Nineteen years after the Presentation Sisters sold their convent and left Witless Bay, 13 of them, five of whom were former residents, returned for afternoon tea. The reunion, organized by the Heritage Committee of Witless Bay, had been planned for last November but was postponed due to a case of COVID, and a hoped-for visit on Valentine’s Day was delayed due to a winter storm. Finally, it proceeded on a sunny Saturday, May 13. On arrival, the sisters were greeted by members of the Heritage Committee. Also attending were several local residents, some of whom were taught by the sisters, who graciously volunteered to help with Heritage Committee events. After being encouraged to leave the kitchen where all migrated upon entering the house, they were escorted to the second storey chapel where Heritage Committee Co-Chair Maureen Walsh and member Colleen Hanrahan described the committee’s activities since its formation in 2004, and the role the former convent played. The youngest member of the Committee, Chelsea Green, delivered a solo rendition of Patsy Cline’s Walking After Midnight to an appreciative audience including her grandparents, parents and brother. Following this, all were invited to the dining room for tea, sandwiches, and sweets. The afternoon ended with a singalong accompanied with live accordion music. “In all, it was a wonderful afternoon in a historic setting which the Irish Presentation Sisters first occupied in 1860,” said Walsh. Above, starting at the top of the stairs and going from left to right are: Sr. Doris Walsh, Sr. Sheila Leonard, Sr. Margaret Mary Gosse, Sr. Marie Furey, Sr. Francis Pennell, Sr. Mary Molloy, Sr. Helen Martinez, Sr. Mary Rossiter, Sr. Betty Quinlan, Sr. Marilyn Doyle, Sr. Mary Dower, Sr. Roisin Gannon, and Sr. Clo Martin. Missing from the photo is Sr. Martina O'Reilly, who is also a former student.
Ferryland and Holyrood RCMP launch Summer Safety Program with prizes
Officers and auxiliary members from the Ferryland and Holyrood RCMP detachments in partnership with Avalon T’Railways launched a Summer Safety Program last weekend aimed at educating young people about how to enjoy an accident-free summer.
Educational check points were held at Horse Chops and Deer Park. During the check points, ATV safety pamphlets were handed out and the members chatted with people about ATV safety, the use of bicycle helmets, safe practices while swimming and the use of personal floatation devices while boating.
Young people who are observed this summer demonstrating safety will be awarded a “Safety Citation.” Each ticket comes with a voucher for a prize which can be redeemed at a later date.
Media Relations Officer Corporal Jolene Garland said the force would like to thank the local sponsors for their generosity and support. That group includes Circle K, Holyrood, O’Brien’s Clover Farm, Cape Broyle, The Orange Store – Holyrood and Witless Bay locations, The Rental Hutch, Mobile, Rising Tide Convenience, Harbour Main, Riverside Restaurant and Lounge, Cape Broyle, The Scoop, Bay Bulls, and the Station Diner, Holyrood,
Garland said the RCMP is pleased to work with its partners and local residents to create safer communities for all and wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable summer.
Council comes across for Kinsmen community cleanup
By Mark Squibb \ May 26, 2023
The Town of Witless Bay approved two donation requests from two community groups during the May 9 public meeting.
The first was a request from the Kinsman Club for a dumpster for their annual community clean up. Council agreed to cover the cost of the dumpster rental at $195, plus tax, as well as the cost of dumping the garbage following the clean up. The price will be based on the weight of the garbage, but councillor Ralph Carey, who brought forward the motion, estimated it could be around $500.
The clean up was held on May 13.
Council also approved annual funding in the amount of $1,000 for the Heritage Committee.
Carey said he believed the committees’ book, Bygone Days of Witless Bay, was currently in it’s third printing.
Council approved the motions unanimously, excepting that Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard was not in attendance at the meeting and thus did not vote on either matter.
Cape Broyle receives government grant to manage its assets
By Mark Squibb \ May 26, 2023
The Town of Cape Broyle was one of 14 municipalities across the province to receive funding from the federal government to implement asset management strategies.
The community received $40,320 under the program.
According to a release from the federal government, asset management helps communities manage their municipal infrastructure assets such as roads, arenas, bridges, and drinking water and wastewater systems, helping councils make informed decisions.
All told, government doled out more than $580,000 for the 14 community projects.
Other communities to receive funding include LaScie, New Perlican, Hants Harbour, Parson’s Pond, St. Jacques-Coomb’s Cove, Trinity Bay North, Long Harbour-Mount Arlington Heights, Centreville-Wareham-Trinity, York Harbour, Buchans, Whitbourne, King’s Point, and Lewin’s Cove.
Communities were awarded a maximum of $50,000.
The money comes from the government’s $110-million Municipal Asset Management Program.
‘We just want to keep what’s ours’
Cape Broyle group making progress in effort to buy back their church
Local men volunteered their labour to build Immaculate Conception Church in Cape Broyle in 1946-47. The local church committee has formed a foundation to buy the building from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese so that it is not lost in an auction of diocese owned property to raise money to compensate victims of abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage. Photos courtesy of Mike Power
By Craig Westcott \ May 18, 2023
A group of volunteers in Cape Broyle who are raising money to buy their community church are pleased with the support they're getting along the shore, and are fully aware of the financial obligation they are taking on, says Wayne Kenney, a spokesperson for the group.
Immaculate Conception Church is among the long list of Roman Catholic Church properties being sold to pay settlements to some of the victims of sexual and physical abuse at Mount Cashel Orphanage. Kenney said the parishioners and members of the Cape Broyle Church fully support compensation for the victims.
"We are 100 per cent behind the support the victims are getting now," Kenney said. "We're not trying to lowball our bid, or trying to keep anybody else from supporting the victims... And we feel that the contribution we're making by buying this church is going to the right people, it's going to the victims of Mount Cashel."
Under the stipulations of an agreement between the foundation and the Archdiocese, the Cape Broyle group can't say how much they are paying for the building.
"The church still hasn't been settled away quite yet," said Kenney. "We have an offer in that has been tentatively accepted, but financing and all the other paperwork that needs to be done hasn't been completed yet. So, we are (still) in the process of buying the church.”
Kenney said to the best of his knowledge, the foundation was the only bidder for Immaculate Conception. He describes it as beautiful inside with "priceless" stained glass windows donated by local families. But he allowed it would be a big expense for most people to take on. The church needs a bathroom, upgrades to the windows and wiring, new insulation, and the wood in the bell tower needs to be replaced. The bell is actually situated on a steel stand outside the church, but is still rung on special occasions.
"It's an old building and it needs a lot of work, but it's something we're willing to do over time," Kenney said. "It's a lifetime of work. There's obviously no way of getting it all done the one time, but over time, over many years I would assume, by the time we finish doing the last thing, the first thing will need to be redone."
The people of Cape Broyle built Immaculate Conception themselves in the 1940s. Local men cut and milled the timbers for it, the community's fishermen donated part of their wages, and the women raised money by selling dried fish. The first Mass in the building was Christmas Eve 1947. The building replaced an earlier church that has since been converted into Cape Broyle's community hall.
"Everything went to the church, to build the church," said Kenney. "It would be a terrible thing to lose it. Just the significance of the forefathers of this community building it and worshipping there since 1947, it would be an absolute sin to lose it at this stage through something that's no fault of the community."
The church is still used for Mass every weekend. With parishes on the Southern Shore being reorganized, Cape Broyle worshippers are hoping they will be able to keep their parish priest, Fr. Joe Morz, or at least get to share one.
"We do hold other things in the church," said Kenney. "We held a community concert there Christmas, we held quilt shows there for Come Home Year last summer. So, we're trying to utilize it more than a Sunday morning, Saturday evening church service. We want it to be there for baptisms and we want it to be there to say goodbye to our loved ones. It's not like you're going to use it everyday, but when you need the church, we want it available to the community."
Kenney said the people of Cape Broyle have been maintaining the Church and paying the power bills on it since at least the 1970s. Most of the members of the church committee are still working, Kenney noted, and maintaining day jobs while devoting increasing amounts of time to the needs of the building.
The announcement that the church would be sold came as a surprise, but not a shock.
"I would say the biggest emotion was disappointment," Kenney said. "You sort of felt the Archdiocese was only holding the church for us in trust. Even though it's in their name, it's our church. And then to be turned around and told that everything you put into it is not yours and you have no rights to it? It's disappointing."
Since then, the foundation put its finances in a position to be able to take on the burden of a mortgage and entered the bidding process. “We made several bids and were refused several times," said Kenney.
The property was listed at $189,900 initially.
"Obviously the little community of Cape Broyle cannot afford that," Kenney said. "We were well aware as a committee what we could afford, because once it was all said and done, the church had to be paid for... So, we bided our time and we only bid what we thought we could afford to pay after the process was done."
After several bids, the latest one was tentatively accepted.
"The survey has to be done for the lot," Kenney said. "And then I guess it's up to the real estate (agents) when they want it closed and how they want to do it. We're just following along as we're being told what to do."
Kenney said the group is working really hard to raise money. It has a GoFundMe page on the internet, holds a weekly Chase the Ace lottery at Riverside Lounge, and stages an occasional concert to bring in donations. This Sunday, the organizers of the Chase the Ace will turn over the 14th card in the deck. The jackpot is estimated to be around $3,000. The Go Fund Me page is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-our-church-for-our-community.
"We're slowly getting there, I must say. I'm very pleased," said Kenney. "We're a small community with a small population base and we totally understand that people can only give what they can give."
Kenney said people along other parts of the shore, who are also struggling to keep their churches in some cases, have been more than generous with financial advice and encouragement.
"The support is great, we couldn't ask for more," Kenney said. "The road is a long road... But we are very determined that the church will stay in the community... It's the focal point of this community and has been since 1947. We just want to keep what's ours.”
Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove at Softball NL's award ceremony
The community of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove was well represented at Softball NL’s award ceremony this past week. The organization handed out four years’ worth of softball awards, as the ceremonies for previous years had been cancelled due to the pandemic. A number of men from the picturesque fishing village took home hardware. Colin Walsh was named the Senior Male Player of the Year for 2020, 2021, and 2022. Mark Stack was named Junior Male Player of the Year for 2020, and Ryan Maher was named Junior Male Player of the Year for 2022. Pictured are Stack, left, and Maher. Submitted photo
BBBAA funding deal still “in the works,” says Croft
By Mark Squibb \ May 12, 2023
Despite the item having fallen off the public meeting agenda for months, the Town of Witless Bay is apparently still working on a funding arrangement with the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association (BBBAA).
The Irish Loop Post put the question to council during a question-and-answer session following this week’s public meeting. Mayor Trevor Croft said an agreement is “still in the works.”
When asked if there was a definite timeline on when a deal might be struck, and whether that deal will be finalized before the recreation-heavy summer months hit, Croft said there was no definite timeline yet in place.
For several years, the Town has contributed $37,000 annually to the BBBAA, as per a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The Town of Bay Bulls pays an equal amount and in turn the BBBAA provides recreation services for the entire region.
That MOU expired at the close of 2022, and though the item had appeared on Witless Bay’s agenda a number of times, it was delayed time and time again.
In early December, councillor Nancy Burke, who serves as council’s BBBAA liaison, noted a decision would need to be reached soon, as the Town was budgeting for 2023.
Former councillor Alex Troake, who chaired the Town’s finance committee and had recommended council should re-consider signing a new MOU at all before resigning from council last month, said earlier this year that $37,000 had been earmarked for the BBBAA in the 2023 budget should council once again move forward. If the Town chooses not to enter into an agreement, that money will be used for other recreational purposes.
The Town of Bay Bulls elected to once again enter into the MOU with the BBBAA as per usual.
Witless Bay woman out to beat melanoma second time around as she raises funds for others
By Mark Squibb \ May 12, 2023
Beverly Corrigan-Barbour is once again organizing a Strides for Melanoma awareness walk for people along the Southern Shore.
“It’s a passion of mine, getting information out there and helping people on a yearly basis,” said Barbour, herself a Melanoma cancer survivor who began hosting the walk in 2020 after realizing no one else in the province had been doing so. “I made it my goal to make sure, that for that year at least, we were involved. The first year, people really enjoyed themselves, and people were becoming more informed and making decisions around sun safety… We had some people go and get moles checked and get treatment for skin cancer, not Melanoma thankfully. So, those positive things I’m hearing, and each year I think, ‘I need to do this again.’”
In March of 2019, Barbour noticed a very small mole on the side of her left knee. She decided to have the mole checked. Her family doctor removed it and sent it for further testing.
When her doctor called her back and told her it was Melanoma, she believed that because it was only a tiny mole and it was caught early, the Melanoma would clear up quickly.
“I honestly believed that because it was removed, I had nothing to worry about,” said Barbour. “I was very wrong… I, along with my family and close friends, were placed into unfamiliar territory; the world of a cancer patient with a full schedule of scans, tests, and specialist appointments. I had lymph nodes removed from my groin and a three-inch excision on the lateral portion of my knee. Thankfully, after six weeks of waiting for the results, it hadn't spread to my organs as it could have at a very quick rate.”
In March 2022, just ahead of last year’s walk, Barbour was diagnosed with Recurrent Malignant Melanoma.
“It’s been a rough year, between the surgeries and the treatments,” said Barbour. “Some days are better than others, But I keep a really positive attitude and I keep healthy, as healthy a lifestyle as I can. But it does put it into perspective, just how quickly this can come back… I don’t want people to go through this unnecessarily. There are so many cancers out there that are beyond people’s control, but this one, people can, with some wisdom, avoid.”
Barbour said it’s important that folks protect themselves against harmful UV rays.
“It takes only one blistering sunburn before the age of 20 to increase a person's chances of developing Melanoma,” said Barbour. “And once somebody knows that, and I’m sure we’ve all had at least one sunburn, it makes us aware that that little mole could be melanoma. If there’s any change in colour or size, or you have any concerns, get it checked out.”
She encourages people to use broad spectrum sunscreen, which protects from both UVA (ultraviolet A radiation) and UVB (ultraviolet B radiation) rays, and apply it at least 15 minutes before heading out, and to re-apply it frequently.
Strides for Melanoma is a national walk held across Canada on May 28.
The walk will start at 10 o’ clock at 16 Old Witless Bay Line. Folks will walk 2.5 kilometres and then return, making a full five kilometres. Following the walk there will be fundraising, games, live entertainment by Brian Finn and Con O’Brien, and guest speakers.
“It’s a really fun-filled afternoon,” said Barbour.
Barbour and her team of volunteers and walkers have raised over $18,000 the past three walks.
Donations go to Melanoma Canada, which uses the money to support initiatives like Mole Mobile – Canada's first Mobile Skin Cancer Screening Unit.
Mole Mobile visits major cities, underserved communities, and rural and indigenous regions to help people get their moles checked out. Mole Mobile will operate from May through September for the next five years, and visit a different part of the country each summer.
Mole Mobile launched in Toronto this May, and will service Ontario this summer.
Barbour said initiatives like this would not be possible without donations.
You can donate at https://melanomanetwork.akaraisin.com/ui/strides2023/g/39152.
Bay Bulls one step closer to enlightenment
By Mark Squibb \ May 12, 2023
Councillor Jason Sullivan moved to approve the supply and installation of 40 solar lights along the trail to the lowest compliant bidder, JJL Electrical Ltd., for a total cost of $10,800, plus HST.
Councillor Shannon O’Driscoll seconded the motion, which passed unanimously, excepting that councillor Corey Ronayne was not present at the meeting and thus did not vote.
The Town was the recipient of some $16,320 in provincial government funding last month for the solar lights through the Province’s Building Age Friendly Community Grant program.
A date has not been set for the installation of the lights, although in a previous meeting CAO Jennifer Aspell had said the work is expected to begin once the weather clears.
Witless Bay awards tender to upgrade trail
By Mark Squibb \ May 5, 2023
Witless Bay council has awarded a tender for trail upgrades, although the exact nature of the work was not specified.
During last weeks’ public meeting, councillor Ralph Carey motioned that council award the tender for the trail work to Harbour Construction Ltd., in the amount of $12,525, plus HST.
Carey explained the trail runs along the Puffin Centre, and the Town had received Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) money for the project.
Councillor Jacob Hayden seconded the motion, and council, excepting councillor Gerard Dunn, who declared a conflict of interest on the matter as he works with the company, voted unanimously in favour of approving the motion.
A timeline for the work was not provided.
