Aug 25 - The Grenfell Experience

We spent the afternoon at the Grenfell Experience. I mentioned Dr. Wilfred Grenfell in a post from Twillingate. Dr. Grenfell was born in England and graduated medical school in 1888.

Fishermen's Mission (since 2014), officially The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen(RNMDSF), is a British charitable organisation founded in 1881 to help those working in the UK's fishing industry. The charity, which is run on Christian principles, supports and welcomes persons of all faiths and none. It was founded at the end of the 19th century (1881) to provide assistance and support to the impoverished fishing communities around the coasts of Britain.

The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen sent Grenfell, who had worked for them after his graduation in 1888, to Newfoundland in 1892 to improve the plight of coastal inhabitants and fishermen. That mission began in earnest in 1892 when he recruited two nurses and two doctors for hospitals at Indian Harbour, Labrador and later opened cottage hospitals along the coast of Labrador. The mission expanded greatly from its initial mandate of simply health care to one of developing schools, an orphanage, cooperatives, industrial work projects, and social work. All of these helped to alleviate the tremendous burden of abject poverty felt by most of the people in the area. He fought long and hard against the use of liquor because he saw the damage that it did to health and to family finances. Although founded to serve the local area, the mission developed to include the aboriginal peoples and settlers along the coasts of Labrador and the eastern side of the Great Northern Peninsula of western Newfoundland.

In 1908, Grenfell was on his way with his dogs to a Newfoundland village for a medical emergency when he got caught in "slob", from which he managed to get onto an ice-pan with the dogs. He was forced to sacrifice some of his dogs to make a warm, fur coat for himself. After drifting for several days without food or fresh water, he was rescued by some villagers in the area. Because of this experience he buried the dogs and put up a plaque saying, "Who gave their lives for me."

He married Anne Elizabeth Caldwell MacClanahan (died 1938) of Chicago, Illinois, in 1909. They had three children and retired to Vermont after his work in Newfoundland. They were married in 1909 and came to live in the Grenfell House (which they designed together) in St. Anthony, Newfoundland. Anee was well-connected and had wealth. Anne gave Dr. Grenfell's life comfort and refinement. She became totally involved in his work. She organized his fundraising tours and lectures for his International Grenfell Association, edited his 17 books and helped secure scholarships for the children of the area to continue their education.

Grenfell died of a coronary thrombosis at Kinloch House in Charlotte, Vermont on 9 October 1940. His ashes were brought to St Anthony, where they were placed inside a rock face overlooking the harbour.

His was a life of service. He was knighted in 1927 and inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1997. The following statement has been widely ascribed to him but cannot be found in any of his books: "The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth. It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that the purpose of this world is not 'to have and to hold' but 'to give and serve.' There can be no other meaning."

We stopped into the lobby of the hospital that is right across the street from our hotel - again, just to look, not to avail ourselves of their services. The main rotunda is lined with striking ceramic murals created by Jordi Bonet in 1967. They show scenes from northern life and pay homage to Dr. Grenfell. An inscription panel reads: "Dedicated to the present and future generations of the people of the Coast by friends of the Grenfell Mission." Another panel thanks Dr. Charles S. Curtis (after whom the hospital is named) for his 48 years of service to the well-being of the people of Northern Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dinner was provided by Chez Foodland – we bought salads and fresh fruit and ate on the balcony overlooking the harbour on this glorious, sunny, warm day.Lue lisää