Haitian-Canadian teenager goes sightseeing in North America’s oldest city.
(Copyright 2021 by Roger Simmons)
In early February 2021, Luc and his mom drove from Springdale to St. John’s for a week of appointments with medical and therapeutic specialists at the Janeway Centre. After five busy days of consultations, Luc deserved a change of pace.
His ardent admirer and friend, Roger Simmons, summarizes, in light-hearted mode, Luc’s whirlwind tour of the city.
Author’s notes
1 During the sequence of events referenced in this document, Luc saw a blurring array of venues and heard a lot of information. It is offered as a memory aid for him and as a learning tool to feed his admirable curiosity.
2 Over the years, I have had personal connections with several of the venues visited during Luc’s tour. Indeed, my past familiarity with these places was the reason they were included in the tour. I have indicated, in parentheses, the nature of my involvement with these locations.
3 Ti Luc is the name by which our guy is known in Haiti, due to the need to distinguish him from Luckner, Karen’s work partner at the HATS mission. Here in Newfoundland, the young man answers to Luc.
Luc, his mom and the author/driver/tour guide in a selfie at The Rooms.
Yes, by mid-morning Friday, Luc had more than enough of curious strangers and endless meetings. It was time for some food and fun!
Luc perched on a Janeway Centre park bench, anxiously looking forward to the planned escapade. Just around the corner, Luc’s getaway car waited. The driver’s cell phone signalled a new message: “We’re ready” said the text from Luc’s willing collaborator, Mama Karen. The getaway car moved into position. Shortly before noon, Luc was seen scampering aboard a blue sedan, accompanied by Mama.
As the fun-seeking threesome sped along Prince Philip Drive, they snaked through the sprawling and impressive Memorial University campus, which both Mama Karen and the driver/tour guide attended long, long ago. Who knows, Luc may attend this world-class institution a few years from now!
Next, Luc got a passing glance at Confederation Building, seat of the House of Assembly and Newfoundland & Labrador’s provincial government.
[The tour guide was a Member of the House of Assembly for 10 years.]
Soon after, Luc, Mama Karen and the tour guide were spotted dining in style at The Rooms Café, in Newfoundland’s most famous museum, with a great view of St. John’s, Signal Hill and the Narrows, the harbour entrance.
Following a tasty lunch, Luc and his two accomplices attempted to gain entry to the historic Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist. Unfortunately, all the doors were locked. The renowned church has been recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.
The vehicle stopped on Gower Street for Luc to get a close-up view of the imposing Anglican Cathedral which captures the spirit and form of 13th-century Gothic church architecture. It has also been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. [The tour guide unveiled the plaque in 1980.]
Shortly after, our budding globetrotter was photographed as he dozed on a park bench — unaware that the inspiring ghost of a famous Canadian hovered nearby.
After his quick snooze, Luc learned that here was the very spot where 22-year-old Terry Fox, who had lost a leg to cancer at 18, began his Marathon of Hope run across Canada in 1980. Sadly, Terry had to abandon his dream after logging 5,373 km (3,339 mi) in 143 days, when his cancer returned.
The venturous teenager was next spotted clambering across the peak of Signal Hill, searching for the plaque which documents Guglielmo Marconi’s presence on the hill in December, 1901. It was then and there that the Italian inventor received the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean. Hence the name Signal Hill.
“This memorial is dedicated by Canadian Marconi Company to the government and people of Newfoundland to commemorate an outstanding event in the history of Newfoundland and a new era in world communications. The first transatlantic wireless signal was received by Guglielmo Marconi on December 12, 1901, on this spot.”
Signal Hill is popular to residents and visitors, both for its history and the amazing, 360-degree views it gives of St. John’s and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as a distant glimpse of Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land in North America [directly below the asterisk]. *
At the top of Signal Hill is Cabot Tower, named for John Cabot, who is said to have discovered Newfoundland in 1497 – – although Leif ‘the Lucky’ Erikson, a Norse explorer from Iceland, and his Viking crew came here five centuries earlier! Luc and company enjoyed a spectacular view of St. John’s.
[This guy sure loves park benches!]
Just west of Signal Hill is Deadman’s Pond. The name comes from the history of a cliff just above it known as Gibbet Hill where public hangings may have taken place or, more probably, according to historians, where the bodies of executed criminals were hung for extended periods as a form of public shaming.
Canada has two national war memorials. One is, of course, in the nation’s capital, Ottawa.
Canada’s other national war memorial is in downtown St. John’s –- and for good reason: Newfoundland joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949. Before that time, Newfoundland was a separate nation, and its military forces fought in foreign wars. The tour car stopped briefly on Water Street, right in front of the monument, but Luc seemed disinterested.
Then, the tour guide pointed to Harbourside Park, across Water Street from the war memorial. Luc perked up.
[“A park? For sure, it’ll have park benches!”]
In the park, close to the water’s edge, a National Historic Site of Canada plaque marks the spot where Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England in 1583. [The tour guide unveiled that plaque 400 years later.]
“Humphrey Gilbert was one of the first Englishmen to propose the
establishment of colonies in North America. In 1583 as leader of an
expedition to seek a likely place for a settlement, he spent two
weeks in this vicinity, claiming the surrounding territory for Queen
Elizabeth I, asserting his authority over the fishermen in the harbour
and exploring the countryside. He left with plans to establish a
colony here the following season but on the homeward voyage his
small vessel foundered in mid-Atlantic and he was drowned.”
A 1967 painting shows Sir Humphrey Gilbert and his party preparing to come ashore in St. John’s harbour:
As you can see, the three amigos covered a lot of ground. Above are the highlights of Luc’s quick tour. As well, there were drive-by nods to other places of interest, including:
St. John’s harbour, where ships flying flags from faraway places are docked, as they have done here for 500 years;
Anderson House, built circa 1804, the oldest building in St. John’s: It survived the 1892 fire which destroyed almost all of the city, leaving 11,000 people homeless.
The Supreme Court of Newfoundland & Labrador, built in 1904.
Question: Which of the two photos below is the Supreme Court of Newfoundland building?
Answer: Both of them!
[How come? The photos show opposite sides of the building, which sits on a hillside, so the east side (on Water Street) has 5 storeys while the Duckworth Street west side has only 3 storeys. And, note the different architectural styles reflected in each of the building’s four corners.]
Time was running out, so our sightseers had to skip five places which were originally on the route of the tour:
• Quidi Vidi Lake, the venue since 1816 for the Royal St. John’s Regatta, North America’s oldest annual sporting event;
• Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land in North America. Its heritage lighthouse was built in 1836.
• The Centre of Hope, a new Salvation Army facility providing mental health, emergency housing and addiction services to vulnerable adults; [The tour guide is a member of the Army’s St. John’s Advisory Board.]
• Lester’s Field, from where British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919. They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John’s, to Ireland.
• Government House, official residence of the Lieutenant-Governor, the Queen’s representative in Newfoundland & Labrador. The current LG is The Honourable Judy Foote, PC. It is believed that a moat was constructed around the building to keep out snakes, stipulated by a designer in England who confused Newfoundland with the West Indies!
The next stop was Victoria Park. Luc liked that! [“Park! There’ll be park benches. I’ll get a little shut-eye!.”]
Victoria Park has a unique and fascinating memorial sculpture, cast in bronze from the faces of 100 descendants of Newfoundland Regiment soldiers who fought in the First World War:
Since lunch, the whirlwind tour had been ongoing for nearly 3 hours – – or 4 hours from the time Luc and Mama Karen climbed aboard the car at the Janeway Centre. Luc had seen and heard so much and, it was clear, he was fading fast. It was time to call it quits.
The driver pulled up in front of one last building. Luc was immediately re-energized. He sprang from the car and sprinted, ahead of his mom, towards the double doors. Inside, the cozy bed he had slept in all week was waiting!
[“Not exactly a park bench, but it will do!”]
So ended Luc’s lightning romp through St. John’s, which promotes itself as the City of Legends. It certainly lives up to its billing!
Bravo Luc!
(Copyright 2021 by Roger Simmons)
Photo credits
Page 11 St. John’s after the 1892 fire Memorial University
13 Regatta competitors Royal St. John’s Regatta
13 Cape Spear 1835 lighthouse Parks Canada
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