Passed on: Fred Bennett
Bayport, N.S. fish plant worker
Bennett, 88, passed away on November 3. Born in Lunenburg, he was a son of the late Fred and Annie “Lowie” Cook Dares. He worked with National Sea Products, Lunenburg, for 40 years and was admired for his tremendous work ethic. He was an avid hunter and outdoorsman and active within his community where he was a member of Lunenburg Fish and Game, founding member of the Lunenburg Rod and Gun Club, the Nova Scotia Wildlife Federation and Nova Scotia Firearms Instructors.
Passed on: Milford Goreham
Brass Hill, N.S. fisherman
Goreham, 92, passed away on October 23. Born on February 17, 1933, in Woods Harbour, he was a son of the late Wordlow B. “Monk” Goreham and Janora A. (nee Malone) Goreham Garron. He was a lifelong fisherman, starting his career with his father, he learned the ropes and spent many years aboard boats fishing and lobstering with his father-in-law “Speedy.” Captaining his own vessels, he fished aboard the Lady Venus, Kay G and the Rose Croix being the last before his retirement. He was also a harbour pilot, where he would guide ships into harbours that were difficult to enter. At the young age of 15, he survived the storm that took the vessel Sir Echo. This event left an enduring mark on him. He dreaded to hear of winds coming and ships out on the water, especially his grandchildren, when they were aboard those boats, it was always of great concern to him.
Passed on: Gordon Atwood
Atwood’s Brook, N.S. fisherman
Atwood, 89, passed away on November 5. Born in Bear Point, Shelburne County, on April 8, 1936, Gordon was the son of the late Robbie and Aveta (Newell) Atwood. He spent much of his life on the ocean, proudly captaining his own lobstering boat. After retiring from lobstering, Gordon operated a small wood mill behind his home. He and his wife Betty spent many hours together making wooden pallets. After selling smoked kippers from his home-made smokehouse, Gordon discovered his love for selling fish. Known to many as “The Fishman,” he spent countless hours in Barrington selling a variety of fish out of the back of his truck. He did this for enjoyment, rather than necessity.
Passed on: Trent Atkinson
Barrington, N.S. fisherman
Atkinson, 55, passed away on November 4. Born on July 5, 1970 in Yarmouth, he was a son of Darryl Atkinson and Beverly Atwood. Trent had a great love for music and passed on his love of music to his daughter, London. He had a deep passion for the sea where he spent most of his days working hard as a lobster fisherman. Trent enjoyed hunting and spending time at the lake.
Passed on: J.A. Doucette
Yarmouth, N.S. marine engineer
Doucette, 76, passed away on November 3. Born in Yarmouth on May 6, 1949, he was the son of the late Arthur and Barbara (Roberts) Doucette. He was a marine engineer who spent his career on tugboats for J.D. Irving and for Dome Petroleum in the Arctic. He also worked on the MV Bluenose before joining the staff of the Town of Yarmouth’s Wastewater Plant. He was a man with many interests and hobbies. He was a devoted Ham Radio operator (call sign ve1JC) and a longtime member of the Yarmouth Radio Club. He also served on the board of the South Ohio Community Centre for the past two decades. He was a true son of Yarmouth, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the town.
Passed on: Lemuel Locke
Lower Sandy Point, N.S. fisherman
Locke, 93, passed away on October 29. Born on Friday, May 13, 1932, in Jordan Bay, Shelburne County, he was the eldest son of the late Prescott and Elvie (Decker) Locke. He devoted his life to the sea for 77 plus years. At an early age he first went inshore fishing with Stanley Pierce. He then went with his dad, dory long line fishing on the Robinson Second. Many years later, his final fishing boat being Grampies Pride. He spent years on the water long line fishing, had been in partnership with his lifelong friends, Gerald Hemeon and Percy Bush, fishing a herring trap (weir) many years ago, and finished off his later years lobstering. He was very respected within his community and was often called upon to help with taking school groups to McNutt’s Island for field trips, piloting cruise ships in and out of Shelburne Harbour, as well as taking members of the Department of Fisheries on exploration trips.
Passed on: Harvey Hallett
Lockeport, N.S. fish plant worker
Hallett, 79, passed away on October 27. Born on June 22, 1946, he was a son of the late Jack and Agatha Hallett. Harvey was a hard worker who began working at the age of 14 at National Sea and finished his working career at Pierce Fisheries/Clearwater.
Passed on: J. Wallace Doucet
Wedgeport, N.S. fisherman
Doucet, 88, passed away on October 25. Wallace served 26 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an air traffic controller, where he was admired for his humour, resilience and unwavering loyalty to his comrades. His military career took him to many parts of the world, yet his heart always remained in Nova Scotia, where he returned after retirement and made his home for the past 45 years. Following his military service, Wallace continued to dedicate himself to his work and community. He spent his time lobster fishing for 12 years with his brother-in-law, Don, later served as plant foreman at Ocean Pride and for many years worked as the wharfinger in Wedgeport — roles in which he was deeply respected and well loved.
Passed on: Ernest Hinkley
S.W. Margaree, N.S. fisherman
Hinkley, 62, passed away on November 7. Ernest was born on March 28, 1963, one of 11 children to the late Myles and Mary (Kennedy) Hinkley. He was employed in the fishing industry for a number of years. He fished gaspereau as a helper for some of the fishers on the S.W. Margaree River and fished lobster with his brother Brian out of Inverness. A serious car accident a number of years ago prevented Ernie from working in the industry he loved.
Passed on: Percival Powles
Peterborough, ON fisheries scientist
Powles, 95, passed away on November 14. Perce lived a life defined by curiosity, dedication and community service. His remarkable academic journey included a BA in English and Sociology (McGill, 1951), a BSc in Biology (Western University, 1955), a Master’s in Biology (Western, 1957) and a PhD in Marine Biology (McGill, 1964). Perce’s academic career began in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he spent 10 years with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. In 1969, he joined Trent University, where he served as Professor of Marine Biology until his retirement in 1995. Over his career, he published 44 scientific papers, specializing in fisheries and larval fish biology, and served as President of the Canadian Committee for Fisheries Research (CCFFR). Retirement did little to slow him down. Perce volunteered with NOAA in Beaufort, North Carolina, contributing to research that resulted in three additional publications. Perce remained active in the scientific community as a publisher of the newsletter for the Larval Fish Committee of the American Fisheries Society.
