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2 · DECKS AWASH 

special section 

Harbour Grace 

N 

r

4· DECKS AWASH 

Churches 

hile by 1764 the population of Newfoundland 

W numbered some 15,000, there were only two 

missionaries to cater to their spiritual needs - one in 

Trinity Bay, the other In 51. John's. Conception Bay 

was one of the most densely populated areas and 

without an ordained clergyman. Despite this, the 

people of Harbour Grace set about building a church 

and in the following year of 1165 their efforts were 

rewarded by the arrival of Lawrence Coughlan. He 

was to be both the first Anglican priest in Harbour 

Grace and the first evangelical Methodist in Newfoundland. 

Lawrence Coughlan was born In 1140 at Limerick, 

Ireland. When only 15 years old he had been converted 

by John Wesley. the founder of Methodism, and 

thereafter bad worked as an itinerant preacher with 

extraordinary vigor and zeal. Wesley thought highly of 

him saying. " I have scarce one hearty helper but 

Lawrence Coughlan", It is not known why he came to 

Newfoundland. Certainly he wal not sponsored by any 

society such as the Society for the Propagation of the 

Gospel (SPG), an Anglican missionary organization 

founded by Thomas Bray in England in 1101. Nor was 

he any longer a member of the British Connexion, as 

the Methodist organization was known. Yet throughout 

his lifetime he appears never to have thought of 

him self in any way but as a Methodist. 

On his arrival in Ha rbour Grace the townspeople 

finished erecting a church on Stretton's Hill, paid for 

by John Stretton, a merchant from Ire la nd and a lay 

follower of Wesley . Unfortunately the fis hing season 

was poor that year and there was no money to pay 

Coughlan. The townspeople then petitioned the SPG to 

appoi nt Coughlan and pro vide bim with a stip en d. It 

may be that Coughlan took the petition to London 

him self for we learn that In April 1116, he WIS or dained 

pr iest in the Anglican Church af te r whic h he retu rn ed 

immediately to Newfoundland. On his return Coug hla n 

demonstrated that he was still ve ry mu ch in the 

evangelical tradition for he went from house to house 

r e ading the bible , four times a week. As he later 

commented in his book The Work of God in Ne wfo und 

land. it was three years before he saw the least fruit of 

his labour. The final results were astonishing to many 

- members of the congregation began to pray alo ud 

and others cried praises for the Lord . Reports spread 

Roman catholic clerics In the early 19005 -(Reuben 

Parsons Photo) . 

The Roman catho lic Cathedral co nsec rated in 1868. 

that the ctueens of Harbour Grace had gone mad. 

People came from everywhere to see. Many were Irish 

and, attracted by Coughlan, became converts themselves. 

By 1168 chapels had been built at Carbonear 

and Blackhead. Coughlan was not only the first 

Anglican priest of Harbour Grace, he abo became the 

father of Methodism in Newfoundland. 

The interior of the old Roman Catholic Cathedral, 

destroyed by fire in 1892at Harbour Grace. 

Coughlan's popularity proved to be his undoing. 

Many townspeople opposed evangelical teachings 

believing them not to be in the tradition of the 

established Anglican church. By way of objection, 

merchants and traders withdrew their subscription in 

an attempt to starve him, but without success. Next 

there was an unsuccessful attempt to polson him. 

FinaUy, a dozen merchants and important people of 

the town got up a petition for Cougblan's removal and 

sent it to the governor in St . John's . Coughlan denied 

the charges and ably defended himself. He left Harbour 

Grace in 1773 to return to England where he died 

in 1785. 

Coughlan was replaced by the Reverend James 

BaUour who became the head of the orthodox Anglican 

Church in Harbour Grace while the Methodist 

movement was continued by lay preacbers, notably 

John Stretton and Arthur Thomey of Harbour Grace, 

and Thomal Pottle of Carbonear. Later, Methodist 

Minister John McGeary was sent to Newfoundland by

of Salt" method which enabled fish to be shipped to 

Europe directly from Labrador. 

In 1884, the Harbour Grace Banking Co. was formed. 

During the '80s there were such vast quantities of 

Banks fish available that John Munn and Co. decided to 

enter the American boneless codfish market. The 

result was King Cod brand boneless cod that won the 

Blue Ribbon at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Apparently, 

all the competitors' brands started to turn 

bad and had to be removed long before the fair closed; 

only "King Cod" stayed in fresh condition and failed to 

make a nuisance of itself. 

Another good year for the cod fishery was 1886.John 

Munn and Co. collected over 200,000 quintals of cod 

from Labrador. Of this, 130,000 quintals were sent 

directly to the Mediterranean markets aboard 45 

schooners and 2 steamers, all specially chartered for 

the occasion. This was the ttrst time that steamers had 

been used for this purpose by a Harbour Grace firm 

and it ensured that the Newfoundland product met an 

early market. Sailing vessels could on occasion be held 

up for a month if they met adverse weather conditions. 

The Newfoundland fishing industry went into decline 

at the end of the 19th century, and many of the Harbour 

Grace merchants with it. The chief problem was 

competition in world markets. particularly from the 

French. In the early 1880sthe French government had 

decided to build up its fishing fleet and so train more 

sailors for the French Navy in the process. To encourage 

the fishing industry. a bounty equal to 60% of 

the market price of the fish was offered to French 

Sealing 

\ 

The seal hunl1910 -(HOlloway Photo). 

e aling was for a long time a major industry in 

SHarbour Grace, The earliest written records to 

mention sealing are the annual Fishery and Trade 

reports compiled by naval captains on the Newfoundland 

station at the beginning of the 18th century. In 

1725, the British Government had asked whether men 

remained on the island over the winter. The report for 

that year stated that none were encouraged to stay 

"except such as come to carry out the Seale and Furr 

trade to the Northward". The possibility of year-round 

work with the summer cod fishery followed by a winter 

seal hunt provided a powerful incentive for people to 

stay the year round. 

DECKS AWASH - 7 

fishermen. While this did not seem entirely 

unreasonable if it were meant to protect th e home 

market from foreign trade, it seemed manifestly unfair 

to extend the bounty to other markets such as 

Spain and Portugal. In fact, French fishermen were 

selling their fish for less than the Newfoundland 

fishermen could produce it. Newfoundland decided to 

retaliate by passing a Bait Act. 

A Bait Act, as passed by the Newfoundland 

legislature January 1888, forbade the selling of 

herring. caplin, squid. or bait fish to French fishermen 

in St. Pierre, and also prevented Frenchmen from 

obtaining bait on the Newfoundland coast. R.S. Munn. 

the MHA for Harbour Grace, was prominent in the 

passage of this act. Without bait the French were 

severely hampered In their cod fishing. In 1888, the 

first year in which the Act took force, the French 

managed to obtain only 4,000 barrels of the required 

54,000barrels of bait needed for the spring fishery. Not 

everybody was pleased by this development , particularly 

the fishermen of Fortune Bay who had 

previously sold bait to the French. One Newfoundland 

banker skipper put into St. Pierre for shelter where it 

was discovered that he had a load of bait on board. 

Having plied the captain with drink. the French persuaded 

him to sell the bait. When the captain realized 

what he had done. he made his escape on his own to 

New York fearing that if he returned to Harbour Grace 

he would be hanged. Fortunately, his crew brought the 

banker home safely. I! 

There were two types of seal hunt, The winter hunt 

started in January with nets used at headlands of Notre 

Dame and Bonavista Bays, and as far south as Bay de 

Verde, In the hope of trapping seals on their annual 

southerly migration. In March came the spring hunt 

carried out from boats, and it was this endeavour that 

was to undergo the greatest change. It was realized 

that the seals mounted the ice in the Strait of Belle Isle 

during February to bear their young while the Arctic 

current caused the ice to drift farther south during the 

ensuing months. 

In 1750, the Bristol firm of Coughlan and Hooper 

established in Harbour Grace and was the first to set 

up sealing stations in Labrador. In the 18th century 

At the trent. 1910-(Holloway Photo) .


hunting. The merchant firms were hard hit. In 1873, 

both Ridiey and Sons and Rutherford Brothers went 

out of business, an unfortunate event for the fishery 

because the next year proved a record year for cod 

catches. 

Punton and Munn (tater John Munn &: Co. in 1872) 

continued until the bank crash of 1894. Within a week 

R.S. Munn, the only surviving partner, died at aged 6S, 

The firm went into liquidation with its four sealing 

Early Institutions 

s early as 1672 Harbour Grace could boast a 

Awooden courthouse with a pair of stocks nearby. 

One hundred and eleven years later the population had 

multiplied almost60 times and concerned citizens were 

petitioning England for a new courthouse. It was not 

until 1808 that a new structure was built which was 

roltowed by the construction of the present courthouse 

in 1830 . The building Is remarkable in that it is entirely 

made of stone including walls four feet thick and a 

slate roof. More unusual was the manner in which it 

was financed. To tap the wealth of the local communities 

it was agreed that every Jirm in Conception 

Bay would pledge one pound for every 1000 quintals of 

fish shipped annually. In this way the courthouse was 

buUt and paid for in a single year. The building contained 

a jail and a warder's residence which were in 

regular use until 1963 when the inmates were transferred 

to the former U.S. Guard House at Pepperrell. 

Up to 1955 the warder was known as the "goeter" while 

those working under him were called "turnkeys". 

Although the exterior of the courthouse remains 

unchanged, little of the interior remains save for a coat 

of arms painted by a mysterious Irish scholar named 

John Alexander Clance. Clance was an imposing figure 

The Courthouse, one of the few buildings to survive the 

tires. 

Fires 

he bistory of fires In Harbour Grace is a long one 

T with the town 's having to be built many times 

over. Most were accidental, or the result of neglect. 

and some were set deliberately, For example, in approximately 

IBM (there Is some dispute about the 

date), the French came from Placentia and burned all 

steamers and ill Seal Oil Factory

today 

Tbe BuslZJesses 

History and sawdust 

harles D. Garland was 

Cmarking out a piece of 

wood when we arrived. Making 

wooden things runs strong in the 

Garland blood ; so does history. 

The eollection of low. wooden 

buildings at the foot of Beach 

Hill contains some of the oldest 

and newest woodworkiog 

machines around, while the 

Garland family that runs this 

operation can legitimately be 

described as ODe of the oldest 

families in Harbour Grace . 

A band-written census report 

kept at the Public Records 

Office . London . showl that a 

John Garland supported. a 

family of 10 at ..Havergr.... in 

1676. We also know that a 

Charles D. Garland succeeded 

hts father as magistrate in 

Conception Bay in 1750. 

However. our story starts in 1888 

when 2C).year-old Charles Davis 

Garland started a cooperage 

business in Harbour Grace , the 

business that is loday operated 

by his grandson of the same 

name. 

" My grandfather started the 

business making fish barre" 

and drums," explains Charles 

Garland. " The drums were for 

exporting fish. quite small, you 

could strap them to camels or 

donkeys. He worked out of his 

barn. 

"Now . my father. James A. 

Garland was also a master 

cooper . After spending some 

time at St. Jobn's, be returned to 

aet up a partnership with his 

fatber under the name C. D. 

Garland and Son. They 

eatabUsbed a cooperage on 

Water Street and Father 

mechanized the business. 

Around 1121the business burned 

down, so they moved to the 

presentsite. 

"Father had to bUy all new 

machines. Fortunately, at that 

time Mun and Co. were across 

the street producing cod-liver 

oil. We supplied them with 

thousands and thousands of 

barrels. each one with a tin 


liner. I suppose we made 160 or 

170 barrels a day . We also mad e 

fisb barrels with knotted birch 

hoops. No nails . they would have 

spoiled the fisb. An art they 

were , a great art . 

" Fatber was often in demand 

by the merchants on Water 

Street. He could replace a


broken barrel stave without 

knocking down the barrel - or 

spilling the contents. He was a 

very inventive man . If he 

couldn't buy a machine , he 

made it. During the war we 

made Coca Cola boxes and we 

had eight men alone just cutting 

holes for the handles. Father 

made a machine to do the job 

using parts from one of the 

machines burned in the Water 

Street fire." 

Recognizing that some of the 

machinery in the shop was 

rather old. Charles suggested to 

his father that they dismantle it. 

James would not hear of it. "No , 

Charlie, " he said , "when I goes 

you can do as you like, because I 

won't be around, but in the 

meantime I loves the smell of 

wood,and I loves making a 

Broilers and boats 

ennis Sutton raises over a 

Dquarter of a million 

chickens a year . If you eat at 

Colonel Sanders, or Mary 

Brown's, it's just possible that 

you have eaten one of Dennis's 

chickens. 

The Sutton Chicken Farm is 

located at the end of a rocky 

trail high on a htll overlooking 

Harbour Grace .

chicks are in. and make periodic 

checks to see everything is 

working. You need to ma inta in a 

ver y, very high degree of 

cleanliness.II Dennis described 

how the trucks that bring the 

feed to the farm must be washed 

before delivery. espec ially if 

they have come from a hog 

farm. " Diseases are so 

numerous that I could have 2000 

birds lying dead on the floor in 

just two hours if I was not 

careful." 

For the most part Dennis 

works alone . However. when it 

comes to shipping the birds out . 

he employs casual labourers for 

two hours a night . The birds are 

placed in special plastic boxes . 

14. or 15 to a container. and 

shipped at the rate of 9000birds 

WaterStreetphilosopher 

L 

loyd Archibald. the gruff 

good-natured, proprietor 

of Archibald's Hotel. has lived in 

Harbour Grace all his life . " As I 

understood. it from my father:' 

begins lloyd. " the Archibalds 

came to Vermont from Northern 

Ireland originally. Then they 

spread into Nova Scotia and 

New Brunswick. and now they 

are as far away as Toronto . My 

grandfather came to Harbour 

Grace from Nova Scotia in about 

1882 and started a shoe factory. 

He died when he was quite 

young . After that my father and 

a night. There follows a period of 

two weeks in which the chicken 

house is cleaned in preparation 

for th e next batch. All the fertilizer 

produ ced by this 

operation goes to a farmer in 

Carbonear. 

"My wife Patricia helps 

tremendously. She helps to get 

the baby chicks off to a good 

start and she does 90% of the 

book work." The Suttons have 

three children. Stephen 13. 

Jeffrey 12. and William 10. 

" They all have their birthdays 

in December." adds Dennis 

brightly. "Troubie is. come 

spring and she drives me out . 

Won't let me stay in the house 

March month at aU!" 

The chicken-raising business 

is not without problems. Costs 

his brothers and sisters 

operated the factory successfully 

for awhile." Archibald's 

shoes were of higb 

quality but with the Depression, 

people bought much cheaper 

shoes and the factory was forced 

to close. 

Lloyd 's career bas been long 

and varied. He worked on his 

father's farm for a while and he 

was in the fish business for 12 

years. He inherited the hotel in 

1971 from his aunt. It had been 

closed for a couple of years so 

Arch lba ld 's Inn . buill on the sit e of the o ld hotel. 

DECKS AWASH -15 

have risen alarmingly recently. 

Feed that was $92 a ton two 

years ago now costs close to $320 

a ton . Heating oil bas gone from 

22e to approximately $2.48 a 

gallon in the same period . There 

is also fierce competition from 

mainland firms that can supply 

the Newfoundland market with 

cheaper frozen birds. Dennis 

feels that the mainland 

producers are overproducing 

and dumping tbeir excess here 

at artifically low prices. 

"Still, it's a good life with lots 

of time for myself:' muses 

Dennis. who at one .tlme built 

trailers. and before that houses . 

"I like to make things ." And 

with tbat he picks up his wrench 

and returns to building his boat. 

11 

Mary Pynn and lloyd Archibald. 

Uoyd spent much of 1972 

rebuilding it to reopen in 1973." I 

must have had a weak. 

moment," he quips. "but I've 

built up a good.clientele!" 

Of the original staff that Uoyd 

opened with in 1973. only Mary 

Pynn remains. She seems endlessly 

busy answering phones , 

waiting on tables, and magically 

producing sandwiches for 

starving journalists. Mary 

admits that trade has dropped 

off somewhat in the last three 

years. This is mainly a reflection 

of the economy. For a while 

the hotel was used by construction 

workers working on


Newfoundland's most unlikely industry 

I 

n a town whose economic 

future has been somewhat 

uncertain. Terra Nova Shoes 

represents a bright spot. This 

thriving company managed by 

Abe Alaven and his wife Riet, 

gives employment to 150 people. 

While the fisheries, a local 

resource industry, make constant 

headlines, Terra Nova 

Shoes, relying entirely on imported 

materials, goes quietly 

along making a profit and 

putting year-round wages 

the pockets of its employees. 

into 

Abe Alaven is a fourth 

generation shoe manufacturer 

from Holland. He is a large, 

pleasant, precise man with an 

encyclopedic knowledge of 

shoemaking. In 1961 he immigrated 

to Canada. Later, 

while vacationing in 

Newfoundland he stumbled 

across the defunct Koch shoe 

factory, one of anumber of 

small manufaeturtng industries 

built under the Smallwood 

government. 

"I heard the sound of a shoe 

machine being run inside the 

supposedly closed plant.' explains 

Abe, "and my curiosity 

was aroused." So was the 

curiosity of the plant guard 

operating the machine. The 

guard promptly phoned Premier 

Smallwood who, not being one to 

pass up an opportunity, oUered 

to sell the entire plant. Abe 

declined the offer and returned 

Terra Nova Shoes 

Abe Areven 

to Ontario. but Mr. Smallwood 

persisted and in 1971 the Alavens 

found themselves the owners of 

a shoe plant. However. the day 

they arrived in Newfoundland 

was the day J . R. Smallwood lost 

the election and Abe lost his 

patron. For the next few years 

the Alavens struggled to revive 

the plant. Lesser people would 

have probably given up when 

the plant burned down completely 

in 1974, but Abe and his 

wife perservered and now, 

eleven years later. after they 

first took over the factory, they 

have a successful business. 

The shoe plant is housed in a 

modern. clean, brightly lit, 

45,000 square foot building. Raw 

materials in the form of hides. 

linings. eyelets and PVC (poly· 

vinyl chloride) are shipped in 

from the company's other plant 

, at Markham. Ontario. Materials 

are not cheap. Premium grade 

hides command high prices 

while one shoe-lining, ballistic 

nylon . costs $100a square yard, 

Since this lining protects a chain 

saw from cutting off a man's 

foot, it 's probably worth the 

price. 

The first stage in making a 

shoe is to cut out the leather 

parts using dies which resemble 

power-operated cookie cutters. 

Hides , unlike good dough , vary 

in quality. The neck section of a 

hide creases easily so it is used 

to make the back parts of shoes, 

while the hind quarter, being 

generally more creaseresistant, 

is used for the toe of 

the shoe . An operator slides his 

hands over the hide , feeling its 

texture, then using a half-dozen 

different dies he quickly reduces 

it to a pile of shoe parts with 

scarcely any waste. It has taken 

the Terra Nova operator four 

years to acquire this skill. 

The leather pieces are passed 

to a line of girls operating 

sewing machines. Costing some 

$6.000 apiece. they each contain 

a computerized motor that will 

make a preselected number of 

stitches, then cut the thread, 

leaving the needle in the raised 

position. As most housewives 

will agree, it's when the sewing 

machine needle stops in the 

down position that it generally 

gets broken. Abe remarks. "We 

make a saving of 37% in time 

over the old machines." 

Well-ordered industry marks 

the plant. There is none of the 

frenzy that one might expect 

from ISO people working as fast 

as they can . This is due to 

superb planning and the fact 

that hardly anybody needs to 

leave his work station. As Abe 

comments, " In Europe and 

other parts of Canada. the girls 

sew up a batch of shoes and then 

take them to the next work 

station themselves. In fact 50% 

of the time in this business is 

spent in handling between

operations." Abe's girl s never 

leave their seats. They are 

supplied by a three-level conveyo 

r . system that allows for 

individual rates of production 

and ensures that nobody is ever 

left waitin g for mater ial. 

Once the leather parts have 

been sewn together, they are 

placed on a metal last to be 

shaped. Abe and I watched a 

young man using a hammer to 

tap the steel toeguard onto a 

shoe before covering It with 

leather. Abe's eagle eye notices 

something amiss. "Can you see 

what he's doing wrong?" Abe 

asks. We coufess we can't. We 

learn that it Is the way the man 

puts the hammer down. He is not 

putting it in the proper receptable 

designed for it. so he has to 

make an extra hand movement 

each time. Abe leans across and 

demonstrates. He is faster, 

perhaps half a second quicker. 

The young man nods and smiles, 

and we move on. 

The final operation In making 

the shoe Is moulding the PVC 

sole to the upper. Abe has some 

older machines that can sole 250 

shoes a day ; however , his pride 

is a brand-new $1.5 million 

machine about the size and 

shape of a fairground carousel. 

This is the Desma vulcanizing 

machine that took three months 

to Install by a team of International 

engineers. It can 

sole 4SO shoes in one eight -hour 

shift . Its only disadvantage is 

that once running, it cannot be 

turned off, so the operator must 

find somebody to reli eve him for 

lunch . 

A major problem with Industry 

in Newfoundland continues 

to be the transportation of 

materials and products. Abe 

Alaven has neally solved this 

problem. Terra Nova Shoes 

exports almost its enure 

production. " This was a 

tremendous headache," admits 

Abe. Sears or perhaps Eaton's in 

Toronto would schedule a big 

sale and we would contract to 

deliver so many hundreds of 

pairs of shoes . Two weeks before 

the sale we would deliver the 

shoes to the shipper. On the eve 


Nell Windsor , Min ister 01 Develop ment, wit h Abe Alaven at the firm' s ten th 

ann iver sary . 

of the sale the retail store would paid two lots of shipping, and all 

phone demanding to know where the company's wasted adthe 

shoes were. The shipper vertising. Next time we would 

would not know, and when the send the shoes six weeks ahead. 

shoes finally arrived too late for A week later the buyer would 

the sale , they would be returned. phone . "Why have you sent these 

Not only did we lose the sale. we shoes so soon? Ldcu't need them 

A lf Duff. foreman . with the co mputerized Desm a injection vulca nizing machine.

Single with 30kids 

hr isti ne Janes and Dean 

Cna Rose run Harbour 

Grace's only day care centre. 

Between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 

p.m. . some 30-0dd children. 

aged two to eight. are in their 

care. Some Slay all day . others 

arrive after kindergarten or 

primary school to stay at the 

centre until their working 

parents pick them up. Christine. 

29. describes herself as single. 

with 30 kids. 

"We have six or seven mentally 

or physically handicapped 

kids.II explains Christine. "They 

get used to being away from 

mom and play with other kids. 

For example, ODe little boy is 

blind and, with him the other 

kids are fantastic. They say. 

'follow my voice now I see if you 

can find me'. They are extra 

careful with him and pick up the 

toys so he won't step on them . 

"I must say the community 

and business people do things 

for us. For one day they give us 

free ri des at the fair. and St. 

Pa ul's Elementary School invites 

us over if there is a eon- 

Printers'ink 

A 

cert. Front seats. my son , 'I'll 

tell you! We like to take the kids 

into the community. to the police 

station and the library. Il's a big 

treat for them." 

Kids World was opened in 1919 

and is located in what was once 

Christine's home . It is neaUy 

arranged with areas for play. 

quiet recreation. and rest. 


Lunchtime at Kids ' World - Left 10 right, Gayle Verge , Kim Peckham, nawne 

Skinner, Chri stine Janes, Niall Quinn , Nicole Park and Christ V Moriar ty . 

busy business is Munn & 

Oke Limited printers on 

Victoria Street. Originally 

started in 1869 to print the 

Harbour Grace Standard. the 

firm bas been engaged in job 

printing ever since the mid-1930s 

when the Standard ceased 

publishing. 

Whe n we were at Munn & Oke , 

the odor of printers' ink was 

high in the air and Doug Sheppard 

and Mike Farrell were 

bus)' operaUng one of the 

presses. 

"Watch where you're going! " 

cautions Doug . as he glances up 

from his work. ink almost up to 

his elbows. When asked what his 

job is. he replies. "Well, you 

might say I do a bit of Doug Sheppard and Mike Farrell. 

Christine's father Gordon has 

made most of the equipment in 

the centre. Asked about future 

plans. she replies "I'd like a new 

building. A ranch styl e house 

with no partitions, all opened up. 

I've already got the land." 

If Christine keeps up her 

present level of activity, 

perhaps she will soon have the 

house to go with it. II


everything. you know, 

typesetting.Layout, etc ." 

"I do the same thing ," says 

Mike . joining in. "We do 

whatever there is to be done 

around here . We've got no 

complaints." 

Also at the shop that day was 

Fred Janes, now retired. who 

worked at the shop for some 40 

years. "I can't seem to stay 

away from the place," he 

confesses. 

Manager Bill Oke was out of 

town but in a subsequent 

telephone conversation he says. 

" We' re kept pretty busy, we just 

hope we can continue to be." 

The company can print 

whatever is required. While 

most customers are in the local 

area, they do some work for 

customers located off the 

Avalon Peninsula. Jobs include 

the printing of billheads, envelopes. 

invoices, tickets. invitations 

and programs. 

While Bill Oke is pleased that 

his company is kept busy, he. 

like many residents of Harbour 

Grace says that Harbour Grace 

has great potential that isn 't 

being realized. 

" If the fishery were managed 

Carrying on in the Collis tradition 

last air Collis, 22, is the 

A third Collis to head the 

company of A.L. Collis and Son. 

a firm that mainly sells, services. 

and rebuilds pianos. "My 

grandfather. Athelstan Lockyer 

Collis founded the company in 

1910," says Alastair. In those 

days Harbour Grace was the 

business centre of the region. 

Great-grandfather Collis had 

died when Athelstan was a small 

boy, so his mother moved back 

with her own family, the 

Lockyers, in Trinity. Athelstan 

suffered severe tunnel vision . 

leslie Collis 

"It was like looking down the 

lead of a pencil, and in later life 

he became completely blind ," 

comments Alastair. The 

Lockyers sent Athelstan to 

Montreal for five years to study 

voice , pia DO and organ. Subsequently, 

he moved to Harbour 

Grace in 1910 to set up a piaoo 

business from his home 00 

LeMarchant Street. 

Athelstan Collis repaired and 

tuned pianos and organs at his 

house. and across the island. 

Ccnsequenty, he was away a 

good part of the year. His near 

Alastair Collis with photograph 01 his 

grandfather, Athelstan Collis . 

properly, and if Nordsee had 

been allowed in. then things 

might be moving here. The 

superport concept was a good 

one. When Walter Carter was 

provincial fisheries minister, he 

convinced me that it would 

really work. Certainly if it had 

been in place during the caplin 

glut. the fishermen could have 

landed their fish and it could 

have been held in cold storage 

until the plants could process 

it." 

He concludes, " We have 

everything here , including a 

good port . We have everything 

but industry." " 

blindness seemed not to affect 

his ability to travel and work. 

indeed. it may have at times 

been an advantage. Alastair 

recalls a story told by his old 

friend, Max King. 

" Max was a boy when grandfather 

arrived in Trouty, Trinity 

Bay. Max 's mother told him to 

°bring Mr. Collis to the church', 

where Max left him to repair the 

organ. Later, after supper, Max 

returned, but the church was in 

darkness. Groping his way up 

the aisle, he saw in the 

moonlight the organ in pieces all 

lillian Collis with company' s records. 

Details 01 every plano and organ sold 

or serviced over the last 72 years are 

kept.

over the floor. Grandfather told 

Max to come back in two hours. 

Mystified, Max rushed home 

and reported. 'Mother, that man 

can 't see . He's up there and 

there's no lights on. I don't know 

what's going on!' However. 

when Max did return the organ 

was back together and gr-andfather 

was happily playing it 

still in the dark." 

Grandfather Collis married 

Miss Mary Parsons of Harbour 

Grace who bore him a son, 

Leslie, and two daughters. 

Leslie was literally to follow in 

his father's footsteps, leading 

him about the town and 

acquiring skills as a piano 

restorer and tuner while 

developing a fine baritone voice . 

For years the two travelled 

Newfoundland together. Time 

had no meaning. If they finished 

in one town on a Thursday, then 

they stayed on until Sunday, just 

so that grandfather could sing in 

the church choir while father 

played the organ. Once. when 

Leslie was concerned least they 

miss the next boat. grandfather 

Collis commented. " Don't worry 

SOD. if we miss it. there's 

another in two weeks." 

AtheIstan Collis died in 1940 

and Leslie inherited the 

business. But in 1942 Leslie was 

badly burned in a fire. His hands 

were severely burned and he 

Ron Peddle turns 81eg at the Harbour Grace repair shop . 

Mac Mart in . plano rebuuoer. with the plano bridge duplicator designed by 

leslie Co lli s. 

required 45 skin grafts on his 

legs. Doctors feared he might 

not walk again. After three 

months in hospital. Leslie 

returned to Harbour Grace to 

discover his house burnt and 

uninhabitable, in fact . even his 

girlfriend had deserted him . 

Always resilient. it would take 

more than this to defeat Leslie 

Collis. Alone, broke, and in debt 

to the hospital. he set about 

regaining the use of his hands 

and learning to walk. While in 

hospital in S1. John's, Leslie had 

met a young nursing trainee, 

Lillian Martin, whose home was 

at Coley's Point only 16 miles 

from Harbour Grace. They were 

married in 1943. 

Now. together with his wife 

Lillian, Leslie Collis set out on a 

more ambitious scale. He 

acquired the present business 

premises on Water Street, 

Harbour Grace, and set up a 

piano showroom on the ground 

floor with a repair and 

refinishing shop above. Over the 

years, the premises were expanded. 

Extra space was added 

behind the building. and even a 

small railway to move the 

pianos about the shop. Leslie 

showed a flair for mechanical 

improvisation and constructed a 

Dumber of machines used in the 

rebuilding of pianos. 

In 1954. Leslie and Lillian 

opened a branch in St. John's, 

and ' in 1962 they buill the 

showroom and workshops on 

Topsail Road. Alastair was born 

in 1960 and continued the family 

tradition of accompanying his 

father about the province, 

repairing and tuning pianos. "I 

ha ve no recollection of being 

taught to tune pianos," admits 

Alastair, "it just seemed to 

come to me." Like his father 

who started in the business at 

age six, Alastair has been 

playing and tuning since he was 

five, 

Leslie Collis died suddenly in 

March of this year. Alastair


recalls. "He was a man with a 

sense or humor who stood out in 

a crowd through his ability to 

tell stories. He was also endles 

sly patient. Once. when we 

wer e on a tight schedule. we 

stopped by a house to tune a 

piano. We arrived at 4:30 and 

were finished by 6:00. The little 

girl who played the piano need ed 

help, so Father simply cancelled 

all his appointments (or that 

night and stayed until 10:00 to 

help with her playing ." 

Alastair and Lillian Collis 

continue to run the business. 

Alastair travels only five or six 

weeks a year. whereas his 

father and grandfather were 

gone six months, but travel was 

slower then. They still keep the 

family home in Harbour Grace 

on LeMarchant Street. while the 

Water Street store continues to 

rebuild about 100 planas a year. 

Everything is stripped (rom the 

pianos even to the ivory on the 

keys . and all refurbished. "We 

could . with the exception of the 

steel trame. build a piano from 

scratch if necessary," comments 

Alastair. 

The firm bas a wide 

reputation. not only for its piano 

rebuilding but also for organ 

servicing. As long ago as 1952, 

Calington Company of South 

Cork, Ireland, ordered a rebuilt 

organ from A.L. Collis. They 

were completely satisfied with 

their purchase. 

A.L. Collis and Son continues 

to be the only plano rebullder 

east of Montreal, and the major 

piano supplier in the province. 

Pianos ar e not like cars, you 

can 't jus t put an order in and get 

one next week . Collis's keep a 

large stock on hand . but as 

Alastair puts it . " It takes five 

years from the cutting of the 

wood to the delivery of the 

finished piano. We put our orders 

in during the spring and 

receive our pianos in the fall ." 

Alastair exhibits an old world 

charm. possibly from being in 

such close contact with his 

father for so long. If the Collis 

tradition holds , Alastair will one 

day turn up on your doorstep. 

perhaps followed by a small son. 

to help tune your piano . " 

PETROLEUM DIRECTORATE 

GOV ERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND lABRADOR 

Technical Reports: 

The Directorate has published a number of reports on oil and gas 

subje cts. Included are economic and impa ct analyses, onshore 

prospects, drilling and other regulations. List avaliable on 

request. 

General Information: 

Inf ormation kits of particular interest to teachers and students 

include well location maps , history of exploration offshore Newtoundland-Labrador. 

the role of the Petroleum Directorate, etc . 

Film Loans: 

A selection of petroteum-retateo films may be borrowed by 

community groups, schools, service clubs. Titles available on 

request. 

Contact Public Relations, Petroleum Directorate, P.O. Box 4750, Sf. 

John 's, NF, A1C ST?,Telex 016·4034, Telephone (709) 737·2323.

TbeFlsbery 

Offish, trawlers, quotas and licences 

he fishery has always 

T been the lifeblood of 

Harbour Grace. In the last 

cen tury it raised Harbour Grace 

to the positio n of seco nd com 

mercial ca pital of Newfoundlan 

d but with the ban k crash of 

1894 and th e fire of 1944, the 

fort unes of Har bour Grace have 

ebbed. 

" Fo re ign ca pita l is the only 

th ing that will move Har bour 

Grace." declar es Alex Moores. 

Managing Director of Ocean 

Ha rv ester s Corporation 

Lim ited. "I t was foreign capi ta l 

in the very beginning that 

developed this town. Ships came 

from as far away as Denm ar k 

Ocean Harvesters lishplant on Water Street. 

Alec Moores on what's wrong with the fishery 

"The butc: problem with the filh.1n& In· 

dUitry today 1a that our cOlb have exceeded 

what the market will bear. There ia • big 

demand tor our fish - but our production 

COlts are too blgb." 

"There 11 Dot too much fish. There I.s a 

market for every 'lnile pound of flah. We 

hive to gel people 011 UIe. We Ire Doll0log to 

catch the flab if we let everyone go on mc 

DeCKS AWASH - 25 

after they get 10.tamp•. That'. only 10week.' 

work and we need 52 weeks. UIC should only 

be a lafety net for people to faU into when aU 

ellefilii." 

"We should have a fiJlhlng plan. Each year 

we know the total aUowable catch. We .hould 

know beforehand wbere we are going to sell It, 

We sbould never be aUowed to catcb an1 flah 

unIe.s we know we can seUit." 

"The government has a role to play - theJ 

set quotas and licence. and the1 negotiate 

with tountrlu on a government·tolovernment 

bull. But when it comea down to 

the commercial fiJlhlng companies - a 

compaIlJ in Canada and,let'••a" a compan1 

in We.t German1 should be able to sit down 

and decide on bow the1 are going to MID their 

bualneu- that'. their role." 

HAllthis nonaellle thil1ear about over-thelide 

lale. - wben the t.b.In& .urfaced. we went 

to I meetIDg OD I SllurdlY. OD SundlY. I 

phoned around and .aid, Ilf tomorrow mor 

DIDg you .IDIto lOll fUlb. lhIo p11D11areldy to 

bU11t.t The pbone never rana:." 

..Aa far blck as 1871I areued thiI over-the- 

Iide Illel bll with Romeo LeBIIDC . HIa

Harbour Grace for Portugal on 

10 November 1952. Ironically, 

this October, Federal Fisheries 

imported 2000 MT of mackerel 

frozen in Norway and Scotland 

for use as bait in the Newfound · 

land winter fishery. 

Northeastern Fish Industries 

continued to expand and by late 

1962 plants had been completed 

at Port de Grave and Old 

Perlican. Unfortunately. 

Skipper Si (as he was af· 

fectionately called) died in 1962. 

at age 62. before the plants were 

in operation. 

" Demand was soft in the U.S. 

in 1960 so with the freeing of 

sterling in London. we contracted 

with Birdseye for a 

sizeable tonnage of cod blocks . 

This had a firming effect on the 

market. You know. if you have 

only one customer. you're in 

trouble," adds Alec Moores. 

" The demand for cod increased 

both in Britain and the U.S.. and 

Birdseye. even today . is still the 

largest buyer of cod in the 

world. 

"In 1965. Birdseye took an 

equity position of 51% in Ncrtheastern 

Fish Industries. There 

was no FIRA (Foreign Investment 

Review Agency) then. 

Birdseye, a subsidiary of 

Unilever, has the largest sales of 

food products in the world . 

But by 1968, there was a slump 

in the fishing industry. Ad- 

Boal s tied up at the Ocean Harvester s' wharf . 

ditional working capital was 

needed and Birdseye decided 

they could no longer function as 

they had projected. On 

December 13, 1968. just three 

years after the original deal, 

they sold all the properties. 

boats and all - their fishing 

assets to the provincial 

government. 

"I still felt there was a good 

future here, so with principals 

Cyril Babb of Harbour Grace. F. 

W. Bryce of Montreal and 


Gloucester. and other 

shareholders. we incorporated 

Ocean Harvesters to purchase 

the assets of Northeastern Fish 

Industries Ltd. in 1969. 

" The provincial government 

offered the assets of the cornpany 

through the financial 

newspapers. Some companies 

expressed interest but the only 

firm offer was from Ocean 

Harvesters in February 1969. 

The government rejected our 

offer. 

Newfoundland Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers Union 

CONGRA TULA TlONS 

to 

DECKS AWASH 

on your return to publication 

from 

Newfoundland Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers 

representing inshore fishermen, trawlermen 

and fish plant workers throughout 

Newfoundland and Labrador 

P O. Boll 5158. 44 Tolbay Road, 51 John 's, Newl oundland. Al e 51/5 Telephone (709) 753-8830; Telell 016-3227


Boats at the Marine Centre. Many fishermen resorted to smaller. tower cost 

boats to fish tor the scarce cod this year. 

"Instead, the government 

incorporated a company called 

the Harbour Grace Fisheries 

Corporation and Bonavista Cold 

Storage was retained to operate 

it. In July of 1969, Ocean Harvesters 

bought the plants at 

Harbour Grace, Port de Grave 

and Old Perlican but the Fermeuse 

plant and the four stern 

trawlers (built in 1967)were sold 

to Bona vista Cold Storage. Thus. 

we were left with one 

inoperable. aging side trawler, 

the Newfoundland Trainer, and 

the offshore catching arm of our 

plants was effectively gone." 

Ocean Harvesters now had 

plants but no catching capacity 

in the offshore while inshore 

fishermen were bringing their 

fish to other plants. In addition, 

with only inshore fish available 

at best, the plants were seasonal 

in operation. Obtaining additional 

offshore fishing licences 

proved impossible for in 1973 

under Federal Fisheries 

minister Jack Davis, a freeze 

was placed on additions to the 

existing Canadian fleet . 

"From the very beginning in 

1969, we had made a commitment 

to find full-time employment 

in Harbour Grace," 

says Alec Moores, himself a 

native of Blackhead, Bay de 

Verde. "I can tell you we had 

some rough years. We had 

somehow to Interest inshore 

fishermen. 

"We undertook the development 

of the caplin, herring and 

mackerel (pelagics) stocks. 

Quotas were just coming into 

being and we got Federal 

Fisheries to permit an Inter-bay 

fishery from Cape Race to Cape 

Dauld. This meant that 

fishermen couId move freely 

from bay to bay and on the 

northeast coast to fish for 

pelagics. Now we had a herring 

fishery in April, a caplin fishery 

in June, a mackerel fishery in 

August (squid were to start in 

1975), coupled with the cod and 

turbot fishery all the way between." 

The whole idea was to make 

the fishermen less dependent on 

anyone species. 

"My approach was to tell the 

fishermen to maximize on 

whatever species that would 

make them the most money in a 

given period of time during their 

fishing season. Practically 

every species that we're allowed 

to catch - we process it." 

Meanwhile Ocean Harvesters 

had about 20longliner trapboats 

built In an effort to attract more 

men into the fishery - an effort 

that met with mixed success as 

many of these men had bad little 

experience with fishing. In time, 

however, the more experienced 

fishermen again started to bring 

their catches into Harbour 

Grace. 

Although the old aide trawler 

waa inoperable, Ocean Harvesters 

kept up ita licence. 

However, Federal Fisheries 

decreed that in order to 

retain the licence the company 

had to have a trawler by 31 

December 1981. Faced with the 

loss of their only trawler licence, 

the company purchased the 

seven-year old Norwegian-bullt 

stern trawler, Harvest Star. 

This was not without 

misgivings. "We knew that 1982 

would be a poor year for the 

fishery." comments Alec 

Moores. "I wouId have 

preferred to wait until after this 

year to buy a trawler. Low 

catches inshore and our lack of 

access to the offshore have 

combined to make our 1982 

landings the worst since 1962.II 

The main problem has been 

one of quotas. There are four 

enterprise quotas for Fishery 

Products, National Sea, 

Nickersons and the Lake Group; 

and there is the "Others" 

category in which are 18 companies 

including Ocean Harvesters 

and 35boats. 

"We exhausted our cod quota 

in 2J3KL in May. After refit we 

went to 2GH and now some fish 

is again available in 2J3KL." 

The viability of the Harvest Star 

(with a capacity of 150 tons of 

iced fish) depends on the 

distance she has to travel. 

(2J3KL is about six hours away 

but 2GH, off the coast of 

Labrador is, of course, much 

farther.) 

"The industry is hungry for 

venture capital. We tried in 1978 

to get Romeo LeBlanc to let 

Unilever and Nordsee (the 

catching arm of Unilever) take 

an equity position in Ocean 

Harvesters. I know that Mr. 

LeBlanc maintained that we had 

to let foreign nations have access 

to fish we do not catch; we 

can't be dog-in-the-manger. But 

1 say we have only three 

economic biocks that can afford 

our fish: the EEC, the U.S. and 

Japan. We need friends 10 the 

market. Let them invest in our 

plants with the hope that they 

can get a good return on their 

investment." 

In 1980. in the three Ocean 

Harvester plants there were 

2000 workers who qualified for 

tnc benefits. There were 2700 

fishermen who brought raw 

material to the plants. Mr. 

Moores estimates that last year 

the volume of fish processed was 

down by 10% and that this year, 

it is likely to be down as much as 

40% because there was no squid. 

With a realistic approach 

taken by people who manage 

and control the resources with 

certain changes we can have a 

viable operation and this area 

could develop into one of the 

more sound economic areas in 

Canada," concludes Alec 

Moores with conviction . II

From inshore cod to offshore swordfish 

ordon Stone of Bryant's 

GCove has just pulled his 

trap boat longliner into the 

Ocean Harvester's wharf . 

"The caplin was good this 

year," he says . "but the cod is 

scarce," he adds. looking 

dejectedly at the small catch for 

the day . "I guess I'll fish to the 

end of the month so I'll have 

enough stamps." 

This is the third summer 

Gordon has had the Miss 

Bryant's Cove which cost him 

$60.000 . 

The Ultramar fuel truck is 

fueling the boat with diesel for 

which Gordon pays 38.2f a litre. 

The driver, Carl Penney, tells 

us that diesel fuel is tax free to 

fisherman. Ultramar has been 

selling diesel fuel to fishermen 

in Harbour Grace for IS years 

ever since they installed their 

tanks there in 1967. 

A lot of fishermen have pulled 

up their larger longliners for the 

season because the cost of 

operation Is too high for small 

catches they have been getting 

lately. Many have resorted to 

smaller motor boats that cost 

far less to run and maintain. 

Meanwhile. alongside the 

Miss Bryant's Cove is the Becky 

M registered out of Aransas 

Pass, Texas. She has been 

fishing (or swordfish 0(( the 

Grand Banks and is about to 

make her third trip for the 

season. The boat has been 

taking three- to four-week trips 

and has been returning to 

Harbour Grace where Ocean 

Harvesters freezes the catch of 

swordfish and provides ice and 

supplies to enable the crew to 

make further trips. At the end or 

the season the Becky M will pick 

up the season's catch and return 

to Massachusetts to sell it. 

.. It 's much more practical to 

come into Harbour Grace than 

to go aU the distance to 

Massachusetts each time. " 

explains a member of the Texan 

crew. "This is the first year that 

we have been coming into 

Harbour Grace." I! 


Gordon Stone fllllng up tor tomorrow at Ocean Harvesters' wharf . 

Swordfishing boat the Becky M at Ocean Harvesters' wharf .

June 23rd at about six in the 

evening when this Faroese 

trawler Nesbuguin ran right into 

us. The captain was charged, 

convicted and fined $1000 for the 

offence of operating a vessel 

while under the influence of 

alcohol. I called a lawyer 

because my boat sustained over 

$50,000 damage and we 

managed to get a $200,000 bond 

before the Nesbuguin left 

Harbour Grace. But, so far, we 

haven't received any compensation 

and I don't know when 

and if we'll receive anything. 

Cecil, who was born in St. 

Jones Within, now fishes out of 

his home port of Heart's Content. 

He explains that apart 

from the damage sustained to 

the vessel, he has lost the 

Tbe Citizens 

Looking to the future 

"'C"veryone is aware, every 

.£Ibody is concerned as to 

what might happen if oil did 

come ashore," says Charlie 

Monks, chairman of the Harbour 

Grace Impact Committee. 

"But, right now, as far as 

potential development regarding 

oil, everything is on hold 

until the jurisdiction question 

between the provincial and 

federal governments is 

straightened out." 

The Impact Committee held 

its first session on February 18, 

1982.The main purpose was not 

to provide answers but to give as 

much information as possible to 

engender discussion about 

community development. 

Charlie Monks, who is 

Special' Projects Coordinator, 

Department of Social Services, 

Government of Newfoundland 

and Labrador, in Harbour 

Grace, explains that the Impact 

Committee was set up not only 

to look at the possible social 

impact of oil but also to look at 

other special needs in the 

community. 

balance of his fishing season and 

when the accident occurred 

Ocean Harvesters was paying 9t 

to 11t per pound for caplin. 

"The caplin were really good 

this year, and we were right in 

the middle of this when the 

accident happened. And after 

that we would have been into the 

cod, turbot and mackerel. I fish 

with my brothers Edgar and 

Albert and my two nephews , 

Lindo and Derek. Altogether 

with our families there are 15 

individuals dependent on this 

boat for their living . 

Under Canadian law, liability 

is determined by several factors 

and the law is designed not only 

to protect Canadian vessels but 

also foreign vessels . For 

example, sometimes the 

Charlie Monks 


liability is limited to $100 per 

foot of the offending vessel , 

depending 00 the circumstances. 

The matter can be 

a.complicated one, and in Cecil 

Pitcher's case , it must be 

decided by the courts. 

"I'm very upset. you might 

say ," says Cecil. "And I'm 

getting pretty impatient, 

because all this whole thing has 

done is cost me money. Why I've 

even had to hire a couple of 

extra men to help put the 

wheelhouse back on because it's 

work we can't do ourselves. I've 

got a la wyer who is working on 

the matter but I'm sure in a 

hurry to see things settled." 

And to Cecil Pitcher and his 

crew, we hope it's possible to 

settle it soon. "' 

"For example, in the needs of senior citizens. We are 

Placentia area a citizens' hoping eventually to form a 

committee did a survey on the regional community developneed 

for a senior citizens ' home ment committee," continues 

and now have placed the results Charlie, a native of King's Cove, 

of that survey with the govern- Bonavista Bay, who has lived in 

ment. So we are looking at such Harbour Grace for the last eight 

things as the training of years. " There are many things 

retarded children as well as the that such a committee can ec-


complish, but it is difficult to get 

large numbers of people involved. 

But I'm sure that most 

areas have the same problem." 

An ardent hunter and sports 

fisherman, Charlie Monks is 

very optimistic about the town. 

"We have quite a lot going for 

us. Not only do we have the 

Ocean Harvesters fish plant. 

Terra Nova Shoes, and the 

Marine Centre, we also have 

quite a number of small 

businesses, the RCMP. over 40 

civil servants, fishermen, 

farmers, and some people even 

commute to St. John's to work. 

Theoldandthe new 

We have our regatta at Lady 

Lake and the Trinity-Conception 

Fair. And our population is just 

around the 3.000 mark. 

"In my opinion, Harbour 

Grace has got to be one of the 

most prosperous communities in 

Newfoundland." 11 

Home of Senator and Mrs. Eric Cook. formerly the 01· Modern, new houses also are part 01 Harbour Grace. 

nces of Munn and Company . 

Harbour Grace ba. an UlustrioUJ put.. town. Yet a cloaer loot. al.lo reveals that new 

evidenced by some of the older building. in the bouaing developments now are evident. 

People need challenges 

"peOPle need challenges. 

and I think that perhaps 

we don't challenge our young 

people enough." asserts Monsignor 

Joseph O'Brien. sitting on 

an upright wooden chair, the 

Fall sunshine spilling into his 

office. He looks like a man who 

has accepted many challenges 

in his time. "We have some 

very fine young people here. 

very fine," he continues, "but 

they live in a world that, in offering 

more security. loses its 

sense of challenge. Central to 

tbis is the Unemployment Insurance 

Act. a great improvement 

over the old times 

when there was no assistance, 

but not a substitute for self· 

sufficiency for the young and 

able." Monsignor O'Brien 

recalls his own youth during the 

Great Depression. One of a 

family of ten, "We never bought 

vegetables - grew our own. 

kept cows and made our butter." 

Fewer people today 

cultivate gardens, and Monsignor 

O'Brien doubts whether 

we could survive a depression as 

well as our parents and grandparents. 

Monsignor O'Brien reflects on 

some of the older Harbour 

Gracians. many of them now 

passed on. "They were great 

people, very refined. cultured 

people. They were the product of 

a simple school system. Each 

teacher was obliged to teach 

almost every subject, the 

curriculum was flexible. and 

there was less emphasis on 

technical subjects. Today, in the 

scientific age, a different form 

of education is necessary. 

"You point out the school to 

me that is teaching Latin today. 

I know ODe boy we have had up 

here in school, really bright. but 

Monsignor O'Brien


19S5. just a few months after 

completing his bas ic training, is 

now in charge of the Harbour 

Grace detachment. There are 20 

people in the division : 18 

policemen and two female office 

workers. 

"We do our best to get to know 

the people in the area and we 

also have a visitation program 

to aU schools each term. It is 

Important that people know 

what we do." says George 

Andrews. " qid you know this 

detachment was the first 

detachment located outside St. 

John's and has been here since 

1949?" 

Serious crimes such as 

murder are not a major 

problem. but the area has its Constable K.L Naylorat the ACMP booth at the Trinity-Conception Fairwhere 

share of break-and-entry, theft. he met and talked withmany young people. 

cheque writers. willful damage 

and sudden deaths. Staff Andrews 

has agreed to the interview 

despite being extremely 

busy. We 'are constanUy interrupted 

by phone caUs . Suddenly 

he rises from his chair, 

"I'm afraid I hav e to rush off to 

Port de Grave," be apologizes. 

as be grabs his briefcase and 

hurries down across Water 

Street to the waiting helicopter 

on the waterfront. ns 

Staft Sergeant George Andrews 

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Fun at the fair 

t the Trinity-Conception 

A Fair is one of its 

organizers, the energetic Mrs . 

Bobbe Hatch. She has been 

involved with the fair ever since 

tt started 24years ago. 

"I guess you might say I' m a 

Jack-of-all-trades," she says, 

grinning from ear to ear. 

"Whatever anybody wants done, 

I've tried to get it done 

somehow." And one certainly 

gets the impression that she 

does , too. 

"I look after the baby show 

and the children's programs. We 

have a prince and prince ss and 

we have a costume parade for 

children 12 and under . I sta rted 

that because there was nothing 

for the children. We had 80 kids 

in costume and I was up at 7:30 

a.m. getting the horses re ady for 

the parade," laughs Bobbe. " It 

is an awfullotoffun!" 

The fair started on Thursday, 

September 23 and ran until 

Saturday, October 2. Bobbe says 

that she loves aU the acti vity but 

admits that by the time it closes 

she is pretty tired. The fair was 

originally an agricultura l and 

crafts fair , but over the years it 

had become more of a trade fair 

with various companies and 

organizations having booths to 

display their product s and 

describe their services. 

Last year, it was decided to 

bri ng more crafts back in so 

Bobbe contacted all the senior 

citizens' homes , the Womens' 

Institutes and personal friends 

who did crafts to ask if they 

Modest manager 

iCk Power, ma nager and 

D coach at S.W. Moores 

Memorial Stadium in Harbour 

Grace is a modest cha p who only 

reluct antly admits to being a 

hockey player. This tr im 40year-old 

started playi ng on his 

native Bell Island. 


Mrs. Bobbe Hatch and Mrs. Gladys Sheppard wit h one of the beautiful handmade 

quilts. Note the hand kni t sweaters in the background and the hooked 

mat at the rig ht. 

would display their work. Agai n 

this year she has helped set up 

the booths and the re is quit e an 

impressive display of handknitted 

goods, quilts , afgha ns 

and macr am e. 

"I guess I'm one of those 

people that just has to get involved 

and keep busy ," confides 

Bobbe who cam e with her 

husb and and son to Har bour 

Gr ace from Ontario 30 yea rs 

ago . " My husband was transferred 

with CNT and we subseq 

uently adopte d a little girl 

and have been here ever since. 

All the work I do is volunteer , I 

wouldn't have time for a reg ular 

job." 

The Womens ' Institutes have 

provided a lot of the handicrafts 

and are manning the booth. 

"We are getting more and 

more handwor k her e now," 

" I was in sports all my life," 

he admits. After atte nding 

Trade School in St. Jo hn's, he 

moved to Corne r Brook for a 

year where he played for the 

Royals. " They brought coach 

Danky Dorr tngton in that year 

and we won the All Newfoundland 

Championship." Dick next 

expla ins Mrs . Gladys Sheppard, 

Pre sident of the Harbour Grace 

Wornens' Institute. The Institutes 

were formed in Newfoundland 

in 1965 to help rural 

women improve their skUls in 

the home, to aid their communities, 

to improve their 

ability in self-educatlon and to 

develop leadership . 

" The Institute has been here 

at Harbour Grace for 12 years, to 

explains Mrs. Sheppard. " There 

are monthly meetings. You 

might say we get together and 

exchange our talents. The Institute 

now runs sessions on 

duffle work , knitti.ng, 

cro cheting, quilting and 

ma crame. We have made 

Dowers from discarded pantyh 

ose and we've also done some 

doll-making. We really enjoy 

ourselves." II 

went on to manage Gander 

Stadium and act as captain of 

the Gander Flyers. In 1968 be 

came to Harbour Grace as 

stadium manager and coach of 

the Conception Bay CeeBees , a 

highly successful hockey team 

that included the famous 

Faulkner brothers, Alex, Jack


Maintaining the br eed 

n July 3, 1982. Today 

O Magazine carried an 

article entitled "The 115 Best 

Things about Canada". Ninth on 

the list was the Newfoundland 

Dog . Megan and Boh Nutbeem 

of Harbour Grace probably 

would not agree with Ws rating, 

they. no doubt. would rate the 

dog first. Perhaps they are 

somewhat biased . but Dot 

without reason. The Nutbeems 

have raised se veral hundred 

Newfoundland dogs . and the fact 

that the dog appears on the list 

at all is in part tribute to the 

efforts of Megan and Bob who 

took what was a declining breed 

and re-estabUshed it as a showwinning 

dog . 

"I've had dogs all my We.II 

recalls Megan . sItting In her 

Rideau 

land." In 1953 Mega n acquired 

her first Newf oundland. JUl. 

from the Honourable Harold 

MacPherson in St. John's, 

Captivated by ber qualities. the y 

decided to breed her . It was at 

this point that they made a 

ratber surprising discovery. 

"We found that there were 

fewer tban a dozen pure-bre d 

Newfoundlands in the province 

," exclaims Megan . After one 

unsuccessful attempt to breed 

Jill with .a local dog, the Nutbeems 

turned to Switzerland. 

Why Switzerland? 

" That 's very simple," sa ys 

Bob. "In 1953you found a truer 

originallype of Newfoundland in 

Switzerland than you could find 

anywhere in North Amer ica. 

including Newfoundland.,. 

The reason for this goes back 

to 1890 when a Professor Heim 

was charged with reinvigorating 

the St. Bernard breed. He had 

some of the best Newfoundland 

puppies sent to Switzerland an d 

there they were carefully bre d 

to the St. Bernards that were in 

danger of dying out. Selected 

Newfoundland males were bre d 

with St. Bernard bitches, but 

never the other way around. In 

that way, the St. Bernards 

gained qualities of the Newfoundland. 

but the Newfoundland 

remained unchanged. 

"We went to Switzerland and 

selected parents for our new

stud dog ," explains Megan . In 

due course Romy arrived and 

when he came of age he was 

bred to Jill. The Nutbeems had 

not set out .to be breeders of 

champion Newfoundland dogs . 

they had just wanted a pair of 

good specimens of the breed. 

"But when we discovered the 

tru e state of things we became a 

bit nationalistic," confesses 

Bob. "We decided to take on the 

responsibility of trying to 

reinstate the breed. At that time 

if anybody wanted a Newfoundland 

dog, Newfoundland was Dot 

the place to go. We wanted Newfoundland 

to become the place ." 

Megan recounts the history of 

the breed. "There were dogs 

here in 3000BIC. Lei! Ericson. in 

1000 A.D. brought over his big 

black mastiffs and they mated 

with the local dogs . Over the 

years most ships that came in 

here had a dog or two on board 

that might have mated oecasionally 

with the local dogs 

enough to re-invigorate the 

breed without changing the 

strain." 

There are numerous stories of 

Newfoundland's saving lives. 

They ha ve an inherent instinct 

for swimming. "You'll get dogs 

who don't really like water too 

much, but when it comes to the 

push, say, somebody is 

drowning, they're gone," says 

Megan. "In the winter they were 

used to haul logs . They were also 

used as a kind of radar on ships 

_ if the ship were heading 

towards shore and the captain 

didn't know how far the land 

was, the dog would stand on the 

prow and when its head pointed 

straight ahead, they knew land 

was near." One can imagine 

how such deeds were accomplished 

as their Newfoundland 

dog, Rideau, plods into the 

room. 

Harbour Beem became a 

registered kennel in 1956and the 

Nutbeems gradually built up 

their strain. There would be 

times when the mother would 

die; they were to lose utters, but 

gradually success came. 

"By 1972, we had 35 Newfoundlands, 

16 Cocker Spaniels, 

6 English Setters, and with that, 

one summer we had 82 Newfoundland 

pups," Megan 

remembers. "We were not in the 

business of just producing 

numbers of dogs - we needed 

such numbers to be able to breed 

within our own strain, but not 

inbreed - we wanted to fix the 

strain." And no doubt they 

succeeded as is evidenced by the 

magnificent, alert Rideau. 

At this point, Bob interrupts 

good-humouredly, "The trouble 

was, Megan was beginning to 

lose so much money that I 

thought a little financial 

guidance was necessary. We 

had all the dog buildings, heat 

and light, two kennel men, vet 

fees, drugs and food supplements." 

"A Newfoundland up to eight 

months does eat quite a lot," 

admits Megan. "About 8-12cups 

of burger bits or chow daily. And 

in June, I get as many kids 

together as I can and we go to 

fetch caplin. I wash, bag and 

freeze them. We boil it up into a 

stew at least once a week. 

Nothing is thrown out in this 

house - even the vegetable 

juice goes to the dogs, 

everything except bones." 

Megan has, over the years, 

served as a surrogate 

veterinarian when there was 

Harbour Grace 

596·5143 

Compliments of 

MOORES, FINN 

and ANDREWS 

Barristers and Solicitors 

DeCKS AWASH 39 

none available in the area. 

Today, she says she works as a 

receptionist at the Harbour 

Grace Animal Hospital and we 

notice that her direct line from 

the clinic rings incessantly. She 

answers it, "Yes, I understand, 

well, it sometimes will help if 

you ... Obviously, she is 

frequently caUed upon to give 

advice on animal care. 

The Nutbeems now have four 

Newfoundlands - one dog and 

three bitches. 

"We're winding down in terms 

of actual breeding," says Bob. 

"But we are still influencing the 

breed internationally through 

judging." When Megan and Bob 

together with Ken and Peggy 

Saltman formed the Conception 

Bay Kennel Club, bad weather 

often made it difficult for judges 

to fly here for dog shows. 

"The best thing we could do 

was become judges ourselves," 

Bob explains offhandedly. "It 

took us from '65 to '71 to become 

all-breed judges. We do get to 

travel around quite a bit, in fact, 

we were in South Africa this 

summer. But we get to see a lot 

of airplanes and hotel rooms 

too." As judges. they have 

become almost as well known as 

they are for their strain of 

Harbour Beem Newfoundlands. 

I!I 

Bay Roberts 

786-7714

4Q·DECKSAWASH 

1he 

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Harbour Grace, Newfoundland


in Newfoundland, religion is 

taken very seriously, whether 

people are regular attenders of 

church or not." In the last six 

years the size of the United 

Church Congregation has 

remained constant, he observes. 

The three leading 

denominations in Harbour 

Grace in descending order of 

size are Anglican. Roman 

Catholic. and United Church. 

In addition to his duties as a 

minister, the Reverend Bailey is 

much involved with committee 

work. For example. he is the 

chairman of the Avalon North 

Integrated School Board. We 

asked him for his comments on 

the Dew grade 12 program. 

"Initially I was disappointed." 

he admits. "because the new 

high school program was not 

going to give the students first· 

year university as it does in a lot 

of other provinces. With our 

grade 12 you will still come out 

with junior matriculation." 

Ed Bailey then goes on to 

outline the advantages. "But 

most people don't go on to 

university and this will give 

them a broader education. They 

will have the opportunity of 

taking an extra science, 

Canadian law, which we didn't 

have before. as well as Newfoundland 

culture and business. 

They will leave school better 

educated and, let's hope, be 

better equipped to live in today's 

world ." 

Reverend Batley has five 

children. Sharon and Paul are 

Reverend Edward Bailey 

Harbour Grace United Church 

away continuing their post 

secondary education but Janet, 

Denise and Hea ther will ha ve an 

opportunity to avail of the new 

high school program. 

Other committees that 

Reverend Bailey sits on are the 

Library Board. the Museum 

Board. and the Ministry Personnel 

Committee. Commenting 

on the church board he sa ys, 

.. It's a very democratic body, 

we would never set up a committee 

to do anything that does 

not have lay representation. 

"Our church was at the 

forefront in Newfoundland in 

getting on top of oil impact, and 

how it would affect the people," 

As long as eight years ago. 

Reverend BaUey completed a 

week's continuing education 

program on the social effects of 

oil in Scotland. 

Reverend Bailey concludes. 

"Harbour Grace is a fair ly 

structured, traditional town. 

proud of its history and just a 

little sad that it has lost its 

former glory ." 

At this point gurgling noises 

from the kitchen tap announced 

the resumption of the Harbour 

Grace water service. With 

renewed appreciation of the 

marvels of the modern world 

running hot water, the safety 

rator and instant coUee - we 

parted. 11

,". DECKS AWASH 

think we were as weak as we 

was. " Actuall y, they had not 

eaten for five day s. The doctor 

gave each man half a glass of 

milk and a piece of biscuit 

which promptly made them feel 

worse. They had been hungry 

without realizing it . 

Andy leans forward in his 

chair. He explains that unknown 

to them the captain had also 

landed alive on the same island , 

but on the other side. "So the 

captain, he was in Barb ados 

often , he knew the fellow who 

ran the drugstore who sa id, 'Did 

you hear the news? There's a 

shipwrecked crew ove r in S1. 

John district.' Sam Noseworthy, 

he couldn't believe it. He called 

us all one by one. 'You stay right 

wher e you are, I'm going to send 

a taxi out for you'. 

" The whole island seemed 

excited by the event. Flags 

adorned the sailor's taxi and the 

crowds wanted to shake hands 

with us. We were there a week. 

Barb ados was a place where 

the y'd never see you stuck . 

They'd ask you if you wanted a 

cigarett e, and they knew you 

had no money , so they gave us a 

pack of cigarettes. They were 

re ally ver y good to us." 

Andy and the ship 's crew left 

Barbados on the Canadian Otto 

bound for Halif ax. There they 

passed four days before taking 

the Rosalind to St. John 's. It was 

Ofboards, committees and causes 

"Ithink there must be more 

interesting people you 

could talk to in Harbour Gr ace," 

declares Dr. Roy Goodwin, as he 

bustles out of his surgery amid 

his busy waiting room, filled 

with anxious patients. "But, if 

that's what you want , I'll be with 

you as soon as lean, " he adds, 

grinning broadl y, shaking han ds 

and disappearing into the inner 

sanctum that is the precinct of 

all dentists. 

Regist rat ion deadline: January 5, 1983. 

Fee: $165, includes manuals 

To register : Send cheque or money order, payabl e to Memorial 

Univers it y of Newfoundland to Corresponden ce Off erings, Extension 

Service , Memorial University of Newf oundl and, St. John' s, NF, A1C5S7 . 

For inf ormati on ca ll Sherry Oliver, 737·8476. 

A short time later, his patients 

reassured and sent on their way , 

he briefly refers to his involvement 

with the Harbour 

Grac e Impact Committee. 

"We're bogged down because 

Hiberni a is bogged down with 

the question of jurisdiction 

between the two levels of 

government, so I guess we'll just 

have to wait until firm decisions 

1. Principl es of Account ing 

2. Personnel Management and l abour Relations 

3. Business Finan ce 

4. Principl es of Criminol ogy 

5. Crim inal Procedure and the Administ rallon of Criminal Just ice 

6. Crime and Social Bohaviour 

7. The Nature of Dlsat illty 

8. Work ing with Disab led People 

9. The Agency and Baste Int rodu ct ion to Publ ic Programmes 

10. Health ,lifestyl e and the Prevention of Disabi lit y 

Extension Service 

Oorrespcndence Offerings 

Memorlel University of Newtoundlend 

the night before Christmas and 

the Rosalind's captain was at 

the customs office when the 

mate told him that the first sheet 

of a cargo of Iron they were 

unloading had jam med in the 

hatch. 

"Put the hatches back OD 

her ," roared the captain. " I' m 

eating my dinner on Christmas 

Day with my family in St. 

John 's ." They replaced the 

hatches and put to sea in a stor m 

not unlike the one Andy had 

encountered some weeks before. 

But this time they ran "rtght 

dead before it" and Andy 

arrived safely home for 

Christmas. rtI 

I' 

Roy Goodwin 

are made . When Peckford and 

Trudeau agree the Commit tee 

will revive. So there's not muc h 

action there. to 

Amongst Roy Goodwin' s 

many activities is serving as the 

President of the Harbour Gra ce 

Board of Trade. He says that the 

Board's aims are those of any 

board of trade: to promo te 

business welfare aod to encourage 

new business, as well as 

to help members. Former 

Premier Frank Duff Moores 

was president in the 19505. 

" At the moment the Board bal 

expressed dee p dissaUsfactlon 

with the PUblic UtillUes Board 

decision to allow Newfoundla nd 

Telephone to increase the ir

ates. Members of the Board 

feel that there should be no increase 

in rates unless there is an 

increase in service. We are 

paying too much for too little." 

But Roy Goodwin always has 

at least one or two causes to 

champion. A former member of 

the Avalon North Integrated 

School Board. this time he is at 

odds with the Integrated 

Education Committee. "The 

Department of Education 

allocated $22.3 million to aid in 

implementation of the new 

reorganized high school 

program. The Department 

decided that St. Paul's High 

School here needed a gymnasium 

and set aside $340.000 for 

the purpose. I wrote Max Riggs 

of the Integrated Education 

Committee who informed me 

that the Committee had decided 

not to build the gymnasium. I 

wrote the Premier who wrote 

me that he would have the 

matter looked into, and the 

Compliments of ... 

Minister of Justice has written 

to assure me that the IEC was 

perfectly within its rights to 

make the decision. My point Is 

that there is a serious flaw in the 

system. 

" The Department of 

Education decides we are going 

to have grade 12, how it is to be 

Implemented and then allocates 

the funds for the implementation. 

I assume these 

are very carefully thought-out 

decisions. But what is the point 

if the Integrated Education 

Committee can reverse these 

decisions?" And Dr. Goodwin 

intends to pursue the matter 

until he receives what he considers 

to be a logical answer. 

One may wonder why he is so 

worked up over the matter when 

ail the Goodwins' Iour children 

have already gone through the 

school system. His wife Alison 

says that if he rirmly believes in 

something he leaves no stone 

DeCKS AWASH .S 

unturned until he sees things 

changed, or at least receives a 

plausible explanation as to why 

they cannot be changed. 

Roy Goodwin was born in 

Harbour Grace in 1918, has 

practised dentistry ror 39 years, 

and clearly would not like to uve 

anywhere else. 

"There is no doubt in my mind 

that the town has great promise 

or growth both in the rishery and 

industrial commercial activity. 

And look at the potential for the 

port of Harbour Grace 81 

described in the Kellogg Report. 

I am sure that. over time. the 

concept or the superport is 

feasible," he muses as he walks 

the 50or so yards Irom his otnce 

on Water Street to his home just 

around the corner. 

"You know, I think Newfound· 

land is finally beginning to 

realize that commerce must 

follow industry - rather than 

the reverse... m 

OCEAN HARVESTERS LIMITED 

Operators of fish processing plants located at Harbour Grace, 

Port de Grave and Old Perlican. 

Dedicated to processing volume markets for all species of fish 

caught by our Newfoundland inshore fishermen. 

Pioneers in developing volume markets internationally for all 

pelagic species, i.e., caplin, mackerel and herring. 

Water Street 

Harbour Grace 

Newfoundland 

Telephone: 

596·5111 

596·6673


Fires, fellows andfiretrucks 

H 

ar bour Grace Fire Brigade 

was formed following 

the disastrous fire of 1832. 

Today, under its chief John 

Pike. it is still a volunteer 

organization with 49 active 

members and a waiting list of 

hopeful applicants. 

"When] joined back in 1962, 

we had only one truck and a 

four-wheel drive," says Ted 

Ash, father of six, crew chief 

and 2O-year veteran of the 

brigade. "Today we have three 

trucks, a crash van, and a four' 

wheel drive." Ted is very proud 

of the new pumper truck. It cost 

$65,000, 15% being a grant, but 

the other 25% had to be raised by 

the town. 

"We raised the 25% ourselves." 

beams Ted. "it didn't 

cost the town a thing." He points 

to the new fire truck. It's 

beautifully polished and a panel 

on its side is covered with dials 

and valves. "She carries 500 

gallons of water, so we can go 

straight to a fire without first 

connecting to a hydrant." 

However. once connected. the 

input valves need careful 

regulating. This pum per is so 

powerful that it can collapse the 

intake hose. It can actually suck 

wate r from the town sup ply 

Membersof HarbourGrace VolunteerFire Brigade, lett to right, CyrilWhile. 

ThomasMahaney. Randall Babband Lloyd J . Pynn. 

faster than the hydrant can 

deliver it! 

The brigade will answer calls 

in Harbour Grace, Old Perlican. 

Riverhead, South Side and 

Bristol's Hope. They will also 

fight fires in nearby towns, 

provided the fire chief there 

reques ts them. The burning of 

St. Francis School in 1912is well 

remem bered. There was a high 

wind with fla ming debris flying 

around. Fortunately, the 

brigade bro ught the fire under 

control. It could have been a 

TedAshat " the controlpanelofthe pumpertruck. 

repeat of 1944when half the town 

burned down. Of course. the 

brigade is better equipped 

today. Still . a number of oil 

companies have storage tanks in 

Harbour Grace. "If the tanks 

went up." notes Ted . "we 

couldn't control it." 

Being a voluntee r 

organization, the firemen have 

full-time jobs elsewhere. The 

moment a fire is reported, two 

alarms are sounded. Those who 

hear them rush to the station. 

Others are contacted by phone. 

On average 30 men respond. The 

men each have the ir own fire 

clothes in separate lockers. At 

one time they didn't. which 

meant that a man might arrive 

at a fire with a size 10 boot on 

one foot. a 12on the other, and a 

jacket that didn 't quite fit. Seven 

men assembled comprise a crew 

under the direction of the crew 

chief. and they take a truck 

immediately to the fire . The 

majority of chimney fires today 

are caused by woodstoves, 

either improperly installed, or 

poorly maintained. The most 

dangerous job in firefighting is 

going into a burning building. 

Some of the firemen have taken 

a special course at Gander. and 

they are the ones who operate 

air-breathing equipment.

Despite these obvious 

dangers. there is no shortage of 

applicants. All appear to enjoy 

the comradeship of the brigade. 

They even have a club adjoining 

the premises where the engines 

are kept . Those chosen have to 

undergo a six-month 

probationary period . Ted's son 

Paul is one of these. The training 

is conducted by the four crew 

chiefs , the assistant fire chief , 

and the chief himself. 

From the immacuiate con- 

"Bssicelly, we're into a lot of frustration.. " 

ed Pike took office as 

T mayor of Harbour Grace 

in November 1981."My number 

one pr iority was that the town 

should have an economic base to 

work on." declares Ted. At 

present his prime concern is 

with the ailing fishing industry. 

One of his first acts on taking 

office was to telegram the then 

Federal Fisheries Minister, 

Romeo LeBlanc , inviting him to 

"Look first hand at what we 

had." 

reply . 

Mr. LeBlanc failed to 

Short ly after, Ted became 

Chairman of the Joint Mayors of 

Conception Bay North. a group 

that includes the mayors of 

Carbonear, Victoria , Spaniard's 

Bay, Upper Island Cove, Bay 

Roberts, and Harbour Grace. 

The group presented a brief to 

the Kirby Task Force on the 

fishery where they emphasized 

that despite Harbour Grace 

having one of the oldest and best 

fish storage and processing 

facilities in eastern Canada, 

production remained low 

because it iacked raw material. 

The brief included a solution to 

the problem. "I feel very 

strongly about the joint venture 

concept." asserts Ted. 

.. Although this idea had been 

unsuccessfully advanced by 

Ocean Harvesters in 1911. we 

again advocated a commercial 

venture with Iorelgn fishermen 

whereby they would land fish at 

Harbour Grace for processing at 

iocal fish plants in the area." 

The idea is an attractive one. 

It would ensure year-round work 

at fish plants without the expense 

of buying more trawlers, 

and it would lead to healthy 

injections of foreign capital and 

expertise. 

"The Kirby Task Force was 

sympathetic," remarks Ted, 

"as I'm sure they were to all 

groups. Still, we're wondering 

Harbour Grace from the South Side . 

DeCKS AWASH - ., 

dition of the fire hall YJith Ita 

impressive equipment and the 

obvious pride and pleas ure the 

men take in their work, it would 

seem that Harbour Grace is 

better protected against fire 

than at any time before . II 

just what their reeommendations 

are going to be." 

Mayor Pike has some 

reservations about the aeo-mue 

economic fishing zone. "At 

present it takes 55 to 6S bours 

steaming for Ocean Harvesters' 

dragger to reach the fishing 

ground. With the increased cost 

of 011. this is expensive, but it's 

particularly galling to pass 

along by foreign boata who come 

lin here taking raw material and 

then ship it back to their own 

countries." 

As mayor, Ted is justifiably 

concerned over the fate of the 

fisheries. Speaking of the town's 

fish plant he declares, IOU Ocean 

Harvesters were to clole in the 

summer of '83, Harbour Grace 

would literally-become a ghost 

town ." He Is also critical of 

government policy towards 

some of the larger fish 

processors. "It appears to me 

that when these companies get


in trouble, there is always 

somebody to pump money in to 

keep t.hem viable. They just 

have to say , 'Look, we can't 

make ends meet', and the 

federal government comes 

across to help them out. In this 

area, while the companies avail 

themselves of grants or monies 

available, it is not nearly to the 

same extent." 

Harbour Grace. in common 

with most Newfoundland municipalities, 

is concerned about 

its financial position . The 

days are gone when a financially 

An open-doorp olicy 

J 

im Yetman, town clerk of 

Harbour Grace, looks 

tired but cheerful. A contractor 

knocked out the town's water 

supply during the nigbt and Jim 

troubled council could appeal to 

the Department of Municipal 

Affairs and say, "We need 

$50,000 - we are in trouble 

here." Council is now working 

on its 1983budget. "It's a major 

thing trying to supply services 

that people need and try ing not 

to increase taxes, which right 

now seems inevitable. It goes 

back to the point that if we had a 

sound economic base for Harbour 

Grace the tax base would 

fa11in place automatically." 

Ted Pike concludes, " We' re 

not trying to grab everything for 

bas spent the day getting it 

reconnected while his office bas 

been fending off pbone calls 

from irate citizens. Particularly 

distressed by the lack of water 

Roof repairs at St. Paul's Ang lican Church today . 

Harbour Grac e, we want our 

share, and it's got to be a joint 

thing. We must look at the area 

as a region rather than one 

community in isolation fro m 

another." Commenting on the 

process, however, he remarks, 

"Basically we're into a lot of 

frustration here ." In September 

of 1982, on the day after the new 

minister of Federal Fisheries, 

Pierre De Bane took office, Ted 

telegr-ammed bim asking him to 

come to Harbour Grace . He is 

awaiting a rep ly. " 

are the finalis ts for the Miss 

Newfoundland contest staying 

at Archibald's botel. 

Jim bas been town clerk for 

two years. Previously, he was a 

loans officer at a bank. "It's 

quite a change," admits Jim . 

"Before I did just one thing. 

Now I'm in and out meeting 

government officials, dealing 

with engineers and contractors, 

and all the time trying to make 

sure the town's interests are 

served". While Jim admits he is 

not an expert on such things as 

engineering matters, he adds 

that by questioning all concerned 

groups and having the m 

answer in laymen's terms often 

clarifies matters for everyone. 

Jim was born in Harbour 

Grace and , except for a ten-year 

period, bas lived there tontinuously. 

He took over his 

present job " from scratch". The 

previous town clerk bad already 

departed before Jim moved in. 

His job is to implement the 

decisions of Council. "It's quite 

a task," he admits. "Seven 

people don't always think the 

same, or want the same things 

done. It Jim had just got used to 

his job when there was an 

election and the Council was 

changed. 

"The water system in Har 

bour Grace is pretty good," he 

explains. " The town had a 20 

Ineb main put in at the time 

Birdseye took over the fish


is gone ." 

Being a child was an arduous 

Occupation in Maud's day . 

"Then children had to help plant 

vegetables, do the ground , and 

help make the hay - they did a 

man's work . Today , they are in 

school until they 're 20 but they 

do more sports than we did. 

There is no comparison in th e 

way we dressed. We were quite 

happy to get hand-me-downs. 

Today, if they can't go to a store 

and buy something for a child , 

they don't want it. We barely got 

the necessities. Ther e is more 

money wasted today on soft 

drinks, chips , and bars than 

people had to live on back in the 

'408." 

Maud recalls the old stores of 

Harbour Grace before the great 

fire of 1944. HI can remember 

going to Charlie Godden's store. 

A very genteel man . He would 

bave a white shirt and dress suit 

Wings offame 

ill Parsons is 76 going on 

B60. "I keep active so I 

don't have time to get old," he 

jokes. Bill is director of the 

Conception Bay Museum which 

is housed in the old customs 

house at 1!arbour Gra ce 

l 

Maud Peddle 

on in the store , and his hair was 

combed just so. They were 

gentlemen in those days . If they 

met a lady on the street, they 

would touch their hat. Such 

featured on this issue's cover . 

Bill is well qualified for the 

pos ition, being able to offer an 

eye-wi tness account of many of 

the historic events depicted in 

the muse um. 

Speaking of one of the permanent 

exhibits, the Aviation 

Bill Parsons and some of the pictures he took in the Aviation room of the 

Conception Bay Museum. 

, respect." 

Maud keeps incredibly bus y. 

Besides work ing full time at the 

Harbour Lodge Senior Citizens 

home she finds time to be the 

Worthy Mistr ess of the Ladi es 

Orange Benevolent Association, 

Deputy Treasurer of the 

Provincial Grand Lodge of the 

LOBA, and Pr esident of the S1. 

Mary the Virgin Deane ry 

Branch of the Anglican 

Women 's Association. 

Asked what she would like to 

see improved in Harbour Grac e, 

Maud re plies, "More employment. 

A person feels more 

independent when he works for a 

living , rather than going to the 

post offic e and get ting a 

cheque." She would also like to 

see the old K y le painted, an old 

ship grounded at the hea d of the 

harbour and one on which Maud 

made annua l pilgrimages with 

her parents to the Labrador 

fishery . m 

Room, Bill says, "I spoke with 

every pilot who attempted the 

Trans-Atlantic cross ing fro m 

Harbour Grace. In 1929, when I 

was 22, I worked as a stringer 

for Associ ated Press (AP ). I 

would send them time of arrival 

and departure , the type of pla ne, 

weather conditions and any 

other pertinent information." 

Bill's fath er . Reuben Parsons, 

was a professional photographer 

and photograph ed every arrival 

using a large view ca mera with 

glass plates. These were too 

fragile for tr ansportation to 

AP's office in Boston, so Bill 

took his own pictures using a 

smaller Kodak film camera. 

The film s were rushed to 

Whitbourne to be put aboard the 

express train. Five days later 

they would be in Boston. Many 

of these ori ginal photos taken by 

Bill and Reub en may be seen in 

the museum today . 

" I think that of all the flights 

at the time the one that impressed 

me most was Amelia 

Earhart 's, I don't think this was

features 

Message from Dr. LeslieHarris, 

President, Memorial University 

t is a genuine pleasure for me to be able to 

I write these few words of greeting to all of 

you who have made possible the revival of Deek. 

Awub. 

I was gratified by the large number of 

representations made to me in support of the 

magazine following my decision to suspend 

publication; I was overwhelmed by the tangible 

support implicit in the number of you who voted 

with your cheque books to have the publication 

restored. 

Please accept my sincere thanks and my 

commitment that we will do all that we can to 

ensure that the community service represented 

by Deeks Awasb will continue. 

Nevertheless. you should know that our 

financial capacity is still marginal and I am 

emboldened to ask you. as friends of the 

magazine. to use your best powers of persuasion 

to convince all your friends that they. too. should 

be subscribers. l!I 

home'gardening 

Ross Traverse answers questions on 

gar dening in Newfoundland 

Q. I started a vegetable garden for the first 

time this spring. I dug up the sod and mixed in 

manure and planted seeds. The vegetables came 

up but growth was slow and the vegetables were 

stunted. What can I do to get better results next 

year? 

A. Manure alone will not supply enough plant 

food. to grow most vegetables. You need to 

correct the acidity in the soil. This is done by 

applying agricultural limestone and digging it 

into the soil at the rate of at least 10 lbs . per 100 

sq. ft. This can be done in the fan or early in the 

spring. Organic matter in the form of manure 

and/or peat. should be mixed thoroughly with 

the soil in the spring. To feed the plants. a 

general purpose fertilizer such as 6-12·12 should 

be raked into the soil at the rate of Sibs. per 100 

sq. ft. Many of the leafy vegetables like cabbage 

and lettuce should be side-dressed during the 

Summer with a high nitrogen fertilizer. 

If it rains a lot during the growing season, you 

Deed to apply more fertilizer than if the weather 

is dry. Limestone neutralizes the acidity in the 

soil and enables the plant to take up the plant 


food. . 

Q. I have seed left over from last year - how 

can I be sure it is good to plant? 

A. As a general rule. it is best to buy new seed 

each year. However. if you are going to plant old 

seed. you should do a germination test. This can 

easily be done by counting out at least 25 seeds on 

a wet. folded towel. placed in a saucer. The 

paper towel and saucer should be covered with a 

plastic bag to keep the moisture in. After seven 

days. the seeds that have sprouted (germinated) 

should be counted. and then you can calculate 

the percentage germination. If less than 50% of 

the seeds germinate. you should get a fresh 

supply. 

Q. Will fertilizer keep from one year to the 

next? 

A. Yes. providing that the fertilizer is kept dry. 

Any lumps can be broken up before spreading on 

the garden. 

Q.l have a strawberry patch that is overgrown 

and I want to transplant some plants into a new 

bed this fall. Is this a good time? 

A. No strawberries should not be planted in the


fall. You don't gain anything by fall planting 

because the plants need a full year's growth to 

produce fruit the following year. Also you are 

running the risk of losing some of the plants 

during the winter if you plant in the fall because 

the plants may heave out ot the ground . 

Q. This year I grew turnips. They looked fine 

on the outside. but when I cut them open, the 

center was sort of light brown and sticky. What is 

the problem? 

A. You have a problem which is quite common 

in Newfoundland called "Brown Heart" in 

turnip. It is caused by a boron deficiency in the 

soil that can easily be corrected by applying 

boron in your fertilizer. In the form ula on the 

fertilizer bag, it will be marked with a "B-3-15 

6B" , If you forget to apply boron at the beginning 

of the season, it can also be applied in a soluble 

spray with a material called "Solubor". You 

must be careful with Solubor because it can be 

quite toxic to the plant. Follow the instructions 

on the package very carefully. If there are no 

instructions on the package, then use a dilution 

of one teaspoon in five gallons, but make certain 

you apply it as a very fine spray to the leaves of 

the plant. 

RO" will aml.lr ,aMl,mln, quutlOOI . MaU your queltiool to Rou 

Traverse. Deckl " ....b. Extenllo.n Service . Memori al Unlvenlty of 

Ne.. louodland. St. John'I,NY. AleSS7. i1 r 

Message from 

the Director 

ofExtension 

Elayne 

Harris 

his issue of DeeD Awalh is a very speci al 

T one for many reasons. First, it is specia l 

one for many reasons. First, it is special becau se 

without you, it would not have been possible. 

Your expressed disappointment about the 

decicision to cease DeeD Awalb publication was 

a critical factor in encouraging Memori al 

University to consider an alternative financia l 

approach. The promptness with which you 

responded to the call for subscriptions has 

allowed this November-December issue. 

Second, it is special because you have told us in 

a very tangible way that you hold one of the 

Extension Service activities, the DeeD Awal b 

magazine, in high esteem. All of the staff at 

Extension are heartened by this encouragement 

and now bring fresh energy to this and other of 

our activities. 

We at Extension extend our good wishes to you 

as you continue to use our educational services to 

make your personal and community life more 

satisfying and productive. 

As the new Director of Extension Service, I 

would like to thank you all and send you best 

wishes for Christmas and the New Year. II

Rural development agreement 

byTOIIJ Col1lnl, E.ecutiveDirector 

NOd. andLabrador Development Counell 

n a few short months : a unique and in 

I novative development program, a 

program which has had far-reaching effects on 

the province as a whole. will come to an end . If it 

is Dol renewed. ODe of the most potent forces for 

social and economic change in Newfoundland's 

history may be jeopardized. 

There are 50 volunteer-based regional 

associations operating in Newfoundland and 

Labrador today. Sharing a common mandate for 

coordinated social and economic development. 

they have been funded for the past five years 

under the terms of the Rural Development 

Subsidiary Agreement. Despite its formidable 

title. the agreement is probably one of the most 

imaginative and creative programs ever 

initiated in Canada. Funded on a 90-10 federalprovincial 

basis, and jointly administered by the 

Department of Regional Economic Expansion. 

and the Department of Rural, Agriculture and 

Northern Development. the agreement is the 

offspring of ARDA II and ARDA fII, both of 

which emerged out of a combination of local, 

Who cares about our resources? 

cac Cares, 

Land & Sea 

with Dave Quinton 

and Paul Harrington 

Wednesdays at8 P.M . 

(7:30 in Labrador) 

onCBC TV 


provincial and national development priorities. 

The agreement provides each development 

association in the province with an administration 

grant of $16,500 per year plus a 

matching grant of up to $5.000 for monies raised 

from non-government sources. The 

requirements for eligibility are minimal: 

representation from 75% of the community 

within the region through democratic elections, 

participation in a training session, and Incorporation 

of the association. Underlying these 

relatively straightforward criteria however, is a 

carrot-and-stick philosphy. The support given to 

local people is in direct proportion to the ability 

to work together. and to cooperate effectively. A 

larger perspective is a prerequisite to administrative 

funding. Similarily. funding for 

several projects will then likely be determined 

by an association's willingness to plan and 

coordinate its overall activities. 

Unfortunately. the subsidiary agreement, 

which was signed in 1978, is due to expire in 

March of next year. A proposal for a 

replacement program has been submitted to the 

federal government by the province but as yet 

there is no clear indication of any. or indeed if an 

agreement can be reached between the two 

levels of government. 

In the meantime, several possible alternatives 

exist - direct federal funding to associations, 

total provincial support, or some' combination of 

the two. There is little doubt however. that a 

renewed joint federal-provincial agreement 

would best serve the needs of the rural 

development movement as a whole. 

For the moment of course, it is business as 

usual. with development associations throughout 

the province gearing up for a busy winter. For 

the thousands of volunteers involved tbere is 

admittedly some concern for the future, but 

there is also a strong feeling that the momentum 

of the rural development movement will and 

must be maintained. " 

The Pre sbyterian ce mete ry at Harbour Grace. Privately 

end ow ed for pe rpe tual car e, It is beautifully maintained 

even though ther e is no lo nger a Presbyterian Kirk at 

Harbour Grac e. •


letters 

Y 

OU may recognize the Pelley 

name as a common Ne wfoundland 

name. My ancestor s came from 

Poole in 1710 and settled In Hant's 

Harbour. My grandfather moved 

across the bay to George's Brook 

and started manufacturing brick s in 

1830. Over a period of years he 

General Contractors 

Specializing In all types of heavy construction proje cts , 

Including water and sewer systems , road bulldinq, 

bridges, wharves, and buildings, 

For more Information, contact Brian Babb, Peter Babb, 

Joe Drover. 

Telephone : 722-2966or 596-5041 , 

BABB CONSTRUCTION 

LIMITED 

P,O, Box 160 

HarbourGrace 

Newfoundland 

AOA2MO 

operated a sawmlll and had six 

sch oon ers for shipping his prod ucts. 

Much of the brick used in the 

building of Memorial Univers ity are 

Pell ey bricks . Th e murals in the 

universit y were sculptured green at 

the Pell ey Brickyard in Milton, and 

fired in the ir kilns . II 

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR 

VOLUME ONE· A to E 

'American opinion: Persons, places and things are treated 

exhaustively,,, the style Is factual, clear , and popular, 

and information is current ... The text is weI/laid alit , easy 

to read, and has numerous clear, black -and-white 

illustrations. The coverage ;s much more detailed and 

exhaustive than that In. the Encyclopedia Ceneaiene. 

Highly recommended. Choice , 

Canadian opinion: Schools and libraries in Newfoundland 

will certainly want to have the volume , Morris Wolfe 

In Books in Canada, 

AUantlc opinion: From the moment I read the first entry '" 

I was hooked. The longer sections '" are rich In detail and 

well written, Pat Lotz in Atlantic Insight. 

Newfoundland opinion: Fascinating and impressive, Dr. 

Patrick O'Flaherty, Major undertaking and no province , 

can boast of such an achievement. Paul O'Neill. An 

impressive work which will fill an enormous need. 

Provincial archivist, David Davis, 

Volume Two: Expected publication date, February 1983. Available at 

your lavourlte bookstore or at 119 Portugal Cove Road, 51. John's , NF. 

A1B2N1 

y mother's ancestors. after 

Mjumping ship at Harbour 

Grace, bei ng indentured to the ship 

owne r, eve ntually migrated to Seal 

Cove. White Bay. My parents, after 

bei ng married at Seal Cove, 

migrated to Montreal where I was 

born in 1910. 

My wife's ancestors were settled 

at Bishop's Cove and Spaniard's Bay 

prior to 1810 and were there before 

Sir Guy Carlton. The story is that 

they diss uaded him from settling 

there, saying that the fishing was 

better further along the coast. Her 

family, the Dawes, migrated to 

Montreal in 1923, but she was born in 

Bishop's Cove. 

So. you see, we are both very 

much in effect. if not in fact. Newfoundlanders. 

We always enjoyed 

Deck' A.llb and were very 

disappointed at its discontinuance. 

It is now our hope that publication 

will be resumed and it is with 

pleasure that we enclose our sub 

scription. 

H. Jl. Pelley 

- 

layer'. CUJI. P .Q. 

JOBJCO

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