The Twine Loft – June 2022

Passed On: Stephen Gehue – Yarmouth, N.S. fisherman

Gehue, 63, passed away on April 8. Born on June 16, 1958, he had a love for fishing and he spent most of his life on the water. He actually spent more time on the water than on land.

Passed On: Joseph Wickens – Clam Point, N.S. fisherman

Wickens, 43, passed away suddenly on March 17. Born in Yarmouth on October 20, 1978, he was a son of Douglas Wickens (Paula) and Chris Wickens (nee Sears). He spent his life immersed on the water and in the woods.

Passed On: Wilfred Nickerson – Shag Harbour, N.S. fisherman

Nickerson, 91, passed away on April 3 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on February 15, 1931, he was a son of the late Lewis and Sarah (Waybret) Nickerson. He worked in fish plants and spent most of his working life lobstering and fishing.

Passed On: James Jacquard – Wedgeport, N.S. mariner

Jacquard, 88, passed away on April 2. Born on October 25, 1933 in Wedgeport, he was a son of the late Dennis and Isabelle (Fitzgerald) Jacquard. He made his living on the water working as a cook on scallop boats, working for both Sweeney’s Fisheries and Comeau Seafoods. He also spent some time as a fish cutter working in Newfoundland.

Passed On: Hubert Hall – Port Maitland, N.S. mariner

Hall, 84, passed away on April 19. Born on October 24, 1937, in Beaver River, N.S., he was a son to the late Benjamin and Frances Isabelle (Smith) Hall. He left home at the age of 17 to explore and pursue adventures on the sea with the Mary Sweeney cargo ship, which would land him in such ports as Dublin, Liverpool and ports along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. Along with his wife Helen, sailing the seas was his love and passion. Hubert started work on the MV Bluenose in 1956 and worked until retirement in 1991.

Passed On: Fred Lannan – Liverpool, N.S. fish plant worker

Lannan, 89, passed away on April 14. Born in Liverpool, he was the son of the late Martin Lannan and the late Violet Schrader. He started working at a young age for the Chandler Brothers Fish business in Moose Harbour. In the 1960s, the business merged into Mersey Seafoods where he became a fish cutter for many years before illness sent him into early retirement.

Appointed: Dr. Bing Chen – UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering

Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s Dr. Bing Chen has been appointed as the UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering. UArctic chairs are internationally leading scientists and engineers who act as drivers for academic development in content areas relevant to the Arctic. Positions are selected globally and collaboratively appointed by UArctic and its nominating institutions. As one of the newest UArctic chairs, Dr. Chen will establish and sustain a world-leading research program dedicated to marine and coastal environmental sustainability and community resilience in the Arctic and other cold regions by targeting two challenging and critical areas over the next five years. The first area, preventing and responding to oil/chemical spills, will advance knowledge of the risks and impacts of oil and chemicals released from operational leakages or accidental spills. It will develop green cleanup technologies and effective emergency response methods through the integration of environmental engineering with bio/nano-technologies and artificial intelligence. The second area, managing and mitigating non-regulated persistent and emerging contaminants, including petroleum hydrocarbons, micro/nano-plastics, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, flame retardants, pesticides and others, will help Arctic communities better understand how to prevent and/or remove them from natural and human environments under climate change.