Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks Significant Milestone for New Sealers Memorial in Elliston

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, joined a number of dignitaries at a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of a new Sealers Memorial Interpretation Centre in Elliston, Trinity Bay, today. The centre is being constructed as part of the Home from The Sea campaign.

“The sealing industry has and continues to play a significant role in the lives of many people throughout Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Premier Dunderdale. “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a pivotal step in the Home from The Sea campaign. I commend the campaign committee and the Elliston Heritage Foundation for their commitment to this project. The Sealers Memorial Interpretation Centre and the Memorial Statue will be a lasting symbol and will serve as a permanent tribute to the many lives lost and of the sealing industry.”

Since the Home from The Sea campaign launch in December 2011, the campaign committee has worked toward raising $2.5 million to build the memorial statue designed by artist Morgan MacDonald, an educational interpretation centre, and a walking path that will honour sealers. The Provincial Government has contributed $500,000 toward the project. The site will ultimately recognize the loss of life from the 1914 sealing disasters and commemorate the lives and work of all sealers and their historic contribution to the culture, economy and development of communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Premier Dunderdale joined the Honourable John C. Crosbie, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Home from The Sea Campaign Patron; the Honourable Peter Penashue, Regional Minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada; and, Myrtle Stagg, Chair of the Elliston Heritage Foundation, at the ceremony. Also in attendance was the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Glen Little, MHA for Bonavista South.

“Our government is pleased to support this very worthwhile campaign,” said Minister King. “The campaign committee, and His Honour, Mr. Crosbie, have been driving forces behind the success since the beginning. I offer them my sincere appreciation for their work and commend them on such a wonderful undertaking paying homage to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who have lost their lives and to the province’s sealing industry as a whole.”

The memorial site is being constructed in anticipation of the 100 year anniversary of the SS Newfoundland and SS Southern Cross sealing tragedies in 2014.

“The sealing industry has had an enormous impact on the province and the communities in the Bonavista and Trinity Bay region,” said Glen Little, MHA for Bonavista South. “I am pleased by our government’s commitment toward this project. It will enshrine our history for all to see, and I personally look forward to the unveiling of the centre and memorial in 2014.”

More information on the Home from The Sea Campaign can be found by visiting www.homefromthesea.ca . A news release by the campaign committee regarding the groundbreaking ceremony can also be found on the website.

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2012 09 21             1:45 p.m.