Aug 24 - Heading north to St. Anthony

The mission for today was to drive to St. Anthony on the tip of the Northern Peninsula. We had time to use up before our 4:00 p.m. check in, so we made a few stops along the way.

The first stop was at the site of the wreck of the SS Ethie. On December 11, 1919, in a violent storm, the Captain intentionally ran the Ethie aground at Martin's Point. The passengers and crew were rescued, with the help of locals that witnessed the grounding, by means of a boson's chair and a rope. A baby was sent ashore in a mail bag. Reporting of the story at the time was sensationalized and included accounts of a heroic dog. All 92 people aboard were rescued with the help of locals and were put up in local homes. We didn’t see any pieces of the wreckage, but we did find two more Parks Canada red chairs – they were wet, so I took a photo of the chairs without us in them showing the glorious view.

As we drove along the coast, we think we saw whales. Maybe they were waves, but we’re going to stick to the whale story.

Next stop was in Cow Head. We found a walking trail that led up to a lookout point that gave a glorious look at the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We’ve had incredibly good luck with weather – it rained during breakfast and then cleared up in time for exercise time.

We continued north, sometimes in rain, through several changes of topography and vegetation. We saw mountains, blue water beaches, streams, marshes, rocky deserts, plains, scrubby bushland, and trees on a tilt because of the constant strong winds. All along, little villages were perched by the water. We continue to marvel at the resilience of the Newfoundland people and their ability to carve out a life far from urban centres and things that we consider necessities.

Next stop was Arches Provincial Park that showcases fabulous arched rock formations. There used to be four arches; only three remain and these will eventually be lost to erosion.

We made one last stop, and this one was on the recommendation of my sister, Mary Ann, who visited here several years ago. We stopped at the Nurse Myra Bennett Heritage House in Daniel’s Harbour. It’s a bit difficult to find (it’s beside the post office) but really worth the effort. This is the house Myra lived in with her family. Two young men gave us a great tour of the interior of the house.

Myra M. Bennett, CM, MBE (April 1, 1890 – April 26, 1990) born London, England, died Daniel's Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada was a celebrated Canadian nurse. Dubbed The Florence Nightingale of Newfoundland by the Evening Telegram, in tribute to her contribution to the people of the Great Northern Peninsula, she was also known simply as The Nurse.

Bennett (née Grimsley) worked as a tailor in London before training as a nurse at Woolwich during the first World War. She later studied midwifery at Clapham School of Midwifery. She came to Newfoundland as a district nurse under the outport nursing scheme. Her plan was to travel to Saskatchewan but was approached by Lady Harris (wife of Sir Alexander Harris) and was made aware of the dire need for nurses in Newfoundland. She agreed and changed her plans to go to Daniel's Harbour in May 1921, at the age of 31. She stayed in Daniel's Harbour and started a family.

Myra quickly gained experience caring for the sick on the west coast of Newfoundland. In these areas of Newfoundland (like Parsons Pond) there were no hospitals or doctors available. She delivered over 750 babies during her career. Myra often made news headlines, often referred to as "Nurse Bennett of the Outports". She was known for being especially passionate and resourceful in the rural areas in which she worked. There are stories recorded that show the great distances Bennett would travel to get to her patients. When the need for hospitals was clear to Bennett, she transformed her house into a hospital with the help and support of her three children and husband.
Her work in Newfoundland encouraged the construction of new hospitals in Bonne Bay, Port Saunders and St. Anthony's.

Bennett's life as a nurse in outport Newfoundland was written in an article by Reader's Digest and a book entitled Don't Have Your Baby in the Dory by H. Gordon Green. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1974 and lived to be 100 years old. A life truly well-lived.

Having used up enough time, we headed to St. Anthony, taking in the stunning scenery along the coast before the highway curved off to the east. We are now in Viking country. More about that in the next footprint.

We had dinner at the Lightkeeper’s Café out on the end of the point – lovely view, alas no whales! We had our favourites - fish and chips for Doug and chowder for me.

We have a lovely one-bedroom suite at the Grenfell Properties. Our balcony overlooks the water. We have a great little kitchen, a big sitting room and a huge bedroom. Breakfast is included with our stay - didn't realize that when I made the booking. Hope the coffee is good!Les mer