Tourism, Culture and Recreation
October 5, 2010
Historic Commemorations
Designations Announced
The tangible and intangible heritage of
Newfoundland and Labrador took centre stage this morning as the
Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation,
was at The Rooms to announce the latest designations under the
Provincial Historic Commemorations Program.
The founding of the Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary in 1871 and the Tsunami of 1929 were both recognized under
the category Events of Provincial Significance, while rescues at sea,
and the heroism associated with such events, was recognized as a
Distinctive Cultural Tradition or Practice.
"The events which have served as turning
points in our province's history, along with our traditional customs and
practices, serve to define Newfoundland and Labrador and its people,"
said Minister French. "And today, through the Provincial Historic
Commemorations Program, these events and traditions have been recognized
for the role they played, and the impact they made, on the history of
Newfoundland and Labrador."
Governed by a board of six individuals,
the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program is a citizen-driven
program, whereby individuals or groups can make nominations that they
feel are provincially significant and worthy of official commemoration.
"Each designation adds to a wider
discussion about what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians value about their
history and identity," said Françoise Enguehard, Chair of the Historic
Commemorations Board. "Along with the program website, each designation
ceremony provides an opportunity to celebrate the aspects of our
heritage and culture that make us unique."
For more information about the Provincial
Historic Commemorations Program, including nomination criteria, visit:
www.seethesites.ca/commemorations or contact the Commemorations
Office at 709-729-6901.
Establishment of the Provincial Historic
Commemorations Program was among the objectives outlined in the
province's cultural strategy,
Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The
Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture
(2006). Since
the launch of the strategy, the Provincial Government has invested more
than $44 million into the arts, culture and heritage sectors.
- 30 -
Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
2010 Provincial Historic Commemorations Designates
The Founding of the Royal Newfoundland
Constabulary - Event of Provincial Significance
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) was founded in 1871. Prior
to that, a battalion of about 300 British forces at Fort Townsend
relieved Newfoundland's government of bearing the full cost of keeping
law and order. When the battalion withdrew in 1870, the island's
existing policing efforts were reorganized and expanded. By 1883, the
RNC was made up of more than 100 trained constables. The Constabulary's
jurisdiction reached across Newfoundland and Labrador until
Confederation in 1949. In 1950, the policing of all areas of the
province outside St. John's was taken over by the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP). In the 1980s, the RNC resumed policing of the north-east
Avalon Peninsula, Corner Brook and Labrador West. In 1979, Queen
Elizabeth II granted the "Royal" designation to the RNC, a distinction
granted to only one other Canadian police force, the RCMP. For more
information on the history of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary,
visit:
www.rnchs.ca/history.html
.
Tsunami of 1929 - Event of Provincial
Significance
On November 18, 1929, a subterranean earthquake took place 18
kilometres below the seafloor at the mouth of the Laurentian Channel.
The earthquake and the resulting underwater landslide created a tsunami
that killed 27 people and devastated many parts of the province's Burin
Peninsula — particularly the communities of Port au Bras, Kelly's Cove
(Burin), Taylor's Bay, Lords Cove and Lamaline. The Burin Peninsula's
fishery infrastructure was devastated, and the geological event created
large-scale ecological changes on the ocean floor which further affected
the fishery. Recognized internationally, scientists and disaster
strategy planners refer to this disaster as a significant event from
which lessons are still being learned. For more information on the 1929
tsunami, visit:
www.heritage.nf.ca/law/tsunami29.html
.
Rescues at Sea (and the heroism
associated with such events) - Distinctive Cultural Tradition or
Practice (3 designates)
- During an 1828 hurricane in Isle aux
Morts, 17-year-old Ann Harvey, along with her father George and
younger brother Tom, rescued in excess of 150 people from The
Despatch, an Irish immigrant ship left stranded on the offshore
reefs on which it ran aground and broke apart. Mr. Harvey was
awarded a medal by the Royal Humane Society of Great Britain, which
he gave to his daughter Ann for her heroic role. And again in 1838,
the Harvey family rescued 25 crewmen following the wreck of The
Rankin, a ship sailing from Glasgow to Quebec that went aground
near the same spot as The Despatch.
- In 1867, in Spotted Islands,
Labrador, Captain William Jackman of Renews rescued 27 people aboard
the fishing schooner Sea Clipper which had struck a reef
during a storm. The first 11 were rescued without additional aid,
while the remainder were saved with the help of a rope and some men
onshore. Captain Jackman was awarded a silver medal by the Royal
Humane Society of Great Britain. For more information, visit:
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=A2116.
-
In 1942 in Chambers Cove, men of St.
Lawrence and Lawn lowered themselves over the icy cliffs following a
February storm that sent two U.S. Navy vessels — the USS Truxtun
and USS Pollux — into the rocks of the cove. Of the 400
sailors aboard the ships, 183 were saved. For more information,
visit:
www.heritagefoundation.ca/property-search/property-details.aspx?id=2473
.
2010 10 05
11:10 a.m.
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