Wandering Retirees

We are impressed with how hard working the folks we have met are. Our waitress from last night, Juanita, and her serving partner were back again this morning serving breakfast despite an hour drive each way. She works six days a week yet presents as a dynamo of good cheer and humor, and we fell in like right away. Hard to find an ambassador of good will greater than Juanita, though we’ve met many who are kind and gracious. She will take her day off this week to see her doctors in St John’s, 3 hours away.

This, we think, gets to the fact that Newfoundland’s economy is greatly dependent on fishing and tourism. The whole “make hay when the sun shines” seems true in spades for so many here: when folks visit from out of town, they need to eat and sleep and recreate and everything else. Make folks happy and they’ll come back and maybe bring their friends. The genuinely kind spirit of these people matches perfectly with the wants and needs of visitors.

That’s our take, anyway. And we feel it is just and proper. I’ll get to that in another minute.

We rode about 215 miles to Twillingate today, with a stopover in Gander. You may recall that on 9/11, there were hundreds of aircraft flying when the US closed its airspace in response to the terrorist attacks. That included many passenger jets that were over the North Atlantic who were forced to either turn around if there was sufficient fuel, or find another airfield outside the US to land.

The field at Gander, NL had once been an air base for the Royal Canadian Air Force , but was used less after the end of the Cold War. On Sept 11, 2001, it became a refuge for 38 airliners who carried nearly 6,500 passengers and crew. Other fields in Canada that could handle large aircraft, like Halifax and Vancouver, also took in many planes. Folks needed to eat and sleep and bath and so forth. The town of Gander, however, had only about 9,000 inhabitants. Thus started Operation Yellow Ribbon, in which municipal facilities and workers, local folks and folks in neighboring towns opened their homes, kitchens, cars and trucks, clothes closets and laundry rooms for these people they did not know but who needed them.

We spoke with Brian, who works with Gander Town and took part in his community’s response. He told us that grocery and clothes stores from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the other Maritime provinces, and the eastern mainland just voluntarily re-routed trucks destined for their stores to Gander. There was a need to meet and work to do. And it was done with good cheer.

Brian reports that of the people came from 92 countries, speaking dozens of languages and some representing the most privileged elites. No one among the stranded passengers kicked up a fuss or demanded special treatment. Not one person among the hosts complained or showed resentment.

Speaking personally, this story has always moved me greatly. This is how life is supposed to be lived: Where there is need, meet that need. And thus friendships are made.

There’s a Memorial to Operation Yellow Ribbon placed in front of Town Hall. On a 9,000 pound Newfoundland granite, a plaque and a piece of the Twin Towers are bolted. The steel piece had been donated by the Bethpage, NY FD, who themselves were gifted it for their gallant response at the scene, which cost the lives of 70% of their crews. It was a gift of thanksgiving for the inspiring, selfless service at Gander.

Newfoundland is sometimes called the Rock: a solid, steady and safe haven. With people to match. Thus the memorial was designed with a place to sit and reflect.

It brought back some meaningful memories of that time. Connie and her co-worker, Tom Keevey, worked to staff the NJ Family Assistance Center at Liberty State Park with companions to give assistance to families of NJ victims. These companions were comprised of volunteers from throughout NJ as well as across the US (and include Hank).

So many people from around the world came together to help those affected by a senseless act of violence.

We hope you will indulge us for this homage. This has been a moving day.