The Hero and the Ugly Stick

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We slept in L'anse Aux Meadows to the sound of the wind buffeting the house, slapping it around a little. A storm crept in during the night and we awoke to 50 km/hr winds. Jenny prepared a lovely breakfast for us and the other couple staying there. She and her husband David were great hosts. Jenny and I exchanged jars of homemade jam - her partridgeberry for my blackberry. We both went away feeling we'd got the better end of the deal.

We talked about how close families are in Newfoundland and David said that there are four families in their village and they're all related - the Heddersons, Eddersons, Edisons and Hendersons. It's true. Not only that, but Mrs. Edderson's full brother died and the name on his tombstone says Hedderson. Crazy!

Jenny said that there are two CFA families in their village of 37 people, theirs and another family. CFA stands for "come from away", that is, not originally from Newfoundland.

We said our goodbyes and headed outside, struggling to stay upright against the wind. The waves threw themselves onto the rocky shore with great abandon. I held the car door firmly when I got in so that the wind wouldn't catch it and slam it back on me. We actually both felt a bit seasick in the car as it tossed us around on the winding roads leading out of town. It was what you call "a lot of weather". All the same, it was kind of exciting experiencing a Newfoundland storm.

In St Anthony's, we visited "The Grenfell Experience" Museum. British medical missionary Wilfred Grenfell arrived at Labrador in 1892 to investigate living conditions among local fishers for the United Kingdom's "National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen". He spent much of the summer sailing up and down the Labrador coast aboard a medical ship, treating about 900 people for a wide range of illnesses. This was only a fraction of the 25,000 men, women and children living in deplorable conditions in tiny temporary sheds without adequate food, clothing or medical treatment. Shocked by the area's widespread poverty and almost complete absence of medical resources, Grenfell spent the next year raising money to establish regular healthcare services in Labrador. He did much of this independent of the Mission, which felt Grenfell's vision was beyond its scope and finances. As a result, the Grenfell Mission eventually formed and provided medical services in Labrador for close to a century.

Along with providing medical services by ship and even sometimes by dogsled, Grenfell sought to improve living conditions in general. He hoped that by promoting education, agriculture, and industrial development, residents could be more self-reliant and create alternative sources of income. Over the ensuing years, the Mission opened a string of hospitals, an orphanage, school, and a series of co-operative stores and cooperative farms. Grenfell was a forceful speaker and easily gained the friendship of influential men. He tirelessly raised money in Europe and the U.S. through speaking engagements.

Grenfell was a heroic, adventurous doctor who stated, "When two courses are open, take the most venturesome".

In St. Anthony, the museum we visited contained photographs and memorabilia of his life and a statue in his honor stands in the town’s Grenfell Park. The hospital he constructed in 1924 still stands, and the International Grenfell Association, based in St. Anthony, continues his work.

We stopped next at the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse which was built in 1897. It is now automated, but the keeper’s house is open as a park interpretive exhibit. It was here that I got to play an ugly stick, which is a traditional Newfoundland musical instrument typically made from a mop handle with beer caps, tin cans, small bells and other noise makers attached to it. It sits in a rubber boot and you use a short stick to tap on the stick, shaking it to make everything on it rattle and stomping it on the floor. I went at it and was told I was a natural. Such a proud moment.

We returned to the same B&B in Gros Morne National Park that we had stayed in previously in Woody Point and had a quick dinner before retiring.

Tomorrow we head for Nova Scotia.

(Scroll to the bottom of the page for more photos.)

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