Mark Power of the Southern Shore Breakers has been awarded the Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador 2025 President’s Goaltender Award. Established in 1989, the award is presented annually to the goaltender with the best goals-against average in the regular season. Power played 15 games with the Breakers this season and posted a 2.62 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. The team credits Power’s performance between the pipes as a key ingredient in it finishing second in the Avalon East Senior Hockey League. Power also suited up for the Clarenville Caribous this spring for the 2025 Allan Cup. Jim Walsh Photo
Ferryland gets funding to help with outfall repairs
By Mark Squibb
The Town of Ferryland has received roughly $30,000 in provincial government funding to help with the replacement of pipe damaged during a major December storm.
Council applied to the provincial government’s Special Assistance Grant program earlier this spring to replace and repair a 100 foot section of sewer outflow pipe destroyed during the storm.
The total cost of the repairs is estimated to be about $65,000. Mayor Aidan Costello said council will have to move some money around within its budget to accommodate for the repairs.
The mayor said the high-density poly sewer pipe, prior to damage, ran about 150 feet. The damage means that only the first 50 or so feet is in working condition.
Once council has tendered the project, work will begin after the weather has improved.
“We’re going to wait for the weather to cooperate with us,” said Costello. “This time of year, working on the beach is not easy, so we’ll wait for some better weather.”
The Town has also purchased a new prod to better manage PH readings at the its water treatment plant.
Petty Harbour’s Colin Walsh named St. John’s Athlete of the Year
Colin Walsh. (File photo.)
By Mark Squibb
Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove native Colin Walsh was named the Male Athlete of the Year at the City of St. John’s 2025 Applause Awards gala held May 1 at the St. John’s Convention Centre.
“It’s a great honour,” said Walsh. “There’s a lot of great athletes here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and specifically the St. Johns area…It’s a great honour to win the award.”
If you size up Walsh’s achievements from this last year, it’s no surprise his name was pitched for the award. He earned Regular Season MVP, Playoff MVP, and All-Star Pitcher honours in the St. John’s Senior Men’s Fastpitch League, leading in both wins and strikeouts, and was also a key player on the league’s championship team. Walsh was named Tournament MVP at the Men’s Senior Fastpitch Provincial Championship and finished off the year with a Gold Medal at the Senior Men’s Nationals, where he once again earned Playoff MVP honours. Walsh also competed with Bear Creek Express at the International Softball Congress’s 2024 Men’s Fastpitch World Tournament.
Walsh, 33, has been playing ball for as long as he can remember, and got his start playing with rec leagues in the Goulds and Petty Harbour.
More recently, Walsh was one of five Newfoundlanders and Labradorians named to the 2025 Men’s National Team. Also named to the team are Shane Boland of the Goulds, Sean Cleary of Harbour Main, Brad Ezekiel of Holyrood, and Jordan Pomeroy of Placentia. Les Howey of CBS serves as an assistant coach with the team.
“The biggest honour, in any sport, or in anything you do, is to represent your country,” said Walsh. “So, I’m looking forward to it, and we’ve got a great group of guys… some veterans, and some new, young players coming through the ranks.”
Also on the award front, The Galway Hitmen, who boast a number of players from the Goulds and Petty Harbour, including Walsh, was named Team of the Year at that same Applause Award gala.
The Hitmen went undefeated (9-0) to win gold at the 2024 Men’s Canadian Fastpitch Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hitmen outscored opponents 77-17 (+60), with a .339 team batting average and a 2.10 Earned Run Average.
Saints Peter and Paul Parish donation to community food pantry
Members of Saints Peter and Paul Parish made the first ever donation to the Bay Bulls community food pantry. Donations were collected by parishioners over a number of weeks and dropped off at the pantry, located just outside the Town Hall, by youth from the church’s Living Faith Program last month. Resident Margaret Dinn is credited with bringing the idea of a community pantry to town staff for consideration, and last November council purchased $1,000 worth of materials and partnered with the Carpentry Program at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary to bring the idea to life. Pictured, from left are Parker Clowe, Joel Windsor, Patsy O’Brien, Nathan Windsor, and Jack Clowe. Town of Bay Bulls photo
Speed humps to be placed near retirement centre
By Mark Squibb
Witless Bay council has approved the installation of a number of speed humps throughout the community, as well as a number of other road maintenance contracts, a sure sign that spring is on its way.
Two speed humps will be installed near the recreation grounds along Southside Track, one on either side of the grounds, and two will be installed near Alderwood Estates Retirement Centre on Harbour Road, one on either side.
Council approved the new speed humps unanimously.
During the same meeting, council also awarded the traffic line painting contract to lowest bidder Three-In-One Contracting Inc., at a cost of $1,850, plus HST, and the road sweeping contract to lowest bidder Clean Sweep Property Maintenance Ltd., at a cost of $1,200 plus HST.
Both votes were unanimous.
Witless Bay approves firefighters social
By Mark Squibb
Witless Bay council this past April approved an expenditure of $2,000 to host a social for members of the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department.
Councillor Ralph Carey said the event will be similar to the annual Firefighters Ball of years past.
During the April Fire Department committee report, councillor Justina Nawaz noted the department is looking forward to doing more outdoor training as the spring approaches, and that all equipment, including vehicles, is currently undergoing inspection to make sure everything is up to scratch.
The department boasts a membership of 31 volunteers and a paid chief.
Bay Bulls awards curb sweeping contract
By Mark Squibb
Bay Bulls council approved two routine contracts during last week’s public meeting.
Council awarded curb sweeping services to Baird’s Asphalt at a cost of $1,050, plus HST, and waste disposal services to O’Brien’s Trucking for $2,300, plus HST. Council also approved the purchase of $3,166, plus HST, worth of maintenance tools and equipment.
On the development front, council approved the demolition of a home at 15-21 Irish Town Road and the construction of two new homes on the same property, as well as a business application for a new retail store on 131 Winnonish Drive and another business at 63 Southside Road.
Council also gave single-purpose approval to a developer who had submitted both a residential and commercial application regarding property at 710 Southern Shore Highway, meaning the developer can choose one use or the other.
Mayor Keith O’Driscoll noted that it was nice to see some new businesses opening up in town.
Biscay Bay hosts a first for Canada with sighting of rare Sand Plover
This cute little creature photographed in Biscay Bay on the southern Avalon between Portugal Cove South and Trepassey is a rare sight in North America. It’s only the third time a Greater Sand Plover has been spotted on this continent. Photo by Richard Thomas.
Saturday April 12 was a day that avid Portugal Cove South birder Richard Thomas will never forget. Late that afternoon he spotted a small plover – a type of shorebird – on a sand bar upstream of the Biscay Bay River bridge. Since any small plover is a rarity on the southern Avalon in spring, he checked its field marks using his binoculars and then a spotting ‘scope.
“I almost fell over with shock,” said Thomas. “It was a Sand Plover – a bird I’d only seen previously in the Middle East, Thailand and Australia.”
Overcoming his astonishment, Thomas set about obtaining the photos necessary to prevent his sighting claim being met with universal disbelief by the birding community.
There are two basic, closely related types of Sand Plover, Thomas explained; the Lesser and Greater. Determining the identity of a lone Sand Plover can be a tricky business especially, as in the case of the Biscay Bay bird, it shows a mix of Greater and Lesser characteristics. After some debate, Greater Sand Plover has emerged as the consensus identification. The species breeds from Turkey across to Central Asia and winters on the coasts of East Africa, Arabia, India, Southeast Asia and Australia.
“One can only wonder where this bird came from and why on Earth it ended up at Biscay Bay,” said Thomas.
If accepted by the relevant ornithological authorities, this will represent the first record of a Greater Sand Plover for Canada and the third for North America, after lone birds were spotted in California in 2001 and Florida in 2009. Thomas said that after birding for 40 years this is by far the biggest rarity he has discovered and seriously doubts he’ll ever be able to top it.
The next morning, from 6 a.m. onward, a couple of dozen birders and bird photographers gathered at Biscay Bay. In Britain, where Thomas hails from originally, travelling to try and see a rare bird is called “twitching.” Thomas said one thing he appreciates about Newfoundland is that any twitches are comparatively small in scale, whereas in Britain the occurrence of a rarity of equivalent magnitude would undoubtedly have resulted in a couple of thousand people trying to connect with the bird.
As it was, the behaviour of a few of the participants in the Greater Sand Plover twitch left a lot to be desired in terms of field craft, common sense and respect for the star attraction itself, according to a report. In one case, a dog was let out of a vehicle and flushed the bird.
But Thomas remains excited and is happy to have been able to share the discovery with the rest of the birding world.
“The bird was last reported on Saturday, April 19 but might still be in the area,” Thomas said.
St. Kevin’s High School students recognized for artistic talents
Two St. Kevin’s High School students have recently been recognized for their artistic talents. Grade 10 student Meredith Parsons, above, was awarded the provincial Arts and Letters Junior Division (15 & Under) Visual Arts Award for her gouache painting “Fish Studies.” The winning artwork is currently on display at the Rooms. Grade 11 student Alyssa Byrne was awarded second place in the Royal Canadian Legion Poster Design contest’s Senior Black & White category. As part of her prize, Byrne, along with seven other students, will travel to Beaumont Hamel at the end of June. Pictured below is Bill Hickey of the Ferryland Legion presenting Byrne with her certificate.
24th annual Art Hicks Memorial Basketball Tournament
Stella Maris Academy hosted the 24th annual Art Hicks Memorial Basketball Tournament this past week. Between team registrations, door prizes, and 50/50 ticket sales, organizers raised just over $2,000 for the school’s sport program. The family of the late Art Hicks made a financial donation and also donated a number of team hats, while members of the Trepassey 50 plus club volunteered to cover the door all weekend. Five teams participated and Sable Contracting nabbed tournament gold. Plans for the 25th annual tournament are already underway. From left to right are Kyle Collins, Trevor Ivany, Brant Williams, CJ Clowe, Conor McCarthy, Nathan Mulcahy, and Noah Power. It was the first time in some years that the tournament was held. Hicks was a respected businessman in Trepassey who operated a hardware supply business and was a big supporter of the community’s sports teams.
