The people who operated the secret Royal Naval station that is now the home of Admiralty House Museum were honoured last month during a garden party and fete to mark the 100th anniversary of the facility’s opening.
Lieutenant Governor Frank Fagan and his wife Patricia, along with fellow guests Senator Beth Marshall, Mayor Randy Simms, Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent and councillor Paula Tessier, representing the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, unveiled a centennial plaque and planted two trees to commemorate the occasion: an oak, which is “It’s a real honour for my wife and I to be here today," said the Lieutenant Governor. "My wife is a breast cancer survivor so it's especially meaningful for us. Cancer touches most people in this province one way or another. In fact we lost our 25 year old son in his battle with cancer, so it's especially meaningful to us."
Fagan pointed out the province is marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War. It was on August 4, 1914 that the Lieutenant Governor of that day received a telegram from Britain announcing the Commonwealth was at war, he said.
"Within weeks he made a commitment that we would marshal 500 soldiers that we would send over to help Britain in the war effort," said Fagan.
Two months later, on October 4, the first contingent of Newfoundland soldiers left St. John's aboard the Florizel for Europe. A month after that the British Admiralty issued an order to build a number of secret communications installations around the world, including Admiralty House.
"Of course, Newfoundland - the small little country that we were at the time - rose to that requirement and today we're here to celebrate the construction of Admiralty House which was done on September 16, 1915,” Fagan said. “It's always wonderful to see a beautiful and lasting tribute, that not only remembers the people who participated here but also celebrates the people who participated in the whole area of the First World war."
Admiralty House chairman John Riche said when Great Britain was at war a century ago, "the Dominion of Newfoundland was central to His Majesty's war efforts. The early months of the Great War demonstrated the significance of new wireless communication technology. This was especially true during the Battle of Coronel in the south Atlantic off the coast of Chile in November of 1914.Communication problems and delays resulted in a significant naval defeat for the British Empire. Thus the Admiralty ordered the construction of 11 identical long range secret wireless stations. They were in locations such as Singapore, Ceylon, Hong Kong and on the outskirts of St. John's, which is today's Mount Pearl. This very place proved the strategic and ideal location for this building due to its security from enemy bombardment, the conductivity of the soil, accessibility for the transport of materials and fresh water and the employability of the locals."
HM Wireless Station St. John's, as it was called, was constructed and supplied by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company Limited. It opened and began operations on Sept. 16, 1915, Riche said. It was part of a global network that transmitted, received and intercepted Morse code for the British Empire throughout the Great War.
The soldiers who operated the station lived there as well and spent their leisure time in the area, said Riche, "whether it was snow showing, skiing, playing hockey, boxing, biking, hunting - and many had dog companions who lived in the station with them. Several of the men often picnicked with the Parsons family who lived on a nearby farm."
Some of the men married local women and a number of marriage ceremonies were held at the station, Riche added.
"Despite these jolly good times, however, danger was present," Riche said. There were two known attempts of sabotage on the station. One operator died in the spark room.
"The men of H.M. Wireless Station St. John's, their lively characters and spirits and dedication to the empire and the cause on the home front is a large part of why we celebrate today," Riche said. "Moreover, those men, the museum and this building reminds us - the community, the province and our nation - of the importance of educating, preserving and maintaining our culture, history and heritage."
Senator Marshall pointed out the station’s connection with the S.S. Florizel. The museum has an extensive Florizel exhibition, including a recreation of the vessel’s wireless room, where passengers huddled together awaiting rescue after the vessel struck rocks off Cappahayden and foundered in a winter storm on February 24, 1918. Some 94 of the 118 passengers aboard the vessel were lost.
“I must say, for me the exhibit on the Florizel disaster is the most poignant,” Marshall said.
Marshall said not only did the Florizel carry the First 500 soldiers from Newfoundland overseas, it was also used in the seal hunt and to search for bodies after the sinking of the Titanic. The Peter Pan statue in Bowring Park, she noted, was erected in the memory of a little girl who died on the Florizel when it foundered off Cappahayden.
“I find that in Newfoundland and Labrador, we're all connected and all the events are connected," Marshall said.
The Senator congratulated the City of Mount Pearl for preserving Admiralty House and its beautiful grounds. "This is truly a place where people can come and learn about one aspect of the history of our province," she said, "and sit and quietly reflect on the important role wireless communications has played in our community over the past century. I'm confident this centre will remain an important part of our community for many years to come."
To give a flavour of what newfoundland was like in 1915 when Admiralty House opened, Deputy Premier Kent Steve Kent cited excerpts from the Evening Telegram of September 16, 1015. The paper contained updates that almost seemed "routine" after a year of war, he said.
"They told of engagements far away, of how many soldiers had made the supreme sacrifice and of Britain's efforts to finance the war effort," said Kent. "Meanwhile, here at home, even though so many were overseas, life continued. Ayre's had a sale on for the approach of the fall hunting season. McMurdo's was selling something called Worm Syrup, which I personally have never tried or experienced, and cod fishermen reported squid to be abnormally scarce. However most didn't know at that time, and it wasn't in the Evening Telegram, that the Marconi company was about to throw a switch right here on something very secret."
Kent said the new technology at the wireless station helped guide and protect ships and supplies crossing the Atlantic. "Now in 2015 we honour the efforts of those who blazed new trails and used the latest technology to keep us safe," he said. "Admiralty House is such an important historic site. It is vital that we maintain this link with our history."
Kent noted that earlier this year the provincial government provided some $570,000 to the museum for upgrades to the site.
"I encourage you to look at the exhibits here today and reflect on a time when soldiers were stationed here out in the country to help keep others safe,” he added. “Ask staff about the unconfirmed story of two enemy soldiers who were found right here hiding under a pile of snow during the war; ask about the time the Florizel, which had carried so many of our sons to war, ran aground in Cappahayden in the final year of the Great War. The distress signal was received right here; and as the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel approaches, and province wide activities take place to honour those soldiers, let's all remember the role that this station played in moving people safely across the North Atlantic."
Mayor Simms agreed the contribution of Admiralty House to the war effort was "tremendous and significant. But after the war, due to changing times and technology, Admiralty House was no longer used as a secret wireless site, he said. "And after that, not a lot happened on this property."
That is, Simms added, until a special person, the late councillor Gloria Pearson, "who spearheaded, who passionately believed that this building and that these grounds should be preserved for all time."
Simms said Pearson was adamant with council that "we could not let this particular facility and this building simply go away. It had to be preserved."
The question was, said Simms, preserved as what?
"'Let's make it a museum,' she said. She had a lot of people on council who agreed with her,” Simms recalled. “So I'm honoured that our City had that kind of sage wisdom and advice presented and a passionate argument made that we should try and … keep the building so that forever in Mount Pearl's history it would remain one of the iconic places in our community. It is tremendous that we were able to preserve it, tremendous that future generations will be able to come look at exhibits, look at art displays, look at other activities that are taking place and can pause and remember the importance of what Admiralty House really was back in the day."
Councillor Tessier, representing the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, pointed out the contingent of breast cancer survivors in the audience, including Mount Pearl resident Linda Ryan, who started Pink Days in Bloom in Newfoundland, a project that has spread across Atlantic Canada.
Tessier was delighted to learn that Ryan and the other women had decided to include Admiralty House in their Pink Tree Initiative
The grounds are about to get another gift too, Tessier noted. Seventy years ago, Tessier said, Holland presented Canada with a gift of 100,000 tulip bulbs in appreciation of the help provided in liberating the country from the Nazis in World War II. "Vessey Seeds in Prince Edward Island decided that this year, on the 70th anniversary, they would honour that gift by also awarding 100,000 tulips to different municipalities and initiatives across Canada," she said. "They received 450 applications. Four were awarded in Newfoundland and Labrador. And the City of Mount Pearl and Admiralty House grounds will be the proud recipients of 700 tulip bulbs - 350 red, 350 white."
After the tree plantings, Riche thanked the City of Mount Pearl for its support, Muir's Marble Works for donating the centennial plaque, and the other sponsors that supported the event, as well as the Church Lads Brigade band, which provided fabulous entertainment throughout the afternoon.
The public event drew a good crowd, including residents of Hillcrest Estates and the Royal Canadian Legion. Later in the afternoon, a special cake was cut to commemorate the day’s festivities.
Campia springs towards new multimillion dollar home
Mount Pearl has taken another leap towards completing its status as the athletics and recreation capital of Newfoundland with a $4.5 million gymnastics centre announced for 21 Old Placentia Road.
The centre, which will open next year, will be owned and run by non-profit Campia Gymnastics.
Municipal Affairs Minister Keith Hutchings was on hand for the announcement, which includes a $1.9 million contribution from provincial and City of Mount Pearl taxpayers. The lion's share of the financing is being backed by Campia.
"The facility will benefit the children and families of this city, and certainly the region, for many years to come," Hutchings said. "Once constructed, the facility will boast 10,000 square feet of floor space, tumbling and trampoline pits - which sound like a lot of fun - viewing areas and (an additional 2,000 square metres of) office space."
Hutchings said Mount Pearl has always been known as a family friendly community and the facility will help maintain that "tremendous" image.
“Recreation infrastructure is one of the most critical investments the government can make,” Hutchings said. "The ability of our young people, adults, and seniors to be physically active, to socialize, to gather with members of your community, is what makes are our communities strong and places that people are proud to call home.”
Mayor Randy Simms was equally effusive. "This is truly a great day for the City of Mount Pearl as we once again expand on our ever increasing role as a community committed to sports and recreation," he said.
Simms underlined the regional aspect of the facility. "It will allow for regional and provincial competitions and will no doubt become the place to participate in top quality gymnastics competitions and it will foster growth within the sport, not only in Mount Pearl but all across the Northeast Avalon," he added.
Simms said the City wanted to see the facility come to fruition because it fits so well with Mount Pearl's tourism and recreation strategy.
"The facility will stimulate community and business growth as thousands of participants will come to our city, to our region and to our province to engage in sporting events in this state of the art building," Simms said. "The centre is also going to be an investment in our health and our wellness... It is being built for our children, it is being built for our youth. I understand there may even be a program or two for some old guys like me to do some stretching."
Mount Pearl North MHA and Deputy Premier Steve Kent, whom Hutchings credited with putting a lot of work into the project, recalled his first paying job, that was not just a summer job, was as a gymnastics coach first with the City and then Campia.
"I've got to say I feel a tremendous sense of pride today because this is a project that a lot of people having been working on for a long, long time, myself included," Kent said. "This is a personal passion of mine, I have to admit."
Kent noted his parents participate in Campia's programs as does one of his sons. "I look forward going with them to the brand new facility that we'll open together in the months ahead," he said.
Kent thanked council and City staff for working with the province in striking an agreement, as well as Campia's building committee.
"A facility such as this helps create an environment that is attractive to families in our community," Kent said. "As previous speakers have mentioned, soon enough there will be 10,000 square feet of space... But more importantly, there will be 10,000 square feet of young people engaged in physical activity. As Minister responsible for Health, I take a tremendous sense of pride in knowing that is the case."
Kent said it will be nice to have a facility that meets the needs of a rapidly growing program. "I know the facility you are in is woefully inadequate," he said. "You've really maximized the use of that space for a long time. I remember the days when we had to unroll and roll up floor mats to run sessions at the Reid Centre... The sport has come a long, long way. Campia is bigger and healthier and stronger than it has ever been and that's a really good thing."
Campia president Melanie Hollett, who got involved with the group when her daughter joined gymnastics eight years ago at the age of five, apologized in advance in case she got emotional during her remarks.
"I can't believe we're here in this room today," Hollett said. "I was very involved in sports growing up in Mount Pearl as a child, participating as a competitive figure skater and as a soccer player... I still spend most of my days in the great City where I grew up. We own a business in Mount Pearl, my mother still lives in the home where I grew up and I often hear my husband joke about my 'full time' volunteer job with Campia Gymnastics."
Hollet said Mount Pearl will always be a big part of her. "And I couldn't be more thrilled to be giving back to the youth and sport in the City of Mount Pearl."
Campia started out as a non-profit group in 1986, Hollett noted. In 1994 it took over responsibility for the City's gymnastics program and several years later merged with a club in Conception Bay South. "Today, Campia's membership is approximately 1,000 athletes with a waiting list of nearly 400 participants, surpassing all of our projections to this point," she said.
The new facility will be twice the size of the current one being leased in Donovans Business Park. "Imagine what we will be able to offer to the community once we move into our new home," Hollett said. "Our new 12,000 square foot facility will be the largest gymnastics facility in Newfoundland and Labrador... We will be able to accommodate more members and with the addition of new foam pits, the athletes will be able to train in a safer environment. This truly is a dream come true and I cannot wait to see the looks on the children's faces the first time they walk through the doors to see their new home."
Hollett said fundraising will continue over the next year to raise money for new equipment. "We want to walk into our new facility on the first day with shiny new equipment for the children," she said. "Although we have raised a significant amount of money to this point, we still need to continue raising funds to make this happen."
The new centre, said Hollett, has been 10 years in the making. She thanked Campia's board members, staff, the City of Mount Pearl and the provincial government for bringing the dream to reality.
"Gymnastics teaches so many things," said Hollett. "Not only strength and flexibility, but teamwork and social skills, self-confidence and work ethic, discipline and determination, performance and compassion and the list goes on. Thank you, City of Mount Pearl and provincial government. Be proud knowing you have impacted all these children in setting the foundations for a brighter future."
Blazers earn silver at Atlantic championships
Mount Pearl’s AAA Mosquito Blazers had a good showing in Dieppe, New Brunswick last month at the Atlantic baseball championships. The group headed to the tournament after securing the gold medal in the provincial championships held in St. John's on Labour Day weekend.
In Dieppe, Mount Pearl beat two teams from New Brunswick and a squad from Prince Edward Island, earning a spot in the championship game against Nova Scotia. The Mount Pearl Blazers managed a silver medal in that contest.
The team consists of Jaden Dyke. Dave Parsons (coach), Trevor Murphy (coach), Charles Dyke (head coach), Gabe Trickett, Paul Oake (coach), Ryder Ash, Reegan Hiscock, Nathan Frelich, Braedy Walsh, Cameron Pennell, Noah King, Kalan Noonan, Jack Sullivan, Ryan Murphy and Logan Broderick.
'Farmer Jim' Lester enters provincial politics
For Jim Lester, his life’s work has always been a family affair. So when the farmer and entrepreneur looked at entering politics, as the PC Party candidate in the new district of Mount Pearl – Southlands, it was a decision threshed out with the family too.
Lester and his wife Michelle – she’s the vice president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture - have three children. Daughter Samantha, 21, manages the farmhouse flavoured banquet facility on Pearltown Road, which the family opened in 2010. Son John, 18, a high school student, looks after the crops and fields. “He’s definitely going to be a farmer,” says Jim. And Caleb, 12, likes tending to the animals.
The Lesters go back seven generations on this land. Their forebear, John Lester, arrived in 1836 as the 14 year old assistant to British navy veteran Captain John Pearl, who was himself a teenager when he served under Admiral Horatio Nelson during the famous tangle with the Spanish fleet at Trafalgar.
Years later, Pearl was given the land at what is now Mount Pearl as a reward for his long service to the Crown. Young Lester was charged with looking after his horses.
“By the time he was 19, he was the foreman of Captain Pearl’s farm,” says Lester. “And when Captain Pearl died, he looked after the farm for Lady Pearl.”
She left Lester 100 acres of the land upon her death. He and his descendants have been farming here ever since.
Like most of his ancestors, Lester has been a full time farmer most of his life. “I remember in high school my mother tried to convince me to go outside of agriculture for my career,” he says, smiling. He tried university for a while, but came home one day and said, “That’s it, I’m meant to be on the farm.”
Lester has proven himself to be one of the most successful and innovative farmers in the province. Along with the banquet ‘barn,’ which is used for wedding receptions, pig roasts, birthday parties, conventions and all kinds of social functions, Lester operates a U-pick patch and busy vegetable market. His latest venture is an aquaponics facility that combines hydroponics and agriculture to grow vegetables year round and raise tilapia, a fish that grows to about two pounds in weight. It’s the most modern facility of its kind in the world, he says. “It’s a zero waste facility,” he notes.
With such a busy farming enterprise, it’s not surprising Lester wrestled with the idea of entering politics.
“It was something that we put a lot of thought into it,” he says of himself and his family. “We’re quite occupied here because our farm is always growing – in more ways than one, pardon the pun… So yes it was something that we did evaluate in terms of how much time we were going to have to put into it. But I feel it’s part of my responsibility that the agriculture industry in our province doesn’t get put to the wayside. We need to continue to expand our agricultural production, we need to expand the number of people we have in agriculture, and I think we really need to make the public aware of how important it is to be more sustainable when it comes to our food production. And I think that from a political stage I’d be in a better position to do that. If I can influence our food policy to increase production by even a very small percentage, it would be a great accomplishment.”
It was his exposure to its efforts to improve agriculture in the province that convinced him to run for the PCs, Lester says. That and efforts Mount Pearl North MHA Steve Kent made on their behalf when Lester’s family encountered bureaucratic hurdles at Confederation Building. Kent was the Parliamentary Secretary for agriculture at the time.
Kent didn’t solve the problem, Lester says, but he tried.
“I’ve been really encouraged by the strides we have made in the agriculture industry under the current government,” Lester says. “They’re food production supportive.”
From lobbying Ottawa for funding for Newfoundland farmers, to supporting market development and production programs, this PC government has always been at the table, he argues. He says he likes the way the government has taken a long term view of the value of agricultural as a sustainable industry.
Though the district is mostly urban, or suburban, Lester thinks his message will find a home among voters.
“That will be part of my ‘knock on the door speech for sure,” he says. “I know in this area there are people who are concerned with food production, how we are treating our environment and there is an extremely high number of young families. I get the sense they’re concerned with issues of preserving our environment, protecting our resources, increasing our own food production.”
The other big concern for Lester is the habit the provincial government has of borrowing money to cover everyday expenses. “We can’t afford to do that anymore,” he says. “That really concerns me, not only as a citizen, but as a business person who knows that you can’t afford to keep in business if you’ve got to borrow to keep the lights on.”
Lester sees it is as the biggest issue facing government.
“We have to realize that we have to be able to pay for these services,” he says. “We cannot keep shouldering the load onto future generations.”
The reliance on a commodity as volatile as oil has to change, he says.
It’s blunt talk from a fellow running for a party that found ways to burn through mountains of tax and oil royalty revenues and still end up borrowing most years to cover the bills.
“I don’t want to be too critical, because there has been an extreme amount of infrastructure put in place, because it was crumbling around us, from hospitals to schools, a lot of it almost Confederation era infrastructure,” Lester says. “Those types of things had to be replaced or improved. Basically I think we have to be more efficient in our deliverance of government provided services and really be careful about where we are spending our money. If we can’t afford something, we’re just going to have to do without it for a little bit.”
That message is a tough sell and he knows it. “My grandfather said to me one time, ‘Jim, the right decision is not necessarily going to be the popular one,’” Lester says.
He points to the health care system noting it’s the most expensive one in the country but with one of the lowest satisfaction rates. “Our doctors are not by far the highest paid in the country, they’re among the lowest paid in the country, the same with our nurses,” he adds. “We really have to look at that and see where we can improve the deliverance of service.”
Lester says he has always been interested in the way government works. “My wife and I are firm believers that we may have our names on the deed to this land, but we’re only borrowing it,” he says. “So I don’t want decisions to be made today that are going to prevent future generations of either my family or Newfoundlanders from being able to do the same things I do and make a living from the land.”
Lester’s expectations about politics are tempered by a farmer’s practicality. “I’m sure when I get elected that I’m not going to be able to fix everybody’s problems,” he admits. “And to say that I will would be contrary to what I believe… I realize there are some issues that are just not going to be fixable. To effect 100 per cent change is not conceivable… I’ll put my best effort into it, but I don’t expect to reinvent the wheel by any means. But if myself and everyone else in government would make even a slight change to something, my God, how much better off would we be?”
Lester is holding off on the door to door campaign until the federal Conservatives choose a candidate for the riding of St. John’s South – Mount Pearl. Lester says he has already been confused by some people as being the federal candidate.
“Democracy is an important thing,” Lester says. “And the sad part about Newfoundland politics is that usually when there is a change of government, it’s a landslide change. You need an effective Opposition as much as you need an effective government.”
Lester doesn’t like partisan politics, because of the pressure on all sides to make people in other parties look like idiots. “A lot of efforts and good ideas don’t come to fruition (because of that) and ultimately it’s the citizen who pays,” he says.
“We’re headed for some real, real challenging times,” Lester adds. “And once upon a time, when we were a Have-not province, it was okay, because the rest of Canada was doing fine and they were able to support us. But we’re looking at global economic collapse. We don’t want to be on the bottom of that.”
Despite the unpopularity of the PCs, Lester remains hopeful he can win. “A couple of people told me you win an election door by door,” he says. “And polls can change three or four times between now and the election. I’m confident we’re going to put our best effort in and if people hear my message and understand who I am, yes, I am confident we will win.”
And what will the voters of Mount Pearl – Southlands get if he does win? Lester thinks carefully about his answer.
“I am an incredibly hard worker,” he says. “And a problem solver. Through the development of our farm we came up against a lot of brick walls and when I figure out that we can’t smash through them, I figure out a way we can go around them or go over the top of them. And that’s exactly what I’ll bring to the House of Assembly.”
MP Minor Baseball outlines big hopes for coming year
Brian Hunt is fired up. The president of Mount Pearl Minor Baseball has pieced together a roster of big plans for the association in the coming year. He’s also celebrating after teams from the club won a record six medals this season, including four gold, at provincial tournaments.
Hunt is hoping a series of coinciding events – especially the provincial election and the Blue Jays streak toward the World Series – will coalesce to boost the growth of baseball in the region.
The last time the Jays went deep into the post season, in 1992, he said, membership in baseball associations in St. John’s and Mount Pearl nearly doubled. Hunt is in talks with the Blue Jays to have the major league club hold training camps for young ball players here next summer.
The association is already growing and improving competitively. Mount Pearl won the Peewee AAA in Corner Brook and came fourth in the nationals, the Mosquito AAA team won the provincial gold in St. John’s, the Mosquito A team won all three tournaments they played this summer and the Bantam AA squad won gold for the second year in a row. That tournament was hosted in Mount Pearl. The club’s Under 12 Girls team won the silver medal at the provincial tournament, which they hosted. And a Peewee A team won a silver medal in Grand Falls. “It was an awesome year,” said Hunt.
He is hoping to see the success continue this weekend when the Mosquito AAA team plays in Dieppe, New Brunswick and the Bantam AA plays at the Baseball Atlantics in St. John’s.
Last year, Mount Pearl Minor Baseball teams won two gold medals provincially. Before that the last time the association won gold was in 2007.
Hunt attributes the improvement in performance to efforts to professionalize the association and instill a sense of pride in the players. That includes using major league replica jerseys and hats imported from the United States for house league players to wear during games and to keep afterwards.
“Eight years ago we decided to brand the league, so ‘Mount Pearl Minor Baseball’ is on everything,” Hunt added. “We bought all new All Star uniforms.”
Another strategy has been to reach out to other baseball associations in the province to build relationships, Hunt said.
“As that progressed, our (registration) numbers started rising,” Hunt said. “Once our numbers started rising, we started to get the athletic kids into the system. Once we get the athletic kids into the system, it’s only a matter of coaching those kids to get them to the next level.”
Mount Pearl Minor Baseball is attracting top athletes from other sports including hockey and soccer, Hunt said. He hopes to make the Mount Pearl ‘Blazers’ as synonymous with provincial baseball as the Corner Brook ‘Barons’ and St. John’s ‘Caps.’
Hunt said the association is selective about who it appoints as coaches. The 400 player club has about 80 coaches and volunteers.
“The big thing is getting the numbers… If you build it, it will come,” Hunt said.
The Blue Jays organization has not yet committed to holding development camps in Mount Pearl but is awaiting a formal proposal, said Hunt, who has been talking with Roberto and Sandy Alomar.
Another major plank in his ‘Strategic Plan’ is to establish a Challenger Program for disabled children to play baseball. “That’s a big thing,” said Hunt. “A lot of government money comes with that.”
The Paradise baseball association already has a Challenger program, Hunt said, but it has only 14 or 15 children and they are playing on fields that have not been specially fitted with asphalt between the bases to properly accommodate wheelchairs.
A major feature of the plan is the building of a new club house for Mount Pearl Minor Baseball. “We need a place where the kids can gather,” Hunt said. “That’s a big piece of the puzzle.”
He estimates the cost at some $400,000. Hunt is hoping the Challenger field and wheelchair accessible clubhouse can be located next to the new field under development at St. Peter’s Junior High.
St. Peter’s field is a major part of the club’s future plans and will be the home base for all house league play for peewee aged players and younger. The handful of other fields, including Smallwood, Squires, Team Gushue and Greenwood fields, will be well used too. The club has reached an agreement to take over the scheduling and maintenance responsibilities at the Smallwood pitch next season.
Hunt is also hoping to organize a provincial Pony League next season to offer players who might otherwise not find a game anywhere else once they reach their late teens and early 20s.
The Mount Pearl club is also applying to host Baseball Canada’s Eastern National Peewee Championships next summer. That would bring some 2,500 baseball players, coaches and family members to the city.
Hunt has compiled a list of requests to improve the fields throughout Mount Pearl, which he intends to present to city council’s Community Services Committee. “Most of what I’m looking for from the City is repairs to existing facilities,” he said. “Anything else, I figure we can get government funding along with our own funding, the Jays helping out, that kind of thing.”
Hunt figures the Blue Jays camps could add some $150,000 to the association, money that could be used for the club house.
“The biggest thing we want the City to do is to get a mortgage for us (for the club house), because we can’t get one ourselves,” Hunt said. “We’ll pay it off.”
Hunt is hoping to drawn together the parts of the master plan in tandem. Like play in baseball itself, timing is everything. The leverage for funding that could be provided by a provincial election, obtaining a commitment from the Blue Jays at a time when they are making an historic run to the playoffs, and getting the City onside to invest in the various baseball facilities is akin to having the bases loaded.
“This is why I’m trying to do everything the one time here,” said Hunt. “Now’s the time… We’ve got to jump on this while the iron is hot and make something happen.”
Fire safety centre raises questions for council
If you see smoke billowing from the Kenmount Business Park this fall, don’t panic. It might just be the Falck firefighting training school in operation.
Last week, Mount Pearl council approved an application by a construction company to complete a 10 metre by 20 metre concrete pad and accessory building for Falck to host its firefighting training centre at the back of 35 Becklin Road.
“The exercises will include extinguishing fires in portable fire pans, and a portable sea container located within the fenced in area will be used to undertake interior safety training,” said councillor Andrew Ledwell, who chairs council’s Planning and Development Committee.
Ledwell noted that being in an industrial park, many of the activities neighboring the facility are similar in nature. “But the development regulations do consider this a hazardous use, which makes it a ‘Discretionary Use’ for council,” he added. “We have discussed it as a committee and are prepared to recommend that council issue a conditional development permit based on the conditions outlined by the Regional Fire Department.”
Those conditions include that Falck notify the appropriate provincial government departments and check whether it is a requirement to have sprinkler and other systems in place.
The City advertised a public briefing session in the daily newspaper on the application but received no responses and so the meeting was cancelled.
“I have a concern which comes to mind,” said Mayor Randy Simms. “This is in the middle of an industrial park and it is for firefighting training. So what are they burning? What kind of billowing smoke are we going to see from this? Does anyone have a concern at all? Did our planners and inspectors talk about that at all?”
Planning and Development Director Stephen Jewczyk confirmed staff did look for details about the operation. Jewczyk said the company will use propane for both the outside and interior fires. “So I don’t believe you will see billowing smoke, but you will see a fire there,” he said. “There will be some smoke.”
Jewczyk added there were no concerns expressed by neighboring property owners despite the public notice being “pretty explicit about what was happening.” The provincial Fire Commissioner’s Office doesn’t have a problem with it, he noted, and the Regional Fire Department plans to use the training facility too.
Deputy Mayor Jim Locke asked how often the facility will be used and whether there is a plan to communicate the frequency of the activities to the neighbouring companies. “I’m just thinking, if a number of residents see smoke coming out of the Kenmount Business Park and they don’t know that it’s a practice run, is there going to be an influx of calls to out 911, or the fire department or anything like that?”
Jewczyk said he will check on the training schedule. The City could make it a condition of the operation permit that Falck notify its neighbours when it plans a burn, he said.
Councillor John Walsh said Falck has such training schools throughout Canada and the fires are contained and controlled and this facility is unlikely to be a neighbourhood nuisance. “I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about,” he said.
Mount Pearl councillors offered Carribbean overture
The City of Mount Pearl has agreed to serve as a twin for Belmopan, the capital city of Belize, a small country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south.
Mayor Randy Simms said that during a discussion prior to last week’s council meeting, Ralston Frazer, a councillor responsible for business development, investment and public utilities in Belmopan, asked if Mount Pearl would be interested in twinning with his city.
“I told him I wouldn’t even ask you,” Simms said, addressing his colleagues jocularly. “I told him the answer is yes.”
Frazer was part of a delegation of municipal councillors from Caribbean countries who visited St. John’s and Mount Pearl under a Federation of Canadian Municipalities initiative to help councils in developing countries strengthen local governance, democracy and economic development practices by studying Canadian cities and towns. Mount Pearl has been a supporter of the program for several years, with staff having travelled to several countries in the Caribbean to provide expertise in local economic development initiatives. Representatives from St. Lucia, Jamaica, Belize, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago composed the delegation visiting Newfoundland this month.
Simms said the twinning with Belmopan, a city of about 20,000 people, will involve an exchange of information on best practices in municipal administration.
Frazer confirmed for the rest of Mount Pearl council that the first subject he raised with Simms when they met was the establishment of a “sister city relationship, where we can share and learn from each other’s best practices.”
Frazer said there isn’t a whole lot of difference between Mount Pearl and Belmopan. “But I know that you are more advanced,” he said. “The things we are now going through, you guys have gone through them and are in the process of developing systems that you are putting in place. That is one thing we can learn from you, how you got through it, what steps you made to get past those challenges. We would be glad to learn from you guys… We want to know your pitfalls, how you did all of it and it may help us to avoid some of these pitfalls and not make the same mistakes that you did.”
Frazer thanked council for backing Simms’ decision and encouraged Mount Pearl’s councillors to visit Belize.
Mount Pearl soccer aces win national award
Mount Pearl’s Special Olympics soccer team, which represented Newfoundland and Labrador in national competition last year, has been named the Team of the Year by Special Olympics Canada.
The squad is comprised of 10 talented, hard working and motivated athletes - Andrew Hynes, Bradley Murphy, David Wells, Eddie Hynes, Jason Roche, Mark Peddle, Matthew Kelly, Matthew Martin, Nadia Brenton, and Nick Styles. They are coached by Travis Maher, Amy Skinner and Emily Shea.
Trish Williams, the Executive Director of Special Olympics Newfoundland and Labrador, said the athletes are all dedicated to their coaches; “listening to them and truly believing and understanding that they are working together to be the best team that they can be.”
The team members were silver medallists at the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver, BC.
“The team exemplified the true spirit of Special Olympics every time they stepped onto the field,” said Williams. “They played extremely hard during game time – but once the whistle blew they complimented their opponent’s good play, helped someone off the field that had fallen, and high fived those involved. Fair play and hard work is always at the forefront for this team.”
Special Olympics has the power to change the lives of both the athletes and the volunteers who support them, Williams added.
Sarah Brown of Gander and Jackie Barrett of Gillams were also recognized by Special Olympics Canada for their achievements.
“We are thrilled to have so many of our athletes’ performances recognised at the National level,” said Williams. “The SONL athletes and volunteer coaches are to be commended on their success.”
The Special Olympics Canada National awards will be presented on November 19 in Toronto.
Special Olympics Newfoundland and Labrador (SONL) is dedicated to enriching the lives of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with an intellectual disability through active participation in sport. It is a provincial not-for-profit grassroots organization that provides sport training and competition opportunities for over 600 athletes of all ages and abilities.
There are 14 community based clubs that offer sport programs. Through sport, Special Olympics offers athletes and families a sense of achievement and an opportunity to excel as they take on leadership roles within their community, Williams said.
Mount Pearl feeling confident going into Challenge Cup finals
By Cameron Tobin for The Pearl
Mount Pearl First Choice Haircutters’ coach Andrew Murphy is hoping his squad can keep its streak of strong play going for one more weekend: If so, Mount Pearl could wind up as the winner of this year’s Challenge Cup on its home turf at Smallwood field.
The third place club, which has been on a streak for the past month or so, will go up against fourth place Feildians Ernst and Young on Friday evening at Smallwood. The next day the winner will play the loser of the match between first place Holy Cross and second place St. Lawrence. And the winner of that game goes to the championship.
Mount Pearl is heading into the weekend with the confidence of having a top notch keeper in Brandon Noseworthy and the league’s top scorer in Justin Pickford.
Murphy said Noseworthy has been the biggest difference in the team this season. He came up through the Mount Pearl Minor Soccer Association’s system, but played the past few seasons with Holy Cross.
“Having one of the best goalies in the league behind you gives the back line a lot of confidence throughout the whole game,” Murphy explained. “And we’re pretty balanced throughout our whole lineup. We’ve got a strong backline, midfield and attackers. And we’ve gotten a lot of support in our goal scoring this year. With Justin Pickford, we’ve got the league’s top scorer. Having him have a big year has been huge for us too.”
Making good on their scoring opportunities will be a key requirement this weekend, Murphy said. “We are very capable of creating scoring chances, so finishing our chances early in the game will be important.”
Sprinkled throughout Mount Pearl’s lineup are finalists for Challenge Cup awards. Murphy has been nominated for the Jeff Babstock Award for top defender, Noseworthy has been nominated for the Al Slaney Award for top goalie, Matthew Hamlyn has been nominated for the Johnny Breen Award for top midfielder, and Pickford has been nominated for the Dick Power Award for league MVP.
Murphy feels Mount Pearl is capable of beating any of the teams it might face given recent successes against them. “They're both strong and experienced in final weekends,” he allowed of the top two finishers. “But we are coming off a win against St. Lawrence, and we tied our record against Holy Cross, so we know we are capable of beating either team."
Mount Pearl struggled at the beginning of the season, largely due to the unavailability of some key players earlier in the schedule. Murphy is delighted with the way the team has gelled since then. “We rebounded well, which has been a pleasant surprise for us,” he said. "Once everybody got back in town, we've been on a roll ever since. We had four guys out of town and getting them back is just what we needed."
Still, Mount Pearl’s success is not entirely unexpected. The squad is built around a core of players who have carried the club through several Challenge Cup seasons.
“We are in great shape because of all the training we did in the winter, and we have guys who have played many years in the Challenge Cup,” Murphy said. “So our experience is a key for us."
Murphy believes the key to success against the defending champion Crusaders is stopping their offensive attack. " They have players who are among the top scorers in league. If we can defend well as a group, we'll definitely give ourselves a good chance."
St. Lawrence too will be a strong contender, Murphy admitted. “St Lawrence has a lot of players who seem to have been in the league forever and they know how to win," he noted.
But Murphy remains confident.
“It’s been a good season,” he said. “We’ve performed well against all of the teams all year, so we know going into the weekend that we are capable of beating everyone. We just have to put it all together for one weekend. And we’ve got everybody healthy and everybody is training really well, so we’re pretty confident going into the weekend.”
It's official: Simms is in race for Mount Pearl North
It came in the middle of a scorching day in early August after a month of everyone waiting for summer weather to finally arrive, but it didn’t stop a crowd from filling the Masonic Community Centre to hear Mount Pearl Mayor Randy Simms announce he is seeking a seat in provincial politics.
Simms’ confirmation that he is running in Mount Pearl North against PC incumbent and Deputy Premier Steve Kent didn’t come as a surprise, but the timing did: Most political watchers in the city expected Simms to make the final decision on whether he would run at the end of the summer.
“I had an awful lot of people asking me about it and there was a lot of pressure to do something or to say something and I didn’t want people to believe that I had changed my mind or anything of that nature,” Simms said.
The announcement drew as much media attendance as normally accorded to a federal candidate or a provincial party leader. Simms said he was surprised by the attention. He puts it down to the fact he is running against a Deputy Premier and cabinet minister. “Everyone says this is going to be the one to watch,” he admitted.
Simms used the occasion to highlight some of the challenges facing the province in the coming years and said people are looking for a change in the way the province is managed.
“There is a certain sense in the air that change is upon us and that change is needed,” Simms repeated during an interview this week.
He pointed out the party in office has been in power some 13 years. “And I feel that the public are telling them that with our changing economy and our challenging demographics… it may be time for us to take a different direction.”
The time is also right for him personally to take a serious look at running provincially, he added. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” said Simms, who sought provincial office on two other occasions in his younger years. Since then, he has built a higher profile, not only as a councillor and now mayor of Mount Pearl, but also as one of the province’s best known media personalities and for a while as a manager of a non-profit organization. He has also served as the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities.
“I think I’m ready for it,” Simms said. “And I think my record is intact, that people feel that as a community leader and as a policy maker I have served my community well in that capacity and I am hoping they will look at me and say ‘We think you can serve our community well in this new capacity,’ and I look forward to maybe having that opportunity.”
Simms is one of the few politicians who have acknowledged that the province is facing serious economic and demographic challenges. But he said there is always a sense of trepidation on the part of the incoming party when administrations change.
“It’s one thing to get out there and run for it, it’s another thing to find yourself in the morning with the job,” he allowed. “I think we all know that the economic outlook for the next few years is not good. We all know the situation with oil prices and iron ore prices is not good. But we also know there are other opportunities in other natural resource fields, including what’s happening with our fishery. A lower Canadian dollar will bring some benefits. But how we spend money, where we’re going to spend money, what our priorities are going to be in the future – these are the kinds of things that I think the public are looking for a change in.”
Simms said he supports some of the initiatives announced by Liberal leader Dwight Ball and the party, including the promise to build a new Waterford Hospital for mental health care and to not implement the additional two cent cent levy on the province’s sales tax, which PC Leader and Premier Paul Davis has pledged to bring into effect starting January 1, 2016.
The HST hike would be a bad move to make at a bad time for the economy, Simms argued. “In this district we have an awful lot of people on fixed incomes, an awful lot of people who are retired, as well as young families who are trying to get ahead,” Simms said. “And they don’t need another two per cent stuck on their tax, not when your government and economists are telling you that the economy is actually slowing.”
As for his job on council, Simms said he will continue as Mayor until the first week of November when the writ for the provincial election is dropped. “When that happens I will take a leave of absence and I will stay out of City Hall until the election is over,” he said. “If I should I win, I will submit a resignation, the Deputy Mayor would become the mayor and there would be a by-election in late winter or early spring for a new councillor.”
Simms has appointed retired City Clerk and City Manager Gerard Lewis as his campaign manager, while the former general manager of VOCM, John Murphy, has agreed to serve as manager of communications. Simms and Lewis became acquainted in 1989 when Simms was first elected to council just months after Lewis began working for the City. Murphy was Simms’ boss when served as host of VOCM Open Line. “It’s good to have people participating whom the community knows,” said Simms, who is tickled by the irony of having one key person who in a sense worked for him for years on council and another for whom he worked for for years. “I think that’s very positive stuff,” Simms said.