Abby Moss was born and raised in Gander, NL. She has studied Communications and History at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She began her career as a seasonal worker at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in 2013, and she has just finished her fifth summer with the museum. Doing work from creating exhibits to digitizing archives, she now holds the role as Tour Coordinator with Beyond Words Tour, a 9/11 tour of Gander. She has represented the museum at a local level with on the Gander Heritage Advisory Committee, and most recently on an international level in Azores, Portugal where she was the sole Canadian participant in the academic conference, where she presented on behalf of the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. We chat about her work, the tours, and her recent trip.
Dr. Lisa Daly has been working in the heritage sector since 2001, first with the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, then Parks Canada, and now as a tour guide and museum coordinator. She holds a B.A. in archaeology from MUN, a M.Sc. in forensic and biological anthropology from Bournemouth University, and holds her Ph.D. in archaeology from MUN. Her study focus is aviation in Newfoundland and Labrador. Up to now, most of her academic work has focused on World War II aviation in Gander, Goose Bay and Stephenville, but she has also done some work on pre- and post-war aviation history in the province.
In this podcast, we talk about how Lisa got her start as the Plane Crash Girl, consider the many “firsts” of Newfoundland aviation history, and discuss the condition and appropriate stewardship of plane crash sites. We also chat about the flights of the Hindenburg over Newfoundland, and reflect on recent theories surrounding the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Follow her work on Twitter @planecrashgirl or her blog, www.planecrashgirl.ca.
With the Youth Heritage Forum just weeks away it's time we get to know a bit about our guest speakers! We'll be profiling one of our youth speakers each week leading up to the forum, and to get the gears turning I asked each of them why are you passionate about heritage?
Guest Speaker: Lisa M. Daly
Lisa M. Daly has been working in the heritage sector since 2001, first with the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, then Parks Canada, and now as a tour guide, both independent and with Wildland Tours. She holds a B.A. in archaeology from MUN, a M.Sc. in forensic and biological anthropology from Bournemouth University, and is in the process of completing a Ph.D. in archaeology from MUN. Her study focus is aviation in Newfoundland and Labrador. Up to now, most of her academic work has focused on World War II aviation in Gander, Goose Bay and Stephenville, but she has also done some work on pre- and post-war aviation history in the province. She is also collecting stories and images of the Hindenburg as it flew over Newfoundland. In her free time, she loves to explore the beauty and culture of the province. Follow her work on Twitter, @planecrashgirl, or her blog,www.planecrashgirl.ca.
Why are you passionate about heritage?
I am passionate about heritage because it is who we are. Our culture, history, landscape, etc. it all shapes us as individuals and as a people. Exploring heritage allows us to learn about ourselves and our neighbours, and gives us the opportunity to bring new people into that culture. Wherever I go, I try to imerse myself in a community as best I can, and I try to give that experience to visitors as a tour guide. The challenge is to do that when exploring on a tour bus. As an archaeologist, I am fortunate to get to talk to people about the history and stories of an area. Sometimes what I find in the material culture doesn't agree with those stories, but it certainly leads to great discussion and doesn't take away from the importance of those stories to the community.
Want to hear more from Lisa? Join us for Youth Heritage Forum 2015!
From 1936 to 1937, the German dirigible, LZ 129 Hindenburg made 14 flights over Newfoundland. Researchers at Memorial University are trying to recount and record these trips and are looking for first and second hand stories of the Hindenburg flying over Newfoundland and Labrador. Documents show that the Hindenburg was spotted over Brigus, CBS, Corner Brook, Cupids, Fortune, Lamaline, North West River, Pouch Cove, St. Anthony, St. John’s and Stephenville.
If you or someone you know remembers the Hindenburg passing overhead, have heard stories of it, know of other communities where it was spotted, or have pictures, please email historicaviation@gmail.com so that this amazing piece of Newfoundland history can be recorded and saved.
"This video might also be of interest to you," notes archaeologist Lisa Daly. "It's taken near Cape Race on the final flight of the airship."
Hindenburg survivor, German journalist Leonhard Adelt, wrote:
"On the third day we sighted Newfoundland. Binoculars and cameras appeared, and my wife’s delight grew when the white dots along the coast turned out to be icebergs. The captain ordered the ship to fly low and steer toward them. Very slowly we passed over the most beautiful, which looked like a magic marble statue. The sun came out and laid a double rainbow around the airship. The giant iceberg turned into a monument of sparkling brilliance. We glimpsed the foothills, the lighthouse on Cape Race, the limitless forests of the hinterland. Then the coast sprang back and we floated, a gray object in a gray mist, over the invisible sea."
And, if you haven't seen it, check out this original footage from the British Pathe archive. It shows impressive shots of the Hindenburg flying over its landing ground at Lakehurst, New Jersey, and then footage of the famous crash. View it on YouTube here.
