Letter to the Editor – Farewell to a Dear Friend
It’s a very sad day for me as I am writing this tribute to a very dear friend of mine and a friend and ambassador to all the fishing industry on the Northeast coast of Canada.
When I returned to the fishery in 1976, Gus Etchegary was a well-known name in the fishing industry because of his connection with the largest fish company, Fishery Products.
It was after the moratorium that I got to meet Gus when Cross Country Checkup did a live show in St. John’s, hosted by Rex Murphy. I had ...
The Man With a Fish on His Back: A Tribute to N.L.’s Finest Fish Warrior — Augustine (Gus) Etchegary, May 28, 1929 – May 7, 2023
In 1884, an ad for Scott’s Emulsion cod liver oil featured a captivating picture of a stooped man carrying a whopper of a Norwegian cod, nearly as big as he is.
Here, in Newfoundland and Labrador, we had our very own man bearing a weighty fish on his back. He went by the name of Augustine Etchegary — better known as “Gus.”
Symbolically, and with passionate fervour and articulation, Gus carried the N.L. codfish, its light and its fight, for close to six decades.
This Basque ...
Gus Etchegary: “A Key Figure in the Story of Newfoundland”
At 98 years old, Gus Etchegary, an industry giant and a long-time advocate for Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry, passed away on May 7.
Etchegary was born on May 28, 1924, in St. Lawrence on Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula. In his nearly 99 years of life, Etchegary witnessed many of the historic events that make N.L. the province it is today — from N.L. becoming a Canadian province in 1949 to the cod moratorium of 1992.
The story of the Etchegary family in Newfoundland ...
Reflecting on the Legacy of Bruce Wareham
Above photo: Alberto and Bruce Wareham at the Icewater Seafoods plant in Arnold’s Cove. Submitted Photos
The Turning the Tide Marine Industry Awards Gala, held at the St. John’s Convention Centre on September 16, 2021, honoured several individuals and firms for their outstanding contributions to our province’s marine industries.
This year’s Industry Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed posthumously on Mr. Bruce Wareham, Icewater Seafoods, for his excellence in ...
Remembering Harold Small
I got to know Harold Small (Feb. 13, 1936 – May 17, 2021) when the Baie Verte Development Association and the Green Bay Economic Development Association got together to plan some sort of response to Greenpeace which was trying to destroy our seal industry.
With the help of Memorial University, we were able to get some assistance to help plan and organize what turned out to later be the Canadian Sealers Association.
After about a year that was put in place, I became first treasurer of ...
Remembering Gordie Gore
When an obituary describes the deceased as “our professional blueberry picker, baker of pies, weapon on the dance floor and ruthless card player,” you know this was an interesting person.
When friends describe that person with words like integrity, kindness, honesty, humour, respect, caring and trust, you know this was an awesome person.
Those are words we heard over and over again when we asked Gordie Gore’s friends and former colleagues what word comes to mind when they think ...
Henry Vokey: Man of a Thousand Boats
Henry Vokey was truly a legend in his own time.
He was a quiet, unassuming and humble family man who grew up in the small fishing village of Little Harbour, Trinity Bay — certainly not the kind of person we usually think about in a line that includes the word “legend.”
A master boatbuilder, Henry was known as the man of a thousand boats.
Like many Newfoundland and Labrador men, Henry developed a keen interest in the art of wooden boatbuilding when he was a boy. From a family of ...
Glovertown Boatbuilder Bob Davis Remembered
Above: Bob Davis with his good friend and colleague Michele Babstock.
For 40 years, Robert (Bob) Davis has been synonymous with the Glovertown Shipyard in northeastern Newfoundland, both as an owner and in his retirement years, project advisor.
Davis died unexpectedly on April 22 after a brief illness, joining his wife Beverly who had passed away just the month before. The couple had been married for 46 years. Davis is fondly remembered as a mentor, a neighbour and a great friend by ...
Inshore Fishing Industry Loses a Steadfast Advocate
Tom Best: December 31, 1945 – March 31, 2020
Tom Best was a tireless advocate for the inshore fishery, which was once the economy driving Newfoundland and Labrador, and one of the best-known inshore fishermen in this province.
Before I met Tom, I got to know him from open line radio shows and the Fisherman’s Broadcast.
In the 1980s, when the inshore fishery started to decline, Tom like many others, saw the warning signs and the potential demise of the industry that was so important ...
Former Colleague Fondly Remembers John Crosbie
Working for John Crosbie is a time St. John’s resident Ray Andrews remembers well.
“He was a workaholic, a stickler for details, needed all the research from as many as he could get before he made any decisions, so that was the part I really liked about him,” said Andrews in an interview.
“He didn’t work on the fly or do short-term type of stuff. He always wanted the details necessary from everybody and many times he would ask the same question of a bunch of people and take all ...
