ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE
A friend of mine’s daughter is playing hockey at an elite level and I was invited to watch her at the new arena in Paradise, Newfoundland. It was a great game. Afterwards, my buddy made his way to the locker rooms while I headed for the front lobby to wait. As I approached the entranceway…
TRUE COLOURS
We recently returned from ‘Rendezvous Canada’, an annual gathering that features a showcase of Canada’s best Tourism products, along with a large contingent of foreign buyers. This year’s event was hosted by the City of Halifax, NS, whose proximity to Newfoundland allowed us an opportunity to host two, post event, “familiarization” trips for clients who…
TWO SHEA
Have you ever found yourself in one of those situations when you know you shouldn’t be laughing – but you just can’t stop yourself. I mean, the story is so awful, yet you’re sitting there, busting a gut laughing. It might be the absurdity, it could be some bizarre coincidence, or in this particular case,…
ACROSS THE POND
Growing up in Newfoundland, we truly thought of ourselves as castaways. An island state plunked down off the east coast of Canada, smack dab in “the middle of nowhere”. We might even be accused of using this as an excuse when we first started our tourism programs, trying to entice travellers to our shores with…
TOUCH DOWN
We recently attended a tourism conference that emphasized the importance of a new marketing focus, and the need to provide authentic experiences for tourists. In a world that is directed by “word of mouth” sales and a reliance on social media to share encounters – the delivery of genuine products provides a quality assurance that…
‘BLASTED’
We arrived about 10 minutes late for a board meeting in Vancouver, causing my business partner to apologize, explaining; “You’ve got no idea what its like walking with a Newfoundlander on Robson Street. I’ve lived in this city for over 50 years and I don’t recognize a single person – this guy just moved here…
WHETHER WEATHER
The first thing you need to remember when you visit Newfoundland is, ignore the forecast. Just make your plans and carry through with them regardless of what the weather man says. Newfoundland is often described as the nose of North America, jutting so far into the mid-Atlantic you might rightly suggest that it’s “stuck in the…
RUM RAGGED
If you think politics and religion are subjects that should never be discussed in public – you might want to throw “rum in the mix” when you’re visiting Newfoundland. Newfoundlanders take their rum very seriously, even forgoing the best kind of a soiree just because the host didn’t offer their favorite brand at the bar.…
RARE BIRD
What a “goings on” we’re after having at my parent’s place in Topsail this year. I’m not certain how closely you’ve been watching our weather in Newfoundland, but 2018 has been brilliant thus far. You know, if you really, like weather! We saw a fair bit of frost in the late fall, and a mid…
SELL PHONES
On December 12, 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first, transatlantic, wireless message at Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It was an extraordinary accomplishment, one that ensured Newfoundland’s role in global communications would be heralded for many generations. But like everything associated with this island and its people, it’s the many periphery elements that make this…
MAKING A MARK
Today is my brother Mark’s birthday. Something I wouldn’t normally remember since we weren’t much for celebrating such occasions in our house. Mother believed that age was far less important than how you spent your time, and since we were always working on our family business together, we learned to celebrate life accomplishments instead. The…
BREAKING B’READ
Brother Mark took everyone from our tour department out for lunch and an impromptu review of our preparations for the upcoming tour season. Everyone was most appreciative of the lovely meal and the conscientious staff at the Sheraton who allowed us to carry on with our meetings even after the restaurant closed for the afternoon.…
BLOOD STONES
Carl laughed when I started to introduce yet another “Great story” to a group we were escorting across the island last year; “Have you ever told a story that wasn’t a “Great Story”, Andrew? I dare say you’d make rocks look interesting!” Funny you should mention that Carl, because I do have some interesting geology…
McCARTHY’S PARTY ISLAND TOUR
Remember the story I wrote about the Hutton Family – ‘Somethin for Hutton’? Well, I just found the lyrics to the song Carl Hutton wrote after we co hosted our first island wide tour this summer. Those of you who met Carl will certainly appreciate the words and the link to his original recording –…
ON THE FLY
We recently discovered that my mother’s people have a strain of aboriginal blood coursing through their veins – just as I suspect many Newfoundlanders can also claim. It seems that our great, great, great Grandfather on the Murphy side of the family (Catalina / Gambo ) married a girl by the name of Alice MacDonald…
