November 24, 2023 Edition
The Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department held it’s 34th annual Firefighters Ball last week, and a number of members were recognised with special presentations. In the left photo, Fire Chief Jack Gatherall (left) presents Captain Daniel Vickers with the Firefighter of the Year award. In the right photo, Gatherall presents Assistant Chief Shane Cole with a 20-year service pin. Firefighter Wes Learning was presented with a five-year service pin while Captain Adam Doyle was presented with a 10-year service pin. The Department currently boasts 30 volunteers and a paid fire chief. Submitted photos
The Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department held it’s 34th annual Firefighters Ball last week, and a number of members were recognised with special presentations. In the left photo, Fire Chief Jack Gatherall (left) presents Captain Daniel Vickers with the Firefighter of the Year award. In the right photo, Gatherall presents Assistant Chief Shane Cole with a 20-year service pin. Firefighter Wes Learning was presented with a five-year service pin while Captain Adam Doyle was presented with a 10-year service pin. The Department currently boasts 30 volunteers and a paid fire chief. Submitted photos
By Mark Squibb
November 17, 2023 Edition
After more than a year of waiting for the Town of Witless Bay to come to the table with a new funding deal, the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association has broken the logjam affecting the future of recreation on that part of the Southern Shore by reaching a merger agreement with Bay Bulls to take over management of the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre.
While the Town will remain financially responsible for the Centre, the BBBAA will take over its management.
"With the recent vacancy of the Facilities Manager position at the BBRLC, The Town of Bay Bulls saw a great opportunity to merge with the BBBAA,” said Bay Bulls Mayor Keith O’Driscoll. “The Town of Bay Bulls has since entered into a partnership with the BBBAA to merge the BBRLC operations with the recreational services of the BBBAA.”
O’Driscoll said given the vacancy, this was a prime time to merge the two entities as the Town can use the monies that would typically be used to pay the facility manager’s salary to fund the BBBAA instead, in addition to the funding already provided to the BBBAA through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
O’Driscoll said he would rather not share what the salary amount is, but noted it won’t affect residents’ pocketbooks, as the funds had already been allocated in the Town’s budget.
“This is not going to impact our budget in any way, nor is it going to cause any changes in mil rate or what have you,” said O’Driscoll. “At the end of the day, the operations for the BBBAA are not going to change, there’s still going to be a regional board providing recreation as a regional entity. But this merger allows the recreation to be enhanced by the use of the building, and the Town is going to benefit from the programing within the building.”
BBBAA chairman Scott Penney said the merger is a good news story all around.
“This is a great news story, because we’ve solidified funding and we’ve solidified the future,” said Penney. “I can tell you, the last five or six months we’ve been discussing this with the Town it’s been a very collaborative, very positive, two-way discussion, and moving forward I don’t see any issues.”
Penney added the merger will benefit the Town of Bay Bulls in the long term financially.
“Residents coming in and building homes into the community want these services,” said Penney. “And I think that’s the opportunity Bay Bulls saw.”
For years, the Town of Bay Bulls and the Town of Witless Bay both contributed $37,000 annually to the organization, as per MOU’s signed between the organization and both towns. In return, the BBBAA acted as a defacto recreation department for both communities.
The board’s MOU with the Town of Witless Bay expired at the close of 2022, and council deferred the decision to renew time and time again, until it eventually fell off the agenda altogether.
Scott said that payments to the BBBAA from Witless Bay ceased following the expiration of the MOU, although the Town did agree to give the association $1,000 towards its Canada Day Celebrations this summer.
“For us, it’s always been about the long-term stability of the BBBAA and ensuring that our employees have long-term employment, and so we try and take away any uncertainty when it comes to the future of our organization,” said Penney. “The last couple of years have been considerably challenging with the Town of Witless Bay, and for us. The non-commitment on the extension of our MOU really created uncertainty, and we thought the prudent thing to do would be to try and solidify funding and a relationship that would see the long-term future of the BBBAA succeed, but as well, give employees the long-term stability that they certainly deserve…. We couldn’t see a future working with this current (Witless Bay) council. That’s really what happened. It gets to a point where there’s no path forward, and I think we reached that point… But luckily, we have a community council in Bay Bulls that was willing to step up and fund the BBBAA and merge that as one.”
The Irish Loop Post reached out to both Witless Bay Mayor Trevor Croft and Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard. Croft directed any questions regarding the announcement to the Town’s CAO Jennifer Aspell.
The Irish Loop Post asked Aspell if Witless Bay has any plans to fund its own recreation program or hire a recreation director. Aspell said the Town is preparing for Budget 2024 and is considering how to best move forward in respect to recreation. She added the Town was only made aware of the merger this week, and council has not yet discussed it in any detail.
The BBBAA, meanwhile will continue to operate as usual.
“Nothing is going to change here, this just provides us with stability and eliminates all the uncertainty that came with the Witless Bay council,” said Penney. “At the end of the day, this is a very positive outcome.”
The BBBAA runs an active-school program as well as summer camps, a soccer program, winter carnivals, Canada Day celebrations, and other events. That programming will continue following the merger.
Penney said there’s uncertainty as to whether the two boards will eventually merge as one, but added those details will be worked out in the coming months.
Penney himself, along with some other members, will be stepping aside in the coming months to make way for younger board members.
By Mark Squibb
November 17, 2023 Edition
A team of runners from Baltimore School in Ferryland claimed the third spot in the provincial cross-country tournament held in Stephenville this October.
The team only formed about two months prior to the meet.
“I was doing a pile of running myself to stay in shape,” explained coach Dale Reddy. “I said to my son Landon, ‘Why don’t you have a team on the go, Baltimore always had a team and always were competitive. And he said ‘Well, we don’t have a coach, why don’t you coach?’ And I said, ‘I got no trouble with that.’”
Reddy, who himself helped earn a number of cross-country provincial banners for Baltimore while he was a student there, says 17 runners showed up for the first practice, most of whom stuck with the team the entire season.
He said that most of the boys were in shape from playing other sports, but had never competed in cross country before, though they were quick to learn the ropes.
The regional championship held in Carbonear on October 18 was a test the boys passed with flying colours — the team placed first overall.
“It was pouring down rain, and we had ponchos picked up from the Dollar Store, and we all had our gloves and toques and all that,” said Reddy. “And we had to fight through some injuries. One of our top runners had a concussion probably nine or 10 days before playing hockey so he was nursing that injury, and another one of our top runners injured his foot that week.”
Reddy said that of the six boys who participated in the regional tournament in Carbonear, five earned medals. A member of the team, who earned multiple medals, dropped off one of his medals to the runner who hadn’t received one.
Following the regional championship, those five boys qualified for the provincial tournament held in Stephenville on October 28. The boys placed third provincially.
“What an awesome group of kids,” said Reddy. “It was the highlight of my career, above and beyond running myself… They helped each other out and coached one another and lifted each other’s spirits.”
A rotational worker, Reddy sometimes had to attend competitions virtually over the internet. Natalie Normore picked up the slack while he was out of the province, and Reddy said the team could not have held together had Normore not stepped up.
Reddy, meanwhile, is already looking ahead to next year.
“Baltimore Broncos are going to be seeing provincial banners in the future,” he predicted.
Baltimore School’s cross country team has had a successful year, and placed third in the provincial tournament this fall. From left to right are coach Dale Reddy, and runners Daniel O’ Brien, Logan Perdunn, Landon Reddy, Zachery Ryan, Evan Power, and assistant coach Natalie Normore. Submitted photo
By Mark Squibb
November 10, 2023 Edition
The Canada Post Community Foundation last week announced it is granting the Manuels River Foundation $25,000 to support the Sparks of Curiosity Club in CBS.
"Canada Post is proud to help organizations and projects that make a difference in the lives of Canadian children and youth,” said Doug Ettinger, President and CEO of Canada Post. “Through the generosity of our customers and employees, the Canada Post Foundation is able to fund important programs in communities across the country every year.”
Sparks of Curiosity is an educational experience that promotes environmental awareness, encourages stewardship, and prepares youth for the science and technology-driven world of the future.
The six-week program, which is open to students in grades 4 through 6, will run three times over the 2023/2024 school year. Registration is now open.
The Southern Shore Breakers did well for themselves at the Avalon East Senior Hockey League (AESHL) 2022-23 regular season awards show this past month, bringing home awards in four of 10 categories, the most of any senior team last season. Breakers Captain Jeremey Nicholas, who is pictured with Breakers General Manager Ian Sullivan (left) and AESHL Secretary Luke Bidgood (right), was awarded the Kevin Butt Memorial MVP Regular Season Award and Fan Favorite Award (as voted on by the fans.) Nicholas was the only player to receive two awards. Breaker Keenan Kennedy was awarded the Ken Maynard Memorial Top Forward Defensive Award. Breaker Michael Chafe, along with Adam Nolan of the Conception Bay Blues, was awarded the Ken Nagle Memorial Sportsmanship and Dedication award. Nathan Ryan photo
By Mark Squibb
November 10, 2023 Edition
Some residents in Ferryland have recently formed a steering committee to help with the possible repurposing of the Ferryland Courthouse.
The committee, formed this October, is made up of of councillors, local history buffs, and other folks from the community.
“We’ve got a great committee,” said Ferryland Mayor Aidan Costello, who is temporarily acting as committee chair. “We’ve only had one meeting so far, but we’ve set an agenda for ourselves moving forward. We need to get some engineering work done, we need to look at new uses for the building, and so on. We’re in the early stages of development of the redevelopment for that building, but we have a great committee and we’re eager to attack this new project.”
The Town bought the building, which has been recognised by Heritage NL as a registered heritage structure, a few years back and used some $100,000 in COVID-stimulus funding to do some renovations, mostly to the interior. The renovations included upgrades to the heating and electrical systems, installation of new windows, and some exterior work on the north-east corner.
“The Town is paying the light bill and the insurance, and so on, so we want to try and find a use for it, not only to help pay those bills, but to also attract people to the town,” said Costello.
The building, recognizable by its steep gable roof, wooden clapboard, and green and white colour scheme, was built in 1916 by the Bank of Montreal but was later converted to a courthouse and RNC headquarters (the story goes that the bank vault was converted to a jail cell.) The building also housed a doctor’s house and from 1974 until recently was home to a community museum.
Since the building is a heritage structure, Costello said it can be repurposed so long as the structure of the building and the exterior look of it is protected and maintained.
“As long as we don’t change the look of the building, we’re all good,” Costello said.
By Mark Squibb
November 10, 2023 Edition
In 2016, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 34 in Ferryland commemorated World War I veterans by placing crosses, each bearing the name of a known World War I veteran from the region, in the grounds around the Ferryland cenotaph.
Branch 34 member Guy Barnable said the response to that act of remembrance was so positive the Legion has taken it upon themselves to commemorate World War II veterans from Bay Bulls to Cappahayden.
“I think Newfoundland and Labrador has always been really good at commemorating military contributions,” said Barnable. “And a lot of these World War II veterans, our generation grew up with, so we have that connection to them. They were either our grandparents or great-grandparents, or our parents. And now that a lot of them have passed, people are recognising that we can’t forget their sacrifices.”
The Branch has assembled a list of over 200 World War II veterans who were either born on the Southern Shore or settled there after the war. That list has been posted to social media, and can be made available on request. Barnable is asking people to reach out to him at legionbranch34project@gmail.com or 709-763-6070 if they know of anyone missing from the list or if there are any errors on it.
“Please don't assume Legion Branch 34 has information on a veteran,” said Barnable. “We would much rather hear from someone with information they already have than not hear from them at all.”
Barnable said the Legion is also interested in hearing from family members or friends who may be able to provide photographs or further information such as dates of service.
Branch 34 is hoping to have all the information compiled by March 2024.
It’s been a good season for softball at Baltimore School in Ferryland. Both the boys and girls softball teams won their respective provincial championships this fall. The boys claimed the Boys 2A Provincial Softball Championship title two weekends back. In the back row, from left to right, are coach Wendy Walsh, Matthew Molloy, Connor Doyle, Lucas Shannahan, Zachary Ryan, Jackson Boland, Landon Reddy, Cameron Shannahan, Nathaniel Walsh, William Carey, Lynden Doyle, Daniel O'Brien, Kaleb Hawkins, Evan Power, and coach Liam Walsh. In the front row, from left to right, are Warren Hayden and Trent Walsh. The girls claimed the title earlier this October. In the back row, from left to right, are Olivia Ryan, Julia Kavanagh, Jane Coady, Isabella O'Leary, Rachel O'Brien, Shyanne Rossiter, and Addison Mayo. In the front row, from left to right, are Gracie Doyle, Ava Brothers, Kendall Walsh, and Allie O'Brien. Submitted photos
By Mark Squib
November 3, 2023 Edition
Witless Bay council earlier this fall approved a number of different donation requests from various community groups.
Council donated $100 each to St. Bernard's Elementary and Mobile Central High School to support their breakfast programs operated by the Kids Eat Smart Foundation, for a total of $200.
“The Kids Eat Smart Foundation issued a call for donations, and all donations received are matched by Kids Eat Smart,” said councillor Ralph Carey. “So, every dollar donated is actually equal to two dollars.”
Council also donated $200 to the RCMP’s D.A.R.E. program to implement programming about the dangers of drug use to students attending the two schools.
Town CAO Jennifer Aspell noted the RCMP revamped the program during COVID. While it used to focus entirely on drug awareness, she said, it now also focuses on internet safety, bullying, bicycle safety, and more.
Aspell said the RCMP handed out bicycle helmets around the community last summer, and that the organization is very community minded.
Council also donated $1,600 for the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department — $100 of which is earmarked for the purchase of treats for the annual Pumpkin Stroll, while $1,500 will go towards the annual firefighters’ ball.
Council also offered the department free use of the Puffin Centre for the event. The brigade will also be requesting donations from neighbouring communities to support the ball.
By Mark Squibb
November 3, 2023 Edition
Witless Bay council has voted to lend a local ATV Association a helping hand by agreeing to cover the cost of having the Town’s engineering consultant advise the association regarding a potential bridge installation along the railbed.
“The ATV Association is completing repairs to washed out sections of the railbed, and one section of the trail requires the installation of a bridge,” explained councillor Ralph Carey, who moved that council foot the bill for the consultant’s time.
Town CAO Jennifer Aspell noted the engineer will provide the association with a proposed work scope and cost estimate. Members of council believe the association plans to apply for funding to complete the actual work.
Councillor Jacob Hayden, the chairman of the ATV Association, declared a conflict of interest and left the room during the discussion.
