‘At your service, sir’

Some of the cast from At Your Service include, from left: Terri Swain as Mrs. Ryan, Erin Elliott as Frances, Kyle Saunders as Mr. Tobin, and Randy Crane as Mr. Ryan. The dinner theatre comedy is playing Thursdays and Fridays at the Southern Shore Folk Arts Building in Ferryland.

By Craig Westcott

It’s the 25th season for the Southern Shore Dinner Theatre in Ferryland and the troupe is back with a combination of new faces and seasoned experience to generate the laughs.

It would actually be the 26th season for the popular playhouse of homespun humour if Covid hadn’t stolen a season.

This year’s play is At Your Service, written by Ferryland’s Annette Mooney.

“It’s proved to be a very successful play,” said Southern Shore Folk Arts executive director Keith Mooney. “And we have a good cast. It’s a good production, I must say.”

The story focuses on the relationship between boarding house matron Mrs. Ryan and Francis, a young maid from Onion Cove, whom she takes “in service,” as the employment of young women in Newfoundland used to be called years ago. The setting is the 1940s – 50s when many young women and girls from the outports took jobs with families, boarding houses and businesses in larger centres.

“Mrs. Ryan is trying to raise the level with her guests and then she hires Francis and Francis is a bit rough around the edges,” said Mooney. “And that makes for the humour.”

The cast of guests and other characters, such as the local Bishop, also serve to spice up the plot.

“Some of the stuff Francis gets on with is funny,” said Mooney. “Francis is a young girl and Mrs. Ryan wants to improve her table skills and how to greet guests, so she hires a teacher to give her some instruction.”

It’s the first time the troupe has performed the play since 2011. 

“People our age relate to the era when life was different and simpler,” said Mooney. 

Francis is played by Erin Elliott, a recent graduate of Memorial University’s Fine Arts Program in Corner Brook.

Mrs. Ryan is played by Terri Swain of Renews.

“It’s her first time acting,” said Mooney. “She worked with us in the dinner theatre on the floor serving, which a very important part of it too, but this year she wanted to try out for a role.”

Other actors include local dinner theatre veterans Randy Crane, Andy Malone, Matilda Mulcahy, and Kyle Saunders from Glovertown.

“We’ve always had actors from outside the area,” said Mooney. “There’s probably one or so more this year.”

The director is Beth Ryan, who has lots of experience with the troupe having served as assistant director to the late former long-time director and actor Kevin Lewis.

“This is her first time directing,” said Mooney, “but she has the big advantage of having acted in the play herself. She knows what everyone is capable of doing and she knows all the characters, so that’s a big plus.”

The plays run every Thursday and Friday evening during the summer up to Labour Day week, with four matinees scheduled, the next one being July 29. Mooney said the Folk Arts Council is open to staging more matinees for groups interested in visiting Ferryland. Anyone interested in doing that can contact Mooney at the Ferryland Folk Arts Council at 432-2052.

O’Brien votes against snow clearing contract extension

By Mark Squibb

Bay Bulls council last week voted to extend the Town’s current snow clearing contract with O’Brien’s Trucking at the previously agreed upon hourly rate.

Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien, however, was not in favour of the move.

“It seems like there’s a limited number of bidders,” said O’Brien. “I just think we probably need to market our contracts a little further maybe. Some of these rates are increasing every, but again, there’s always the opportunity to keep it competitive.”

When put to a vote, both councillors Ethan Williams and Corey Ronayne voted in favour of extending the contract for another year, while O’Brien voted against it. With Mayor Keith O’Driscoll and councillor Jason Sullivan both absent from the meeting, the motion was approved.

Council awarded the initial contract to O’Briens at cost of $281,725, plus HST. That cost was based on the average amount of snow clearing needed over the last couple of years.

In 2023 council opted to award the snow clearing contract to Southeast Construction in a lump sum of $329,900 plus HST rather than pay an hourly rate. Council decided to go back to the hourly rate model citing the high costs of the lump sum contract.

Witless Bay to limit speed bumps to rec zones

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council has decided to limit the use of speed bumps to the town’s recreation areas.

A resident had submitted a request to council for a speed bump along King’s Road.

Council denied the request during the July public meeting and instead opted to install signage in the area advising people to drive slowly.

“Council has kicked this subject around numerous times, and we’ve come to the decision that the rec grounds in at the softball field and swimming pool, as well as all recreation facilities, are the only places (speedbumps) are going to go, because you’re giving people a false sense of security with a speedbump,” said councillor Ralph Carey.

The motion to deny the request and instead install signage passed unanimously.

This past April, council approved the installation of two speed bumps near the Southside Track recreation grounds and two near Alderwood Estates Retirement Centre.

Shamrock Festival celebrates 40 years

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Southern Shore’s annual Shamrock Folk Festival will take place in Ferryland on July 26th and 27th at the Ferryland Festival Park. This year marks the festival’s 40th anniversary. Few people are as acquainted with the history of what has become a favorite summer tradition for many, as Keith Mooney, the executive director of the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council.

The event, initially called the Southern Shore Festival, was first organized in 1986 by the Southern Shore Development Association. The association sponsored the event for nine years. When the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council was formed in 1995, it took over the event’s production, renaming it the Shamrock Festival. Since its inception, it has been held every year, even virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Shamrock Festival mainly features performers of Newfoundland and Irish music. Both local and established artists take the stage and showcase the traditional music. 

“One of the objectives of forming the folk arts council was to promote our culture and heritage,” said Mooney. “The presentation of the festival, the musical accompaniment and songs and recitations, they certainly fulfill that mandate. It’s a great social event. People come home for it.”

The revenue from the Shamrock Festival supports the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council. The festival financially benefits the region in a broader sense too as those drawn by the music patronize local businesses. “People are coming out, they’re visiting restaurants, and staying at B&Bs,” said Mooney. “Grocery stores, gas outlets. It’s a great draw, and it’s a great activity to have on the Southern Shore.”

The first day of the Shamrock Festival, July 26th, is a 19+ event that will take place in the evening. Lee Dunne will be opening for the main act, the Justin Martin Band. Gates will open at 8:30 p.m. The show will start at 9:00 p.m. and last until about 12:30 a.m. Tickets for the July 26th show are $20 if bought in advance or $30 if bought at the gate on the night of the event. Those wanting to buy tickets in advance can purchase them at the Tetley Tea Room, O’Brien’s Value Grocer, and Ferryland Foodland.

Sunday, July 27th is the all ages event, which Mooney says is popular with families. The show will start at 1:15 p.m. and include performances by Lord & Lady Baltimore, Janine White, Dollykits, Black Gold, The Masterless Men, and Down Forward. The show will also have a youth session at 1:30 p.m. In addition to the musical entertainment, there will be games of chance, entertainment for children, the Pinch Food Wagon, and a 19+ Beer Garden. Admission will be $15 for adults, $5 for youths, and free for children under 12.

Mooney expressed thanks on behalf of the folk arts council for their corporate sponsors and to the Town of Ferryland for supporting the Shamrock Festival.

New owner of Witless Bay church hopes to make it a welcoming home for art

Linda Goodyear has bought St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Witless Bay with the intention of repurposing it as a gallery to showcase art from the Southern Shore and St. Mary’s Bay. Mark Squibb photo

By Mark Squibb

Linda Goodyear said that when she walked into St. Peter’s Church in Witless Bay in July of 2023, it was, excuse the cliché, love at first sight.

“I went into several churches, on this shore, and on the north shore, and as soon as I walked in with the real estate agent, I had a feeling, and the more I looked around, the more I knew that this was the church I wanted,” said Goodyear.

The retired dentist said her intention is to repurpose the building – one of dozens of church properties the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s put up for sale to help compensate victims of historical sexual abuse by some clergy and Christian Brothers – as an art gallery, offering authentic Newfoundland artwork, with a special focus on the Irish Loop.

“On the Irish Loop, there are a lot of individual artists,” said Goodyear. “But there’s nowhere for someone to come and view all those different artists in one place.”

Goodyear is a self professed art enthusiast who traces her passion for art back to a school trip to Paris to visit the famous Louvre Museum. She has been studying art – and artists – ever since.

“I love reading about art, I love studying art, I love talking about art,” said Goodyear. “It’s a passion of mine.”

Goodyear also hopes to host art and art appreciation workshops on the balcony level, and furthermore hopes to open the Witless Bay Art Gallery & Arts Education Centre, Inc., to the public in 2026, so long as she can complete some renovations and receive the proper permits by then.

“The church itself is a work of art,” added Goodyear, noting the vaulted ceiling, Gothic architecture, marble statues and stained-glass windows. “I hope the gallery becomes a destination, and that people come out here from St. John’s to visit this art gallery. I want to make this an art destination.”

Goodyear admits that initially the thought that perhaps she had been too impulsive nagged at her, but those worries were quelled upon visiting the church a second time.

“Every time I walk into this church, I know how right this decision was,” she said.

The purchase and repurposing of church properties across the province has become a sensitive issue for many, with some people fighting to hold onto the buildings, which hold significant community and spiritual significance, within their communities. This spring, for example, the Supreme Court ruled that the archdiocese was the rightful owner of the Holy Rosary Church in Portugal Cove South and granted an injunction forbidding residents from interfering with the sale. Residents had gone so far as to change the locks on the door to prevent the sale.

“I know some of these wounds are deep,” said Goodyear. “And I want to take the feelings of the community into consideration… I want to stress and encourage members of the church to come to me, talk to me, and come in here. I’m going to work my hardest to keep the spirit of this church alive.”

The church itself, according to town records, opened its doors in 1845. In 1860, the Presentation Sisters opened a nearby convent and school for girls. That building has since been torn down, however several of the Sisters have been laid to rest on the church property. Goodyear said that the cemetery will be respectfully repurposed as a tranquility garden, and that members of the Sisters’ congregation will be welcome to visit at any time.

Parishioners held their final mass at St. Peter’s in June of 2024.

43rd annual Constable William Moss U15 champions

The Avalon Wave girls’ softball team, comprised of youths hailing from the Goulds and Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, are the 43rd annual Constable William Moss U15 female champions. In the back, from left, are manager Angie Condon, coach Rebecca Coley, Claire Nickel, Chloe Stack, Meadow Richards, Rachel Maher, Ally Williams, Kennedy Philpott, Julia Foote, coach Chris Maher and coach Mark Kieley. In the front, from left, are Lilly Quest, Kaileigh Crane, Hailey White, Chloe Kieley, Julia Condon, Emily Pitcher, and Leah Layden. Submitted photo

Nathan Gosse Memorial Award

A Goulds resident is this year’s recipient of the Nathan Gosse Memorial Award for significant contributions to the field of environmental health. Deborah Smith was presented with the award at a meeting of the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPH). Smith is Manager of Laboratory Services at the City of St. John’s Regional Water Supply. She started her career in the mid 1970s as a Medical Laboratory Technologist at Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook. Since 1982, the Witless Bay native has been employed with the City of St. John’s Regional Water System where she was the lone technologist for over 20 years. Smith’s duties include managing the laboratories at the Bay Bulls Big Pond Water Treatment Plant, Windsor Lake Water Treatment Plant, Petty Harbour Lond Pond Water Treatment Plant and the Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility. Smith and her staff also look after 70 water sampling stations throughout the regional water supply system, analyzing water and wastewater samples from source to tap to harbour. The award is named for the late Director of Environmental Health for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, who hailed from Harbour Grace. Presenting her with the award were CIPH past president Tammy McDonald, left, and fellow institute member Douglas Howse.

Service board says employee harassed

By Mark Squibb

The Eastern Regional Service Board (ESRB) is asking towns and local service districts along the Southern Shore that avail of the Renews - Cappahayden facility to ask residents to be respectful of employees and facility guidelines after reports of an employee being harassed at work.

“The employee faces verbal threats, abusive language, expletives, and bullying during every shift, coming from multiple users,” reads an e-mail from the board. “This has raised serious concerns for his personal safety and is unacceptable.”

The ERSB temporarily closed the facility in 2024 due to reports of users allegedly threatening an employee, and the e-mail issued by the board this month said that to ensure employees’ safety, the board may close the facility if necessary.

The ERSB held off on commenting on the matter as a public town hall was scheduled in the near future and the board wanted to wait until after that event to speak to the issue.

Petty Harbour’s Sherry Maher receives teaching award

Sherry Maher of Petty Harbour was named a recipient of the 2025 Education Minister’s Award for Compassion in Teaching. Submitted photo

By Mark Squibb

Cowan Heights Elementary Principal Sherry Maher has been named a recipient of the 2025 Minister’s Award for Compassion in Teaching.

“It’s cheesy, but it’s an award in itself knowing that people around you see your efforts,” said the Petty Harbour native.

Maher said she was glad to be recognised, though she admits feeling a little embarrassed being thrust into the limelight.

Given her many years on the softball field, as a player first, and then as a coach and mentor, it’s not surprising that Maher likened a school staff to a softball team.

“It’s a team effort here,” said Maher. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without a great team… It’s like sports. Everyone has a role. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pitcher or a catcher or the MVP or the person on the bench cheering on your teammates. It’s the same with our staff at Cowan Heights.”

While Maher appreciated the letters of recommendation submitted by her peers, she was especially moved by the letters penned by students.

“Little things that students notice, like, ‘I really like how you greet me in the morning and ask about my day,’” said Maher. “They’re little things that we do automatically in this building. You don’t realize the impact it has on students until you read something like that… those things matter.”

The school also honoured Maher last week with an assembly recognising her achievement.

Other recipients of the 2025 Minister’s Award include Heather Cull-Tilley of St. Joseph’s Academy, Lamaline; Janice Spencer, Corner Brook Regional High; Luce Landry, École des Grands-Vents, St. John’s; Matthew Hillier, St. Teresa’s, St. John’s; Valerie Sheppard, Peacock Primary, Happy Valley-Goose Bay; and Aula Courage, Beachy Cove Elementary, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s.

Meanwhile, Angela O’Brien of Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John’s and Sara Barry of Holy Trinity Elementary in Torbay were named recipients of the Premier’s Award for Innovation in Teaching.

“Most, if not all, educators aren’t doing it for the paycheck, and it’s certainly not for the long hours we put in, but it’s for the kids,” said Maher. “They’re the reason we work as hard as we do.”

Petty Harbour council needs land to finish the job

By Mark Squibb

Members of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove council will have to go back to the drawing board after tenders for phase two of the Motion Bay Road extension project came in over budget.

The project also faces added expenses due to the purchase of private land necessary to complete the work.

Council, this June, voted to not accept any of the tenders and instead request a quote from the engineer on the cost to get a new drawing drafted that would incorporate a drainage system travelling down Motion Bay Road to O’Brien’s Lane.

It’s council’s intention that the project will address erosion and washouts along the road.

Discussion about the remediation of the road have been ongoing since at least 2021.

The project is cost-shared with the Province on a 90/10 split at a total cost of $229,000, leaving the Town on the hook for $20,767.