By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
More than 20 members and supporters of the Witless Bay Heritage Committee gathered at the historic Nagle House on May 24 to celebrate being bestowed with the Premier’s Medal.
The committee was one of a dozen or so individuals and groups that had been honoured two days prior by Premier Tony Wakeham at the Premier’s Medal for Arts, Heritage, Sport and Recreation ceremony held at The Rooms in St. John’s. The Witless Bay group was recognized for its work and projects aimed at preserving and promoting local heritage and history since forming in 2004.
“Heritage connects people to the place they live and to those around them,” said Colleen Hanrahan, a committee member, who hosted the celebration at Nagle House with her husband, John Abbott.
Over the span of 20-some years the committee has had the Old Cemetery designated as a Municipal Heritage Site, inventoried all homes built pre-1930, initiated a signage and plaque program highlighting places of historical significance and conducted an exhaustive series of interviews with local elders over the span of 16 years.
Maureen Walsh, an original member of the committee, said that conducting the interviews took time, and several elders needed some prompting to speak as freely on the record as they did informally.
“Sometimes you’d turn that recorder on and they’d just sit there. One gentleman looked at me and said, ‘Turn that thing off and I’ll tell you everything you want to know’. It took time, but we were in no rush, and it was so important to get all those stories,” said Walsh.
The stories were compiled and published in a book called Bygone Days of Witless Bay, which won the Manning Award for Excellence in Public Presentation of Historic Places. The group has also received an Award of Merit from the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Current president Bonnie Johnstone joined the committee in 2011. She was in St. John’s with Walsh to accept the award on behalf of the committee, something she called a special day and a lovely affair.
She also highlighted the group’s recent work, including all of their free events and the recent photo archive initiative. The next big project will be an interview project with people who worked at the fish plant over the past number of decades.
“It really has been at the heart of this place since 1954. Everybody in the communities up and around here worked there, so it’s going to be really fun to get all of their stories and opinions,” Johnstone said.
Walsh and Johnstone agreed the committee continues to try and attract new members, including among the younger generation.
Mayor Jacob Hayden has been on the committee for the past five years and said it was nice to see the work of dedicated past and current members be recognized with the award.
“It’s been proven now that people see it and people understand it and (our heritage) is something worth preserving,” Hayden said, adding he thinks the committee has done a great job of getting young people like himself and others involved.
“People have seen all the work you’ve put in over the years and it’s all coming to fruition now and it’s being recognized,” he said. “It’s so great, not just for your committee, but for the whole Town of Witless Bay.”
The celebration included tours of the historic home, which was formerly the Holy Trinity Convent and Chapel from 1840-1860, as well as food and drinks.
