Guy Issue Newfoundland Stamps 1910

Commemorating the 300th Anniversary of Cupids. Originally uploaded by eracose

The Guy Issue of Newfoundland Stamps printed in 1910 commemorated the 300th Anniversary of  the Cupids Colony.  At that time Newfoundland was a self-governing colony within the British Empire,  having achieved responsible government in 1855.  [Newfoundland did not join the Canadian Confederation until 1949]   These stamps are very interesting, because of their design and the fact that they are Newfoundland stamps. In 2010, we are celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Cupids, a milestone,  not only for the tiny town of Cupids and for the Baccalieu Trail area.  The 400th Anniversary of the first English settlement in Canada and the second English settlement in North America (following Jamestown in Virginia) is a momentous event in world history.   Once the British Empire had established a toehold in Jamestown and Cupids, it went on to become the predominant power in the colonization of North America.   Over the centuries, many have passed judgement on the behaviour of colonial empires.  After four hundred years, we cannot change what has happened.   However, we know that the development of the first  British colony,  in what was to become Canada, was a turning point in world history, which changed the lives of many groups of people in many different parts of the world. What makes this set of stamps really interesting is their portrait of history. 

London and Bristol Company - Newfoundland Stamp

London and Bristol Company

On May 2, 1610, the London and Bristol Company received a charter from King James I of England allowing them to start a settlement in Newfoundland. In August of the same year, a group of colonists led by John Guy arrived at Cupers Cove and began building the new colony. By this time, Newfoundland had been visited by fishermen from Europe every summer for over 100 years, but they arrived in the spring and sailed home at the end of the fishing season. Cupers Cove was the first European settlement in Newfoundland since the Vikings had visited the island over 600 years before.  

Cupids in 1910 - Newfoundland Stamp

Cupids in 1620

Cupids in 1910, issued to commemorate the 300th Anniversary of the founding of the First English Settlement in Canada.   The houses are traditional  Newfoundland saltbox houses.  

The Endeavour - Newfoundland Stamp

Guy’s Ship, the Endeavour

The ‘Endeavour’ was not the ship that Guy sailed to Cupers Cove.
It was a 10 ton bark built in Cupids.About the bark and its purpose:”The colonists cleared the land and began constructing buildings and boats as soon as they arrived. In addition to fishing, logging, farming and exploring for minerals, one of the goals of the colonists was to initiate friendly relations with the Beothuk to establish a fur trade. The colonists cut a trail overland from Conception Bay to Trinity Bay (Crout’s Way.) They also used two of their newly built boats, a 12 tonne bark (which they called the Indeavour) and a shallop to sail around the Bay de Verde Peninsula into Trinity Bay to meet the Beothuk. During the trip they saw Beothuk homes and canoes and actually met, shared a meal, and traded with a group of Beothuk people.” 

 John Guy’s Colonists Greeting the Beothuk Copper Engraving by Theodorus de Bry The Journey of the Endeavour
John Guy’s Meeting with the Beothuk  

 John Guy

John Guy was born in Bristol, England in 1567. He was a merchant and during his life served as a sheriff, Mayor of Bristol and a member of Parliament. John played a major role in the London and Bristol Company which set up the first English colony in Canada at Cupers Cove (Cupids) in Conception Bay, Newfoundland. He was the colony’s first governor.” Biography of John Guy John Guy – Baccalieu Digs   

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Mosquito [now Bristol's Hope

Mosquito [now Bristol's Hope]

Mosquito, which was renamed Bristol’s Hope in 1910 during the 300th anniversary of John Guy’s settlement, is located between the modern communities of Harbour Grace and Carbonear. Robert Hayman was the first Governor, perhaps in 1618. While in Newfoundland he spent much of his time writing and translating poetry. His book of poetry “Quodlibets, lately come over from New Britaniola, Old Newfound-land” was printed in 1628. Much of the poetry in the book praised and encouraged Newfoundland settlers. It was the first book of poetry written in English in the New World. 

Robert Hayman [Contains 2 of his poems]  

Pulp and Paper Mills in Grand Falls

The Pulp and Paper Mill in Grand Falls

Grand Falls is the name of the spectacular falls on the Exploits River in central Newfoundland. At the time when these stamps were printed in 1910, the Pulp and Paper Mill in Grand Falls was the most significant new industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. The construction of the pulp and paper mill had been completed in 1909. It was supplied with power from the falls, it was on the route of the railway, and it had access to the seaport of Botwood. Ironically, the Pulp and Paper Mill was closed by AbitibiBowater on February 18, 2009, in the midst of considerable controversy. Premier Danny Williams, on behalf of the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador, expropriated AbitibiBowater’s provincial assets and contractual rights to natural resources. These resources included considerable hydroelectric resources and land and timber rights. The case is in the courts.   

Logging Camp

Logging Camp Red Indian Lake. With the Pulp and Paper Industry came logging camps. Although life in the camps was extremely hard, they provided a living for a large number of families for over 100 years, until the Pulp and Paper mill closed in 2009.   

King James I

King James 1

King James I, who awarded the charter to John Guy to establish the “earliest settlement in the British Empire” in 1610, was the child of Mary, Queen of Scotts and Lord Darley. His father was assassinated under mysterious circumstances before he was one year old, and his mother was imprisoned by Elizabeth I in London tower. He succeeded Elizabeth I, because he was the closest relative to an unmarried and childless queen. His son, Charles I, was executed. He is recognized as an intellectual and a scholar, who encouraged the development of cultural activities and the arts. He is perhaps best know today because he authorised the production of the King James Version of the Bible.   

Lord Bacon

Lord Bacon (1561-1626)

Lord Bacon was a member of the Bristol and London Company  that established the colony in Cupids. He was one of the great intellects of his age to the extent that there have been claims that he actually wrote Shakespeare’s plays. He was a philosopher, who delineated the principles of the inductive method of reasoning. He coined the expression, “Knowledge is power.”  He was a powerful political figure, but eventually removed from office for accepting a bribe.   

Edward VII

Edward VII (1901-1910)

Edward VII was the son of Queen Victoria and Albert. His mother, Queen Victoria, was a dominating power who lived a very long life. As a result, he was best known for indulging himself in women, food, drink, gambling, sport and travel. He passed away in 1910 while the Guy Issue of Stamps was being prepared.   

George V

King George V (1910-1936)

King George V, Edward’s son, lived through a time of great world upheaval. He was king during World War I, the communist Russian Revolution, and the Great Depression. During his reign, the name of the royal family was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, due to anti-German sentiment in England. In 1917, he refused to allow Tsar Nicholas II and his family (Nicholas II was his cousin) political asylum in England. Tsar Nicholas II and his family were later assassinated during the revolution. He began the tradition of broadcasting a “Christmas Message” to the people.

Twitter Rescues Email

Sending important emails to busy people can be precarious.

They frequently read email on Blackberries or other handhelds, often on the run or in breaks between meetings.  (We have all observed Barrack Obama reading email on his Blackberry)

In addition, they receive literally hundreds of emails per day.

Messages frequently do not make the intended impact or, even worse, they are totally lost in the quagmire of email.

Ways That Twitter Has Changed That

What lessons about email can be learned from Twitter?

• Send emails as plain text, being conscious that many are read on handhelds.
• Compose the subject line carefully to be an attention getter
• Try to keep your message to 140 words, like Twitter
• Send shortened link (such as Tiny URL) if person requires more background.
• Make every word count – use precise vocabulary – take out needless words – do not use complicated, technical words when simple, everyday words carry the same meaning.
• Most important, focus on the central issue or point – one main idea and send that.

If more needs to be conveyed, add a link to additional information or send a second well written email.

The Rock… from Many Perspectives: Newfoundland Photography.

Living in Newfoundland and Labrador inspires photography.  The spectacular setting of the capital of St. John’s, as well as the unique local housing, such as Jellybean Row, and Quidi Vidi Village, are frequently photographed.

In “Outports,”  located on the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean,  the ever changing moods of wind, light, and water are a photographer’s delight.  Because the province is very sparsely populated, nature is on the doorstep… many varieties of birds and other wildlife are frequently seen;  wildflowers, trees, and other plant life is always on display.  And of course, rocks and rocky seascapes are everywhere.

Our own photos of Bay Roberts and nearby communities on the Northern Avalon can be found on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/baccalieu/

Because of the quality and variety of  Newfoundland Amateur Photographers who display their works on Flickr and blogs, we have been using these for time as a source for regional photos for both print and websites.  After finding a suitable photo, we contact the person who has posted it and ask for permission to use the photo, assuring him or her that we will credit the work in any publication.    Almost without exception, they have given permission.

Below is a listing of some sites we check very frequently for the quality of their photos:

Karen Chappell  Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

Karren Chappell - Family views Iceberg

http://bitstop-nfld.blogspot.com/

Lloyd C. Rees: Location: Chamberlains, CBS (On the other side of Conception Bay from Bay Roberts) – photos of seascapes, birds, wildflowers, historic photos.

Lloyd Rees - Sailing near Bell Island

http://lloydsnfldpics.blogspot.com/

Clyde Barrett: Location: Bishop’s Cove, Conception Bay North (On the other side of Spaniards’ Bay Harbour.) photos of birds, seascapes, icebergs, wildflowers, boats.

Clyde Barrett - Young Bald Eagle

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clbarret2003/

Geoff Whiteway : Location: St. John’s.  He teaches at the Marine Institute, which is affiliated with Memorial University, in St. John’s.  His photos have a unique look and feel.

Iceberg Off Shore by Geoff Whiteway

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21096258@N05/

Jean Knowles : Location:  St. John’s.  She is a Tour Guide in Newfoundland and Labrador. Her photos are of scenery, wildlife and flowers.

Jean Knowles - Iceberg from Signal Hill

http://www.flickr.com/photos/song_of_the_sea/

Mark Robertson Tsang: Location: West Coast Newfoundland. He is a ski instructor/coach in the winter months and is also a tour guide.  His photos of wildlife and plants are amazing – he even uses the correct biological terms.

Mark Robertson Tsang - Great Northern Peninsula

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_r_tsang/

I will be presenting another list in the near future.  There are just too many to include in one posting.

11 Distinguishing Traits of Newfoundland Outport Culture.

1. Respect is part of life.

People have been accepted and respected for who they are. If they are a bit “strange” or “touched in the head,” people in the community make allowance for that. Older people in the community are frequently called “Aunt” or “Uncle” out of respect, even if they are not related. (In Pigeon Inlet, “Aunt Sophie,” “Uncle Mose,” Grandpa and Grandma” Walcott, and the hangashore “Jethro Noddy” represent this tradition.)

2. Two Degrees of Separation exists in outports.

If you hear a person’s last name, you have a good idea what part of the province he or she is from and within a few minutes talking you can find someone who knows someone that you both know. (Just 2 degrees of separation) There is a bond of kinship. In David French’s plays, the story of the Mercer family, a name associated with Bay Roberts, is followed trough three generations. When the Couger Helicopter went down off shore, almost to person, everyone in Newfoundland outports knew someone who knew a friend or relative of the people from Newfoundland outports who tragically died.

3. Music – instrumental, singing, and dance have always had a large role in people’s lives.

There are songs that have been passed down through several generations that most people know and can sing along with, including “The Squid Jigging Ground,” “She’s Like the Swallow,” “Lukey’s Boat,”  and “I’se the By.” Traditional “Times” featured singing and dance.

4. Story telling grew out of isolation.

Stories of events in the community (sometimes written in verse), ghost stories and fairy stories have been passed from generation to generation. In the days before modern telecommunications, media and transportation, people were isolated in the winter months and entertained each other with stories and recitations. Each community had several well know story tellers. Ted Russell enshrines that tradition in his “Smoke Room on the Kyle.”

5. Traditional food is served.

Fish and brewis, fish cakes, duffs, flipper pie, bakeapple jam – and other recipes are known by most people. Certain foods are cooked in special ways for Christmas Eve or Good Friday, or other holidays and celebrations. At Newfoundland times and weddings, traditional foods are served. In many homes, even today, there is a traditional menu of  meals for each day of the week – for example, fish was served on Friday.

6. Heroes and characters are well known through generations.

“Characters” were eccentric people. In a gathering, each person tried to tell one better about things that community “characters”  had done. “Heroes” are people of the community, sometimes sea captains, sometimes people who had miraculous escapes from disaster,  who had achieved amazing feats, and whose stories are told and retold.

7. Language and dialect differs from outport to outport.

Each community has a slightly different accent (often based on the part of England or Ireland from which their ancestors came). Use of phrases and names of places are unique to that community. Often the names of places have a story that relates to the name. The Klondyke Causeway in Bay Roberts was built at around the time of the Klondyke Gold Rush. It was a time when the fishery had failed and the economy was in a state of decline. People that were hired to work on building the causeway felt it was the town’s version of the “Klondyke.”

8. Nicknames are very common in outport communities.

Because a number of people in some communities have the same family name and first name, each branch of a family has a nickname which is well known in the community. In Bay Roberts and surrounding communities the name Graham Mercer is very common, so each family has its own nickname. The names were sometimes named after the occupation – “Painter” and “Baker.” Sometimes named after a long forgotten incident – “Fox” another Mercer nickname is perhaps named after an incident with a fox. The Mercers through generations are called Joey “Fox,” or Fred “Painter” and everyone in the community knows which from Mercer family that person originated.

9. Various demoninations of the Church have played an enormous role in outports.

Activities in the community are determined by the church calendar – advent, Christmas, lent, and Easter; and church organizations such as the CLB, UCW, play roles in community life. They were even more important in the past, sometimes having a negative impact, but more often helping people through hard times and tragedies.

10. The sea was the reason for existence for most outports, so it dominated life.

The seasons associated with the fishery give a cadence to community life. Stories are told of well-known Captains, voyages, and dangers. Building boats and parts for ships, preparing and mending nets and pots, preparing fish for market, were a major part of life.

11. Survival skills have been honed by a harsh environment.

Many outport dwellers had an ability to do many things well. Men knew all about fishing, but many were carpenters, wood workers, painters, boat builders, loggers, and farmers. Women were homemakers, but they were also skilled gardeners, seamstresses, needleworkers, and community organizers. Most families cut their own wood for building and for fuel, grew and preserved vegetables for winter, remade old clothes for younger children in the family, coloured old flour bags and hooked them into mats, and raveled old sweaters, using the yarn to make new ones. Although the term was never used, recycling was common. Little was wasted. “This Bear Got Heart” (http://www.thisbeargotheart.com/) is an example of this tradition. Betty uses old clothing to make teddy bears and decorate them with traditional needle crafts.

Social Media.

Over the past few months, we have been exploring “social media” including Blogging, Flickr, YouTube, FaceBook, and most recently Twitter.

Twitter - www.twitter.com/eracose

We have just started with Twitter recently.  Twitter has a number of obvious values.

• The 140 word limit  is its greatest asset.  Sort of like “the elevator pitch”  The writer has to think about each word to ensure that the meaning is clear and interesting.

• Its length ensures only one topic per posting.  By experience, we have learned that people only focus on one topic per email – there is no point in including more than one.  Perhaps because many people use handhelds to receive and send email.  Twitter intuitively leads to just one topic.

• Its currency is another value.  News stories are ofter posted to Twitter before they a posted to news services.  In addition, people attending ongoing events can send moment by moment postings with photos and/or video.

• Because you can follow people you choose, you are getting the information that you want – as opposed to having to filter through useless information to find what you are seeking.

• Links to blogs, news articles, videos, and photos allows the reader to explore these options if he or she is interested in further information, if not it is easy to move on to the next topic.

• The ability to block is extremely important.  We have found that certain posters seem to offer a gateway to others.   They are fairly easy to recognize because they usually have 10,000+ followers and have made only 10 posts.  You can remove a great deal of “noise” by blocking these people as soon as possible.

• Twitter brings many voices from everywhere.  It is the best source of easily found, recent information in  graphic design, website design trends and methodology, and search engine optimization.  In just a few minutes, we bookmark a number of relevant links.  However, it is less productive for other types of information such as tourism marketing and funding charities.    Perhaps this because it is relatively new and because people involved in technology tend to use it more.

• From the point of view of marketing, it has to be done subtly and intrinsically, as opposed to overtly.  Being bombarded with a sales message is extremely annoying on Twitter, just as it is in everyday life.  Social media are just that.

• For clients, we sometimes upload links to websites, giving them greater exposure in search engines.

As a bottom line, we think Twitter is the best thing since Google.

Flickr – Baccalieu Consulting’s Flicker Site -www.flickr.com/photos/baccalieu/

Because of the quality and variety of  Newfoundland Amateur Photographers who display their works on Flickr, we have been using Flickr for some time as a source for regional photos for both print and websites.  After finding a suitable photo, we contact the person who has posted it and ask for permission to use the photo, assuring him or her that we will credit the work in any publication.    Almost without exception, they have given permission.   Two photographers whose work we have used extensively are:

Clyde Barrett – who lives in Bishop’s Cove – www.flickr.com/photos/clbarret2003/

Clyde, who lives across the Harbour on the Bishop’s Cove Shore, receives numerous awards for this photography through Flickr.  His photos of birds, including resident Spaniard’s Bay bald eagles, are outstanding.

Dean Ducas – who lives in Quebec – http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanspic/

Dean and his wife, neither of whom we have met in person, are outdoors people whose interests include ecotourism and birding.  We have used a number of his photos of the Bay Roberts Shoreline Heritage Trail.  Last year we used one of his photos as the cover of our BAY ROBERTS TOURISM AND LEISURE GUIDE – 2008

Use of Flickr for Marketing We have started uploading more of our own  photos and photos taken for client’s websites to Flickr.  In descriptions of photos, we link back to clients’ websites.  These links give clients another Search Engine entry, in addition to bringing people who look at the photos to the client website.

YouTube – Baccalieu Consulting’s YouTube Channel  – www.youtube.com/user/eracose

Having seen how well YouTube videos index in Goole, we decided to add some of our own.  We converted a number of MS PowerPoint, Flash Presentations, and other types of presentations to YouTube and uploaded them.   For our clients, this offered another point of entry for persons seeking information.

FaceBook - www.facebook.com/people/Margaret-Ayad/527537926

Unlike Flickr and YouTube,  FaceBook’s value to business is not immediately evident.

For the FaceBook that is mainly to use with Baccalieu Consulting,  it has been possible to align network of contacts, most of whom are familiar anyway.  We place links to work created for our clients, which again is helpful in promoting clients.  However,  we are not sure if the amount of time spent on FaceBook will translate into enough business leads to justify the expenditure of time.

FaceBook – Pigeon Inlet – Town of Bay Roberts – http://www.facebook.com/people/Mose-Mitchell/1155290376

The Uncle Mose FaceBook is a little different.  The town of Bay Roberts, our most active client,  has initiated the Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation.  One of the activities will be host to a series of dramatic productions each summer called “A Time in Pigeon Inlet.”  The production is based on the work of a well-known Newfoundland author, Ted Russell, whose main character was Unile Mose Mitchell.  With the Uncle Mose FaceBook we have attempted to make contact with three main groups of people – those with an interest in Newfoundland cultural heritage, the artistic community (including musicians and actors), and journalists.  We have added a Pigeon Inlet Group and have begun posting Pigoen Inlet events.

As the town is building towards this summer’s performances, we will have a good list of potential patrons and local media to inform.   At the end of the summer, we will be able to determine the success of this approach.

New Year -2009

Two new websites are up and running.

The Mariner News – a website for Global Maine which is located in Harbour Grace. They are a high quality – commercial fishing broker. They offer used fishing vessels, full packages, fishing licenses, used fishing gear, processing licenses, and processing equipment.

The Mariner News - marinernews.com

The other site is for “Communities Against Violence,” a community group based in the region which educates the community on ways to overcome the various types of violence that seem to have become common in modern life. The site deals with long standing types of violence, such as child abuse, partner abuse, and dating abuse. It also deals with new types of violence that have been developed through the Internet, such as cyber bullying and internet predators.

Western Avalon Communities Against Violence - communitiesagainstviolence.com

Muddy Hole

Muddy Hole

Originally uploaded by eracose

One of the photos of the Shearstown Estuary taken from the Flickr site.

Flickr

Although we use photos from other people in our websites and other design work, we have a large collection of photos ourselves of the Conception Bay North Region, especially of Bay Roberts.

You can view a these photos on our Flickr site.

Work in November

We are finally completing work for the Shearstown Estuary Joint Management Committee.  Four new Wayside Signs will be ready for the spring of 2009, one on fish, one on invertebrates, one on flowers, and one on grasses.  These signs will be placed with the six bird signs that were finished last summer.

In addition, final editing has been completed on a Flash presentation about the Shearstown Estuary.  The presentation has many photos of the estuary and photos of many of the animals and plants.  The presentation can be seen here :

The Shearstown Estuary [It takes a little time to load, because it is large, but it is worth the wait!]

In addition to our regular work, we are working with two new clients:  Western Avalon Communities Against Violence and Global Marine Inc.

We are preparing print materials and a website for the Western Avalon Communities Against Violence. The website will focus on providing help and information for those threatened with violence as well as for the community.  There will be information about such types of violence as elder abuse, bullying, and cyber bullying – all of which have been in the news recently.

Global Marine Inc. are brokers for the fishing industry and will have a website and publish a periodical with listings of fishing vessels, fishing gear, and  fishing licences.

Both these projects are in new areas of interest – so they have been keeping us very busy.

Sites Completed in October

October has been a busy month! We completed three new websites: Roaches Line RV Park and Cabins, This Bear Got Heart, and a WordPress Blog – A Dream of a Lifetime.

Roaches Line RV Park and Cabins is a new vacation site located at the beginning of the Baccalieu Trail. We took the photographs and listed the website with Google, Yahoo, the Open Directory Project, and other relevant search engines and directories (as we do with all our projects.) The cabins are open all year around. The Cabins have hardwood interiors and two are equipped with 2-person Jacuzzis.

Roaches Line RV Park and Cabins Website

This Bear Got Heart is a site for Betty Jones who makes special pieces of fabric becomes a visual, touchable, and huggable memories in the form of heirloom, one-of-a-kind, collectible bear.

This Bear Got Heart

With this website, as with many of our recent sites, we have added a blog. The blog offers the client and her clients to add photos and comments to the site. It gives control of that section of the site to the client and offers interactivity.

This Bear Got Heart - WordPress Blog

One of our most interesting projects was undertaken as part of our community service work which includes developing and maintaining a website for The Anglican Parish of St. Matthew and St. John the Evangelist in Bay Roberts We developed a blog about Pam Norman’s trip to assist people in Guatemala to build new homes as part of the Pampay School Project, the Arms of Jesus Children’s Mission.

Dream of a Lifetime – WordPress Blog