Alderwood Estates' owner Deborah Dunne garners provincial award

By Mark Squibb | Dec. 31, 2020

Alderwood Estates’ owner Deborah Dunne is being counted among the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) 2020 women of honour roll.

Dunne was awarded the Economic Impact Award during the 23rd annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards held on Thursday, November 26 which was streamed live from the Delta Hotel’s St. John’s Conference Centre. 

“I was quite humbled, and shocked initially, because I just go about my day doing my thing, and you don’t really realize the impact of what you do until someone puts it out there,” said Dunne.

Alderwood Estates, a staple of Witless Bay for decades, is run by Dunne, who bought the business from her parents. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Dunne, who also operates a nursing home in central Newfoundland, carried on with plans for an extension on the Witless Bay facility, hiring local contractors and using material from local supplier Witless Bay Home Hardware.

The 20 new suites will open in June and create work jobs for another four or five local workers to Alderwood’s team of over 20 employees.

Dunne said residents of Alderwood are members of the community, and that the whole Irish Loop is like an extended family. Keeping COVID-19 restrictions in mind, Alderwood has an open-door policy, and schools and community groups are often invited over to participate in different activities and celebrations.

“Everyone is welcome at Alderwood,” said Dunne.

In total, six women from across the province received awards at the NLOWE event.

“Every businesswoman should support NLOWE, because NLOWE is great for mentoring women,” said Dunne. “It’s harder, sometimes, for women in business. NLOWE is a steppingstone, and they’re very knowledgeable and helpful.”

Bay Bulls Mayor not confident about capital works funding

By Mark Squibb | Nov. 26

The Town of Bay Bulls has applied for provincial funding for a number of road upgrades, but Mayor Harold Mullowney is cautioning council not to get its hopes up.

“The odds of getting funding are low. I’ve attended the MNL (Municipalities Newfoundland) conference, by Zoom, over the last few days, and the Minister (Municipal Affairs) said they were prioritizing urgent situations requiring water and sewer for the most part,” said Mullowney during the November 1o meeting of council. “They also said they were not funding a huge wish list. They were trying to keep their funding down to amounts below a million dollars, so that they could spread the money further among communities.”

Nevertheless, Bay Bulls applied for funding for three different projects.

The first was for completion of the Irishtown Road upgrade at a total cost estimate of $955,000, with the province and the town splitting the cost 50/50. A portion of the road is already being upgraded from surplus funds for the St. John's Road project, which was funded under a 90/10 cost share formula with the province paying the bigger share.

Next up, was upgrades on Winnonish Drive at a cost of $371,000, at a 50/50 cost share rate.

The third and final application was for upgrades to Northside Road and Bread and Cheese at a cost estimate of $1.5 million. The proposed cost sharing formula on that would be 40/50/10 for the federal, provincial, and municipal governments respectively.

Mullowney did hold out some hope for the applications for Irish Town Road and Northside Road.

“I’m hopeful that we might have a shot at the roadwork we already have under construction, because there are serious water issues on Irish Town Road, and the Northside has some serious issues with the possibility of erosion along that coast there,” he said.

Mullowney had introduced the funding request as “probably the most important piece of work on the agenda tonight.”

Goulds Arena warm room named for faithful Lion

By Mark Squibb | Nov. 26

The Goulds Lions Arena bears the Lions name, so it’s only appropriate that its warm room also bear a Lion’s name.

During a short ceremony on November 19 attended by family and fellow Lions, the Lion Ron Whitten Room was unveiled.

“A few months ago, one of our Lions came to me with a suggestion. He said, ‘We always honour Lions with a plaque or something, after they pass away. Why not do something for our Lions while they’re still alive?’” Goulds Lions Club President Charlie Phillips said to those gathered.

So, when Phillips announced that they would be naming the warm room after Lion Ron Whitten, Whitten jokingly asked if that meant he was going to die soon.

“Without Ron, I’m not sure if, or when, there would have been a Lion’s Club,” said Phillips. “It was the vision of Lion Ron when he returned from Labrador back in 1975. He had a notion of starting up the Lions Club, which, he did, in March of 1976. He is a well-respected member of our community, and also a well-respected member of our Lions Club. Ron is a strong supporter of the Lions Club and of it’s activities. I’m sure most of you, if we went around the room, could add another 10, 20, 40, maybe a hundred reasons why we should name this room after Lion Ron.”

Whitten was grateful for the gesture.

“I appreciate this, it’s very nice,” he said. “It’s important to help out the community where you’re from.”

During the ceremony, the Goulds Lions Club also presented a $6000 cheque to the Arena Association.

COVID's clout to economy encourages Tors Cove artist to open her own shop

By Mark Squibb | Nov. 19, 2020

After about a decade creating and selling metal jewelry, a Tors Cove artist has announced she will be opening her own mini-shop and studio.

Jaclyn Humphries of Hillside Fine Crafts creates handmade jewelry using metals such as copper, enamel and sterling silver.

“All the components are made by hand, using hand tools to manipulate the metal and shape it, and a kiln to fire the enamel onto the metal,” she explained.

Humphries began by making jewellery out of fabric, having studied Textile & Apparel Design at College of the North Atlantic. Looking for a more challenging experience, she enrolled in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Because regular craft shows have been cancelled, along with wholesale orders from clients, Humphries said that having a storefront, which she anticipates to open in April, means both more independence as an artist, and more clientele.

She recently received $25,260 in funding from the provincial government to assist with development of an e-commerce website, marketing materials, signage and a social media campaign.

“I was just completely ecstatic. This is going to change how many people can actually see my business. I do wholesale too, so now I can present a professional presence online to wholesalers, and also to retailers,” said Humphries. ‘‘This marketing grant will really help propel me and get me into different provinces, and across the world eventually.”

Hillside Fine Crafts was one of eight businesses to receive funding from the program, which doled out a total of $216,000. The funding comes at a time when many crafters, Humphries included, have faced an economic blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as craft shows have had to be cancelled, and are only now able to open once again under provincial guidelines.

But, Humphries said, the pandemic has also been a time when local people have shown their support for local craftspeople and artisans even more than usual.

“There’s been a lot of local support for small business since COVID. It’s almost like people have gained more appreciation for things that are local and handmade,” said Humphries, who said that at one point many years ago she was hesitant to start her own business, but has since found success in a niche market she has carved for herself.

“I resisted starting my own business for many years. Now that I’m actually doing it, I see that it can be successful,” she said.

SMB residents put the 'giving' back in Thanksgiving for children in the Dominican Republic

By Chris Lewis | Oct. 15

Thanks to people in Riverhead, S.M.B., some families in the Dominican Republic have a bit more to eat for Thanksgiving.

Sid Woolfrey organised the fundraising campaign to help families there with the guidance of fellow teacher, Patty Briscoe, who teaches in the Dominican.

Briscoe’s school was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many in the small Caribbean nation, their only solid meal of the day came from school. With schools closed, that meal was no longer available.

After talking to Riverhead Mayor Sheila Lee about Briscoe’s situation, Woolfrey and Lee collaborated to see enough money sent to feed approximately 100 families during Thanksgiving.

“When COVID hit, not only were the schools closed, but no markets were allowed,” Lee said. “They were all shut down too. So, their only source of income was gone on them too.”

Lee said Briscoe told her stories of small children begging on the streets, despite that area being relatively well-off compared to other parts of the Dominican Republic.

Lee added that Briscoe had the opportunity to return to the province in August, but instead she decided to stay and do what she could to help the locals. With school closed, she had some extra time on her hands, and used it to make contact with friends and family back home in Newfoundland to try and raise money that could be used to feed the hungry.

With that money, Briscoe bought food in bulk – staples such as beans and flour – and organized it into small hampers, delivering it to those in need.

The hampers could feed a family for a week, despite only costing around $10.

“I put a message out there to people I knew would be able to help,” Lee said. “I was hoping for 50 friends of mine that might be able to donate maybe $20 to this little Thanksgiving project. That would give 100 families a nice meal on Thanksgiving, plus some extra food for the week.”

Lee’s call to action got an overwhelming response. In a week, the effort had accumulated $1,000.

Lee added that Briscoe will be posting photos online so that donors can see the payoff from their contributions.

“The gratitude on their little faces is just so great, you know?” Lee said, adding the children are delighted to be given something as small as a banana – food that, Lee added, some children here in the province may turn away.

Now, Lee is hoping the effort will inspire others, especially with the Christmas season around the corner.

“If we could get a couple different groups to realize how important this kind of thing is, that could be the difference between one family eating for a week, or struggling,” Lee said. “Hopefully, we can plant that seed in people’s minds now. Maybe someone can take on a Christmas project, and see what we can do for those poor souls this time of year.”

In total, Woolfrey and Lee have helped to send over $6,000 to Briscoe in the Dominican Republic for food.

“(Briscoe) said to (Woolfrey) that the people over there were just overwhelmed with excitement that some people who didn’t even know who they are would have that kind of compassion, and lend them a helping hand,” Lee said.

Folk arts council plans for life after COVID-19

By Mark Squibb | Oct. 15

Like many other organizations and businesses, due to COVID-19, it was a bit of a difficult summer for the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council.

However, the group is readily settling into the new normal as well as any.

“It’s been quiet, relative to other summers, said executive director Jamie Clowe. “We didn’t have the Dinner Theatre three nights a week. We didn’t run our Shamrock Folk Festival, which would have been our 35th, so, with just the Tea Room open it was relatively quiet.”

Clowe was hired on in March, although, due to pandemic, he didn’t get started until June.

With a background in the hotel and hospitality industry, Clowe was hired to replace Keith Mooney, following his retirement.

Originally from Ferryland, Clowe had lived away for some 40 years, and returned to the province just a couple of years ago.

It goes without saying that no one anticipates their first days on a new job to be in the middle of a pandemic, and it certainly hasn’t been a typical season for the organization.

“Financially, it’s been difficult, but our Tea Room did well enough, that from an operational standpoint, it’ll get us through a few more months. And then hopefully come the spring, a few more restrictions will be lifted, and we’ll get back to a little more normalcy,” said Clowe, who added that there was still  business this summer from local tourism ‘staycationers’.

The Atlantic Bubble didn’t open until September, and the Tea Room closed on Sept. 15, so there wasn’t as much opportunity for out of province guests to stop by.

However, the organization has been able to host some events with the recent lifting of restrictions on public gatherings.

They held a two-night tribute to Ron Hynes featuring local musician Katie Barbour in late August, and “An Evening on the Deck” with Jackie Sullivan and Katie Pilgrim in early September, both of which were well received and reached maximum capacity.

Later this fall, Ferryland actor Randy Crane will be also be doing a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the organization have already sold a number of tickets.

With the possibility of new restrictions, or an increase in COVID-19 cases pushing the province back into another lockdown, planning for future events has been difficult given the uncertainty of the times, Clowe noted.

But still, you have to plan ahead anyway, he added.

“You can’t stop planning and just wait, because you don’t know if it’s going to get better, or if get worse. But if you’re planning, at least you’ve got the ball rolling,” said Clowe.

Still a help, even in times of COVID

By Mark Squibb | Oct. 8, 2020

Representatives of St. John Ambulance were in the Goulds Monday night, Oct. 5, to present a certificate of appreciation to the Goulds Lions Club for its support.

With the help of an annual donation from the Lions, St. John Ambulance was able to buy a new ambulance, valued at approximately $25,000.

“It feels great to be recognized, but anything we do as Lions we don’t do for recognition,” said Goulds Lions Club President Charlie Phillips.

“St. John Ambulance is quite an important part of the community, always has been… we’re quite proud of our relationship with St. John’s Ambulance and quite proud of our relationship with the community.

We’re proud to support them. We’ve had several people who went through the St. John’s Ambulance program who are actually now Lions Members, which is great.”

Phillips is quick to point out that the volunteer spirit can be found in every corner of Goulds.

 “The Goulds is a community built on volunteers, from St. John’s Ambulance, to the Lions Club, to minor softball, minor soccer, minor hockey, it’s all about volunteers,” he said. “Without volunteers you wouldn’t survive…All organizations need support, and it’s important for us, as Lions, to be supportive. And not just organizations, but sometimes individuals who need some help.”

There’s currently 46 active members of the Goulds Lion Club, with one new member to be inducted in the coming weeks. Like all organizations, regular meetings and events have ground to a halt because of restrictions around COVID-19, but Phillips said that weekly meetings have resumed, and the club is looking at how, and if, usual events and activities can resume safely.

Southern Shore Folk Arts council settling into the new normal

By Mark Squibb | Oct. 8, 2020

Like many other organizations and businesses, it was a hard summer for the Southern Shore Folk Arts Council.

“It’s been quiet, relative to other summers, said executive director Jamie Clowe. “We didn’t have the Dinner Theatre three nights a week. We didn’t run our Shamrock Folk Festival, which would have been our 35th, so, with just the Tea Room open it was relatively quiet.”

Clowe was hired on in March, although, due to pandemic, he didn’t get started until June.

With a background in the hotel and hospitality industry, Clowe was hired to replace Keith Mooney, following his retirement.

Originally from Ferryland, Clowe had lived away for some 40 years, and returned to the province just a couple of years ago.

It goes without saying that no one anticipates their first days on a new job to be in the middle of a pandemic, and it certainly hasn’t been a typical season for the organization.

“Financially, it’s been difficult, but our Tea Room did well enough, that from an operational standpoint, it’ll get us through a few more months. And then hopefully come the spring, a few more restrictions will be lifted, and we’ll get back to a little more normalcy,” said Clowe, who added that there was still a business this summer from local tourism ‘staycationers’.

The Atlantic Bubble didn’t open until September, and the Tea Room closed on Sept. 15, so there was little opportunity for out of province guests to stop by.

The organization has been able to host some events with the recent lifting of restrictions on public gatherings.

They held a two-night tribute to Ron Hynes featuring local musician Katie Barbour in late August, and “An Evening on the Deck” with Jackie Sullivan and Katie Pilgrim in early September, both of which were well received and reached maximum capacity.

Later this fall, Ferryland actor Randy Crane will be also be doing a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the organization have already sold a number of tickets.

With the possibility of new restrictions, or an increase in COVID-19 cases pushing the province back into another lockdown, planning for future events has been difficult given the uncertainty of the times, Clowe noted.

But still, you have to plan ahead anyway, she added.

“You can’t stop planning and just wait, because you don’t know fi it’s going to get better, or if get worse. But if your planning, at least you got the ball rolling,” said Clowe.

Health, Hygiene and Disease Prevention in 17th Century Ferryland

By Mark Squibb | Oct. 8, 2020

As part of the Colony of Avalon’s annual general meeting, Barry Gaulton and other staff typically give a short presentation highlighting recent archeological finds.

Due to COVID-19, the Colony of Avalon did open for the season, but, this year, no archeological excavation was undertaken.

In lieu of presenting the year’s archology finds, Gaulton, the Colony’s chief archaeologist, gave a presentation titled ‘Health, Hygiene, and Disease Prevention in 17th Century Ferryland,’ highlighting some of the Colony’s medical practises and beliefs.

 “One of the very first letters written by Captain Edward Wynne, Ferryland’s first governor, to Sir George Calvert in 1621, requests that a surgeon be sent to the Colony,” said Gaulton. “And a surgeon, in 17th century parlance, is a someone who is trained, by way of an apprenticeship, in the methods and practises of medicine.”

Wynne’s suggestion was taken seriously; the census of the following year listed a surgeon among the Colony’s residents

Wynne also wrote letters to Calvert, claiming that “the air is very healthful, the water both clear and wholesome.”

Another resident, Nicholas Hoskins, wrote to Calvert to tell him “I never smelt any evil savor in the country,” and that he, “drank from a sweet brook of running water that quenched his thirst as well as any beer.”

Despite the fresh air and beer-sweet water, people in the 17th century still got sick and needed the most up-to date medical treatments. At the time, physicians adhered to the ancient Greek system of humours, which contested that for someone to be healthful, the four ‘humors’ (blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm) needed to exist in the body in perfect balance.

“So, medical practitioners, whether they were trained physicians, or surgeons, or local healers, they all considered the balanced of these four humors to be an essential part of medical treatment,” said Gaulton.

And one way to balance out those humours?

Bloodletting.

“So, if a person was running a high fever, or was frequently flushed, or hot, they were seen to have an abundance of blood in their system, and, so, they were sometimes treated by bloodletting, so as to drain an excess amount of blood out of their system in an effort to maintain balance,” explained Gaulton.

Archeologists have uncovered ceramic bleeding bowls, as well as iron lancers and straight razors in Ferryland, indicating that the practise was common in the area during the 17th and 18th century.

Doctors also had an interesting cure for overexposure to damp, cold environments —common in Newfoundland— which were also believed to throw the humours out of balance.

“This imbalance could be countered by the consumption of products that were thought to warm and dry the body,” said Gaulton. “The 17th century solution in many cases was simply to drink spirits, which had a warming effect, or smoke tobacco, which was considered to have a hot and drying affect on the body. In the 17th century, tobacco was considered a panacea, or a cure-all, for many diseases and common aliments.”

Their medical use may explain the abundance of pipes found in Ferryland. To date, archeologists have catalogued over 400,000 clay tobacco pipe fragments in Ferryland.

“Representing, hands down, the single largest collection anywhere in North America,” Gaulton said. “We have ample evidence that Ferryland colonists were concerned with personal hygiene, overall cleanliness and grooming.”

Chamber pots and bed pans, along with bottles that once contained ointments used to treat everything from headaches to venereal diseases, have been uncovered on the site.

A trusty multi-tool discovered near the Mansion House, and likely to have belong to a member of the Kirke family, was used to clean tooth, pick dirt out from underneath fingernails, and remove ear wax.

One end was used as a toothpick and fingernail cleaner, while the other, spoon shaped end, scooped wax out the ear.

“And hopefully the ends weren’t mixed up too often,” joked Gaulton.

Gaulton said that Ferryland also used an intricate, underground drainage system which carried waste from the colony.

Human waste would be flushed into a privy and held until the rising tides flushed out the waste twice daily.

Soil samples were sent to the University of Toronto in the early 1990s, and it was estimated that per a gram of waste there were about 30,000 intestinal parasite eggs, including tapeworm, whipworm and roundworm.

“I find this to be particularly interesting, because all of the written histories of sanitation and waste management in North America clearly state that this kind of village or City-wide wastewater planning did not occur until 1757,” said Gaulton. “Yet, 130 years, the archeology in our small town of Ferryland seems to strongly suggest otherwise. And in my opinion, this is once again another opportunity to highlight the importance of our ongoing research as a way to shed light on the actual activities and events surrounding this truly exceptional 17th century colony.”

The Colony of Avalon currently boasts over 2 million artifacts.

“For those who don’t know, our archeological staff uncover artifacts every time they dig on site,” said Gaulton. “And all the artifacts go through a conservation process, and are then catalogued and put into storage for future research.”

Ferryland celebrates the man of a thousand songs

By Mark Squibb | Sept. 3, 2020

The people of Ferryland knew they had a celebration on their hands.

“Once when Ron Hynes was inducted into the singer songwriter Hall of Fame, we knew we had to do something big here,” said Anette Mooney.

That induction was back in April of 2020, five years after Hynes’ passing.

But, plans for a Ferryland concert tribute to coincide with the induction were waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were this year’s dinner theatre and Shamrock Festival..

In recent weeks, with the provincial government permitting larger gatherings, the people of Ferryland got to work organizing their tribute show.

The most important piece of the puzzle of course, would be who would perform Hynes’ songs — and that piece soon became apparent.

“We were looking for somebody who was a passionate Ron Hynes fan and knew a lot of his music. And Katie Barbour— let me tell you, she is amazing,” said Mooney. “She’s an old soul. Whenever she heard of Ron Hynes being anywhere, she wanted to be there to hear him sing.”

Barbour was honoured to be given to the opportunity to pay tribute to the man who had such an impact on her own musical journey.

“I grew up listening to Ron Hynes and always appreciated his music. However, in 2003, his album “Get Back Change” really hooked me as a musician and song writer,” Barbour said. “At the time, I was 13 years old, and playing the guitar for five years. However, Ron’s guitar playing style and chords really intrigued me and his lyrics just captured my heart as poetry and storytelling. I started then admiring his style and his writing, and with each new album or new song, I fell deeper in love with his music. I appreciate Ron’s lyrical mastery more than anything. He can capture so many emotions with his writing that has brought me tears, laughter, goosebumps and anger. He was one of the most gifted writers and I’m so happy that he is finally being recognized for his lyrical magic. Something else I really admired about Ron was his identity as an artist; many people had opinions on him and his music, but he stayed true to his art, and he created music that will last forever.”

Initially, a show, limited to 50 people – to meet social distancing guidelines – was scheduled for Friday, August 21, but tickets sold so quickly that a second show was added for Saturday night.

Mooney said that, apart from it being a Ron Hynes tribute, for many, it was their first concert since the shutdown back in April.

“People were very appreciative, and it was a great, great evening of entertainment,” she said. “There was such relief on the faces of the people there… people were so, so happy. And all I could hear was people saying, ‘We should have more of this.’”

Barbour said the show was a rousing success — despite pre-show, COVID jitters.

“The tribute show was amazing. I mean, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel “odd.” The first night I spoke with one of the administrators at the Folk Arts council we agreed that there was almost a nervousness in the air, which made the atmosphere a little different from pre-COVID settings. But overall, I knew people thoroughly enjoyed getting back to getting out and enjoying some live music and other people’s company, safely and by regulatory approval. The show meant so much more to me than just breaking the long stretch of being ‘barred in.’ Anyone who knows me, knows that I admire Ron’s music. So, to be able to do a tribute to him, in our hometown of Ferryland to two sold out audiences, is something that will linger in my heart forever.”

Barbour played three sets, including a number of her own Hynes favorites.

“’Get Back Change’, is one of my all time favourites; this song was my Nan’s favourite Hynes song, she loved it so much I had to make it a ringtone on her house phone. So, that one has become a family favourite,” said Barbour. “Another one that I love is “Dark River” which he co-wrote with his nephew Joel Hynes. This song captured my heart as soon as I heard it; the melody is a waltz and the lyrics are so relatable to small town life and the beauty that lingers there.”

Aside from Barbour’s performance, friend Cyril O’ Keefe spoke to his remembrances of Hynes.

“Cyril went to school with him and stayed at the same boarding house when they were going to university,” explained Mooney. “Cyril would wake at 2 o’clock in the morning and the light would be on and Ron would be scribbling away at his songs.”

Mooney moved to Ferryland in 1975 to teach, boarding with, of all people, Ron’s mother.

“She was obviously very proud of him, and of the work he had done,” said Mooney.

By 1975, the year Mooney moved to Ferryland, Hynes had already released his debut album Discovery, reportedly the first album released by a Newfoundlander comprised of entirely original material.

“Ron came all the time to visit his mom. And Ron was always at our (summer folk) festival, he was a big drawing card for the festival. People came to the festival just to hear Ron Hynes,” added Mooney. “Some people might say that Ron didn’t appreciate where he came from. But that’s not true, that’s not true at all.”

And Ferryland, said Mooney, appreciates Hynes.

“The name Ron Hynes is synonymous with Ferryland. And, Ferryland with Ron Hynes. People well say, ‘Oh, you’re from Ferryland— did you know Ron Hynes?’ or ‘Ron Hynes, he’s the guy from Ferryland!’ Ferryland is very proud of Ron… there is no such thing as a concert here in Ferryland at anytime where someone does not sing a Ron song. You’ve got to have a Ron Hynes song, or it’s not a concert in Ferryland.”

Barbour, meanwhile, said that she would like to see Ferryland honour Hynes legacy in other ways in the future.

“My dream is to one day have something to honour Ron here in our hometown. Maybe a Ron Hynes festival and a site that acts as a monument to point out his accomplishments and maybe some type of statue and bio,” she said. “I know we can do it together, because in the past when Ron needed help during his diagnosis with cancer, I was a proud member of a wonderful fundraising committee; a committee full of love, respect and admiration for Ron as an artist and as a fellow Ferrylander.”

Hynes was the second of five children born to Tom and Mary (O’ Neill) Hynes of Ferryland. He was a founding member of The Wonderful Grand Band, and released seven solo albums throughout his career.

A seven-time East Coast Music Awards winner and past Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards nominee, Hynes was the recipient of a number of other prestigious awards, including an honorary Doctor of Letters from Memorial University and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

In July of 2012, Hynes was diagnosed with throat cancer, and died on November 19, 2015.