Friday, March 10, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep228 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Komatiks with Francine, Dave, and Walter

L-R: Sonny Winters, Francine Winters, and Dave Chaulk in front of completed komatiks.
Photo courtesy of Francine Winters.

In this episode we talk with apprentices Francine Winters, and Dave Chaulk of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and mentor Walter Fowler of Capstan Island. All three are are participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program.


Francine and Dave's mentor, Alfred Winters Jr (also known as Sonny), learned to make komatiks from his father, Alfred Winters Sr. Sonny's father was originally form Kamarsuk near Hopedale and was a renowned komatik builder featured in Them Days magazine. Sonny has made six or seven komatiks a year for the last twenty or thirty years.

Apprentice, Francine, developed carpentry skills from working on her house and cabin. She has always wanted to learn to build komatiks, and saw this program as a great way to learn the traditional methods. Dave is also interested in traditional activities, and found it important to learn from Elders in the community. He has worked with wood all his life creating everything from Christmas ornaments to ramps.

If you want to learn more about how to build komatiks please check out this document created by Francine Winters. It demonstrates how her dad, Sonny, builds komatiks and includes several photos of the process. 

Mentor, Walter Fowler, taught apprentice Peter Fowler how to make komatiks. Walter has been building komatiks for over 50 years. He first learned from his father, and older brother and continues making them for himself, his family, and people in Capstan Island and beyond.

Walter Fowler working on komatik.
Photo courtesy of Peter Fowler.
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Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Recognizing John Joseph “Joe” Gilmore as an Exceptional Person from the Past.


Join us virtually on National Aviation Day, Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00 pm, as Heritage NL celebrates the newest addition to our Provincial Historic Commemorations Program (PHCP) – John Joseph “Joe” Gilmore as an Exceptional Person from the Past. Facebook Live Event https://fb.me/e/5Obyx1DbH 

The PHCP (administered by Heritage NL) commemorates provincially significant aspects of our history and culture. It is unique in that it also recognizes intangible aspects of our culture and heritage – the customs, cultural practices, traditional skills and knowledge that define our province and our people.

Joan Ritcey, chair of the Commemorations selection committee, says, "the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program is an important element for the recognition and appreciation of our past. By recognizing our cultural traditions and history we honour our heritage and pass it on to future generations."

Since the Program's inception in 2010, 40 designations have been made, including the designation being recognized on February 23rd.  


Born in east Belfast in June 1900, John Joseph “Joe” Gilmore was a pilot, engineer, parachutist, innovator, inventor, and search and rescue specialist. He first came to Newfoundland before the outbreak of WWII, as an employee of the British carrier Imperial Airways. He helped set up the flying boat base at Botwood and flew as an engineer on several of Imperial’s experimental transatlantic flights in 1939. During the Second World War, Gilmore played a pivotal role in the success of the Royal Air Force Ferry Command. He arrived in Gander in 1941 with his wife and children as Ferry Command’s civilian superintendent of aircraft maintenance. 

Ferry pilots plying the North Atlantic during the war praised Gilmore as “the greatest airplane mechanic in the world today.” By war’s end in 1945, Ferry Command had delivered some ten thousand aircraft worldwide. The busiest airfield was Gander, which handled roughly forty-percent of the total delivery number. Gilmore and his maintenance section, working around the clock, deserve much credit for the success of the operation. Regrettably, Gilmore lost his life in May 1945 when his Norseman aircraft, en route to Montréal for servicing, crashed in a farmer’s field on Prince Edward Island. Follow this link to the official Commemoration listing https://heritagenl.ca/discover/provincial-historic-commemorations-program-designations/john-joseph-joe-gilmore .

Heritage NL is a provincial crown agency with a mandate to stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the architectural heritage and intangible cultural heritage of the province. For more information visit www.heritagenl.ca

Friday, February 17, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep227 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Riddle Fences with Guy Barnable and Eric Escudero

Eric Escudero and Guy Barnable in front of a riddle fence in New Perlican. Photo by Heritage NL.


In this episode we talk with mentor Guy Barnable, and apprentice Eric Escudero who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. Guy is a teacher by trade and learned the craft of wriggle fence (or as he calls them - riddle fence) construction from a neighbour and started building them on his own in the 1990s. He is proud to say that his two sons know the craft and have helped him teach it to others. Eric is studying Ethnomusicology at Memorial University. As a newcomer in Newfoundland, he hadn’t had an opportunity to practise Newfoundland riddle fence making prior to the program. Eric has some experience in building wooden fences back in Brazil and learned the basics of building wooden fences and gates from his father.


Eric harvested materials. Photo courtesy of Guy and Eric.

### Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Friday, February 10, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep226 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Weaving with Megan Samms and Jane Walker

Megan Samms and Jane Walker making a warp. Photo courtesy of Megan and Jane.

In this episode we talk with mentor Megan Samms, and apprentice Jane Walker who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. 
Megan Samms has worked with textiles since she was a child but her main focus over the last ten years has been hand weaving. Over her career she has attended artist residencies and dedicated full time studio hours which has allowed her to finetune her craft. Each piece of her work is unique, and Megan uses plant dyes that she grows or forages locally to colour the yarns she uses in her textiles. With a particular interest in working with the linear structure of burlap and linen apprentice Jane Walker has been practising the art of rug hooking for several years. Upon noticing the correlation between rug hooking and weaving, Jane has been keen to advance her knowledge of weaving.
Megan Samms and Jane Walker beaming a warp. Photo courtesy of Megan and Jane.

### Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Designated buildings, awards, fences, chants and charms: it's the February Heritage Update!


In this edition of the Heritage Update: the iconic Grand Falls House designated as a Registered Heritage Structure; Heritage NL receives Community Builder Award from the NL Association of Professional Planners; Robert Burgess, of the Burgess Heritage Property writes on chants and charms; the history and recipes of marine oil paints in the North Atlantic; making friends and building fences; and a look at the history of the Lambert and Johanna Greene House and Outbuildings in Tilting, Fogo Island.  


Friday, February 3, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep225 Lebanese Memories and Music with Terri Andrews

Large Lebanese community photo. Ella Andrews on the far left. Photo courtesy of Terri Andrews.

In this episode we talk with Terri Andrews. Terri’s grandmother was Ella (née Michael) Andrews and her grandfather was Albert Andrews. Both were born in Hadath El Jebbeh, Lebanon. Today we talk about the Andrews family, and Lebanese bands and music. Terri also shares some recollections of the Lebanese community on New Gower Street, St. John’s, NL.


### Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.


Wednesday, February 1, 2023

A “magnificently appointed Tudor mansion" - Grand Falls House designated as a Registered Heritage Structure


An iconic historic property in Grand Falls-Windsor has been awarded provincial heritage designation by Heritage NL.  

Perched on a birch-clad hill overlooking the Exploits River, Grand Falls House was built in 1909 by Alfred and Harold Harmsworth as one of the properties built in conjunction with the new paper mill. Following the establishment of the paper mill, Grand Falls became a boomtown, with workers drawn from every bay on the island. 

Grand Falls House, with its outbuildings and mature parkland, was designated as a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL on January 17th, 2023. Designed by British architect Robert Douglas Wells, and built under the supervision of Tom Brown of New Harbour, Trinity Bay, the building has been described as a “magnificently appointed Tudor mansion.” 

One of the oldest original buildings in the town, the house hosted many visiting dignitaries over the years, including the Duke of Connaught (son of Queen Victoria) and Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, founders of the Scouting movement. For a number of years, it was the residence of the mill manager.

Grand Falls House during the residency of Sir Vincent Jones. HM Dawe Photograph Collection.

In 2022, the province formally handed over possession of Grand Falls House and its surrounding property to the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor for heritage-sensitive development.

“Grand Falls House is an important part of our history,” says Dr. Lisa Daly, Chair of Heritage NL. “It is an impressive, unique building, which helps commemorate the century-long impact of the Grand Falls paper mill on Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Heritage NL was established by the provincial government in 1984 to preserve the architectural history and living heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Heritage NL designates buildings and other structures as Registered Heritage Structures and administers a fund on behalf of the province for the conservation of such structures.


Friday, January 27, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep224 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Spruce Root Baskets with Eileen Murphy and Sandi Yates

Sandi Yates and Eileen Murphy. Sandi is holding her spruce root basket.
Photo courtesy of Eileen Murphy. 
In this episode we talk with mentor Eileen, and apprentice Sandi who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. Eileen has been making spruce root baskets for 41 years and has both taught and demonstrated at workshops, festivals, in school settings, and with individuals. Mr. Anthony White from Shallop Cove, Bay St. George, was Eileen’s instructor and mentor. Sandi has experience weaving branches into tension baskets and also composes large scale sculptures using driftwood, seasoned birch and discarded found objects. Sandi is currently studying Fine Art through Memorial University: Grenfell Campus and works in the craft industry seasonally. She produces mixed media artworks about NL.

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Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.


Friday, January 20, 2023

Living Heritage Podcast Ep223 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Weaving with Stephanie Stoker

Woven linen ecoprint. Courtesy of Stephanie Stoker.
In this episode we talk with mentor Stephanie who is a participant of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. Stephanie Stoker is an experienced educator of textile arts, having taught weaving, drawing, design and colour theory for over ten years. Stephanie's experience in both Canada and Peru has allowed her to fine tune her skills and gain a deep understanding of the detailed work that is weaving.

### Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.