too." 

There is also a problem with 

bait in the ar ea . There hasn't 

been any squid now for three 

yea rs and the Reeves are forced 

to buy mackerel to bait their 

trawls. 

" I've only been fishing for 10 

years," says Norman, " but I can 

remember a time when we'd set 

out nets for a week and have 

enough mackerel to last a year. 

Now we buy 600 pounds a week 

and are lucky to catch another 

100pounds ourselves. And we're 

paying 17(a pound for it so it isn't 

cheap ." 

But both men say they have to 

stay with fishing as there is nothing 

else for them to do in St. 

Lawrence right now. Although 

the mine will reopen in the near 

future , George believes the younger 

men will get the jobs and Norman 

has no experience. But they 

expect the fishing will be better 

with their new, more efficient 

longliner. n! 

dicapped and in community activities. 

"I say all of us because eac h of 

us takes part in the projects the 

others are involved in," continues 

Sister Betty . "When I first came 

here four years ago , we visited 

the needy in the parish to see 

what we could do to help. And I 

think you have to take that first 

step - you can't sit and wait for 

people to come to you. They 'll 

never do it. Now they know they 

can call us for help if they need 

it." 

Sister Betty also manages 

volleyball and basketball teams 

and sees this relationship with 

youth as very important to her 

vocation. 

" I don't segregate myself from 

them when we go away to 

games,to she explains. " I put on 

my slacks, get on the bus and I'm 

one of the crowd . And they don't 

see me as something separate 

either. I have yet to have to sit 

aJooe in a roadside restaurant.'

And the young people don 't feel 

it's necessary to hide the fact that 

I'm a sister from others. They 'll 

sing out across a crowded 

restaurant, 'Sister, did you get 

your coffee? ' I think it's very important 

to be part of the lives of 

the people you serve as a religious. 

"I'm also a great supporter of 

our St. Lawrence Laurentians 

soccer team. When I first went to 

a game I asked them where I 

should stand and they told me 

right behind the goalie was a 

goodspot. Now it' s my spot and 

if I'm late nobody takes it. And 

they know when I'm there, too. 

They'll sa y to one another, 

'Watch yourself now, look who's 

behind you.' And they know I'm 

not shy about telling them to 

watch themselves either." 

There are three other sisters at 

the convent at St. Lawrence: Sister 

Mary Consilio Power, Ellen 

Marie Sullivan and Margaret 

Taylor. Each has recently been 

appointed as an Extraordinary 

Minister of the Eucharist. 

"We took Holy Communion to 

the sick of the parish about a 

Workin' the mine 

"I know fellows my age have 

been stuck in the house for 

years, never go anywhere," says 

Patrick Walsh, 76. "Me, 1can 't do 

that. I would go crazy. 1 was up 

this morning at 6 o'clock and I've 

been fiddling around ever sinc e. 

1do a few things around the house 

that need to be done and I'm down 

to the Kelly 's Gas Bar every 

morning to have a yarn with the 

boys. It helps to pass away the 

time and keeps me active. " 

Before he retired, Patrick 

worked in the mines at St. 

Lawrence for 24 years. He started 

at the Iron Springs mine immediately 

after the second Wocld 

War but worked most of those 

years for Alean . 

"I loved it," be exclaims. "I'd go 

back tomorrow if they let me. 

1bere wasn 't a thing about it 

hnthered me. 1went underground 

month ago ." says Sister Betty . 

" It was the highlight of my reli 

gious life beca use it truly is bring 

ing Chris t to others in the mast 

tangible way. That is the ultimate 

in religious life." 

But in spite of the changes in 

the convent over the years - and 

ther e ha ve bee n many - Sister 

Betty sa ys she' s not caught up in 

the current argument over the 

role of women in the Church. 

"Or the role of sisters, either," 

she says, showing a bit of annoy 

ance for the first time . " I am not 

caught up in this bus iness of sisters 

wanti ng to be pri ests . TIley 

should get on with what we were 

founded for - the privilege of0; 

ing the work of God and we have 

the opportunity to do so in so 

many ways. Certain things are 

left to the priest alone, just as certain 

things are left to God alone . 

I don't have a problem with that:' 

But getting on with their work 

doesn 't necessarily mean rejecting 

new ways . The Sisters of Mercy 

voted to stop wearing the long 

hab it in 1966. The veil now is optimal 

and man y of the strict rules 

of conduct no longer are ap- 

PatriCk Walsh 

8-900 feet and I never thought 

about it. And the work was hard. 


plicable. 

" Things are much more 

relaxed today ," says Sister Betty. 

"The convent doors have been 

thrown open to the people . Our 

teachers will often share a meal 

with us. We have held twilight 

retreats for the young people of 

the parish as well. They come 

together at the convent and we 

have a Holy Hour prepared. And 

then afterwards we have soup 

and sandwiches for them. It all 

helps to build a Christian community 

and that's what it's an 

about. " 

But all this newness doesn 't 

mean that the old-fashioned 

values are left behind . 

" Our religious community always 

comes first ," explains Sister 

Betty . "I always say if 1don't 

pray, forget my day. And that's 

true. I have a time of private 

prayer first thing in the morning. 

Aoo then we pray as a community 

at 7:45 a .m . and we have Mass 

at 7 p.m . The religious life is very 

much a part of our lives. It's first 

and foremost and always must 

be." l1 

When 1 started I was a hand 

mucker. Weused a shovel to take 

up the muck - that's what we 

called the ore - and load it in iron 

buckets on the trolley. We'd ftre 

the muck up over our heads with 

the shovels . And in those days 

we'd have to shove the trams by 

hand . I enjoyed it that much that 

when 1got retirement age I asked 

for a year's extension." 

Patrick was in the middle of 

working his extra year when the 

miners went on strike. Although 

he was receiving his Old Age 

Security, he was not getting his 

Canada Pension because he was 

still working . But when the strike 

started he realized he was losing 

money because he wasn't getting 

paid and still couldn 't draw CPP 

because he was employed. 

"So 1went in and asked to be retired 

then, " he recalls. "I knew it

loss of natural oils and help stop 

matting and those knobs wool 

sweaters get after they have been 

washed a few times ." 

During the past summer, 

Daphne made five sweaters to 

sell in the store. She says she can 

make a sweater in a few days if 

she is in the mood. 

"If I'm not in the mood, forget 

it," she admits. " But I've always 

got handknit goods for sale . [ sell 

them for people around here. 

They buy the wool from me and 

I believe the least I can do is to 

help them sell their goods . It's 

good Cor business. Last year 

Signals for safety 

" 0 ur number one priority 

is the safety of life at 

sea," says Dan Pike, 26, radio 

operator at the St. Lawrence 

Coast Guard Radio Station which 

operates 24 hours a day , year 

round . "We are here to fulfil 

Canada's commitment to the 

Safety of Life at Sea Conference 

the first of which was held in 

t914." 

Dan started at the station in St. 

Lawrence in May after completing 

an intense training course at 

the Transport Canada Training 

Institute at Cornwall, Ontario. He 

explains that safety of Life at Sea 

Conferences are held on a regular 

basis, the most recent in 1974 

at London, England. At one of the 

conferences it was agreed that 

Greenwich mean time would be 

used for uniformity and safety at 

sea. 

"Our emergency calls are derived 

from French words," explains 

Dan. "We listen for three 

different calls. The most urgent 

is 'mayday' which is an English 

corruption of the French (venez) 

m'aider, which means '( come ) 

help me' . Ifwe hear 'mayday', it 

means the ship is in grave and 

imminent danger of sinking and 

loss of lives is possible. Next is 

'pan-pan', which comes from the 

French word for broken down, 

and is used when a ship is in trouble 

but there is no immediate 

those salt-and-pepper caps were 

ail the rage. As fast as the wornen 

could knit them up they'd be 

sold. This year it's clothes for 

'Cabhage Patch Kids' dolls. 1 

can't keep them on the shelves." 

Daphne is only too happy to 

give her customers advice and 

help them choose wools or fabric 

for a particular pattern they want 

to make. 

"When I first opened up, a lot 

of people came to me to learn 

how to knit, " she says. "Years 

ago a lot of the women did it but 

many of the younger people 

hadn't learned how. And those 

danger. And finally, we use 

'securite' which means that the 

station is about to transmit infer- 

Helping out at home 

Karen Giovannini recently 

graduated from beauty culture 

school in Halifax. She worked as 

a hair stylist in St. John's for 

awhile but isn't sure she wants to 

continue in the business. She rrTN 

is considering taking Social Wock 

at Memorial University next year. 

In the meantime she has moved 

back to St. Lawrence and is helping 

out with the family business, 

the K-Karen Motel. 


who did were used to knitt ing 

with acrylics. Woo), eve n if it's 

only a small percentage, looks 

much nicer and wears better, too. 

A lot of my customers really like 

working with the chunky yarn 

which is 25 per cent wool. They 

can throw it in the washing 

machine and dryer and it won't 

shrink. So it's really easy to care 

for." 

With the promsie of the reopen 

ing of the mine and increased activity, 

Daphne is optimistic. 

"I plan to slick it out, because 

I really like the business," she 

concludes. .", 

mation concerning navigational 

safety of vessels. It could be a 

gale warning, a sighting of ice, or 

an iceberg, notice of a broken 

light in a lighthouse, or a buoy out 

of place, or that a ship is about to 

navigate a restricted channel and 

wants other ships to stay clear. I 

would then rebroadcast the infermation 

and afterwards transmit 

it to the Coast Guard Traffic 

Centre in St. John's." 

When a mayday does come in, 

Dan has got to know his job. He 

can't affo rd to brea k under pressure 

because tha t could mean unnecessary 

loss of life. 

" I can't expec t my supervisor 

to behere to tell me what to do in 

an emergency," he says . "U'snot 

very often my supervisor is here 

when I'm working. 1 shouldn't 

need any belp at all after the 

training t've had. First I establish 

all the pertinent information 

from the ship sending the mayday. 

We have a direct line to 

Search and Rescue and we call 

the information in to them and 

they go right into action. So I act 

as a middleman. One thing you 

never do is give up eommunicatim 

with a ship even after you 

have contacted Search a nd 

Rescue." 

The calls could come in on one 

of three frequencies: VHF for 

very high freq uency. MF for 

medium frequency, and 500kilo-

electric hea t in the new building 

before we could eve n move into 

it. We also have a problem in that 

we are payi ng commercial hydro 

ra tes which work out to $150a 

month . I don't think that's fair. It 

would make quite a bit of differrenee 

financially if we could pay 

domestic rates." 

The members get toget her 

twice a week for a game of darts. 

Their regular monthly meeting is 

held on the first Friday of eac h 

month and there is a card party 

the second Friday of the month. 

They have also joined the NewfotmdJand 

and Labrador Pensioner 

s and Senior Citizens 

Federa tion and are affiliated 

Lawn 

Busman's holiday 

awn is a pict uresq ue port set 

L in a long, narrow harbour between 

steep hills. Cows wander 

freely grazing on the grass verges 

at the road 's edge while horses 

stare at us with rolling eyes. The 

sun sh ines brigh tly from an 

a lmost cloud less sky which 

mak es us happy because there's 

fog and rain in S1.J ohn's. Another 

happy man we bump into is Alf 

Strang who is carrying a large 

wheel-wrench to do some work on 

his school bus. 

"I've been in the school bus business 

for six years now," says Alf. 

"It's a bit noisy sometimes, but 

you get used to it. I bought the bus 

in 1979. It's got only 76,000 

kilometres on it. Any work that's 

to he done I do myse lf. I'm waiting 

until my Christmas holiday to 

do the seats. I took a few trips to 

St. J ohn's with the cadets and 

they made those holes in the 

covers. I suppose they had nothing 

else to do, but at least they 

could have gone to sleep," he says 

with a resigned laugh. 

Alf used to fish but after six 

yea rs he gave it up. 

"The big thing here is the trap 

fishery. I'd say there's close on a 

hundred fishermen here fish in 

with the National Pensioners and 

Senior Citizens Federation as 

well. 

"There are four of us who go to 

the national convention each 

year," says Meta. "We are all 

widows and we save our money 

to go because the club can't afford 

to send us. Last year was in 

Kitchener, Ontario, and this year 

we went to Charlottetown, P.E.I. 

I really enjoy meeting people at 

the conventions because there 

are seniors there from Newfoundland 

to British Columbia. The oldest 

person is 93and he sits on the 

executive. And we discuss things 

of importance to senior citizens. 

Last year there were 86 resolu- 

Alf Strang 

summertime. H.B. Dawe buys it, 

they have a saltfish plant. But 

they've got to be 18inches or the 

plant won't buy them. My father 

was fishing here this swnmer and 

he probably brought in 14-15,000 

pounds of end a day. But by the 

lime he'd weighed it in you might 

only have 4-5,000 pounds over 18 

inches. The rest you have to throw 

away. Not a dam thing you can do 

with the stuff and yet so many 

people starving in the world. 

"Things weren't always like 

that. Back in the late '60s and the 

70s Booth Fisheries bought all 

OlD"fish. They were an American 

company and everything we 


tions and the national federation 

brings them right to Ottawa and 

lobbies on our hehalf. I'm rea lly 

looking forward to next yea r's 

convention in North Bay, Ontario, 

because we hope to bring 

some resolutions from Newfoundland 

for the first time." 

Meta says her involvement in 

the Golden Age Club and her activities 

at the provincial and natimalleve! 

are very important to 

her. 

"I like to get people involved 

and 1am very proud to carryon 

the work that Austin started here 

in S1.Lawrence," she concludes. 

"11"5 what keeps me going now. 

It means everything to me. "11 

caught they bought. They're gone 

now,The Lake group came in and 

look over. I suppose in some ways 

they were the good old days. 

"Take when the mines were 

working in St. Lawrence. You'd 

work at Aleen all winter, you'd 

come home in the spring of the 

year and go fishing, then in the 

fall you'd haul up your boat, put 

away your gear and go back toAlcan 

and work aJl winter. It would 

he a great thing if they got the 

mine working again," he adds. 

After quitting the fishing Alf 

went into business. 

"I had a store for 12years. Sold 

most everything from a bag of 

nails to a piece of moulding for 

facing a door. But I got tired of it 

and sold it. A rat race, rat race ... 

"You worked 16 or 17 hours a 

day. People just kept coming in. 

They'd ring you 12 o'clock at 

night, especially fishermen who 

wanted something for their boat. 

I'd get up and give it to them. 

Then you'd go to St. John's once 

or twice a week for supplies." 

AIr sold the business and 

bought a bus and his wife Marie 

had another child. 

"I've got six children, all girls. 

Theeldest is 18,she's at universi-

to graze the grass next to her 

master's building. 

"You 'll see a Jot of cows wandering 

around here, " says Fred. 

"We have the odd person come to 

Council and say we should bar 

them in, and we have the odd accident 

with them, but I'm an advocale 

of letting that sluff be as 

it is. We have tourists come here 

in summer and follow those cows 

for hours ." 

Letting cows roam and graze 

where they will also aUows pe0ple 

who might not have a field 10 

keep a cow. Fred. sums it up. 

"When you take the cows off 

the side of the road you've become 

a Canadian, you're no 

longer a Newfoundlander." 

Lawn has about 250 houses . 

There is no property tax but 

property owners pay a poll tax of 

$60 a year and sa a month for 

water service. Fred estimates 

that only 10 or 15 people have 

mortgages on their homes . 

"When you get home and kick 

off your shoes , it's a nice feeling 

to know whatever you've got is 

your own," says Fred whose 

house started life as a school. 

"I brought the old school, did 

some work on it, then packed my 

bag and went to Ontario for 

awhile to make some money. 

Winning the battle 

T 

he comunity of Lawn seems 

to be a quiet place to live 

a most unlikely place for picket 

lines In form and the RCMP In be 

flown in because of an ongoing 

dispule. But that's just what happened 

when the Roman Calbolic 

school board for the Burin Peninsula 

announced that Holy Name 

of Mary Elementary/High School 

would be closed. Jusl as unlikely 

is the involvement of Gertie 

Lambe, a quiet, shy resident of 

Lawn who was treasurer of the 

Lawn School Commillee which 

was formed 10 fighl the school 

closure. 

"The school goes from Grades 

4 In 12 - il was Grade 11 at the 

lime, " says Gertie. "They want - 

Cox's Convenience Store 

When I got back I did some more 

work on the house . In Ontario I 

remember walking nine miles to 

the union hall each day until I get 

a job, but I finally got one - and 

holes in my shoes ," he chuckles. 

" I was in the armed forces too, 

in British Columbia, Manitoba, 

and three years in Germany. 

" I grew up in Lawn . As a boy 

I never seemed to have enough 

time to do everything. You'd 

come home from school, do the 

garden, the hay, Ihe fish, drive 

the cow home and even pick blueberries 

along the way . We were 

happy . We had everything and 

Gertie Lambe 

ed to bus our kids to the new 

DREE school in Sl. Lawrence. 

They said our Holy Name was in 

need of repair and that if our chil- 


yet we weren 't rich . We didn 't 

have big cars but we always had 

something In eat and drink. Al 

Christmas you'd have a quarter 

of meat hanging out the upstairs 

window and you'd have your cabbage 

buried out in the garden in 

an earth house . Now boy, things 

have changed!" 

A bil of the philosopher 

emerges in Fred. 

"President Kennedy said it 

best : •...ask not what your country 

can do for you; ask what you 

can do for your country '. Perhaps 

that's what people should be 

doing. " IJl 

dren went to St. Lawrence they 

would gel a beller educalion because 

the facilities were better. 

But that was only a bluff. Our 

children had been going on to 

university and becoming doctors 

and nurses and lawyers just the 

same as students from other high 

schools. " 

The parents in Lawn had their 

own suspicions about why the 

Board wanted to close the local 

school. Gertie also had a few 

ideas on the decision. 

" They buill that new school 

bigger than it needed to be," she 

says. "And when they didn'l have 

enough students from St. 

Lawrence they decided to take 

our crowd and put them in it to


justify building it so big. But none 

of them would ever admit to it. 

They just kept giving us the same 

reasons and we weren 't going to 

accept them ." 

There wer e se vera l reasons 

why Gertie did not want her two 

sons , Blaine and Brian travelling 

to St. Lawrence. She sa ys they 

learned their lesson about losing 

the school in a community when 

they lived in Roundabout which 

was between Lawn and Lord 's 

Cove. 

"One year they started sending 

the Roundabout high school studenls 

in here to Lawn for school," 

she recalls . "The next year it was 

the Grade 7s and 85, and then 

they closed the school altogether. 

The next thing we knew the whole 

community was resettled. That 

was in 1968. I'll tell you [wouldn 't 

want to live here if ther e was no 

school. " 

Busing was a nother reason 

many parents decided to fight the 

decision . They believed it was too 

dangerous having the students 

travel over the highway to St. 

Lawrence during the winter. 

"It's not that far a ride , but in 

Lord's Cove 

Back home 

T 

he ten kilometres of unpaved 

road that connects Lawn and 

Lord's Cove undulates over the 

treeless barrens giving an uninterrupted 

view of the craggy 

coastline. Descending the last 

dusty incline, the road suddenly 

becomes paved again a nd leads 

into Lord 's Cove, a collection of 

houses neatly tucked into a protected 

hay. Wefound Wayne Fitzpatrick, 

31, in a red , woolen shirt 

splitting wood by the side of his 

house . Wayne is mayor of Lord 's 

Cove and lives right beside the 

council building . Wayne happil y 

abandoned. his wood-splitting and 

took us into his warm office . 

"There was a nice bit of fish 

here this year," says Wayne . 

"Three trap boat crews operate 

from here and about 20 dories . 

Our sailfish plant was oper ating 

under H.8 . Dawe and the y em- 

the winter the road just isn't kept 

plowed enough. It's always open 

from Marystown to St. Lawrence 

but from here to St. Lawrence it's 

not. There'd be too many times 

when they couldn 't get over the 

road and it's not the safest trip to 

make even when you ca n get over 

it." 

The school committee or 

ganized picket lines which stood 

24 hours . The high school student 

s were then sent to St . 

Lawrence but many parents kept 

their chi ldre n out of school that 

year in protest. 

"We were that adamant that 

we stood out in the snow all night 

long at times ," Gertie continues . 

" Wewere afraid they 'd go in and 

take the supplies out of the school 

so we always had some people 

there. There were only two or 

thr ee families here that weren 't 

on our side. Everyone else 

helped . 

" We wrote letters to the school 

hoard , Archhishop Penney, Lynn 

Verge - everyone we could think 

of. We also went to the Board 

office in Burin for meetings and 

to St . John 's. Some of the pick- 

Wayne Fitzpalrick 

ployed about 20 men . The fishermen 

sell to the plant. Inside they 

split, wash , and salt it then leave 

it for a week or two until H.B. 

Dawe com es out and carries it 

eters were bonded to keep the 

peace and some were arrested. 

They never got the chance to get 

me though . You should have seen 

it. They flew in Mounties by 

helicopter from all over . You'd 

never know but there was a bank 

robbery going on the way they 

came in" 

Gertie says there were some 

unpleasant incidents. Some peopie 

started throwing eggs at the 

bus and the parents as they put 

their children on the bus. 

"There was no need of that," 

she says. "We didn 't approve of 

that at all . If some parents wanted 

to send their children to 51. 

Lawrence, that was their dectsioo 

and we didn 't want to interfere. 

" But we won in the end. I credit 

Father John Maddigan with helping 

us. After he came here he 

went to the Board and then it was 

decided to leave the school open . 

They spent close to $200,000 fixing 

up the school. 

"I'd do it all over again. I believe 

that a community needs a 

school. A community just dies 

when the school is taken away" 

away. The plant opened the end 

of May and I suppose it was 

finished the end of september. 

"We have about 30 people here 

work in fish plants at Fortune and 

Marystown. They travel back 

and forth each day . The return 

trip is about 80 miles and they 

leave at six in the morning and 

get back at six in the evening. A 

little hus takes about 15 to Fortune, 

the others go by car to 

Marystown . I work in the plant at 

Fortune, but the draggennen 

went out on strikeso there's been 

no fish since July. We get our unemployment 

and the draggermen 

get their strike pay . 

"We had some Canada Worlts 

projects this year. Ten men were 

employed for 12weeks repairing 

the Community Centre and we 

had a summer project that employed 

8 students for 6 weeks


man in just about every day. The 

main thing is groceries, but we 

carry other things in case people 

might want them. But you don't 

really know what will sell. You 

look at it and think somebody 

should buy it. but not everybody 

has the same taste as you, 

There's always a lot of stuff that 

just doesn't move. We've probably 

had some things here six or 

twelve months. 

..At least everybody needs 

food. Even if times are really bad 

people have to eat, so you seldom 

get stuck with food." 

Lord's Cove has no bank, so 

Anne finds herself acting as one 

at times. 

"Some people may pay their 

bill with a big fish check, then I 

have to drive to S1. Lawrence or 

Grand Bank to deposit it. We 

have no doctor or dentist here 

either, soyou have to get to them, 

although the doctor will make a 

house call if somebody is 

bedridden. 

"The school is at Lamaline, but 

that's not so bad with the school 

bus. We can't complain. It's nice 

Taylor's Bay 

Helping himself 

"T here used to be more pe0ple 

here years ago," says 

GordonHillier, 64,of Taylor's Bay. 

"But people are looking for work 

these days. There's no work here 

and they're moved everywhere ... 

the mainland, the States, St. 

Jam's." 

That, in fact, is what Gordon 

did when he was 20 years old. He 

went to St. John's and got a job in 

the dietary department at the 

Waterford Hospital. His wife 

Elizabeth, from St. Jones Within. 

Trinity Bay, also worked at the 

hospital. Gordon worked there for 

25 years but in 1981 got tired of 

city life, took early retirement 

and moved back to Taylor's Bay. 

"I had to buy my wife a horse 

to get her to come," he says with 

a smile. 

"That's right," Elizabeth 

here. 

"Did my parents have a store? 

No, neither Tom's parents nor 

mine did. we were silly enough to 

get into it," says Anne with a 

laugh. 

Lord's Cove 

agrees with a laugh. "( told him 

I wasn't coming unless I could 

have a pony and that's what I got. 

Nowyou wouldn't get me to leave 

here. I love it." 

But what makes the Hilliers 

able toadjust to living in so small 

a community after living in a 

large centre for so many years? 

Taylor's Bay has no store, post 

office or even a community building. 

There are only a few houses 

belonging to people who stayed on 

after most of the others left. 

"I can do a bit of work to help 

myself without anyone pushing 

me," explains Gordon. "Don't get 

me wrong nO'N. I'm a worker and 

I'm always busy. But I'm my cwn 

boss. I grow potatoes, carrots, turnips, 

cabbage _.. I have two 

gardens. I cut my own wood and 

dig my own turf - what you call 

U you are a tourist passing 

Anne's store, drop in. Over on the 

far wall she still has some "cabhage 

patch" dolls. Unless the 

news has got around, you may be 

able to buy one. I! 

peat moss - to heat my house. 

We use a drop of oil, but not 

much. And I can put something 

down here without worrying if 

someone will take it." 

Gordon ownsa pickup truck but 

uses his horse to haul wood and 

peat moss, as well as kelp, which 

he uses to fertilize his gardens. 

"You might say I'm too foolish 

to use the truck," he jokes. "But 

sometimes I even lug things on 

my own back because.it's too 

much bother tohitch up the horse. 

It's born into me, I guess, and I 

can't change. 

"When I was growing up here, 

we had a wheelbarrow and were 

considered lucky. But back then 

everyone was the same. It was the 

Depression, there was no work, 

and nobody had anything over the 

next fellow. We had to get Relief

ut worked to get what we could . 

I started fishing with my father 

when I was nine and kept at that 

a good many years. We had our 

vegetable gardens, too, and my 

father kept a good many cattle. 

Today there's all classes 01people 

out here all according to il they 

are working and what they are 

working at. It's not the same at 

all ." 

Still, although living in Taylnr's 

Bay enables Gordon to live the 

way be wants to, he says there is 

something missing {rom when he 

was growing up here. 

"There used tobehousesdown 

by the water there. They were on 

8 bogand we would have to walk 

around by the shore to get out. 

There was never all that many 

homes but there were lots of pe0ple. 

Wehad a big crowd 01young 

people here when I was growing 

up. Yousee, everybody had big families. 

Wehad a school and there 

was also an Anglican church at 

that lime. Most 01the people were 

Bmnells or Hilliers and there was 

one family of Woodlands. Now 

there're only a lew houses lelt and 

Blueberry Squares 

3 tsp. butter 

'h cup sugar 

2 egg yolks 

% cup flour 

1 tsp . baking powder 

1/4tsp . salt 

If.. cup milk 

1 tsp . vanilla 

Cream butter andsugar. Beat in 

egg yolks, then add sifted dry ingredients 

alternately with milk 

and vanilla . Pour into a greased 

s-inch square pan and bake 18 to 

20 minutes at 350'. 

Topping: 

2 egg whites 

6 tsp. sugar 

1I.. tsp . salt 

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

Beat egg whites until peaked . 

Beat in sugar and salt. Then fold 

the blueberries into the meringue 

and spread over baked cake portion. 

Bake until golden brown for 

12 to 15 minutes . 

Elizabeth and Gordon Hillier with grandson Bobby , 2. 

the people left here JlOW'are mostly 

my age." 

When Gordon left Taylor 's Bay 

he had gone only to Grade 3. He 

had dilliculty in school because 

his eyesight was very poor and 

they couldn 't get glasses lor him. 

"But it was different in those 

days ," he cautions. "I worked 

hard to get a job and keep one. 

And sometimes I felt bad when 1 

couldn't understand things because 

I didn't get far in school. 

But 1 always got by. Thday it's 

different. Kids today have got to 

have an education to get a job 

worth having. Youcan't get by on 

OECKS AWASH - 47 

just hard work anymore. School 

is important. " 

Gordon has two children still at 

home and a grandchild as well 

living with them. He and 

' Elizabeth bought a small house 

when they returned but they 

bought it lor the land. They hope 

to build a new house in the near 

future so they wiH have a comfortable 

home for their 

retirement. 

"When you get a certain age 

you want to come home," concludes 

Gordon. "It's nice and 

quiet here and that's what I wanted 

- a quiet place to live," "


Lamaline 

Land loss at Lamaline 

T he community of LamalineIits western end Allan 's Island 

spreads in a wide , flat cres- which is connected by a half-mile 

cent around a broad harbor about causeway. The houses form an 

one mile in breadth. It includes at almost continuous single line 

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IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR 

ST. JOHN'S 722·5660 • GRAND FALLS 489·2131 

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NEWFOUNDLAND TRACTC?:R AND EQUIP. CO. LTD. 

along the community's one road. 

In North Lamaline most of the 

houses are on the land side of the 

road for at high tide the ocean 

r---------------------, I floods across the shallow harbor 

and approaches the road . One 

man who owns property on the 

seaward side is mayor Leslie 

Lovell who operates the community 

's only service station. 

"In 10 years we've lost 4Sfeet 

of land from behind the garage 

here, " says Les ."We' ve been trying 

to get something done about 

it for years. When the tide's out 

the whole harbor is a mass of 

boulders. We would like to get 

something to push them back 

towards the shore and protect the 

land from further deterioration. 

" We have another problem at 

the west end of the community. 

There's about 13houses that get 

flooded during the winter storms. 

We've had to take people out DC 

their homes by tour-wheel-drive 

and by grader several times. 

With four feet of water and the 

tide and wind, we've had some 

difficulties getting people out at


PointMay 

Waiting for the boom 

"Tenyears ago there wasno 

sense applying for a 

Canada Works grant in Point May 

because no one needed the jobs ," 

says Piercey 1I01l0'0"'ay, mayor of 

the community. "Everybody was 

working and yoo couldn 't get pe0ple 

to lake the jobs , Thday, that 

has all changed. We've had a bout 

60jobs provided through one type 

of grant or another over the past 

year and there 's aJways been 

three or four men applying for 

each job. With the number of unemployed 

because of strikes. layoffs 

and closures, you have to use 

those grants as a stop-gap meas 

ure to keep people going ." 

The same thin g has happened 

with regard to the development 

association in the area according 

to Piercey. He remembers a time 

when the Greater Lamaline De- Piercey Holloway with a sample of their 

velopment Association almost hope lor the future- peal moss 

folded because of lack of interest. 

"At one meeting we couldn 't nated to fill nine positions. The ineven 

get enough people to run to terest is high because of the hard 

fill the posts on the executive. We economic times . Let's face it, 

just had our election of officers that's when you need crganizafor 

the Point May local awhile tions like the development associback. 

There were 22 people nomi- ations the most." 

The new community wharf at Pie Duck Cove. 

Although the grants obtained in 

Point May provide only ternporary 

...vork for a small number 

of people, each of the programs 

has been put to good use in the 

conununity. Work has included 

upgrading the community 

pasture and the baseball diamood, 

cleaning up the cemetery, 

completing the first phase of 

building a wading pool beside the 

Point May Brook, and repairs to 

the community hall through a 

New Horizons grant sponsored by 

the senior citizens ' club. 

''The Fishermen's Committee 

also sponsored a grant to move 

the wharf," adds Piercey. "The 

beach down in our cove is what 

we call a 'live' beach because the 

ground under it is not solid. Every 

time we have a storm the 

beach can change by as much as 

100 feet and the slipway, wharf 

and boats were constantly being 

damaged. The fishermen got a 

grant of $80,000to move the community 

wharf to Pie Duck Cove 

about three or four miles up the 

coast. There's about 15 dories 

fishing out of there - no Iongliners." 

The people of Point May have 

recently added their own fire 

brigade to the list of community 

services. They are affiliated with 

the brigade in Lamaline and 

together are responsible for 

Lord's Cove, Point au Gaul, 

Lamaline and Point May. 

"We have one truck and they 

have two in Lamaline," says Piercey. 

" It took us a year-and-a-haU 

to raise the money - we had to 

put up 25 per cent of the total 

$38,000 required to buy the truck 

and equipment. The provincial 

government put up the other 75 

per cent. Wehave two pumps and 

equipment for 10 men at a time. 

There's a total of 17 volunteers 

here and 18 in Lamaline," 

Piercey says the fire brigade 

was a necessity because some of

ottom up in rough seas and I 

climbed on top of her and put my 

arm through the plug trap rope 

and the mate grabbed hold to my 

boot. And then there was nothing 

to00but wait till someone saw us. 

Wedidn't die but we come paddy 

keefe to it." 

J oseph and his mate were 

taken ashore at Three Fathom 

Harbour and treated for frostbite 

by a local doctor . As lor the boat, 

Joseph says the insurance cornpany 

declared her a wreck . She 

was put on auction and the man 

who bought her refloated her and 

found her to be seaworthy. 

" I had been at it a few years by 

that time," he continues. "My 

father was a ship's carpenter and 

he went to 51. Pierre to work on 

the docks. He lound it pretty good 

so he came back to Point May 

and carried us over there. I was 

13 the n and went to school first 

when I got there. But by the lime 

I was 14 I had my first job as a 

sea man on a ship in the rumrunning 

. I was at it for 16 years IJe.. 

fore I gave it up and came back 

here. The ships were all owned by 

big shots in the States and gangst 

ers like Legs Diamond. I didn't 

work for him but I was at it when 

he was over in St. Pierre. They 

shot him coming out of a drugstor 

e in New York City ... put 58 

machin e-gun bullets into him. I 

was still in St. Pier re at the time 

and that's how I heard about it." 

Joseph says when he first started 

they used the big two-and 

three -masted bankers for the 

rumrunning trade. But around 

1926 when the business really bega 

n in earnest, the bankers were 

replaced with modern power 

boats which could carry 3,000 

cases of liquor. 

"And on the American coast 

we'd have 6O-100t speed-boats 

with five red-wing airplane engines 

in them to take the liquor to 

sho re. And don 't think they 

couldn't go. We'd meet 011the 

coast in the nighttime and you'd 

go with no lights on. But after 

awhile the authorities got just as 

smart as you were . They built 

boats like ours so they could turn 

faster and pick you up in a 

searchlight and all this type 01ex- 

ercise." 

When he was 17, Joseph was 

caught by the American authorities. 

That was the first of three 

times. 

"Nothing ever happened to us 

though, " he says . " I spent 17days 

in jail in the States once , but the 

company had lawyers hired to do 

aU the talking for you and you 

just got sent home to do it all over 

again. 

"That first time we still had 

half a load of liquor on board and 

they towed us into Boston. There 

was no court set up for laying 

charges then. They took our boat 

and the liquor and sent us home. 

The owners bought a new boat 

and we went right back at it." 

But it wasn't only the rumrunners 

who experienced the excitement 

of the times . Madeline 

remembers many incidents with 

the trade right in Point May. 

"When they were rumrunning, 

come a big storm and you were 

sure to see a ship come in that 

cove," she explains . 'When I was 

a young girl still in school a ship 

called the Berevielle came 

ashore. She was carrying half 

genera] cargo, and half liquor 

from France to St. Pierre. Come 

a gail wind here along the land 

and blew all her sails away. She 

was blown ashore and wrecked. 

My father had two barns - one 

big enoogh to keep 15 head 01cat- 

Joseph Stacey 

tie. They took out the cattle and 

shifted them to the small stable. 

The big one was packed full from 

top to bottom with liquor . There 

were two big stores down on 

Bowring's Beach and they were 

packed full and there must have 

been 50 puncheons of wine 

besides." 

Madeline remembers a Constable 

Lee came from Grand Bank 

to guard the shipment while they 

waited for the men to come from 

St. Pierre and take the liquor 

away . 

"In those days people here used 

to take cattle and sheep over to 

St. Pierre in their dories ," says 

Madeline . " And they'd get their 

liquor while they were there 

just shove oCf and get their drop. 

But that wreck was just before 

Christmas and there wasn't anybody 

who had to go to St. Pierre 

to get their drop that year. 

But both Madeline and Joseph 

have long since settled into a less 

exciting way of life in Point May. 

Still they look hack on the days 01 

rumrunning with fondness and a 

certain amount of amazement. 

"You know I made $1!KX> in nine 

days one time when I was rumrunning 

." remembers Joseph. 

" And that was some lot of money 

in those days ." 

"Yes ," agrees Madeline. teasing 

him . "They made it fast and 

spent it just as fast. " l!I

features 

Home gardening 

By: Ross Traverse 

Q: I have a Christmas Cactus which does not 

flower at Christmas. but sometimes [lowers 

later in the winter. How can I get it to blossom 

at Christmastime? 

A: 10 encourage the Christmas Cactus to flower; 

it should be placed in a cool place in July and 

August. Water and foodshould be withheld at 

that time. The leaves Conned in early summer 

will harden orr and buds will be formed. In 

september provide a temperature of around 

15'C and water very sparingly. As the buds develop. 

gradually increase water. When the 

plant is flcwering. it should not be moved until 

all the blossoms have dropped. 

Some people place the Christmas Cactus 

plants in the pot outside during the summer. 

When the cool weather sets in during the rail, 

the plant will naturally set Hewer buds. Make 

sure it is taken inside before there is a frost. 

Q: Every year we cut a Balsam Fir for a Christmas 

tree. Is it possible to grow a Christmas 

tree and use it year after year? 

A: Yes, it is possible, in fact, in some places live 

Christmas trees in pots are sold. You can get 

a young Balsam Fir tree potted up into a container, 

i.e., a to-gallon tub. The tree should be 

grown outside for a few years and when it is 

about four feet tall you should start to prune 

it. Youremove the outside tips of the branches 

in the spring. This will cause the tree to 

branch and become very bushy. It may take 

seven or eight years to get a a-rt. tree. This tree 

may be left outside and then just brought in 

at Christmastime. Of course it is important 

that it should never dry out. One advantage of 

a natural live tree is that it won't lose its needles 

Jike one that is cut. As soon as Christmas 

is over you should take the tree out and let it 

get adjusted to the outside temperatures 

again. 


Q: Some of my neighbors wrap their evergreen 

trees in plastic to protect them. Is this a good 

idea? 

A: No, definitely not. Plastic should not be used 

to protect outside plants during the winter. 

When the sun shines on plastic, even during 

the winter, it would get too warm inside and 

cause the pJant to break dormancy. This means 

that the buds may open and then with severe 

frost, could damage the tree or shrub. If 

you feel it is necessary to wrap a tree or shrub, 

then burlap is the best material to use. You 

should always use some material that is 

porous that will allow the air to circulate. My 

idea with outside plants is just to protect them 

from damage bysnow. A properly pruned and 

healthy tree usually won't need any protection 

other than support when it is very small. 

Q: How should I care for my Poinsettia after 

Christmas in order to keep it as long as 

possible? 

A: An important point to remember about Poinsettias 

is that they need a constant supply of 

moisture. Never let them dry out. Also be 

careful, however, that you don't everwater 

them for this can cause damage. If you keep 

your Poinsettia plant in a cool part of the 

house away from heaters, then it will maintain 

its color much longer. Poinsettias can be kept 

growing and forced into color for next year. 

This is done by keeping the plant under shortday 

conditions during September (with a-hour 

span of light). Then the plant wilJdevelop the 

red color in its top leaves. It should be fed 

regularly a diluted solution of 20-20-20 every 

two weeks. 

Q: How should I protect my rock garden plants 

during the winter? 

A: Evergreen boughs several layers thick is probably 

one of the best methods of protection for 

perennial rock garden plants. Youhave to be 

careful that the rock garden is in a location 

so that the water drains away. Any ice that 

forms will kill the plants. The boughs should 

not be placed on the bed of the rock garden 

until the ground is frozen. This would probably 

be in late November. The boughs should 

be removed as soon as the ground starts to 

thaw in the spring. .,

62 - DECKS AWAS H 

Audubon Christmas Bir d Count 

T 

his year marks the 85th Christmas Bird Count 

in Atlantic Canada and plans are underway 

to hold as many as ten counts here in Newfoundland. 

The first count is expected to be undertaken 

on December 15,with the final count taking place 

on December 31. Counts will take place throughout 

the island part of the province with a new count 

set for the Codroy Valley in western Newfoundland. 

The aim is to count all the birds in the ts-mue 

diameter count circle so as to have an idea of the 

wintering population . Changes over the years can 

then be studied to assist in wildlife protection and 

habitat management. The mast important benefit, 

however, is to offer participants a most enjoyable 

day in the outdoors. Counts in urban areas also 

include " feeder " birds, so those who have to stay 

at borne on count day can also contribute. Most 

of the counts also feature an evening get-together 

to enjoy a warm snack and perhaps tell stories 

about the birds that were missed. 

Anyone interested in birds is invited to take part 

in these counts. The only requirements are access 

to transportation to and from the count area, a 

willingness to endure whatever weather conditions 

are encountered and a little experience in 

bird identification. Efforts are made to match novices 

with count veterans and eac h count has a 

compiler who allocates coverage and tallies up 

numbers for late publication in American Birds. 

The wreck of the Evelyn 

I 

n the winter of 1913,the schooner Evelyn, under 

Captain Burke, was en route from Pernambuco, 

Brazil to S1. John's, Newfoundland. On 20 December 

1912,the weather deteriorated and by the morning of 

Saturday, January 4, the wind reached hurricane 

force. 

At 4 p.m ., January 6, Cape Pine was sighted only to 

be quickly obliterated in a blinding snowstorm. Captain 

Burke headed to sea but the ship received a fearful 

bashing .....ith waves frequently breaking on board. Not 

until 5:30 p.m . the next day was Cape Pine safely 

passed 

The wind increased with sea spray freezing on deck 

until hull and rigging were under several inches of ice. 

Il became impossible to handle the running gear and 

with decks constantly awash the crew were in risk of 

their lives . Tuesday night was miserable and anxious 

for all on board . 

Wednesday found.the ship north of Bay Bulls about 

four miles off shore . In desperation the houseflag was 

raised in the hope that Bay Bulls or Cape Spear migh' 

send out a tug, but to DO avail. At 7 p.m . a snowstorm 

The cost of publication is met by a nominal fee 

from each participant. 

Tentative dates and contracts are listed below: 

Cape Race, Dec . 22; Cape St. Mary's, Dec. t5; 

St. John 's, Dec. 26: John Wells, MUN Department 

of Psychology, St. Jo hn's, NF AlB 3X9, 737-7668. 

Codroy Valley, Dec. 22; Gros Morne, Dec. 28; 

St. Paul's, Dec. 29: Blake Maylark, Gras Morne 

National Park, Rocky Hr., NF AOK 4NO,458-2417. 

Corner Brook, Dec . rl: Alan Burger, 73 Central 

St., Corner Brook, NF , A2H 2M7, 634-1439. 

Terra Nova , Dec. 17: Roger Burrows, 21Bellas! 

St., St. John's, NF, AlB 2G5, 753-8862 or Hank 

Deichman, Terra Nova, NF via Glovertown, NF 

AOG2LO,533-2801. 

L'Anse-aux-Meadows, Dec. 31; St. Anthony, 

Dec . 30: Bruce MacTanish, ApI. 311, 20 SI. Laurent 

St., SI. John's, NF 737-7668. "' 

began as the barometer plummeted. 

By midnight the lights of the coast were obscured 

with a gale from the southeast driving the Evelyn 

towards land. To save his vessel, Captain Burke headed 

south on double reefed mainsail, foresail , and jib. 

By 6 a.m . Thursday, all were tom to ribbons. With virtually 

no canvas the ship was completely at the mercy 

of the elements. 

By extreme effort the ship was hove to and allowed to 

wallow in the troughs of the sea, but still waves swept 

all moveable objects from her decks. Heavy wtth wet 

ice and snow the ship was quite out of hand. Then at 9 

a.m. a steamer was sighted. Distress signals were 

hoisted . 

The steamer proved to be the Bellavenfure under 

Captain Cross who gallantly offered to send out a small 

rescue boat, but Captain Burke reluctantly declined 

because no small boat could survive in such waters. 

1be Bellaventure lett for 81. John's. 

The snow cleared and the ship continued until Cape 

Broyle .....as sighted. Being under bare poles there was 

no way to weather the Cape so the ship was ron into


and our published research has gained a national 

and international reputation. 

For a moment, Ray, who grew up in Harbour 

Main, Conception Bay, reflects on the last 20years 

in the province. 

"Up until the '60s most communities had a society 

that was controlled either by the clergy, the 

merchant, or the teacher. The men were out fishing, 

in the woods, or mining. Families were too 

busy keeping body and soul together to have much 

time for anything else. 

"But with universal education and radio and 

TV, people became more aware. They had time. 

But you've got to remember that weas Newfoundlanders 

have not been accustomed to having anything 

to say about what goes on. During 

Commission of Government days everything was 

out of our hands. And we have tended to be skeptical 

of the effectiveness of anything we might be 

able to do. We have the attitude that no matter 

how much say we have, it's not likely to have any 

effect anyway. 

"But that simply isn't so. People can decide for 

themselves and these decisions can work both for 

the community and the developers." 

Ray has talked to various groups on the West 

Coast about the potential onshore drilling on the 

Northern Peninsula because the provincial 

government was aware that some oil drilling companies 

were interested in the onshore potential of 

the region. 

"Both the Parson's Pond and the Bay St. 

George-Stephenville areas formed committees to 

look into the potential for onshore drilling. The 

Parson's Pond area committee had over 35 community 

organizations involved." 

Ray suggests we talk to George Payne, chair- 

Georglt Payne 

Ray HllWCO 

man of the Oil and Gas Steering Committee of the 

Parson's Pond area because this is an example of 

true community involvement. 

When contacted, George Payne talks enthusiasticaUy 

about their activities. 

"I've been interested in the onshore potential 

ever since 1966when I was involved with the Parson's 

Pond Community Council," says George. "I 

think I must have talked to every energy minister 

since that time. 

"Leo Barry, the former energy minister, was 

very helpful and I went to Ottawa to find out what 

the federal government could do. We formed a 

committee and asked the Petroleum Directorate 

to provide guidelines." 

Overall, George is pleased withthe input of the 

committee but is understandably disappointed 

that the companies decided not to explore the 

area. Interested in providing employment in the 

west coast area, George is President of Parson's 

Pond Seafoods. 

"Amos Payne, Fraser Keough and I look after 

the fish plant where we process all types of fish. 

We employ about 60 people directly in the plant, 

but if you consider all those involved including 

truck drivers,loaders, and fishermen, I'd say we 

provide income for over 100. We've had a fair year 

but with prices so low, it's not been easy. 

"We need employment on the West Coast. I 

guess you could say we need employment all over 

Newfoundland. I just heard on the radio that 

80-90% of our West Coast young people are unemployed. 

If we could get something going with the 

onshore oil it would be a real boostto the economy. 

"I've been talking to energy minister Bill Mar-


There wasn't much hauling to do as the trap was 

so full there wasn 't much twine to pull in. There 

was a haJf-dozen or more small boats in the vicinity 

which I heard the men refer to as "bumbers". 

Steve signalled them all to his trap and filled their 

boats with fish. Then he proceeded to fill three 

2O-qUintal bags with the remainder of the fish from 

the trap. The bagswere madeof twine and the fish 

was transferred to them from the trap by lacing 

one to the other. I had a problem with the trap 

twine hooking into my boots . I don't see any of that 

type of boots or shoes nowadays. 

By the tim e all the fish was bagged, the sbades 

of night were falling and the start towards home 

was made with the three 2O-quintal bags in tow. 

The wind came up from the direction in which we 

were headed which slowed oor progressto a snail's 

pace. By midnight we managed to get back to Gibbons' 

stage head at the beach in St. Mary 's harbor. 

Fortunately, someone had seen us taking off 

on the fishing trip ; otherwise, our parents would 

have been very much concerned over their two 

missing boys. 

10return for such an exciting evening, Aiden and 

I volunteered to assist at slowing away the fish . 

All concerned went home for a few hours' rest before 

starting the operation. 

When I arrived home my good mother had a piping 

hot meal for me which I thoroughly enjoyed . 

One can imagine what an appetite I had after being 

so long without eating - Steve and his men 

didn't anticipate such a large haul and expected 

to be home in just a few hours so they had very 

little food with them, and in any case, with all the 

fish they hadn 't had lime to eat anything. 

My mother agreed for me to assist at the fish 

Aunt's Soph's WPA meeting 

By Eric Young 

,T was about this time last year that we had 

the big fuss at the house . Here's what 

happened. 

The War was only a few months old when 

Grandmother was elected president of the Women's 

Patriotic Association, or WPA, as they called 

it. The first meeting was at our house , and. was 

doing my homework in the kitchen when the wornen 

piJed in, took off their coats and went in the 

front room . Gran gaveout wool and needles which 

were soon clicking away, starting up mitts and 

socks for the men going overseas. 

Since it was the first meeting, and almost 

Christmas. Grandmother thought she would do it 

up proper, so she came out to the pantry and 

poured off a big glass pitcher of Grandfather's 

blueberry wine, and with a tray of glasses went 

but insisted I sleep for a few hours first. 

It was almost noon when I woke and you can imagine 

how red my face was when I appeared at the 

fish stage and found the others had been there a 

few hours before me.f had to take quite a ribbing 

for being such a sleepyhead. 

It was late afternoon when all the fish was split, 

salted, etc , Steve and his crew starred oll again for 

another haul but neither Aiden nor I volunteered 

for another trip. 

This was my only experience at the fishing except 

for a trip with my relatives - the Daltons of 

Cape Broyle - to their trap a couple of years later. 

Our catch on this occasion was only a few quintals 

and our boat was equipped with a motor engine, 

only recently installed. This was the first 

motor engine to come to cape Broyle and. was 

present in the room when my grandfather John 

Dalton closed the deal to purchase it from the 

salesman. Each year thereafter the fishermen of 

Cape Broyle equipped their boatswith engines until 

every fisherman in the place possessed one. 

This first engine was installed by a man sent 

from the company that sold it. His assistant was 

my late cousin John Dalton, Jr., who learned how 

to install engines from this man. John installed 22 

engines for the fishermen of Cape Broyle after that 

without any charge which must be classed as a 

real community effort. 

I've yet to catch a codfish by my own efforts except 

to catch connors and flatfish from a stagehead 

in boyhood days, In latter years an odd meal 

of trout has beenthe extent of my fishing, although 

my Cape Sroyle relatives taught me how to cut 

throats, gut, head, split, salt, washout and dry cod 

on flakes. I!I 

back in the front room. 

Soon I began to hear giggles and laughs coming 

from the women and the clicking of the needles 

had stopped. They were really gelling loud 

when Grandfather comes in the back door, takes 

off his coat and capand starts to fill his pipe, when 

he stops short. 

"Ed, what 's that racket going on in the front 

room? Sounds more like a randy than a meeting." 

"I don 't know, Grandfather," I says. " They 

were all knitting away until after Gran brought 

in a jug of your blueberry wine , and that's the way 

'tis been goin' ever since." 

Well, Grandlather almost burnt his fingers with 

his lit match, and his eyes opened wide. 

" Did you say blueberry wine? What the devil is 

Soph doing, doling out my blueberry wine three


Budapest 

B)' Clifford Grinling 

T 

his summer- our vecetioning reporter 

trevelled to Budapest, llungsry, and beceuse 

it's not on the usual itinersry of most treveiiers 

from "'e"foundland, we think reeders might lind 

it interesting. 

Budapest is just two hours from London by Russian 

TU-l54B jet of the Hungarian State Airline , 

MALEV. In-flight food is pork, salami, ham , cheddar 

and goat cheese . A basket of crusty bread rolls 

is passed around and the wine supply is liberal. 

There's little indication that Hungary is behind 

the Iron Curtain . True , an armed soldier guards 

the plane as we alight, but he is ignored by an old 

woman on an over-sized , ancient black bicycle 

who has pedalled from the terminal to sweep out 

the plane . 

The ride from the airport to Budapest in a Lada 

taxi is conducted at breakneck speed as the driver 

demonstrates his warrior horseman ancestry. The 

main highway is narrow by North American standards, 

the traffic light, the vehicles small . It's as 

if one has been transported back 20 years. Even 

the prices are yesterday's. The half-hour taxi ride 

to the hotel costs about six dollars. 

Budapest is old, majestic, and picturesque. It 

comprises the feudal town so Buda and Pest themselves 

built upon ancient Roman settlements. The 

Hungarians, originally a race of horse warriors 

from behind the Ural mountains, arrived here in 

896.Their warlike ways got them as far as Paris, 

but after some major military reversals they 

returned to Hungary and adopted the Slavic 

The chain link bridge and beyond it, Pest. 

methods of fanning, After being successively conquered 

or occupied by Tartars, Turks, Austrians, 

Germans and Russians, Budapest has today 

emerged as the capital of the Hungarian Socialist 

Republic, one of the most prosperous and, to 

western visitors, the most appealing of an the 

Parliament buildings with River Danube in foreground.


of its currency through foreign trade so exports 

are vital. Seventy per cent of exports are agricultural, 

but there's an irony even in this. One particular 

kind of grain is exported to Italy to make 

pasta, but this leaves Hungary short, so it imports 

grain from Russia which, in turn, imports it from 

Canada. Other exports are ships, power generating 

equipment, pharmaceutical products, and 

computer software. The popular Rubik's cube was 

invented by Mr. Rubik in Hungary. 

With six to eight million tourists visiting 

Budapest annually, tourism would appear to be 

a major generator of foreign currency, yet it 

seems to account for only four per cent of the gross 

national income. More important to the local pe0ple 

are tips from visitors . Where people earn 6000 

forints a month a tip of 50forints ($1U.S.) is considerable. 

Also, dollars command a high price on 

the black market. Stand in one spot for more than 

five minutes in a tourist district and you will be 

inevitably asked if you have dollars to sell. Since 

the blackmarket rate is twice the official rate, the 

temptation to buy is strong, but it's illegal, It's also 

difficult to change forints back to dollars when you 

leave. 

Crime in Hungary is difficult to gauge but appears 

less widespread than in most Western countries. 

A guide at the Museum of Fine Arts 

apologized for the fact that criminals had taken 

six paintings a year ago. Such theft, apparently, 

was unusual. We later learned that in Italy the 

police are currently trying to trace over 100,000 

Restored buildings In Ihe old secucn of Buda. 

MlIleral baths at the Gellart Hotel. Budapest 

art items stolen from galleries c..;j"j museums. 

Litter on streets is non-existent; walking across 

town in the small hours a perfectly safe oecupation. 

Speeding cars appear to pose a danger to 

pedestrians but miraculously stop the instant your 

foot leaves the pavement. Apparently the state 

takes a very serious view of hitting pedestrians. 

Bureaucratic crime, we learned, was more 

common and ranged from minor bribery to whole. 

sale appropriation of state property. Grain trucks 

detoured through friendly farmers' yards arrive 

at the state granary less than full. Private houses 

sometimes are built, not only with state materlals, 

but using an entire crew who reported in sick 

on their regular job. 

One in four Hungarian families owns a car. 

There are a half-dozenmodels to choose from and 

most are made in the USSR. The prices range 

from $1500 to $2500 and it is necessary to deposit 

half the price when ordering. Delivery is slow, on 

average it takes six years. 

Hungary appears to be a strange blend of communism 

and capitalism and there are agreeable 

aspects to hath. Budapest, which was 70per cent 

destroyed in World War II, has been carefully 

reconstructed to much of its pre-war elegance including 

many of the older small houses on the 

Buda side. Probably only a communist economy 

with an excess of cheap labour could afford such 

indulgence. In a Western economy the area might 

now be littered with high-rise buildings. Admittedly 

the Hilton Hotel beside the Cathedral of 51.Matthias 

is an intruder, but it is built in the side of an 

old Jesuit College copying the facade of the original 

building.

letters 

3m enclosing a cheque to 

1renew our subscription to 

Deck s Awash. 

You have taken a step toward 

dispelling in the minds 01our pe0ple 

the idea that we have been living 

on the "forgotten coast ". 

."'. 

Energy, Mines and 

Resources Canada 

ConservatiOn and Bureau canadien des economi es 

Renewable Energy Office d'eoerg ie at des energies renouvelables 

ANNOUNCEMENT 

Upon the arrival of each issue of 

Decks Awash, I often wondered 

myself when you would get 

around to doing our area. Well, 

yoo have done it and a very good 

job too. 

As you staled in your editorial, 

Energie, Mines et 

Aessou rces Canada 

The Government of Canada has announced the following 

changes to the Canadian Home Insulation 

Program (CHIP); and the Canada Oil Substitution 

Program (CaSP) 

CHIP CHIP will terminate on March 31, 1986. All Insulation 

or draftproofing work must be completed 

on or before that date. 

After December 31, 1984, CHIP's contribution 

to eligible costs will be reduced to one-third 

from 60% . The maximum grant is unchanged 

at $500.00. 

To be eligible for a contributio n of 60% the applicant 

must be registered with CHIP on or before 

December 31,1984, and the application 

form must be postmarked and work comp leted 

on or before March 31, 1985. 

cosp c asp will terminate on March 31,1985. 

casp applications will be forwarded to applicants 

until May 31, 1985. However, all work 

must have been completed previous to the termination 

of the program on March 31, 1985. 

Canada 


it is probably unfortunate that 

you visited us at a time when so 

many people were away on vacation. 

Personally, I could have told 

you a lot about Ramea pertaining 

to its discovery bya captainHaI

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