july august flame.indd - The Great Fogo Island Punt Race to There

Transcription

Fogo Island Flame
100% Local. For the people, about the people. Preserving the life and times of Fogo Islanders.
Volume 5 Issue 7&8
ISSN 1715-037X
Locally - $2.50
Other Areas - $3.00
July/August 2009
Meet
the Stars
of the race...
1st place teams– L-R
Keith Emberley & Aidan Adams
Kim Sullivan & Diane Budden
2nd place teams– L-R
Lori Leyte & Cynthia Gill
Jerry Penton & Camille Letemplier
3rd place-L-R
Helen Couves & Jill Penton
Dave Diamond & Jim Edwards
Inside
this
Issue
The Great Fogo Island Punt Race ………..…...Page 2
A Trip of a lifetime by Kevin Penton………….page 6
Remembering the way things were ...............Page 12
Seafood on the Ferry…………………………...Page 16 & 17
First Trip to Fogo by Clem Dwyer……………...page 18
Sea Kayaking in Fogo by Laurita Miller…..page 20
Children learn Art from Therese Frere………... Page30
A View From Away by Liz Keefe……………….page 19
Impressions of Fogo Island by Azzo Rezori Page 24
Mary Queen of the World gets a tower ……….page 26
In my opinion, the Flame has
become one of the best, if not thee
best, local community papers in
Newfoundland and Labrador…
Jim Wellman,
The Navigator Magazine
Mercer’s Ambulance Service
Ph. 627-3555
Providing Professional Emergency Services 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a week to all residents of Fogo Island.
And they’re off for the 3rd annual
Great Fogo Island Punt Race
The Flame
ƉƉƉ
“It’s the Great Fogo Island Punt race to there and back, just sit
and I’ll tell ya how she goes.
We start at the Canal and we row like hell
till we reach Change Islands on that western shore, till we
reach Change Islands on that western shore.”
Carol Penton 2007
It was July 28th and another huge success complimented by a few
sprinkles of rain to test the performance, agility and the stamina of
our rowers and of course to help us appreciate the sun a little later
on in the day. Dressed in the appropriate sportswear all 32 participants were anxious to dip their oars and see what the next few
hours had in store. Several rowers were back from last year but
there were a few newcomers taking the challenge for the first time,
not just to win entirely, but to have it to say that they rowed in a 16
kilometer race in a little wooden boat in an open ocean. And as far
as legacy goes, that’s certainly a nice one to leave behind.
But there was something a little different about this years’ race, it
appears that women’s teams are taking over the race and with the
ladies having their own category this year, Punt Race coordinator
and Chair of the Punt Race steering committee Colleen Higgins
says that she knew there was a definite interest from the women
rowers but nothing prepared her for 9 female teams.
“The past two years it was the men who dominated the race but the
new female category really encouraged and opened it up to allow
more interest from the women,” she says.
And interest there was, out of the 32 rowers 19 were women and
13 men. “Quite a feat for the Women,” Higgins adds.
The race began when Pete Decker fired his 78-year old muzzleloader.
This year our photographer, Janis Thompson, even managed to get the
smoke as it billowed its way to the sky.
Helen Couves & her niece, Jill Penton both ‘came home’ to be part of
the race. They placed third and took the bronze oars.
Ms. Higgins explains that lots of hard work goes into organizing the
punt race and that rower safety is a top priority. “We need to ensure the safety of each participant and that is why we go through
great lengths to be sure all aspects are covered.
To achieve this the Steering Committee works tirelessly making
sure that the Canadian Coast Guard is on site as well as medical
services in the event something goes wrong. “Thankfully everything
worked out again for us this year and our team of organizers couldn’t be more pleased,” she concludes.
The Great Fogo Island Punt Race is the only one of its kind in North
America and on that particular morning the winds were high and
were followed by rain. Mother Nature tried to pull a fast one again
and organizers weren’t sure if the race would even go ahead, but,
as true Fogo Islanders are, they met with the challenge and overcame the obstacles once again.
Continues on page 3
Fogo Island Flame July/August 2009
Making their way to the finish line, Change Islands rowers Tenisha
Saunders & Robin Porter
Page 2
Celebrating 5 years in Publishing
Shorefast Foundation President Zita Cobb was on hand to wish the rowers
well. Ms. Cobb says that she is very proud of all the participants and calls
them heroes. “They are so brave to take this on and they have my undying
love and respect for embracing the race along with the elements that they
face. They are no slouches and obviously hard workers. I really admire
them all.”
Aidan Adams and Keith Emberley placed first this year with a time of 2
hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds. This is Adams’ second time to claim
victory and win the golden oars. In 2007 along with his rowing partner Ane
Emberley they placed first. Due to a shoulder injury the senior Emberley
couldn’t row this year but his son Keith managed to carry on the family tradition.
While the day turned out to be a fine one with overcast skies, rowers said
that in the open sea, competition was tight with little distance between the
punts which meant a little added pressure along the way.
Adams noted that the ladies teams rowed very well and that he would have
expected nothing less. “These strong women signed up because they knew
they had the ability and they were only a couple of miles behind the men’s
teams all the way. (You have chosen your words wisely Mr. Adams. Smart
move!!)
Rowers, Wanda Shea & Stephanie Green look relieved to have crossed
the finish line. Way to go ladies!
Diane Budden and Kim Sullivan took first place in the women’s division with
a time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. The girls agree that the race was a fun
one and a great day for a row. Both Diane & Kim are from Fogo Island but
live in other parts of the province. They both appreciate coming back to
where they have strong roots and to share the experience with their children.
All in all the 3rd annual punt race was a huge success and organizers are
already prepping for next year.
The Flame wishes to congratulate all participants who braved the elements
and returned safely as well as everyone who plays a role in ensuring that
this event will be around for a many years to come.
Husband & Wife team Eugene & Theresa Bailey will have lots to tell
about their summer vacation when they return to China to teach school.
Rowers Reg Edwards & Jamie Porter have arrived ‘There’ and are now
on their way to ‘Back’. Seen here they are going around the half point
marker in Change Islands.
ƉƉƉ
With her head to the north west and this challenge as our test of our
forefathers strength and history. A new purpose has come forth as we
land at our new port, how they survived is still a mystery.
Gold Winners, Kim Sullivan & Diane Budden give it their all in the race to
cross that finish line. From the looks of it, I guess we will be seeing you
in the next punt race video!
Page 3
In Jim’s punt that he says is a bit ‘cranky’!
This Change Islands team settled for the bronze oars in the men’s
division. They placed 1st in last seasons race.
Silver winners in both divisions.
L-R Cynthia Gill & Lori Leyte. Jerry Penton & Camille Letemplier
Bronze winners in both categories are L-R
Helen Couves & Jill Penton. Dave Diamond & Jim Edwards
For those of us who are not on the ‘There’ side of the race, this is
how it looks. Rowers must go around the bouie’s and head back.
Rowers Cathy Payne & Yvonne Walbourne also making it to
’There”.
Meet the lady rowers that are from ‘There’
L-R Robin Porter & Tenisha Saunders of Change Islands.
Cool shirts ladies!!!!
Page 4
Capelin rolling ashore,
2009
By Clem Dwyer
The morning of July 14, 2009 was
not unlike many other summer
days in Tilting. The sun was shining brightly, temperature was rapidly rising to the high teens, and life
was unfolding in a relaxed manner
for the town’s people. The many
tourists who had flocked to the
shores of Tilting were fascinated by
the beauty all around them and the
friendliness of its people.
By mid-morning life
quickly changed. Suddenly, there
was an unanticipated air of electricity buzzing throughout the community. Abruptly, the morning’s tranquility was interrupted with the
buzzing of telephones
ringing, then the rapid
movement of people and
vehicles heading “up the road” and
making their way to Oliver’s Cove
and the beautiful beach there.
Men could be seen running with ‘cast nets,’ and others
with buckets and fish
pans; women with
their digital cameras
and grandchildren
by their hands, as
the chorus of “finally
it’s happened” took
on the drone of several colonies
of bumble bees relentlessly at
work. Before long the first ever
traffic jam occurred as dozens
of cars and trucks stretched
from high up on Oliver’s Cove
road to the far reaches of the
beach.
The “finally its happened”
referred to the unexpected landing,
and “rolling ashore,” of the capelin
across the breath of the rocky
beach of Oliver’s Cove. The ex
citement generated by the tiny fish was quite
understandable to young and old alike. You see,
it was some 16 years ago, June 1993, that capelin had rolled on Oliver’s Cove beach, an annual occurrence prior to that year.
On this summer morning the capelin
rolled ashore during low tide, an unusual phenomenon in itself. Before long those who
wanted capelin to eat fresh, fried, to salt and dry
or to smoke, had helped themselves to any
amount desired. Two popular traditional demands on the capelin were regrettably absent in
2009: the need to use them as bait for the fishermen’s trawl lines and in the trenching of the
year’s potato crop. The once lucrative cod fishery is now a mere memory while the “trenching
of potatoes” was already concluded for this
growing season. It wasn’t too long that the
news began to reach other Island communities
and folks from those towns soon added to the
traffic jam in Oliver’s Cove.
Groups of friends, and soon to be
friends, began to gather on the upper reaches of
the beach to chat, offer theories on why the capelin had not presented themselves for so many
years, or to reminisce about the
yearly appearance of the capelin on
the beach in Oliver’s Cove. Some
tourists, like the couple there from
California, was equally excited and
was quick to receive an education of
this long lost tradition that was routine, in hundreds of rural Newfoundland communities of yesteryear. Many onlookers clicked
away on their digital cameras, as well as their
handheld digital movie cameras. And, what a
setting it was, totally unstaged, for dozens of
magnificent “snaps” to be taken and later shared
literally worldwide. With modern technology around us several photos from that
morning soon made their way to Facebook
and on the two provincial television stations, CBC and NTV to be shared with one
and all.
For older people it brought
back fond memories of bygone
days, and the bustle such an
event generated. The capelin
“rolled ashore” that day providing to those people lucky
enough to make it to the beach in Oliver’s Cove
a rare and wonderful experience on a glorious
July morning.
ATTENTION!!!!!
The 2nd annual Fogo Island Partridgeberry Harvest Festival is approaching sooner than we think.
We would like to remind
you ,the people of Fogo
Island and Change Islands, to prepare for
Thanksgiving Weekend,
October 10th--11th.
We hope you are Growing,
Baking, Preserving all your
fabulous goods.
There will be so much
happening at the
festival, you just won’t
want to miss!!
Competitors get ready,
Vendors stock up, Farmers
keep growing, and Musicians and Storytellers get
tuned up.
Lots of activities for the
children's area too!
We want this to be another great festival so, if
there is anyone who
got some time to
VOLUTEER please call.
658-7256 or e-mail me at
[email protected].
EXCITING!
Thanks to Frank & Cathy
Keefe for sharing their
photos for this story!!
Page 5
A Trip of a
Lifetime
Part two of a three part series
“Wherethe river is winding, big nuggets they’re
finding, north to Alaska; they’re going north the
rush is on” You do remember this piece by Johnny
Horton, don’t ya?
From Dawson City, I took a steel barge across the
Yukon River, to where I caught the highway heading toward the
Alaska border. After loading a few vehicles, the captain reversed his engines and pulled away from the sandy shoreline.
Immediately, the swift current of the mighty Yukon swept the
barge down river before the captain could apply enough power
to bring her back. Then as the shoreline approached, he gunned
his engines pointed her stern into an upstream direction, fighting current’s, logs and fallen trees, roots intact, torn away from
the river banks maybe as far away as Whitehorse, he brings her
ashore.
From a steel barge on the fast moving Yukon River to
a section of road, called “The Top of the World Highway”, I
won’t forget those two experiences any time soon. To me the
name given to this highway was befitting, but the top of this
world. Some other world like Mars, maybe, certainly, it couldn’t
be the world we call home. Driving along the crest of these
mountains with such immense vastness all around me, no guardrails, nothing between me and the great abyss below had a way
of putting things into perspective. It reiterated, how insignificant I was, in this great big wild beautiful land. Molded round
hills and deep dark valleys, polished smooth from shifting
sheets of glacial ice millions of years ago. Burnt out stands of
charred pencil thin coniferous forest as far as the eye could see.
Then, just when I thought this land couldn’t possibly become
wilder, I reached an all time height on this highway of 3,955 ft
above sea level. Now, I was truly on my own, above the timberline, where there weren’t any animals or birds. Up to where
there weren’t even any sounds other than the whistle of the wind
through the motor home’s windows and the drone of her 454 cu
inch engine, as I dropped her in second and on occasion first
gear, as she slowly but happily took me higher and higher to
where the clouds and mountains appear to hold hands. Up where
the landscape was totally, void of anything but rock and snow.
It was a very slow trip, traveling on gravel roads with its base
consisting mostly of large grey boulders, covered with such a
thin layer of gravel, that every time it rained; it washed away the
gravel leaving behind only the boulders that even the Mars
Rover would be challenged to scale. Creeping along at a break
neck speed of 23 km /hr, I finally reached the Alaska border, a
brief security check, a do-it-yourself wash to remove the road
dust from the motor home and the car, a campground and a hot
shower to wash the dust off me, in a town called “Chicken”. In
the winter, Chicken’s population is six and in the summertime,
it reaches a staggering twenty-seven. Its entire town consists of
four buildings, a saloon, (which I took full advantage of, ‘cause
a cold beer was just what was needed, after a dry, dusty day on
the trails,) a mercantile, a café and a liquor store.
The next morning I took the Taylor Highway south to rejoin
the Alaska Highway on its route to Fairbanks. The Taylor Highway is
famous for the migration of the Forty-mile herd of caribou. When
snow and cold weather comes to the alpine uplands, the Fortymile herd
of caribou migrates southeast across the Taylor Highway just south of
Tuk, Alaska, toward lowland stands of spruce along the Alaska-Yukon
border. This caribou herd numbered more than 600,000 in the 1920s
and ranged from Fairbanks to Whitehorse. “I can remember the caribou goin’ through for days, and you could just go outside the house
and hear the click of hooves, and look around and see thousands of
them crossin’ the river.” – wrote a Forty mile pioneer. Just imagine a
herd of caribou so immense that it took days for all of them to cross a
river or road. Now imagine the same herd dwindling to less than one
percent of its peak. By the 1970’s, over harvest, poor weather and
predation had reduced the herd to a mere 5,000 animals. They are now
recovering in numbers.
After boarding a tour bus in Fairbanks, we headed north 84
miles to where we caught the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle.
The road consists mostly of gravel, paralleling the Alaska Pipeline,
which runs south from Prudhoe Bay in the Beauford Sea to Valdez in
the Gulf of Alaska. This highway was originally build to service the
800 miles of pipeline, where 800,000 barrels of black gold still flows
every day. It’s now open to the public as a route to the Arctic Circle
and beyond. The pipeline itself is an impressive sight, crisscrossing
rivers and lakes, meandering through mountains and valleys, like a
silver spine giant Anaconda. There are 78,000 pylons holding this
monster above the permafrost. Where there isn’t permafrost, which is
rare, it disappears underground only to appear again as you round the
next bend in the highway. The pipeline is constructed of ½”thick steel
pipe that’s 48” in diameter. It took 70,000 people to build this engineering marvel at a price tag of 8 billion dollars. It can withstand a hit
of 8.5 on the Richter scale. It can move laterally on a steel and Teflon
cribbing 12’ and 7’ vertically. 337 valves can shut down or control the
flow of oil, whether it’s to re weld a joint due to stress or replace a
completely new section due to sabotage. Apparently there was an inci
Let our friendly &
professional staff help
you find what you need
Fogo Island
Pharmachoice
266-2500
We have just what the Doctor ordered!
Proud supporters of the
2nd Annual Partridgeberry Harvest Festival.
See you on the 10th & 11th!
Page 6
incident of sabotage some years ago when a man stood and fired
repeatedly at the pipe, until the bullets finally penetrated the heavy
gauge steel. According to our guide, this person is now imprisoned
and will never see the light of day.
The following is an inscription on a plaque at the Arctic Circle describing the seasons of the north;
A Leap Into Life – In a land desperate for change, the returning
sunlight brings dramatic rebirth to the arctic. As the northern regions point more and more towards the sun, its returning daylight
brings an explosion of life to the region. Ice ponds melt. Billions of
mosquitoes hatch. Ponds, lakes and puddles become feedlots for
multitudes of duck, geese and shorebirds.
Life In A Hurry - Sunlight bathes the north both day and night as
the pole points towards the sun. The further north you travel above
the Arctic Circle, the more days occur without a sunset. Racing the
light, arctic plants mature quickly after the ice melts, spreading vast
carpets of tiny flowers over the tundra. Even in the warm microclimate close to the ground, time is short for flowering and bearing
fruit in the sudden arctic summer. For eight intense weeks of summer, the daylight, warmth and rich food lure millions of migratory
birds to the region. Summers grand abundance also makes the arctic a survivable home for year-round residence, such as moose,
foxes, wolves and ptarmigan.
Before The Light Goes Out – Daylight fades, temperatures drop as
the arctic region begins to point away from the sun. The productive
warmth of summer wanes with the approach of autumn’s twilight. By
mid-August, soft greens and greys of willow; birch and bearberry
ignite into yellow, gold and crimson. The tundra is ablaze. Only the
evergreen spruce remains constant in the riotous mosaic of seasonal
change. Snowshoe hare and ptarmigan coats transform from mottled brown to pure snowy white. Migratory birds flee as ponds
freeze shut, while resident caribou, grizzlies and ravens fortify for
the ultimate struggle, Arctic’s winter night.
At The Heart Of Darkness – In winter, the northern hemisphere of
our earth points away from the sun. Plummeting temperatures and
absence of sunlight lock the north in an icy silence. In winters deepfreeze, this is a hungry country. Increasing darkness and lack of
food drive fat arctic ground squirrels into hibernation and grizzlies
into long sleeps. Lemmings remain active in tunnels under the snow,
foraging on frozen green grasses. Hearty stores of body fat fortify
the caribou, and mosquitoes survive in suspended animation due to
internal antifreeze systems. From moose to mosquito, lemming to
caribou, only the toughest survive the ultimatum of the minus 80
degree Fahrenheit arctic night.
For all you berry pickers and connoisseurs, while walking the Arctic
Tundra I came upon three types of berries that I recognized from my
earlier days living on Fogo Island. The Partridgeberry as you know
it in Newfoundland and by the way, Nova Scotian’s as well grows
abundantly here in the Alaska Tundra and is referred to as a Low
Bush Cranberry. This berry is internationally known as the Lingonberry or Cowberry but is also grown in numerous places throughout
the world, as Foxberry, Mountain Cranberry and in Labrador as the
Redberry. The other is the Blackberry that’s we so well loved in
cakes growing up on Fogo Island, is known here in the arctic as the
Crowberry. To the Inuit, of which these berries are a staple, they’re
called, “Fruit of the North.” The third berry is the Bake Apple,
known in many places as Bake-Apple Berry or Cloudberry and here
in Alaska is called the Salmon Berry. Stay tuned to the Fogo Island
Flame for part three.
Page 7
Janes
&
Noseworthy
HEARD ALL THE MYTHS
ABOUT DEPT AND
BANKRUPTCY?
GET THE FACTS FROM
NEWFOUNDLAND’S
PERSONAL DEBT EXPERTS:
1 800-563 -9779 or
JanesNoseworthy.com
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary going out to April &
Adam Stead who will celebrate their
1st wedding anniversary on October
18th.
Love & best wishes from Mom & Dad; Kayla &
Matt; Nan Sheppard & Nan Bixby.
Friends from Tilting who will
celebrate their 50th Birthday this
year
These friends, all born in Tilting in 1959, gathered during the
weekend of July 24-25 to celebrate the milestone of
turning 50. Organizers, Maureen Foley & Winnie Hamilton, with
the help of everyone involved, say the event was wonderful and
everyone enjoyed themselves. Aside from socializing, they had
supper at the Parish Club and a fish fry near the water. Of
course no event could get underway without Maureen writing
something fitting for such an occasion.
Back– Austin Broders, Mena Sexton, Lambert Dwyer,
Maureen Foley, Don Reardon, Winnie Hamilton Dwyer,
Brendan Broders, Karen Greene McGrath.
Seated are: Kathleen Squires Cluett, Clara Burke Mahoney & Brenda Foley.
Missing from photo but also in attendance were:
Carol Ann McGrath & Brian McGrath.
Missing from photo
John Foley
Great Fogo Island Punt Race Results & Mas- Boat Builder– Jim Edwards
Did not finish
ter Boat Builders
Women’s Teams
# 24-Rowers: Kim Sullivan & Diane Budden
Gold Winners
Boat Builder– Aidan Penton
Time: 3:10:00
# 26-Rowers: Lori Leyte & Cynthia Gill
Silver Winners
Boat Builder– Arthur Hurley
Time: 3:19:01
# 17-Jill Penton & Helen Couves
Bronze Winners
Boat Builder-Aidan & Dominic Penton
Time: 3: 21:44
# 6-Sheila Payne & Linda Osmond
Boat Builder– Don Wells
Time: 3:28:23
# 15-Wanda Shea & Stephanie Greene
Boat Builder– Melvin Combden
Time: 3:31:08
# 5-Cathy Payne & Yvonne Walbourne
Boat Builder-George Diamond
Time: 3:35:54
#28-Tenisha Saunders & Robin Porter
Boat Builder– Walter Walbourne
80 year-old punt
Time 4:00:24
#7– Rowers: Beverley Peckford & Heather King
Did not inish
Mens’s Teams
# 8—Rowers: Aidan Adams & Keith Emberley
Gold Winners
Boat Builder– Frank Combden
Time: 2:38:31
#27– Jerry Penton & Camille Letemplier
Silver Winners
Boat Builder– Aidan Penton
Time: 2:39:59
# 33– Rowers– Dave Diamond & Jim Edwards
Bronze Winners
Boat Builder– Jim Edwards
Time: 2:42:37
# 32– Rwoers– Reg Edwards & Jamie Porter
Time: 2:43:30
# 30– Rowers– Charlie Osmond & Harry
Sheppard
Boat Builder– Charlie Osmond
Time: 2:51:36
#13– Rowers– Ross Osmond & Mike Osmond
Time: 3:23:58
#12– Rowers– Eugene Bailey & Theresa Bailey
Time: 3:33:00
NIFTY FIFTY
By Maureen Foley
We’re all turning 50 sometime this year
Sure, it’s an age that’s wonderful and grand
By this time we’ve made an impression
On the people of our fair land.
“Older & wiser” is what they say
But is this really true?
I still make mistakes and forget things
“Now, what was I going to do?”
“50’s the new 40”, so Oprah says
But, what’s that supposed to mean?
And “you’re not getting older, you’re getting
better”
Now that’s more like it, it seems!
So, now we look forward to exciting things
Like ‘empty nest, knee replacements, menopause’
There’s ‘Low B-12, Arthritis, Bursitis
And maybe Viagra among it all!
But, cheer up, friends, things aren’t too bad
Just take a good look around
We’re here together, we’re happy and healthy
In our dear old Tilting town.
Happy Birthday to you all!!
# 10– Rowers– Samantha Osmond & Heather Osmond
Page 8
Locally rooted art project on
Change Islands
June – September 2009
On the picture L-R:
Nancy Penton from Joe Batt’s Arm, Egle Saladziute Ireland/
Lithuania, Martin Braathen Norway &
Bjorn-Kowalski Hansen Germany/Norway.
Last June the newly established Fogo Island Arts Residency Corporation organized a workshop on Change Islands with
the participation of both local and international artists.
The workshop which is a locally rooted art project, is called
“breezing medical outfits” - post mediwear – and is meant to explore and reinvent the idea of traditional medical costumes, explains, Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir, Executive Director for the Fogo Island Arts Corp.
The results will be presented in a blog and a publication later in the fall. The workshop was held in collaboration with Heather White and
Seabreeze Sewing Solutions on Change Islands.
The blog is still under construction but those interested can follow the process on: www.fogoprojects.blogspot.com
This project is the first in a series of art projects curated and produced by the recently established Fogo Island Arts Corp.
The Fogo Island Arts Residency Corporation is supported by Shorefast Foundation, a Canadian-registered charity that is using entrepreneurial methods to help secure prosperity for the region of Fogo Islands and Change Islands.
A photo taken in Bakers
Cove 1928 by
Kate Foley Kinsella
Back L- R Clara Lane,
Bridget Emberley,
Nora Foley,
Margaret Dwyer,
Nellie Foley, Maude Mahoney, Jim Mahoney, &
John Kinsella.
Front L-R Lambert Foley,
Ned Dwyer,
Walter Dwyer,
Cyril Burke &
Edmund Bryan.
Bakers Cover- is a cove between Cape Cove and Seldom. There was lots of woods there and people would
cut their wood in winter and bring it back to their communities by boat in Spring. Some people even stayed
there in camps all winter long. People would take a ride there by horse and slide. It was customary on some
Sundays to take a friend or girlfriend and go for a ride and boil the kettle. It is likely that this picture was taken
on a Sunday given the fact that they are dressed in what was likely their ‘Sunday’s best’!
Thanks to Anthony Foley for sharing this photo and information with the Flame
Page 9
See our Flyer for great savings every day!
Don’t forget to recycle. Bring your own shopping bags!
SCOTT SIMMS, MP
Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor
Office: Polaris Building,
61 Elizabeth Drive, Gander, NL,
A1V 1G4
Phone: 709-256-3130 Ɣ1-877-256-3130 Ɣ Fax: 709-256-3169
Welcome
students back to
school
If you require assistance from my office, please contact the numbers provided
Congratulations to the organizers of the 2nd annual
Partridgeberry Harvest Festival on October 10th & 11th!
3
66
-3
8
65
65
8-F
O
OD
Nicole’s café
Open 7 days a week
8am-10pm
Coffee, tea, & homemade goods
10am-2:30pm – Lunch
3 pm-6pm – Closed
6pm-10pm – Supper
Hope your summer was great!
Have
you
been
reading
the
Flame?
STAY CONNECTED WITH NEWS FROM HOME!!
Great and wonderful things are unfolding on Fogo Island.
One way to keep former Island residents up to date is to subscribe to the
Fogo Island Flame. Remember, the Flame is the only publication that is
100% all about home. Call today for details (709) 658-7349.
Flames can be mailed to your home or
sent to your email as a pdf file. All I need is your email!!!!!
Page 10
Derrick Dalley, MHA
District of The Isles of Notre Dame
P.O. Box 430
Twillingate, NL. A0G 4M0
Telephone: Toll Free. 1-888-783-9990 Local Calls (Derrick Dalley) 709-884-1223
(Assistant) 709-884-1226 Fax: 709-884-1227
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Welcome students back to school
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Hours: 9–5 Monday–Friday
2NGCUGFTKXGECTGHWNN[YJKNGQWTUVWFGPVUTGVWTPVQUEJQQN
658-3658
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Fogo Island Branch
PO Box 236
Joe Batt’s Arm, NL
A0G 2X0
Tel (709) 266-3333
Fax (709) 266-3337
Page 11
Remembering The Way Things Were In
Joe Batt’s Arm
Mother, Father, Sister and I went walking along the shoreline with all the
children was more enjoyable than any attraction we could have paid for. We
had them sit, supervised by us adults of course, and safely guarded in a
number of different shallows where the waves of the ocean could still reach
them just enough to wash over their legs. They never tired of this excitement, waiting for the next wave in the hopes that it might be a little bigger
than the last. An activity that my spouse and I as well as the children never
tire of is searching through tide pools for such things as crabs, anemones,
sea peaches, and star fish. The kids have at some point viewed and learned
about all of these living creatures in touch tanks but nothing compares to
observing them first hand in their natural environment.
By Jason Newman
I was born in Grand Falls, NL but I grew up in Labrador City. As
both of my Parent’s were from Joe Batt’s Arm, when we went on summer
vacation we inevitably headed to their homeland to be with my Grandparents and to visit many extended relatives on both sides of the family. The
excitement of traveling on the ferry started back as far as I can remember
and has never waned, as I mentioned earlier. The first thing I always
wanted to do when we arrived at my Grandparents’ house was to go down
to my Pop’s stage. I can still remember my initial fear of looking down between the lungers and seeing water under my feet, something I simply wasn’t accustomed to. That first walk down the flake was never without an adult
but I adjusted quickly and relished everyday that I could hang around the
stage catching crabs and flat fish!
Jason Newman at The Brett House Museum in Joe Batt’s Arm
Why is it that when I read a book such as ‘The Outport People’,
by Claire Mowat, subtitled ‘A Beautiful, Moving Memoir About An Almost
Vanished Way Of Life’, that I get this feeling of butterflies in my stomach
and a longing to be in an outport? Preferably for me, and for personal reasons, this outport would be Joe Batt’s Arm, a community found on Fogo
Island in Notre Dame Bay. The specific mention of this personally genealogical place in the book greatly intensifies my feelings. It’s almost as if I
have a fear that I won’t get to see this place again, to be there, and to take
it all in. Although I now live in relatively close proximity to my Parent’s
homeland, so close that I can chose on any given day to go there within a
number of hours, this unbelievably does nothing to ease the longing. How
is it that a place that I was not born in or ever permanently resided, can
have this draw, this hold, on my whole being? Is this at all sensible or logical? I know I am not alone in my thoughts of this place and its grip because my spouse, upon her first trip there, was firmly in its grasp forever.
She later lamented to me that she could recall on that first trip feeling like
she was coming home. How can someone fall in love with a place almost
before they even get to step foot on its land? It is no doubt hard for some
to understand but it is clear to me how this is possible. I have told many
people who haven’t had the opportunity or previous desire to visit Fogo
Island that upon arrival there it is like a weight is lifted off of my shoulders
when the car tires leave the ferry and deposit me onto the land I love. Time
does somehow as they say, “stand still,” and all of my worries and heavy
burdens are immediately lifted. All these feelings are intangible yet arguably tangible by those who experience it.
The mention in the book about, “salt spray on my face,” vividly
brings to mind a number of heart-warming memories in Joe Batt’s Arm.
One day is when my spouse and I went cod fishing with my Father on a
blistering summer day out on an ocean that looked like an almost perfectly
flat glassy surface that glimmered for as far as the eye could see. Another
day that comes to mind with yesterday’s clarity is the traverse on the ferry,
the M/V Capt. Earl W. Windsor, to get to Fogo Island, and thus to Joe
Batt’s Arm. We sat on deck huddled up against the brisk, autumn wind in a
comforter, with baby and kids tucked away therein as well. The day my
My Pop’s stage head is since gone, torn from its rightful place by
years of unforgiving ice and bitter winter winds and this left me quite forlorn
for some time. Sadly, my Pop is also gone and I miss him immensely. My
Father has, with the blessing of my Nan, worked extremely hard to build a
replacement flake and stage in the same general area, using some of the
flake and ballast bed remnants that my Pop originally used. It is a beautiful
quaint stage head, painted in traditional red, which we use for recreational
boating and fishing. It makes me feel whole again to see my Father enjoying
his stage as much as my Pop did his and to know I still get to look through
the lungers at the water under my feet.
My Grandparent’s lived on a gravel road in Joe Batt’s Arm that is
still not paved to this day and I hope it never is. It is a reminder to me every
time I head back home - I always considered JBA a second home - that
there is something different, or at least used to be different about this place.
The hand pump to fetch water that was located just up from their house has
since been removed and so the dirt road is one of the last “old way” remnants, according to my memory, that still exists. I never tired of the
“technology” that enabled me to pump that arm a handful of times and then
get a steady flow of water, as if magically from nowhere? The government
well is still in use as someone has seen fit get involved with its upkeep as of
late. The long path to the well and then back again, lugging two heavy buckets of water in the balance is still visibly well worn. It still amazes me that
this routine was a daily duty for my Grandparent’s, or at least for my aunts
and uncles. I have to admit that it was a chore that I found highly unenviable
and was fortunate enough not to be called upon to undertake it very often
while on holidays. There is still an artesian well at the house which due to
possible health issues is used only for cleaning up and washing dishes. The
water we drink is the town water, which is running tap water we still obtain in
buckets but we now have to get this via a vehicle rather than on foot, as it is
some distance from the house. I like this task now because it is easier of
course, but because it still makes me reminisce fondly of using the long
handled pump to fill buckets. I only wish that they had left the pump in its
place for posterity’s sake. The town is supposedly going to finish installing a
water system in JBA which will be nice not to have to worry about using up
water during a shower or washing the dishes due to the well running dry. It
will be convenient of course, to be able to drink water from the tap in the
Page 12
kitchen but I also know that if it does finally come to fruition that it will bring
with it a heightened sense of how times are changing in JBA and that things
might not be the same ever again.
Other things have changed in JBA, as no doubt, they have in other
outport communities. I am saddened by this but at the same time thankful that
I was at least able to witness the change, or more importantly the way things
were, so that a piece of our history is not something I merely read about but
rather something I actually lived. The grandest memory I have is the fish plant
in its heyday, swarming with boats, fisherman, and of course fish offal. Mingled in amongst the fisherman were the young fellows battling for cods heads
that could be found rolling down the waste water shut after the fisherman had
cleaned the fish and threw away unwanted parts. The battle wasn’t for the
heads per se but rather for the tongues therein. To use the word ‘battle’ isn’t
quite fair I suppose because I used to wonder how it was that they decided
amongst themselves who got the next cod head, as there never seemed to
be much communication about this and no strife between them. As a youngster myself I quite envied both the initiative of these kids to work so hard and
to do so with the constant putrid smell of cod liver entering their lungs. Its
ironic how on some days those kids would be selling the tongues for what was
considered a hefty a price per pound and that was for same day fresh
tongues. Now, in retrospect, when you consider how hard it is to get them at
all, let alone to get them fresh, the price back then was comparatively quite
reasonable. The hustle and bustle of the plant always seemed to me like it
was unorganized. It was so hectic that a kid of my age couldn’t have been
expected to see it otherwise and to understand the process. Now as an adult
though, it pains me to see that it wasn’t the fish plant that was disorganized
but the protection and management of the fish stocks. The youthful tongue
cutters can no longer be seen at the fish plant anymore because there are no
more cod’s heads to be had. That is because there are essentially no cod
fishermen anymore, and sadly, everybody in NL knows why that is. I was
lucky enough to see some of what it was like in Joe Batt’s Arm before talks of
a cod fishery moratorium were instigated. However, I did see the gradual progression of small fish catches and the subsequent heightened worry over
where the money will come from if it continues. I hope to see in my lifetime
things approach what they once were, yet of course, on a lesser scale or at
least a better managed one, so that it may never happen again.
Speaking of catching fish it brings to mind the NL diet which used to
consist of a lot of fish itself. In this day and age however, I struggle with
thoughts of the mass production of food, including its additives, preservatives,
and hormone injected animal products. These things were not an issue during
my Parent’s childhood. Surely, any drug produced to hasten the growth of an
animal would have been too costly to my Grandparents and at least ninetyeight percent of their neighbors for a start. That aside, the one or two sheep,
pigs, or cows that could conceivably have ‘benefited’ (if you believe that is
what these drugs do) would not have grossed that much more, exponentially
speaking, on only a few animals to even make it worthwhile. In the end, an
animal still needs food to grow and the super scraps and fishing industry byproducts wasn’t by far the equivalent of a weight lifters diet. I often think about
the lack of a variety of food for human consumption back then and wonder if it
was a better diet overall? Does our present day diet with all of its proven and
suspected side effects show it to be either safer or healthier? I tend to think
probably not. However, if I was a child in my Parent’s day I might think differently, especially when I listen to stories about a lack of items such as those
which we take for granted today, repetitive supper choices, and nonrefrigeration issues. But somehow, comparatively, I still envision that it might
have been a better diet for the human body, one that was less varied but yet
more wholesome maybe?
tinctly remembering being a little bit fearful - petting the horse easily enough
because it simply wasn’t secured behind a fence. I look at that picture now
and still find it hard to believe. But this was the norm back then for horses,
sheep, and chickens. You could hardy walk fifty feet without having to momentarily adjust your direction so as to avert animal excrement under foot.
Maybe this isn’t quite a romantic memory in and of itself but nonetheless it
was indicative of free roaming animals, and free roaming animals were indicative of that different time, a time of strong community ties, tolerance of
fellow human beings, and a willingness that was more akin to obligation, to
help out your neighbor when they were in need. Everyone was ‘in the same
boat’ as it were, trying to get by in almost the exact same conditions as the
next family.
It is great that people and communities are now trying to ensure
that we and others remember our heritage the way it was, by creating such
things as The Brett House museum. I love going to such places to reminisce, to look back into time or catch it slipping away, with such things as
the old wood burning cook stove, a staple at one time in every outport
home. However, I still get a sad feeling as well, realizing that much of the
things in them are gone by the wayside and more are on their way. I only
hope that they neither decide to pave the road to my Grandparents’ house
or do something as drastic as creating a causeway to Fogo Island. This
would be a moratorium on the way things were.
Tricks of the trade
The learning continues….
1. I couldn’t figure out why, after several coats
of white paint around my window trim, that
the knots keep showing through a dirty
brown color. Turns out that applying a coat
of varnish prior to painting does the trick!
2. You know how toothpaste gets hard around
the top of the tube when left open, well, if
you have a crack in gyproc, plaster a little
toothpaste over the crack and presto! No
need to buy filler for small jobs.
3. And yes, ordinary peanut butter does take
glue off of kitchen appliances left from stickers!
My Parents have a picture taken in JBA just a few feet up the road
from my Grandparents’ house, which consists of my Sister and I standing next
to a free roaming horse. We were - actually it was likely my Sister, as I dis-
Page 13
Feel free to share your ‘tricks’ with our readers
We hope you enjoyed your summer
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Page 14
The Fogo
Island Flame
Box 190
Joe Batt’s Arm
Fogo Island, NL. A0G
2X0
(709) 658-7349
Carolpenton
@yahoo.com
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Page 15
Crab
Shrimp
Cod
Ocean Perch
A Seafood Market on the Ferry?
A new initiative gets underway by the Fogo Island Co-op.
The Flame
In August of this year the Fogo Island Co-op set up a fish market on the M.V Cap-
tain Earl W. Winsor where they sold fresh frozen seafood as a trial run.
With two freezers stocked to capacity with such delicacies as Crab, Shrimp, Cod
& other ground fish species, visitors headed home with products which no doubt,
ended their journey here in a tasteful manner.
From my experience, reactions were positive from both locals and visitors. Locals
seemed to feel proud having their way of life showcased in such a professional
manner and visitors thought that it was a smart move on the Co-op’s part and one
that can have many spin-off’s to help the economics of the member owned business.
The Flame chatted to General Manager, Phil Barnes during one of the crossings
and he explained how it all came to be.
The Flame- Where did the idea come from to set up a fish market?
Mr. Barnes- The seafood shop was discussed at a round table we had months
before where we did some brainstorming. We needed an outlet to make our products available to the general public as well as tourists. It was a way to increase
local sales for the Fogo Island Co-op and hopefully if everything worked out to
continue throughout the years to come.
The Flame- Why did you choose the ferry?
Mr. Barnes- I felt that on the ferry was the best place to set up the shop because
this is where they got 100% of the traffic for a whole hour with nothing to do but
walk around so this automatically became the perfect place.
Page 16
The Flame- How does something like this get started?
Mr. Barnes- This was not as easy as it may look. We had to go through a process that involved meeting with government in St. John’s, which was later spearheaded by our MHA
Derrick Dalley. With Mr. Dalley’s involvement we had several phone conversations with
Walter Pumphrey, and Ron Hyde, at the Marine Transportation Services office in Lewisporte
who both liked the idea. With their support behind us and Mr. Dalley involved, we then met
with Trevor Taylor’s Deputy Minister at the Department of Transportation and Works as well
as with the provinces tourism industry. Everyone seemed to think that it was a good idea
and got on board.
The Flame- How difficult was it to get this started?
Mr. Barnes- There was a few small hurdles but nothing too serious. I was just pleased that
we all worked so well together to get this thing started in such a short time frame
The Flame- What’s the plan for next season?
Mr. Barnes- This time next year I hope that we can expand on this idea and display even
more products. With a full year ahead of us now, we can plan to help meet the demands of
the traveling market who have indicated that there is need for even more products. Apparently, and what I have heard from our employees, in addition to our products, other products
such as canned lobster, scallops, mussels and even salted cod seem to be in demand. The
girls who work there also told me that they could have sold millions of pounds of cod
tongues if they were available.
The Flame- What have you already learned through this trial period that will
help with next years plans?
Mr. Barnes- If all goes well, next year we will look at a supervisor job over a couple
of students. Another option is to put a shop right at the site of the ferry terminal so
that the hassle of traveling back and forth on the ferry wouldn’t be there. Having the
shop on land has an up-side to it; people waiting in the ferry line up have an extended amount of spare time especially during the peak weeks of festivals to get out
of their vehicles and browse around. This idea makes it easier for us to think about
the idea of keeping it on the land. If we consider staying on land, then proper clean
up, display signs, etc will be needed. Also we could use a credit \ debit card setup/
Most people don’t carry cash anymore.
The Flame- Where do you see this idea going?
Mr. Barnes- We have many ideas to help make this a hit such as the possibility of a
cookbook, music playing in the background and of course lots of photographs. With a
new ferry coming our way in a few years we might even get a designated place for a
seafood shop.
I like this idea and, we, as a Co-operative team, believe that it is a good thing for
Fogo Island and for the Co-op. It is not something that we are giving up on.
The Flame- Has the process of turning these products into ready to eat meals or
snacks ever been discussed?
Mr. Barnes- Yes we have talked about that. It would be great to turn our seafood into gratins and chowders but we will need a special license to sell that. Like I said earlier, we can
weigh it all out of the next few months to see what the best route is to take.
Page 17
First trip to Fogo
Birthday Greetings
Happy Birthday to
Horace Barnes
of Island Harbour
who celebrated his 90th
on September 5th
Pictured here with his
wife Frances. They have
been married for 67 years.
Greetings from family,
friends & the Flame!
World’s Greatest
Pop!
Happy 75th Birthday to
Alonzo Pentonaka- Poppy Lonzo.
Pop celebrated with family, friends, too much
food & the great music
of Lloyd Snow at Lisa’s
Place on Sept 12th.
Love from everyone!
Happy Birthday to
Anastasia Penton,
known locally as
Mrs. Stash,
who will be celebrating her 75
Birthday on
September 24th
Love from family,
friends & the
Flame.
By Clem Dwyer
An earlier Column in the Fogo Island
Flame detailed my memorable first trip to
the town of Joe Batt’s Arm. In this Column I will feature my first trip made to
Fogo.
The year 1956 was a bumper
year for my initiation into some of the
other towns of our beautiful Island. In
March, I made the excursion to Joe
Batt’s; only seven months later I was making a momentous outing
to the community of Fogo. No, I wasn’t going to the Cottage Hospital; instead I was going to attend a family wedding.
Ned, as we called him, was my uncle; he had lived with
our family during my formative years. My father was in the lumber
woods that fall and my mother with a number of small children
could not go either. However, my older sister Beth and I were
allowed to attend. Ned, marrying for the first time was fifty one
years old and was marrying Nellie Farewell, 45 years old.
Monday, October 22, 1956 was a sunny, breezy and relatively warm autumn day. Mom arranged with Gus Broaders and
his wife to take me and Beth up to the wedding. Our trip from
Tilting to Fogo was exciting as all the new sights along the way
were new and different for us. Fogo was big and busy with so
many people moving about. The marriage took place late morning in the Catholic church. Father Greg Pumphrey was the parish
priest. Once inside the church we were directed to sit in the
choir, which at that time, I recall was up a flight of stairs at the
back of the church. In the choir were a number of adults and children. The many singers in the choir that morning had a lasting
favorable impression on me. The marriage ceremony itself doesn’t hold a space in my memory bank. Too bad!
The marriage supper was held in the private residence of
Maggie and Billy Butt’s. Food was plentiful and extremely good.
Before and after the meal a bunch of us young children were darting in and out of a couple of homes next door. It is my belief the
two houses we made many trips back and forth to that sunny afternoon were Lonz and Jennie Hoven’s and, one that belonged to a
Miller family, I think. We made lots of quick friends that October
day.
Before dusk that evening myself and Beth got in the
back seat of Gus Broders’ car and began slowly to head out the
road, now Country Road, in Fogo on our way home. The road
then, I believe, followed a similar route as today across the barrens outside Fogo. It was a majestic view to our left of rock,
shrub, small ponds, blue water of Shoal Bay and beyond, as we
motored toward the ‘Scrape’. Traffic was light, of course, the
roads rocky and dusty. Excitedly, after a picturesque journey to
Tilting we were welcomed home by our mother.
Unfortunately, Ned and Nellie’s marriage lasted only a
couple of years. Apparently, irreconcilable differences doomed
their lives together.
For me though, October 22, 1956 holds many warm and
pleasant memories that are still alive today in my memory.
Page 18
A View from Away
By Elizabeth Keefe
It’s been a while since I wrote and I thank those who
have commented on that fact for their encouragement to write
again. There has been a lot of the proverbial ‘water under the
bridge’ since I did wrote last time yet I have found it difficult to
pinpoint a particular subject on which to base a View, thus my
hiatus from it. I am still at a bit of a loss to be honest, as I gather
from comments made to me that some readers enjoy my tales of
growing up on the farm while others enjoy my recounts of happening and sightings here on Fogo Island while others tend to
quite like some other subjects which border on the controversial. So I know not exactly what I am to write about right now.
I wonder whether to use this space to mention a recently formed
group which I am involved in and which is set up to provide support to people going through the pain and suffering attached to
losing someone or something which they were very close to.
Maybe I should.
Maybe I should mention in general, the increasing
amount of visitors that have invaded the island this year- the
ferry staff certainly have their work cut out for them: or perhaps I
will just take this opportunity to voice some little ‘beefs of life’
that I have, perhaps for the sake of humour and the paper, you
could voice some of yours too in the next issue. Think about it.
Maybe I’ll cover all, let me think a minute.
Well, firstly the amount of tourists that are flocking
through our small communities is amazing and I
don’t know about you all, but to me they seemed to
start coming earlier this year. Visitors from all over
have walked the roads and trails of Tilting, taking
photos and omitting sounds of glee while they meander up and down past my house and have done so since far off
April I think. Even Azzo Rezzori (and I assume Mrs. Azzo), forgive me if I spell his name wrong, with his long legged stride
stopped to read the signage by Keefe’s stage then wandered his
slow way through the community. I wonder if he will return? Certainly he spread the word of Fogo Island and it’s magic through
out his circles of friends in ‘the big city’ when he got back..
The communities are alive with ‘strangers ‘ and every
second vehicle has a license plate from a different province or
country, in fact the other day I saw a motor bike with a license
plate from Northwest Territories. a now that was a long, chilly
ride! I hope he had a padded seat on his bike or lots of Vaseline
for the chafing!!
The vast numbers of campers to-ing and fro-ing the island is
amazing in itself. Traveling to St John’s as I do now and again, I
have to wonder at the sheer volume of traffic going both ways on
the TCH. Usually you encounter traffic coming out as you are
going into town and vise versa. but this year there seems to be
many more vehicles on the road and they are going each way in
equal numbers.
I thought someone said that we were in a recession or
are more folks deciding to (using the new NL buzzword) have a
‘staycation’ this year? Either way, the gas stations are doing well
financially this year and if you had to pay to use the washrooms
there, then that would raise a fair chunk of change too judging
by how long the ‘line -ups’ are of people trying to get in! What a
great way to raise funds, either for charity or to pay someone a reasonable wage to be responsible for actually keeping them well stocked and
cleaned..
When all is said and done. this year’s vacationers have been
having a great time on the island experiencing the phenomenon of the
gannets diving for their food (the like I have never witnessed before) or
the natural wonder of the whales breeching and the capelin rolling in on
the beaches far more than in any recent year. Things we take for
granted so much make so many memories for others-isn’t life strange
like that?
Now to touch on more serious things as I said I may do earlier. Fogo
Island finally has its own support group for those who are experiencing
sorrow and sadness for a variety of reasons.
It is a service that is available in most major towns and cities nowadays
and reflecting on the enormous tragedies experienced here on our small
island ( far too many and too tragic to have to deal with all in a few short
weeks) late last year, it was a service that we deserved to have here
also. The decision to attend is purely up to the individual but at least now
the opportunity is there when it wasn’t before and it is not only for someone who has experienced a loss through death.
If you have lost anything that you care about, be it a job that
you loved, a family pet, a house after a fire or some other tragedy
maybe, a break up of a relationship, a friend has moved away, your
spouse has moved away to go to work or school-anything you loved or
are in the process of leaving or losing-you will experience grief. Grief is a
very personal emotion but that old saying” A trouble shared is a trouble
halved” is a very true one and no one should suffer more through their
grief alone if they don’t want or need to.
All group meetings are very, very informal and confidentiality is of the
utmost priority. There is an enormous mountain of reading material
available on the subject and efforts are made to bring out experienced
counselors and others who are knowledgeable in this area as guests to
share their information and expertise.
The concept of a grief support group on our island is new and
people in small communities tend to deal with personal problems in personal and often silent ways but now there is another option for you. As
always, new things take time to take root so to speak but I would like to
take this opportunity to let you all know that you are not alone and if
there is anything that myself or Natasha Decker can do to help you feel
better or learn more about how to cope with your situation PLEASE call
or just drop in for a cuppa on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:00
pm at the Health Centre. There is no commitment necessary and if all
you would like is some reading material then you may get that and go if
that is what you wish. Please be aware that you need not deal with your
situation alone anymore.
So now I get off my soap box and try out my little notion of voicing my ‘pet peeves’ such as : why do dust balls gather under beds and
why is it so darn hard to get them as they keep moving around? I recently heard these little ‘dust bunnies’ called ‘daygoes’ - why ? because
when you are trying to clean them up -wherever ‘you go—day goes!”.
On that note I end my piece and after that terrible attempt on humour it
could easily be my last.
Page 19
Sea Kayaking on Fogo
Island.
Happy Birthday Lukas
Birthday
greeting to
Lukas Leyte
celebrating his first
birthday on September
8th
We love you sweetie
Lots of love from
Mom, Dad &
sister Katie
Poetry by:
Tom Spurrel
By Laurita Miller
I've been to the end of the
earth and back. I was warned of the
danger but I continued on my quest,
lured by the beauty of the rugged land
and by the unpredictable sea.
Located off the east coast of Newfoundland, Fogo Island is exposed to the
elements. Battered by wind and water,
shrouded by fog, and then gently
warmed by the sun, Fogo Island is the
perfect get-away for those who love the
outdoor life. Fogo, the largest town on the island, is a picturesque little settlement, nestled among the rocky hills and sprawled along the shoreline.
The cornerstone of the town, and according to some the world, is Brimstone
Head, a massive mount that stands 275 feet above sea level. According to
the Flat Earth Society, Brimstone Head is one of the four corners of the
Earth. A sign on the walking trail warns visitors that they are nearing the end
of the flat earth, advising them to watch their step. The view from the top is
spectacular, but this day found us at the very bottom looking up.
Fogo Island Lovers
Look friend,
understand this way:
The leaping wave
breaks into spray;
above the cliff
she hovers,
then falls like
tiny diamonds bright
flashing in the
hot sunlight
his rugged face
she covers.
And, so, it was
before came we,
and it will
be forever,
'cause He and She
are Isle and Sea
and Isle and Sea
are Lovers!
We started out early, packed our lunch and prepared the kayak for our afternoon adventure. The weather was perfect - cool enough that paddling was
comfortable and calm enough that it wasn't too difficult. Once we rounded
the wharf the water was choppy, but the wind was at our backs.
Page 20
Our first stop was a small island about two kilometers off shore. Jonathan
had been talking about exploring that place for as long as I can remember.
We pulled the kayak onto the beach and picked our way over the rocks until
we reached the dry grass and brush at the top of the hill. Gulls that had
been hanging around the wharf were now circling above. Their cries
changed from shrill hungry caws to throaty, worried calls. The higher we
climbed, the more urgent they became. We soon discovered the cause for
their distress - a nest littered with the speckled shells of recently hatched
eggs. Nearby, in the crevice of a rock, huddled two fluffy, speckled chicks.
We studied some tidal pools but found nothing more interesting than a few
barnacles and tiny mussels. The rocks and grass above were littered with
crab and urchin shells, evidence of many seagull feasts.
Baby Herring Gulls are a rare sight. They grow quickly and it isn't long before they look like smaller versions of their parents. Gulls are also quite
adept at keeping their nests well hidden. We kept our distance from the little
ones and left quickly. The gulls circling overhead quieted as we moved
away.
Interesting though the island was, the purpose of our trip still lay ahead.
We set off again, keeping to the right toward Fogo Head and open sea.
Navigation along the shore was tricky. The large craggy rocks were uneven
yet worn smooth in parts by the crashing waves. We settled there to have
our lunch. Our view was completely unobstructed with the exception of a
few icebergs - ocean as far as we could see.
Page 21
The water was rough now, the ocean lapping between cliffs on one side
and rocks on the other. The passage was narrow, but not too difficult to
maneuver. Fogo Head loomed above us. We had climbed it many times,
over 400 steps to the summit. From sea level looking up it was even more
imposing, if less physically taxing.
Once we rounded the head and hit open ocean paddling became more
difficult. It was worth the aching shoulders. In the distance, out to our right,
we saw the first tell tale spray of mist. Humpbacks. We watched as they
circled, spouting then breaching. We counted seven before they went
down. Turrs bobbed on the surface of the water then disappeared, dipping
under in search of food. One curious fellow kept flying past, wings flapping
constantly to keep him airborne. Perhaps he was wondering just what kind
of creature we were.
Once we rounded the head the water calmed. We got a good look at the
layering of the rock at the cliff's base.
The last leg of the trip was the easiest and we took our time, paddling lazily
and enjoying the view. The town seemed to rise out of the ocean before us,
little houses and churches sheltered by the rocks. It was a beautiful sight,
the stuff of greeting cards. We made our way into the Harbour, past the
stages and through the canal. Two little boys came out to wave to us and
one of them asked if we were in a boat.
Brimstone Head was close, and my excitement built as we
prepared to round the corner of the earth. We could see people on the trail leading to the observation platform, so tiny they
were barely discernible among the rocks and vegetation. The
view from the top of Brimstone head is magnificent; the view
from the bottom was just as spectacular. It is a place of
breathtaking beauty.
Our trip around the corner of the earth took 3.5 hours to complete. We didn't
fall off, but we did have an unforgettable experience. I look forward to tempting fate again.
Laurita Miller is the wife of Jonathan Miller and daughter in–law to Bill
& Sheryl.
The couple took up sea kayaking a couple of years ago and says that
Fogo Island is the perfect spot for it.
Thanks Laurita! The Flame looks forward to hearing from more of
your adventures.
You can share this link with your friends. Here you will find her blog.
http://ringkeeper.blogspot.com/2009/07/around-corner-ofworld.html
Page 22
BASIC GUITAR LESSON BEGINNING SOON!!!
I will be teaching a 10- hour Basic Guitar program in my
temporary art studio adjacent to my home.
All you need is a guitar and a willingness to learn.
I hope that you are ‘potty trained’ because we tend to laugh lots!
There will be a children’s class (10 Max)-male & female
An adult class (10 Max)- male & female
Private lessons are also available upon request as well as smaller
groups.
Parents who are buying guitars for their children should be careful
to ensure proper size. Adult size guitars are often difficult for them
to learn on.
Call for more details. Classes starting by mid
October.
658-7349 or email [email protected]
A New Way to Subscribe
The Fogo Island Flame is now available through a pdf format.
The pdf can be emailed anywhere in the world to the
recipient who has an email address. PDF flames are just $45.00
for 10-12 issues & will arrive in full live color! Call me for details.
Hard copies are also still available and can be mailed anywhere.
Subscribers $45.00 (Can)
$55.00 (U.S)
Makes a great Christmas Gift!
Page 23
Impressions of Fogo Island
The Flame
At the beginning of August this year I took a job with the Fogo Island Co-op . To say the job was right up my alley would be an understatement. Imagine getting to tell all that I could about why visiting our islands could be anything other than an amazing adventure! My job was to
sell and promote the great products that our fisher people harvest and our plant workers process. But my other job ( mine personally) was to
make sure that visitors took it all in while they were here. Traffic was insane but that will make for another story. Sales were good but considering that this was a ‘test run’ and we have nothing to compare it to that is just my personal observation and we will have to wait and see
if the final results warrant a continuation next year. I’d like to add that I’ve been called just about every name in the book now with the final
ones being the ‘fishy lady’ and the ‘crabby lady’. While the crabby one isn’t new, at least they kept in the ‘lady’ part! LOL.
During the course of my five week employment, I introduced myself and the Flame to hundreds of people who passed through and told them
all that I could about Fogo Island and Change Islands. While passing out my business card to several passengers, it occurred to me that it
would be nice to have these tourists write a little blurb for the Flame so that we can share with our readers their impressions of Fogo Island.
When I say they’ve been here from all over the globe, I am not kidding!
CBC news reporter, Azzo Rezori was the first to respond to my idea and boy was I pleased in
how he described our rugged shore. Having read his words I’d definitely want to visit.
Even for me, this amazing writer helped me rediscover who we are, the beauty in which we
live and what we really have to offer. By the way, wasn’t it a Fogo Islander who arrived in
Heaven and asked if they could go back home?
I hope that you enjoy our first in what I hope will be a series of blogs, called
‘Impressions of Fogo Island through new eyes’.
Visiting Fogo Island is a bit like lifting the veil on a face you’ve never seen but have
had described to you so many times, you think you know exactly what to expect, that all you
have to do is go, see and recognize.
Well, there was no arriving, seeing and recognizing. Fogo Island came as a complete
surprise, from the virtually anonymous landscape as we drove off the ferry to the steadily
emerging uniqueness of the place as the miles ticked by. By the time we had passed Joe
Batt’s Arm (Brenda, my wife, couldn’t stop humming the song Joe Batt’s Arm Longliners) and
arrived in Tilting, any preconceptions had been completely dismantled.
Azzo Rezori with l-r Kevin Decker, Noah Jack
Harnett & Natasha Decker.
I remember wondering, as we came down the low hill that runs into Tilting, was this all there was to it, this loose huddle of houses
over the flat and empty rockscape of the tiny, almost circular harbour? The next half hour or so was taken up by being welcomed and made
comfortable at Foley’s Place bed and breakfast by owners Gerard and Darlene Foley. Then came the moment when we were settled in and
the time had come to walk up to the window and look out over what we had come to visit for two nights. And it struck me, like a moment in
the twilight zone, this was different. Very different.
Our first brief walk through the community that evening was pure surrealism. Every view was fit for a post card. You could feel the
presence of ghosts and their stories at every corner. There were hardly any people about, but the few who passed us in their cars or trucks
greeted us as if they’d known us all their lives.
Things became more real the next day, but only just. In Tilting, Val Kinsella gave us a tour of the sheds and stages on his family
premises and showed us brass heels for shoes made by Joey Smallwood’s grandfather Fred. Just outside Barr’d Islands we managed to
slip into the dim interior of a stone church half under demolition or reconstruction, it was hard to tell. At Riff’s department store in Fogo I felt I
stepped decades back in time when I bought a set of three pairs of socks for less than two dollars. In Joe Batt’s Arm we dined on food fit
enough to be served in a five-star restaurant anywhere in the world. All around the island we felt the strange patron–saint presence of Zita
Cobb at work. And back at Foley’s Place we spent hours getting lost in books that took us inside the history of Tilting and its people with
their Irish names. I thought if we stayed too long we might get swallowed by all this enchantment and not make our way out again.
Before long there came the inevitable moment when we asked each other, was this a place we could see ourselves move to and
live in somehow? An already fatally bewitched part of us announced it didn’t even want to leave. Another, more realistic one, pointed out
that we’re too hooked on the little big life of St. John’s. And a third one said, “So be it. This place will haunt you then for the rest of your
lives.”
Page 24
We’ve Moved
To a new location– 20 Magee Road
Chris Penton/Owner
A division of C.R.P Sales
20 Magee Road, Gander, NL
Office: Toll free 1-877-651-4060/ Fax: 651-4080/ Res: 651-3513 Cell:
424-7524
Email: [email protected]
i
i
Same Great & dependable Service
More selections to choose from with larger sales lot
FINANCING, TRADE & WARRANTIES AVAILABLE
Good Credit, Bad Credit, No Credit…..
We can Help You!
Friendly & Professional Customer Service
Always Guaranteed!!!!
Have an Enjoyable Summer!
Page 25
Mary Queen of the World Finally Finished- By Shara Decker
Mary Queen of the World Roman Catholic Church has finally been completed. The church, which was built 55 years ago never had a tower until
this year when members of the Finance Committee and congregation, Cyril Furlong and Aneas Emberley, took it upon themselves to see that
the job finally got done.
Mr. Furlong built the tower in his back yard and had lots of interest and help from other church members while community members waited in
anticipation for the big day which happened this July.
“There were problems in the past with leaking where the tower now sits,” says Mr. Furlong, adding, “ Now that this has been resolved, the next
part of our plan is to construct new steps and to install a new wheel chair ramp at the entrance.”
The help of local machinery made erecting the tower a lot simpler than if it all had to be done using man power alone.
Expatriates returning to Joe Batt’s Arm this summer were thrilled to see the completed project as well as the beautiful restoration work that has
been done such as new painting, flooring, and carpets on the interior. It is expected that this work will preserve the church for years to come.
With the new tower now in place the church looks much better and is more recognizable and definitely an added attraction to the community!
Thanks to everyone who helped in any way to get these jobs completed.
L-r Cyril
Furlong built
the church
tower in his
back yard. RChurch
tower being
installed.
Mary Queen of the World church in Joe Batt’s
Arm has been finally complete. After 55 years
it finally gets a tower and now the structure
really stands out in the community.
Local men
help steady
the ropes.
L-r Brother’s
Don & Reg
Decker &
Martin
Penton lend
a helping
hand.
Leo Donahue watched the historic moment
from the nearby parish hall. He said that he
was so happy to have been around to finally
see the church complete. It made him sad
though that so many parishioners have gone
to their final rest without seeing the finished
church.
Page 26
Getting back on track!
A few words from your editor……
Whew! This has been one crazy and insane summer for
me. But I am sure that your summer has been equally as challenging so I won’t bore you with all my details. I was however, a little concerned
that the Flame would be snuffed out because finding time to do it all proved impossible at times. Thankfully though, I hired Shara Decker, a brilliant 15 year old, who
has been very helpful. You will read some of Shara’s work in this issue. We had to
combine the May & June issues and this one, July & August. Yes boy, sure it’s just
like on the ferry...com-bined!!! But I am back now! The sun is shining, the berries
are in the thousands and everyone had a safe summer. What more is there?
Due to work commitments I wasn’t able to make any of our music festivals so I am
asking that anyone who might have snaps from those events to please send them
along. I will do coverage in the September Flame.
Published in National Geographic Travelers Magazine September 2009
Lots of visitors! Wow! I noticed tourists arriving here back in May month.
Usually, or from what I was always used to, visitors never began arriving until after
the school year ended. That has certainly changed. But look out next
year because the latest news is that we’ve been featured in the September 2009 issue of National Geographic’s Travelers Magazine
which just happens to be the world’s largest and most prestigious. We
are featured under the Destination Watch section ‘Geotourism at
work’ . So, if Geotourism means to keep things as they are, then we
must be careful not to allow all the to change who we are. If this happens, then,
and as the old saying goes, ‘all the fat will be in the fire’ and we will have gotten
swallowed up in it all.
I have heard that more than 8000 passengers came through on the ferry in a matter of a few weeks. I didn’t know this before, but if you watch the ferry worker who
is helping to guide your vehicle on board, he’s carrying a little counter in his hand.
As you pass through he counts and clicks the number of passengers inside each
vehicle. I’ve contacted the Department to inquire as to how many passengers they
have had to date but a final tally won’t be available for a few months yet. It will be
interesting to see the outcome. We must not let anyone know that September is
another one of our ‘well kept secrets’ because if word gets out, then there will be
no berries left for us to pick!
New beginnings & utilizing the Flame at our school.
Among the new beginnings this fall, I have spoken with both Jeffrey Neil, our new
school principal and Pam Osmond, our new Vice principal and have explained how
important it is to have our students write and have their work published in the
Flame. The Flame is an important tool in preserving our heritage
and in fifty years time, will become a great resource for research. I
have extended an invitation to them to encourage both our students
and teachers to utilize the Flame. Having students write for the
Flame will encourage creative thinking and enhance writing skills.
Having their work published with encourage reading by them and by
their peers. It will also build confidence and this can only be a positive thing! I also invite our teachers to take pictures when something is happening
in the classroom and to just send along a caption to go with the picture.
I invite parents to talk to your children about the Flame and the importance of our
little publication to our Island’s history. We are unique and the world will be interested in hearing about people who survive on an island off an Island.
A great place to start for our younger students will be to invite them to write about
their summer activities. This will also encourage their friends to read. Send along
pictures and tell our readers what made summer special for you.
One Highlight of my summer
I was lucky and so enjoyed my time working again with the World’s End Theatre
Company. The company put off two plays this year, a new one called ‘Next Stone
Next Story’- which featured ghost stories, and a repeat of ‘Fighting Fire With Snow’.
Guess who showed up for Fighting Fire With Snow? The one and only…... Rev.
Page 27
Ivan Jesperson, his wife Molly and their daughter Dana Jesperson
(Griffits).
It was through his publications from many years back when he
wrote the ‘Fogo Island Profile’ that I found inspiration to study journalism myself. I always admired how he documented events that
are so interesting to read about today. Rev. Jesperson played a
key role in getting our central high school built back in the day and
we mention his name in our play. In the performance, I play the
role of Mary, a wife and mother from Seldom and Jason Hoven
plays the role of my son, Johnny. Johnny is a very sick boy and in
one of my lines I say to him:
“Rev. Jesperson says that there’s people from all over Fogo
Island here today. Now if you had told me years ago that people from all over Fogo Island would come to the centre of the
Island to drink soup, I would have never believed you”.
This line came about because of a walk which students, from all
over the Island, did to help raise money for the new school. I think
the Reverend felt proud to have been remembered and I know that
he enjoyed the show.
On another note, did you know that we, Fogo Island Central Academy, were the first school in the province to completely integrate
Roman Catholic and Protestant Students? Amazing it is! It really
shows what we are capable of when we put our heads together.
Many lessons can still be learned from that play!
The concern of H1N1 (Swine Flu)
With the threat of H1N1 in our midst, hand sanitizer on the ferry
would be a good idea. I met a lady who is taking chemo
treatment. She explained to me about her weak immune
system and how she can easily pick up germs from
touching objects. She was very concerned and placed
her hand inside her shirt to use the stair railing. I’ve also noticed
small children putting their mouths over tables and chairs. This
bothered me and so I called the Department of Works to speak to
someone. That was back in August. I am still waiting by the
phone. So, I am inviting the Department to at least provide hand
sanitizer. Sanitizer is even available at the local post office! In
addition to that, health officials say that when we wash our hands
we should scrub them until we’ve sang Happy Birthday three times!
Thank–You to the ferry workers of the M.V Capt
Earl W. Winsor
I would like to say ‘Thanks a Million’ to the ferry crew for being so
accommodating this summer during my time working there, especially when it came to public announcements. You all made me
feel very welcome!
Including Change Islands in the Flame
Though my final words are last, they are buy no means least. I
have been trying to get someone from Change
Islands to write for the Flame. I’ve extended the
same idea to the principal over there, Roy Morgan, who I had the pleasure of meeting this summer and to everyone on the Island who would like to see things
published in the Flame. We will likely have to change the name to
just the “Flame’ to include you all but it’s an exciting move and
about time that we got to know each other a little better. We share
so much in common and will likely be sharing even more as our
two little islands continue to survive.
Congratulations to every Fogo Islander and Change Islander who
made our visitors feel welcome and appreciated. You did a fantastic
job!!
‘This stuff sure is good
when you’re thirsty’
Two and a half year old Erika
Payne of Fogo started her day
with a splash but by evening
she was done for and fell
asleep with her tiny fingers
still clinging to the mouse of
her computer.
Playing Hide ‘N’ Seek
These local ladies were having
so much fun together and delighted to smile for the Flame.
The young residents of Stag Harbour
rarely miss an opportunity to be entertained. During one of our World’s End
these supporters came out to cheer
us on!
Back L-R Blake Collins, Keith
Sheppard, Brandon Collins, Zachary
Sheppard & Joshua Hynes
This is 11 month old Paige Hart, daughter of
Dana Waterman & Mitchell Hart &
‘Nar bit proud’ grandchild of, Nelson & Sharon
Waterman & Debbie & Jim Hart.
Nelson told the Flame that Paige loves turrs,
ducks, rabbit & fish!
Front L-R Kaitlin Coish &
Ashley Sheppard
It’s
nice to
see
friends
that
you
haven't
seen in
years.
That
was the case when Lonz Hoven Jr. showed
up on the ferry.
Lonz was traveling with his girlfriend,
Karen O’Connell. Since Lonz hasn’t
changed since the last time I saw him, he
was an easy one to spot!. But for the most
part, I needed a tall glass of water to wash
down my foot upon seeing familiar faces
who all of a sudden come nameless!!
Big Shoes to Fill
This is Andrea Jacobs who was
home
celebrating Nan & Pop Jacobs’
Anniversary. Andrea tries hard to
fill shoes that belong to her Aunt
Ruth!
Anyone else suffer from this disease?
This is the real deal!
Greg Foley
&
Trumpet
Fogo Island has just one
Newfoundland Pony and his name is Trumpet. Trumpet lives with his owner in Tilting.
On a good day, you might catch these two out for a
stroll.
Page 28
I’m still just
a Newfie in
a
dinosaur
hat
This is
William
Shea, son
of
Jeremiah &
Angie.
He reminded me of a young actor
in an old time western movie with
his big golden locks curling out
underneath his hat.
No phone, No pool
No pets
I’m not entirely sure how this
‘for rent’ sign ended up stuck
in a beaver dam next to a
pond on the way to Tilting.
It could have been one of two
things; a local beaver
advertising a vacancy or an
irate tourist who, due to lack
of accommodations,
couldn’t find a place to stay.
Hopefully that will soon
change.
Send me your favorite
snaps from out &
about this summer.
Maybe you enjoyed a
family picnic or a
BBQ? We want to see
you in the Flame!
The Deadliest Catch & A 58
Packard
I go across the island in my
red Taurus & nobody notices, this
dude arrives from Alaska in a lime green 58
Packard & mouths fall open?????
And an interesting dude he was
Indeed…….
Sin
& Joan
y
le
k
c
u
Mark B
naeve
After the official introductions were complete, I asked
him about the T. V show The Deadliest Catch. It turns
out he was once a deckhand on a vessel in the Bering
A typical Alaska Gillnetter
Sea and it really is as rough and as tough as it looks he
says!
He also happens to know Sarah Palin and told me all about her husband Todd and his
salmon fishery techniques.
Mark has spent most of his life involved in the very lucrative and salmon fishery but is also
involved in finding ways to better market the Alaskan Fishery. He likes the Fogo Island Cooperative idea and is researching to see if maybe it can work in Alaska. He knew all about the
‘Fogo Process’ and how it proved to save Fogo Island with the end result being the birth of our
Fogo Island Co-op.
He also sent along a photo of a salmon boat and explained how the 32 footer hauls the net onto
a reel (also called a drum). Then, they deploy the net into the water (called ‘setting the gear),
and the net spools off the reel.
While our fisheries are somewhat similar, in Alaska it states in their constitution that the resource of both the sea and of the land is of top priority. Next, priority is given to the locals to
fish for their own consumption and lastly the commercial fishery begins. He says they manage their resource very well but need new marketing strategies.
As for the 58 Packard, Mark lost a hubcap and hopes that if anyone finds it they will let us
know.
It’s easily identifiable because it has Packard written on the side.
Please notify the Flame is you find it.
Cyril McGrath guides the antique car on the ferry
Page 29
Young FICA students
learn about art
Back l-r Zachary Decker, Kayla Brett,
Damian Freake, Teacher Susan
Osmond, Jesse Waterman, Kevin
Nichol, &
Darren Lewis
Front l-r Artist in residency program
director, Elisabet Gunnarsdottir,
Rebecca Oake, Heidi Sheppard, Madison Gill, Emilie Shea, Rianna Hart, Dylan Squires, Alexis Payne, Tyler
Sheppard, Leroy Nichol, Carter Heath,
& Storyteller Aidan Adams
The students were encouraged to sketch pictures which were later displayed as a collage in the art gallery.
1. Emilie Shea 2. Rihanna Hart 3. Jesse Waterman 4. Zachary Decker 5. Kevin Nichol
Canadian Artist,
Thérése Frere shares her
passion for art with our
students.
Thérése Frére talks to the students about
the world of art.
The children said that they enjoyed
hearing her speak.
The former Wesley United Church now
turned Art Gallery had given students
lots of space to explore their creativity
and come up with amazing ideas.
Page 30
Arts Director Elisabet Gunnarsdottir made
sure everything was in place for the arrival
of the students. Exposing young children
to think creatively is what this inspiring
woman is all about.
Thérése Frére Shares her Passion of
Art with students at FICA
By Shara Decker
Thérése Frére is an outstanding woman who is over 80 years of age and has an amazing passion
for art. She was widowed at the age of 42 and devoted her life to raising her six children. In 1974 Thérése
could finally get up and going with her chosen career. She attended the Ottawa School of Art, and in 1981
enrolled at the Banff School of Fine Arts.
Thérése visited Newfoundland for the first time in 2000 and she fell in love with the beautiful sites
and landscapes. She has done over 60 pastel drawings of our province and more than half of them feature
Fogo Island and Change Islands. Thérése’s passion for art is evident as she continues to inspire others and
encourages them to take a second look and in her own famous words, “see things with new eyes.”
Madamé Frere explains to She donated paintings to the Shorefast Foundation which shows how kind Thérése is and how much she
the children about how she really LOVES art and the place that she just loves to revisit.
can see the beauty here
The newly established Fogo Island Arts Residency Corporation in collaboration with teachers at
because she is visiting and FICA who decided to set up workshops for grades one and two with Madame Frére, to let them explore a bit
visitors see with new eyes. of the world around them .
She encourages them to
Children from Grades 1 and 2 took part in a day long workshop at the former Wesley United
stop and take a second Church in Seldom on May 14th and 15th, 2009. Thérése took the children around the gallery to view each
look at their surroundings. one of her pieces. She talked to them about what she saw on that particular visit and what caught her artist
eye.
One of Madame Frere’s paintings is of a retired fishing vessel
called the ‘Cape Fogo’. The boat belongs to the Adam’s brothers and
who more fitting to explain the story of the boat than storyteller Aidan
Adams himself. Mr. Adams told the children a story of a whale getting
caught in the fishing nets and about the Cape Fogo. This made the
children more interested and it helped them connect their own lives
and stories to the painting, it gave them a better understanding of what
the paintings were all about.
Afterward the children were invited to paint their own picture
of boats that they might have been familiar with. They used lots of
color (which is Thérése’s favorite), and when they were finished they
placed their paintings in a big collage on the wall of the old church gallery.
Elisabet Gunnarsdottir, Director, said that the children were
very enthusiastic, interested and easy-going, and that also the teachers were great with discipline and a pleasure to work with. These two
workshops were the first events organized by the Fogo Island Arts
Residency Corporation and Elisabet says that hopefully there will be
It is obvious from the collage of colourful houses that Fogo Island
children can do well. All they need is exposure to new ideas to get future workshops with other artists and teachers for kids and even
their creative minds thinking. Perhaps the workshop will make a adults to enjoy.
lasting impression and be the starting point of discovering the artist within them.
Right- Aidan Adams shared fishing stories with the
children and talked to them about their family owned
vessel the ‘Cape Fogo’
The now retired fishing boat is launched next to the
families fishing premises in Joe Batt’s Arm and has caught the eye of many a visitor.
Note tin the photograph, the painting of the Cape Fogo !
If we don’t share the knowledge of our lives with our younger generations , then how
can we ever expect them to know who they truly are….Carol Penton
Page 31
Banana Splits Tuesdays and Thursdays Only
Ice Cream Cakes available with 24 hour notice
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Sorry, Cash Only
Join us at growlers icecream shop for locally hand crafted ice cream
showcasing regional ingredients and flavors.
Call Today 658-7383
Shorefast Business Assistance Fund supports new start-up businesses!
Since announcing the loan fund in mid-May there has been strong interest from Islanders wanting to start their own business.
Many applications have been received, and Shorefast is pleased to be issuing loans
for the first round of new enterprises.
We wish the recipients much success and look forward to working with them as
their businesses grow.
If you are considering a new business idea please contact us to see how we can
help you turn your idea into a sustainable business.
The objective of the Business Assistance Fund is to help start or expand businesses that support the vision of Fogo Island and Change Islands as world
renowned
geotourism destinations.
Business Assistance Fund brochures and application forms are available at the
Shorefast Premises, 709 266 1083.

july august flame.indd - The Great Fogo Island Punt Race to There

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