Witless Bay to ask Province to help shoulder burden of emergency

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council will request a meeting with Minister of Health and Community Services John Hogan to ask whether the Province can help the town and it’s volunteer fire department bear some of the burden of providing emergency response services within the region.

Town CAO Jennifer Aspell noted that in 2024 the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department received 286 calls for service, 218 of which were medical calls.

Aspell said the issue has been discussed often over the years, and that provision of an ambulance service would be ideal. Barring a local ambulance service, Aspell suggested the Province could supplement the fire department or help cover the costs of training and equipment.

“There’s no harm in meeting with the minister,” ventured councillor Ralph Carey. “Nothing lost, nothing gained.”

The motion, brought before council during this month’s public meeting, was approved unanimously.

Bay Bulls lit it up for annual Christmas light contest

The Town of Bay Bulls has announced the winners of its annual Light it Up Christmas light challenge.

The judges were so wowed by the spectacular displays that in addition to the three prize winners, the Town named several runners-up. Mark Hiscock, Dwaine Lake, and Teresa St. Croix won first, second, and third place respectively. Prize packages, consisting of gift cards from the Stone Ducky, The Jigger, and Arbour restaurants, were valued at $150, 105, and $60 respectively. Darrin Lundrigan, Kevin Glynn Sr., Andrew Mackey, Michael Burke, Derrick Williams, Brian Swain, Evelyn Tucker, Kevin Whelan, Angus O’Brien, and Debbie Joyce received honourable mentions and each received a $25 North Atlantic gas card.

Cape Broyle businessman was a familiar, friendly face on the Southern Shore

By Olivia Bradbury/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Anyone who has ever stopped by Cape Broyle for a feed of fish and chips or a cold brew over the past 40 years can probably say they were served by Harold Hayden.

The former owner and operator of the Riverside Restaurant and Lounge, and a beloved father, grandfather, and friend, passed away January 16 at the age of eighty-seven.

Harold met his wife Nora in Goose Bay in 1956. Nora, originally from Paradise River, worked at Ward’s Pharmacy, while Harold worked at the military base as a painter, plasterer, and maintenance man. They were married for 64 years until Nora’s death in January of 2024. They built their first house in Goose Bay, where their first three children were born, and in 1970 moved to Harold’s hometown of Cape Broyle, where they had two more children.

That’s where Harold purchased a house and business from his brother, Michael.

When he first bought it, the business was a takeout, but he turned it into the Riverside Restaurant and Lounge people know today. He worked at the restaurant for 32 years, becoming as familiar a face to patrons going up and down the shore as anyone.

Despite not having a formal education, said his son Rick and business successor in an interview last week, Harold excelled in his work and was a markedly successful business owner.

When asked what he learned from his father, Rick, who took over the Riverside after Harold’s retirement, didn’t even have to think about it.

“Hard work don’t kill anybody,” he said, recalling his father’s words. “And if you want something, and you want it to thrive, in business or whatever, in order to get ahead, you have to work at it. And one thing Dad always said to me, he said, ‘You treat everybody the same, my son, and you keep your business clean, and you’ll always have a business.’”

Rick said his father was quiet but sociable, always happy to talk with others.

“He knew everybody from Trepassey right down to past Bay Bulls. He knew everybody and everybody knew him,” said Rick. Outside of work, Harold enjoyed fishing and hunting in the country, particularly with his friend Denny Stratton, as well as playing cards.

Harold was predeceased by his wife, Nora; his parents, Ronald and Elizabeth Hayden; his parents-in-law, Arthur and Gemima Learning; his grandson, Jacob Puddister; his brothers: Vince, Stan, Michael, Lawrence, Frank, Ronald, Randell, William, and Cyril; and his sisters: Hilda, Rita, Sally and Joan.

Hayden leaves to mourn his five children: Sandra, Richard (Linda), Elizabeth, Marlie (Keegan), and Lesa (Neil); his grandchildren: Jimmy (Cynthia), Melanie (Bill), Tyler (Katelyn), Kelsey (Julia), Brittney (Lucas), Kali, Erin, Natalie (Owen) and Nielle (Colby); his great-grandchildren: Calista, Lyla, Jesse, Hayden, Chase, and Lennon; his best friends: Denny Stratton, Helen Hawkins, Raymie O’Brien; his song friends, card friends, and special nieces and nephews.

Harold was buried alongside his wife’s grave at Our Lady of the Cape Roman Catholic Cemetery in Cape Broyle on January 19. The funeral was followed by a celebration of life at the Riverside Restaurant and Lounge, which saw a huge attendance.

“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen such a crowd in my life as was at the Riverside on Sunday,” Rick said. “You wouldn’t get a pea in there, there were that many people there.”

The turnout, he allowed, was a testament to how many lives Harold Hayden touched, and the pillar of the community he was in Cape Broyle.

75th Anniversary of Confederation Medals

Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll said he was proud to present a number of deserving residents of his district with 75th Anniversary of Confederation Medals last year. In the back, form left, are Keith Mooney, Lorraine Hawkins, Shannon Ryan, Frank Sullivan, James Boland, Clarence Molloy, Michelle O’Keefe, Charlene Power, Algy Windsor and MHA O’Driscoll. In the front row, from left, is Charlie Philips, Maureen Hynes, Judy Brazil, Kathleen Fortin, Anita Molloy, Rita Pennell and Maureen Walsh. Missing from the photo is Petty Harbour Mayor Ron Doyle, who is also a recipient of the medal.

O'Driscoll ready to lace 'em up and race again

By Mark Squibb

Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll  intends to run again in this year’s widely expected provincial election and has already been named the Progressive Conservative candidate for Ferryland district.

“It’s a tough go, having an election, and the real work only starts after you’re elected,” said O’Driscoll. “Sometimes you sit and say, ‘Is this what I want to do?’ But it’s something I’ve committed to do for the people of this area. If I can get at something, I generally go at it pretty hard.”

O’Driscoll, who hails from Bay Bulls, was first elected in 2019 and then again in 2021, and hopes that 2025 is the year the PC’s form government again.

“I hope that people see what the Liberal government has done over this last 10 years, such as implementing the carbon tax and the sugar tax,” said O’Driscoll. “We are certainly hoping that we will be government. That is our intention.”

Looking back over 2024, O’Driscoll said he was glad to see some much-needed paving completed in the district, including along the Witless Bay Line, in Trepassey and Portugal Cove South.

“That’s positive for the district, but of course we’d like to see more obviously,” said O’Driscoll. “We’ve been pressing for more, but it’s government’s decision.”

The MHA said brush cutting was supposed to be completed last year, but the tendering process was delayed and so it’s unlikely to be completed before winter sets in.

On the subject of roads, O’Driscoll recently renewed his plea for 24/7 snow clearing during the winter months.

Currently, the Province offers around-the-clock snow clearing on 14 high-traffic routes. Snow clearing elsewhere begins as early as 4:30 a.m., with staff on call to clear areas around the clock in case of an emergency.

O’ Driscoll said it’s not enough, pointing out that it snows outside business hours and limiting snow clearing hours causes delays in getting the roads clear.

“There are people that get on the road at 5 and 6 o’clock in the morning to start their shift, say at the hospital, at 7,” said O’Driscoll. “They might be coming from Ferryland or Cape Broyle or Renews or wherever they may be. They have to get on the road early, and not every road is done when they hit the road.”

O’Driscoll said he was glad last year to be able to recognize residents in his district and present them with 75th Anniversary of Confederation Medals on behalf of the provincial government.

“That was a very nice experience, to be able to give 17 people what I would call volunteer appreciation awards for all they do for the community,” said O’Driscoll. “That was great. The problem was there were so many other deserving people, but each MHA was only given 17 awards. But it was a very nice event I have to say.”

Looking ahead to the rest of this year, O’Driscoll said delays in health care will need to be addressed.

“We try and work with constituents who reach out to our office with dire issues,” said O’Driscoll. “Sometimes waiting is not an option. These issues have to be diagnosed sooner rather than later. People’s lives are on hold until this stuff is done. So that’s worrisome for sure. It’s a concern.”

Remembrance Week Poster and Literary Contest

St. Kevin's High School in the Goulds is congratulating all the students who participated in this past fall’s Remembrance Week Poster and Literary Contest, which was hosted by Branch 34 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Ferryland, which serves the whole of the Southern Shore, Goulds and Petty Harbour, as well as by the Provincial Command as the contest was province wide. Teachers Tracy Nixon and Greg White were also thanked for encouraging the students to submit their art designs and literary works. Initial judging was done by volunteers at local Legion branches. The winning entries were then judged at the provincial level. Among the St. Kevin’s students who participated were, from left: Noah Peters (3rd place in Poetry), Lucas Mercer (2nd place in Poetry), Lara Geves (1st place Colour Poster), Alyssa Byrne (1st place black and white Poster), Isabelle Chaignon (3rd place black and white Poster), Meredith Parsons (3rd place colour Poster), Charlotte Philpott (2nd place colour Poster), and Nixon. Missing from the photo is Cara Kelly (2nd place black and white Poster).

Ferryland mayor looking forward to busy 2025

By Mark Squibb

Ferryland Mayor Aiden Costello says water and sewer infrastructure maintenance kept council busy in 2024.

Costello said a new water treatment plant commissioned in 2022 required additional maintenance, and on top of that, there were several leaky water lines that needed to be addressed throughout the year.

Some of the underground lines, said the mayor, are 30 and 40 years old.

“We’re only a small town with a small budget, and so when you’re dealing with $100,000 in water issues, it takes a lot out of you,” said Costello.

The mayor said the Town has been in ‘planning mode’ and working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to develop plans for a dock. Council has also completed a flood hazard mapping project and begun preliminary work on securing funding for a new fire hall.

Council has also been working on plans for future use of the historic courthouse building.

“We’re still in the planning stages yet, but we’re hoping that within the next year we may be able to move ahead and make some changes to the building and have a tenant take over the building and make it an attraction for the town,” said Costello.

The mayor said the annual Fall Fair was once again a success, and the Town is looking forward to hosting the event again in 2025

Looking ahead to this year, Costello said council will spend a fair chunk of change on improving the town’s water system.

He said the Town is also working with Climate Atlantic to develop a long-term climate change preparedness plan. Costello said it should take about two years to complete, and when in place, Ferryland will be better able to acquire provincial and federal funds.

Costello said council is also working closely with the town’s major tourism operators to better develop Ferryland’s tourism industry.

Colony of Avalon manages to keep unearthing the past despite funding challenges

By Craig Westcott

Despite a lack of comprehensive permanent funding from any level of government and the vagaries of Newfoundland's tourism industry in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation that manages the Colony of Avalon archeological site in Ferryland managed to keep on keeping on last year with plans in place for improvements next year.

At the foundation's annual general meeting last month in Ferryland, board chairman Mike Harrington saluted the contributions of the board members, who are all volunteers, and thanked the Colony’s executive director, Kate Pitcher, for all the work she does in managing the operations and keeping the staff well motivated.

Surprisingly, one of the first things Harrington had to do in presenting his annual report was explain why the meeting was so late this year. The foundation usually holds its AGM later in the year anyway with a review of the previous year's financial statements, meaning the figures under review are more than a year old. This time they were a little bit later than that.

"We rescheduled several times, in case you didn't notice," said Harrington. "I'll note that the reason for the two postponements for this AGM was that the financial statement was not complete, that's why both times we had to reschedule. We received the final financial statement yesterday (December 14), believe it or not."

All told, the Colony took in some $430,569 in revenue and grants in 2023, but spent $482,934, leaving a deficit of $52,365.

The Colony's biggest source of revenue, as in previous years, came from sales at the gift shop – some $123,748, Harrington noted, adding that is "almost 29 per cent of the total. That's sales, not profit, obviously."

The Colony also received some $87,860 in unrestricted grants from the federal and provincial governments. That's money it is free to use to fund its operations as it sees fit. It also received some $57,242 in restricted grants. Those are monies that have to be spent on specifically identified projects, such as repairs or enhancements to the Colony's premises.

The Colony got some $45,032 in student employment grants in 2023, and significantly, solicited $61,579 in donations, which marked a 422 per cent increase over the previous year. 

Some $36,335 was taken in by way of admission fees paid by tourists, which also marked an increase, about an 11 per cent over the amount collected in 2022.

The Colony was able to earn some $1,977 in interest thanks to a smart financial move. The Foundation took advantage of a federal Covid program that allowed businesses and organizations to borrow up to $60,000 and as long as they paid back $40,000 of it by the end of 2023, they could keep the remaining $20,000.

"It was too good a deal to pass up," said Harrington. "So, we did that, and we did not spend any of that money, we just stuck it in a savings account and that's the interest that we earned on it."

Another source of revenue for the Colony turned out to be a bit of a puzzler for the foundation's board members, namely $9,272 in "miscellaneous" revenue, most of which was said by the accounting firm to represent an overpayment of Harmonized Sales Tax.

"We only recently learned about this," Harrington said. "And we'll be reviewing it with the accountant. So right now, this is a bookkeeping entry, and if correct, and if we can convince the CRA that it is correct, which is not always an easy task, we likely won't get it credited back to us until likely 2025. So, we have to explore that some more."

On the expenditure side, the Colony paid out $260,534 in salaries in 2023 to the 21 people who worked at its archaeological digs, laboratories, gift shop, and tourism operations. That was about 54 per cent of the operating costs, Harrington pointed out.

The other big cost was the gift shop, which spent some $100,106 on goods for reselling to tourists.

Insurance coverage cost the Colony $20,091, while utilities were another $15,936.

On a positive note, the Colony finally has high speed internet, and at a cheaper price than it had been paying for the slower service it endured previously.

"So hopefully, now, we'll be spoiled by our high-speed internet," Harrington joked.

Another positive note was that interest costs on long term debt fell in 2023 to $1,856 compared to $3,053 the year previously. That because the foundation managed to pay off one its two long term loans from the Celtic Community Business Development Corporation. 

"The second one will be paid off in the spring of 2026," Harrington said. "And while we like CBDC, we look forward to not sending them a cheque anymore."

After accounting for all items, the Colony's deficit in 2023 was $41,967. Its total value net assets stood $123,863, and it finished the year with cash resources of $48,026, money which was used going into 2024 to pay operating costs.

“As you've heard me say many times before, and I'm going to repeat it again," said Harrington, "we are a non-profit, and we prove it every year."

The end of the chairman's report on the financial statement ended, as it had started, with a wrinkle.

"Normally at this point we would ratify the selection of the accounting firm for fiscal year 2024," said Harrington. "However, as I said earlier, we received the fiscal year 2023 financial statement yesterday, mid-day, and while the whole board has seen it and accepted it, and we had seen a draft prior, as a board we really need to sit down and explore the reasons for why it was so late, and have some further discussions with the accountant and also to get some more information on this HST overpayment issue, which was a late breaking revelation to us. We only heard about it in the last couple of weeks. So, I think we must postpone the decision on who our accountant will be for next year."

As for the 2024 season, which will be reported on officially next December, Harrington was able to give a brief overview that showed things are looking up. 

"Visitation was up (17.36 per cent) in 2024, and participation (in programs) was up significantly," he said. "So, thanks to Kate and the staff for providing the best visitor experience in Newfoundland and Labrador."

The total number of paid admissions in 2024 came to 3,259, compared to 2,639 in 2023, 2,530 in 2022 and 1,472 in 2021, numbers that reflect the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Colony and tourism generally. 

"Overall, we're not back to pre-Covid numbers, which I think is a reflection of the general tourism situation on the island,” Harrington said. “And of course, this year we had the Argentia ferry situation (in which the new ferry was delayed coming into operation) and a threatened Air Canada strike that didn't help matters either. But the trend is up, which is good."

The cost of operations again exceeded revenues in 2024, Harrington said, but the foundation did manage to get meetings with funding officials in the provincial government and with a couple of federal representatives to talk about future possibilities.

"And while the meetings were encouraging, in the end they haven't really contributed to the bottom line," Harrington admitted. "There is an ongoing effort among heritage organizations to press the Province on increasing CEDP (Cultural Economic Development Program) funding... All heritage organizations get CEDP funding, as do some arts organizations. Arts funding went up in the past few years, heritage funding has not gone up in the past few years. Actually, it hasn't gone up in over a decade. So, there is an effort to press that, and if you're ever talking to your MHA, bring it up, please."

Colony of Avalon Foundation Chairman Mike Harrington

A 1695 half penny coin and first ever Algonquin relics among highlights of Colony’s 2024 field season

An aerial view of part of the Colony of Avalon grounds showing some of the stone falls and features that have been discovered by archaeologists over the years. This past summer proved to be one of the most successful seasons in terms of finding artefacts.

By Craig Westcott

Every year when Dr. Barry Gaulton presents his end of season archaeology report on the digging done at the Colony of Avalon site in Ferryland, he starts with a slide showing the biggest find of the year. This time, he started his talk with three slides; there were that many interesting arte-facts found in 2024.

“This year was exceptional in many ways,” said the Memorial University professor who serves as the Colony’s chief archaeologist.

This past summer Gaulton’s team focused on four parts of the site, two with a bit more urgency because of the damage they have been sustaining from storm surges and coastal erosion along the waterfront, including from Hurricane Ernesto this past fall.

The two more inland locations, on the southside of The Pool Road, were tackled in the hope of shedding more light on the early construction activities and operations of the Colony founded in 1621 by Baron George Calvert, and later by Sir David Kirke, a privateer and trader who served as Newfoundland’s first governor, who was based in Ferryland.

The waterfront area work included continuing an excavation from the previous year below the late 17th century cobblestone pavement, while the other involved digging a one by four metre trench in an area behind a more modern erection colloquially known as ‘The Moose Shack.’

“As it turns out, the small number of 17th century artefacts that we found in 2023 hinted at much more substantial and deep midden deposits revealed this year in 2024,” said Gaulton.

Midden is the archaeological term for a garbage deposit. They are often rich sources of arte-facts yielding food bones, cookware, and other detritus tossed away by people living centuries ago.

“There was a whole variety of English clay tobacco pipe bowls, there was also a variety of relief moulded decorated (pipe) stems produced in the Netherlands, there was an assortment of glass beads, including a really nice blue and white tube bead, as well some oval beads and some seed beads,” said Gaulton. “We found a circular lead gaming piece in the same area this year, we found some North Italian marble slipware, as well as a whole variety of ceramic pieces, pieces from North Devon, some milk pans, some case bottle glass, we even found a broken clay pipe stem that was drilled out to make a crude whistle. All of these objects clearly suggest there was a domestic (garbage) deposit originating from a nearby house, the location of which has yet to be determined. A notable find from this year from the midden that’s worthy of special attention is a couple of pieces of clay tobacco pipe that were decorated in what was referred to as the ‘running deer motif.’ These pipes are exceptional because they were actually made by Algon-quin peoples in Virginia and Maryland. This is the first such find at Ferryland in over 30 years of archaeology and as far as I know, it’s the first such find in Newfoundland if not in all of Canada, so quite an exciting discovery. As to how it got to Ferryland, the logical assumption is the pipe likely arrived along with shipments of tobacco from the Chesapeake in exchange for Newfoundland salt cod.”

Gaulton thanked the efforts off all the field and lab staff, and other staff for helping the season a success. He had particular praise for Neil Jordan and his “uncanny ability to sniff out parts of the site that are interesting, informative and rich in artefacts.

“The plan for 2024 was to excavate a test trench directly behind the moose shack to record any intact cultural deposits, or surviving features,” Gaulton said. “Although no structural features were found, there were thick cultural deposits from both the 17th and the 18th centuries, and these contained a tremendous number of objects associated with daily life in Ferryland. And even before Neil reached those deeper intact deposits, the upper disturbed layers hinted at good things to come in the form of a William III ha’penny (coin) dated 1695.”

Gaulton said the deposits suggest there was “intensive” occupation in the 18th century of the lower ground near the waterfront known as The Pool.

“This is evidenced by large quantities of English ceramics, including a variety of earthen wares and stoneware, there were English wine glass fragments, there were German stoneware pieces, pieces of flint, all sorts of clay tobacco pipes... and the area really was so rich in artefacts that Neil enlisted the help of our very own Lucille Hynes and Sarah O’Brien, both of whom found lots of objects on site including a wonderful example of a clay pipe produced by Reuben Sidney of Southampton, England.”

Gaulton said one of his favourite pieces discovered by Jordan was a small brass lock plate from a little box or chest that still had its springs and levers intact.

Below the 18th century layers there was a thinner 17th century deposit that contained a variety of similar objects.

“Given the richness of these deposits and what they can tell us about life in 17th and 18th cen-tury Ferryland and given its location along the exposed waterfront, we hope to return to the ar-ea in the future and continue additional excavation,” Gaulton said.

Another highlight of the past season was a ground penetrating radar survey conducted on The Pool Road. The results will be analyzed over the winter. “This may allow us to ‘see’ underneath the road for intact wall features and cobblestone pavements and slate drains and such,” said Gaulton.

The team also started mapping the Colony with a drone this past summer to start documenting the changing waterfront.

A third area excavated was an early 17th century drain that was associated with a brewhouse and stable that had been built in the 1620s.

“This work was part of a larger project looking at the various sanitation systems built during the Calvert period here at Ferryland,” Gaulton said. “Our goal this summer was to expose a small section of that drain that runs directly under the Colony’s cobblestone street. We also wanted to remove the capstones, take soil samples from inside the drain, record details on its construction, and finally attempt to determine the exact direction of that drain as it snakes its way under-ground, under the cobblestone street and under the current street so that we could locate its eventual outflow.”

The first part of the work was easy enough, Gaulton said, but tracing the direction of the drain proved harder. It turned out to be almost completely filled with silt. After managing to probe to about 30 feet, the archaeologists called in a sewer inspection crew from the City of St. John’s, who showed up with sewer cameras and other gear. In a last-ditch attempt to trace the line, they tried pumping a nontoxic red dye into the drain that eventually emerged near the seawall and inner harbour.

The fourth area explored is the former site of a buttery that served Calvert’s Mansion House. It was the first time excavating the area since 2012, when the location of the buttery was record-ed. This summer the archaeologists decided to explore near a small section of mortared stone wall between the buttery and a garbage deposit that had remained unexcavated. They began by removing the upper section of the stone wall that had once housed the Mansion’s adjacent kitchen building in order to get at the underlying midden.

The work indicated that parts of the neighbouring kitchen building have been modified and in-filled over time. “So, this really has the potential to change our interpretation of this particular building associated with the Mansion House,” said Gaulton. “Excavation of the associated refuse deposit in 2024 also revealed very clearly two distinct occupations, the first one associated with the initial construction and occupation back in the 1620s, and an overlying layer consisting of objects discarded in the second half of the 17th century based upon objects such as datable pipe bowls.”

The uppermost deposit also contained an interesting collection of artefacts, Gaulton said, in-cluding a large number of bones preserved in the mortar in the nearby wall. “Students and visi-tors were especially fascinated by all the rat bones, including the well-preserved mandibles and teeth,” he added. “These things were balanced with other informative pieces, things like a bale seal fragment. We found a pewter spoon handle, a small copper bell, we also found a tiny little silver sequin, some pins and needles fragments, and some large chunks of ceramic milk pans manufactured in places like England and Portugal. This is yet another area that is clearly worthy of further investigation…

“To conclude the 2024 field season was a resounding success and it really reinvigorated plans for future archaeological work at Ferryland,” Gaulton said. “There’s clearly more we can do to un-derstand this 17th century village, and so much more we can do to share with the community and the general public.”