Bell Island Community Policing Newsletter
Community Policing - Everyone’s Business
- Arrive Alive
- From Sarge's Desk
- Millennium Scholarships
- Maintain the Right
- Another Chuckle for You
- Magic Potion
- Coping with Hearing Loss Seminar
- Brighter Futures Report
- The Wabana Town Council Report
- Policing Stories From The Past
- November Stats
- St. Michael's High School Report
- Katimavik
- 2410 Bell Island Army Cadets
- Co-operators St. John's Junior Hockey League
- Cop Quotes
- Court Watch
- Presentation
- The Bell Island Community Food Report
- Closing Remarks
Bell Islanders are generally safe drivers it would seem, according to
statistics for the past two years:
1998 2 minor injury accidents
5 non reportable damage
9 reportable damage
16 total accidents 1998
1999 - 2 minor injury accidents
3 non reportable damage
7 reportable damage
12 total accidents 1999
CONTENTS
There has only been two accidents this year up to 2000-02-20 - one being an
injury and the other being a non reportable damage accident. A
non-reportable accident is one in which the total damages are under $1000
and the drivers are not required to provide a written report.
However, winter is here in all its glory so there is a need to be extra
cautious when driving. So far we've been lucky with the winter weather on
Bell Island. We've had some tricky conditions but for the most part we have
had little snow. Right now as I look out my window, you wouldn't be able to
scrape up enough snow to make a good sized snowball. However, luck with the
weather is about as common as me being the jackpot winner on 649 (or any
prize amount for that matter.) We must expect there is bad weather coming
sometime before we see the spring. So, we should be prepared as much as
possible.
Tires - Most of us by now, have already had our car winterized which
includes winter tires. Winter tires are a must for Newfoundland winter
driving conditions and four winter tires will give you the very best
traction available. All season tires are good for average driving conditions
but our winters ensure that driving conditions in this province will be
anything but average. Your tires offer you the best chance of safety so it
is not an area to scrimp on.
Brakes - They must be in excellent working condition. Have them checked on a
regular basis by a licenced mechanic.
Windshield - Check regularly for cracks and proper tension. Replace when
necessary.
Battery - Battery power declines in cold weather. Ensure your vehicle
battery is in good working order. If you are having problems it may be time
to replace it.
Heaters and Defrosters - Should also be checked regularly to ensure they are
in proper working order.
Fuel System - Keep your gas tank as full as possible. This minimizes
condensation which may cause gas line freezing. (With gas prices the way
they are today this is not an easy task) When filling your tank it is a good
idea to add gas line antifreeze on occasion and especially during bouts of
cold weather.
Clearing vehicle glass - It is a bit of a pain to scrape ice and clear
snow from the viewing glass of your vehicle but it is very important.
Operating a vehicle without properly clearing the glass from snow and ice is
not safe. Reduced visibility makes you a danger not only to yourself but to
other drivers and pedestrians on the road way. The few minutes it takes are
well worth the effort. Besides, if you are observed by the police driving in
this manner, I can guarantee you will be getting ticket which will be
costly. So in addition to being safety conscious you will also give yourself
a financial break.
Basic equipment - Windshield scrapper, snow brush, lightweight shovel,
battery jumper cables, bag of sand, flashlight, supply of gas line
antifreeze, and a first aid kit.
The main thing to remember when driving in winter conditions is to slow
down. You cannot operate a vehicle in a safe manner at speeds which are safe
under normal conditions. It takes longer to stop on snow or ice and the
movement of the vehicle is different and unpredictable. Reduce your speed
and drive in a defensive manner. Don't expect the other driver or pedestrian
to react according to the rules of the roads and regulations. Be observant
and be prepared to react in event they don't act according to Hoyle.
Remember being safety conscious ensures that everyone arrives at their
destination without being harmed.
by Sgt. Wayne Hebb
Recently, a young man from this community, John Kent, Jr. joined the
RCMPolice. He headed for the training depot in Regina, Saskatchewan in late
November, 1999 and is presently undergoing a rigid training schedule at this
time. John was a teacher at Immaculate Conception Elementary School at the
time he was accepted and prior to his departure John attended the RCMPolice
office to sign his engagement documents. John's parents were present for
this as well as
some of his colleges and students.
Front: L to R - some of John's students, Kayla Foley,
Melissa Maddigan, Melissa Hurley, Ashley Tremblett,
Rear: L to R -Sister Mary Tee, Rodney Mitchell, Diana Durdle, John Kent,
Jr., Reg Durdle, Sgt. Wayne Hebb.
L to R - John Kent, Sr., Rose Kent, John Kent, Jr., Sgt.
Wayne Hebb
John is due to finish training on May 1, 2000. His wife Tasha Kent, completed her training recently and is presently stationed in Harbour Grace. It is believed John will be transferred near that location as well. All the best to John in his new occupation.
We have been advised there have been other residents of Bell Island who have been recipients of this award. They are:
Tracy Dwyer(parents Edward & Patricia)
Patricia Keels (Patrick &Eileen)
Paul Noseworthy (Gerry & Paula)
Leslie Joy (Patrick & Madeline)
Lori Delaney (Maria Delaney)
Doug Keough (Bren & Mary)
Amanda Coombs (Don & Lucy)
Karl Lawrence (Gary & Geraldine)
Congratulations to all these individuals with hopes this will assist them in their continued education efforts. Should you know of anyone else who has received this scholarship or any other award for that matter, please advise our office. We are more than happy to recognize these deserving individuals.
Part II
Fiction by Sgt. Wayne Hebb
He shivered slightly and moved closer to the open fire as the cool wind skittered around him. The wind easily found the small holes in his worn leather trench coat. The beans on his tin plate were cold although he had just taken them from the pan moments before. It wasn't the best meal he had but as his father had often said in better days, ‘it would fill a hole.' The daylight was quickly losing its fight with darkness as he looked around the area outside his campsite. Winter was late this year, he could thank God for that. There was only a skim of snow on the ground which made the going easy so far. Three weeks on the trail and no sign of Hassel but yet he knew he had the right trail. He couldn't tell you how he knew that but he knew all the same. He had only himself to rely on for years and he trusted his gut instinct. His gut was telling him Hassel was somewhere ahead.
He looked up at the clear twilight sky. The stars twinkled back at him from
afar. Strangely it made him think of Christmas. He wasn't sure of the day
but it was still December of that he was sure so it was probably pretty
close to Christmas. Not that it meant a lot to him. The last time he
remembered celebrating was when he was ten years old. His mother hadn't been
sick then and she had outdone herself preparing a feast for her family. He
remembered they had a large roast of beef from a cow his father had killed a
week earlier. It would have been nice to have had a turkey but hunting was
scarce that year so they had to settle for beef. Not that Bryce minded. It
had still been a wonderful meal. He had even gotten a present that year. It
was a small package wrapped in brown paper but he had held onto it all day
hoping to prolong the pleasure of the day. He shook it, rattled it and
wondered about it for hours but he resisted opening it until just before
supper. He remembered his father laughing good naturedly as he carefully
opened the package. Finally, he reached the prize within the brown paper
wrapping. It had been a pocket knife with two small blades. He had been
breathless trying to get the words of thanks out and both his parents
alternately laughed and smiled. It had been a happy day made even better by
the meal from heaven. He didn't think he had tasted anything as good since
that time. He was sure of this when his eyes focussed on the frigid beans on
the tin plate on his lap. He shivered again as the wind breezed by him
again. Yes, winter was late but it was still on its way.
He scraped the remnants of the beans into the fire and went and gathered
a bit of wood to build up the fire before settling down for the night. Once
he had the fire going good, he laid out his bed roll close to the fire. It
was going to be a cold night and he wanted the best chance of staying as
warm as possible. He laid back and looked at the star laden night sky again.
He may be accustomed to life on the trail but that didn't necessarily mean
he liked it.
No, he would much rather have his own place with a good woman and perhaps a
child or two. He didn't have that and didn't see much chance of that
happening, now. He wanted to blame it all on Wayne and part of him believed
it was Wayne's fault but he mostly knew it was him. Perhaps he was afraid of
that idyllic dream, he didn't know. Fear had always been his travelling
companion but he had always outsmarted it and survived despite it. Someday
he might not be so lucky. His father had always said, "A man always
pushes fear aside and does what is right." He had never doubted those
words although he had seen the overwhelming fear in his father's eyes when
he held his mother's fragile and dying form. In the months that followed his
mother's death, fear not only travelled with his father it lived in him.
Perhaps he may have stayed with his father and not struck out on his own but
he just couldn't watch him deteriorate any further. Then, of course there
was Wayne.
Usually you would think a child wouldn't become a problem until he was at
least twelve or older but very early on, Wayne shows the signs. He was an
overactive child which was hard enough for his father to deal with but at
age four he developed a love of smashing things. Anything within his reach
he managed to break somehow. Two years later, their father had to put down
his best work horse when he found it in the barn with the tendons to one of
it legs cut. The bloody pocket knife was found under Bryce's pillow and he
had caught hell for that. He had seen Wayne coming from the barn with blood
on his hands early in the day but hadn't checked the barn. Now, he didn't
see the point in letting his father know this. His father didn't have time
to be a parent, with his mother sick and all. He would just rant and yell
for a bit and that would be it. Wayne was too young to know better, he would
say. So, why make the situation more complicated than it needed to be. Then
there was the fires. A year before their mother's death, Wayne set the main
barn on fire. Lucky enough the animals were out of the barn at the time.
Fire swept through the old building and completely consumed it within
minutes. All anyone could do was watch and Wayne was front row and centre
for that duty. His eyes were glassy as he watched until all was reduced to
smoldering embers. The second fire was at the town stables a couple of
months before his mother died. A half dozen horses died in that incident.
The stable manager barely escaped with his life. Still he suffered burns
over his hands and forearms. No one knew how it started but he had seen the
same glassy stare and that strange smirk on Wayne's face as he stood in
front of the crowd watching the towns folk desperately trying to save one of
the town's oldest businesses. The cause of the fire was never discovered but
he saw the laughter in Wayne's eyes whenever it was mentioned.
When he finally left home a month after his mother's funeral, he knew he was leaving to escape the responsibility for his brother but he hoped in some small way Wayne might change with him out of the picture. Wishful thinking is all it was though. He only got sketchy reports over the years from passing peddlers he met on the trail and the reports were not good. Then a year before he returned to Fairton he had gotten the letter from his father. It was dated six months before he received it and it was only brief. Wayne was running the place into the ground and had run up some big debts with Jake Slade so he need Bryce to come home to sort things out. He had resisted at first not sure if he wanted to return. Finally he could resist no more and he put in his resignation from the force he had served with for almost fourteen years.
by Sgt. Wayne Hebb
Liquid change in crystal & glass,
Though to most,
It's cardboard & plastic holding it,
Lifeless on the shelf.
One ingredient in every recipe,
Creating a variety of many colours,
Golden, white, amber to name a few,
So our lives take on a different hue.
Take a little, and feel a change,
Drink some more and party,
Continue, continue, continue,
Til you're what's consumed.
Blackout, lapses of memory,
Headaches & nausea,
Embarrassment comes later,
With tales of laughter or disgust.
Shattered dishes in the night,
Anguished anger abounding,
Battered bones by pounding,
Little witnesses bear the pain.
Carrying well known secrets,
Long beyond their time,
Til there is no other reality,
Innocence drowning in the shame.
Oh, it's perfectly acceptable,
Most all indulge,
Come on, let your hair down,
Drink, drink and relax.
Yes, my friends you must have,
This magic potion from the shelf,
Better still make it yourself,
Your secret will be more than safe.
Control that's what you have,
More than your share, I see
Well come over here,
And drink a while with me.
TheBell Island Peer Advocates for Seniors and Leon Mills of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association were to hold an information seminar on January 25th, 2000 but this had to be cancelled. This seminar has now been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 29th at 2:30 pm in the afternoon. It will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion. The seminar will provide information and discussion on hearing loss and coping with this problem. All persons are welcome. If you are interested and require further information or transportation to this seminar, please call Dorothy Bonnell at telephone number 709-488-2694.
By Hollie Neary
Program Coordinator
This month the Center has seen new families attending our programs,
particularly Parent's & Tot's. I must say it is nice to see new interest
in our programs and I would encourage families with children 6 years old and
under to drop by and see what we are all about. Everything in program costs
are covered by funding through the Department of Health, so what better
offer could you get.
We have a lot of things planned for the upcoming months and just to name a
few we have
- Cooking with children
- Skating party
- Parents night
- Crafts with children
- Outings
- Celebrity reading
The biggest event we have coming up is our Magic Show for children on March
31, 2000. This is a show open to children and their parents of the community
from grades three and under including pre-school children. It will be held
at St. Augustine's School at 1:00 PM and will cost $1.00 per person. This
will be a great event for you to have a very enjoyable day with your
children. Tickets will be sold at the door with a door prize for the
children.
Also on March 31, 2000 we will be having a Hypnotist Show at 7:30 PM
at St. Augustine's School. This will be open to ages 10 and up, with ages
10, 11, and 12 having to be accompanied by an adult. The show is audience
participation and should be very enjoyable. Tickets are $5.00 at the door
and $4.00 in advance - which can be purchased at St. Augustine's School or
at the Brighter Futures Center. This show will be a very entertaining show
worth seeing.
VOLUNTEERS - We do need volunteers that can help out in any way with the
many programs and events that we do. If you would like to be a volunteer at
the Center please call 488-2699. Any time you can offer would be of great
value.
INTERNET - Brighter Futures now has access to the Internet free of charge.
If anyone would like to use this service just call to set up an appointment
at telephone number - 709-488-3505.
Once again I would like to invite parents/care givers and their children to stop by or phone and check out our many programs. I am sure that we have something that is suitable for your needs. These programs are for everyone in the community so take advantage of a good thing.
By Dianne Butler, Town Clerk
WATER PROBLEMS
Since Christmas council has been experiencing major problems with the water
systems, especially in Main Street and Davidson Avenue areas. Employees have
tried to isolate the problem and have made repairs where possible. The
services of a leak detection specialist from St. John's was engaged but with
little luck in locating the source of the problems.
Council wishes to apologize to the residents who are experiencing low water pressure and at times no water. We are hopeful that the problem will be corrected soon.
We might add that persons who let the water run to prevent freezeups to their properties are adding to the water problems. Please refrain from this practice.
2000 SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Over the past number of months council has been looking at special events for the period of July16 to July 30 in order to commemorate our 50th. Anniversary as a incorporated town. Bell Island Day has been set for July 23, 2000. Any suggestions or ideas will be welcomed as to how we can celebrate our anniversary. Please contact the council office at 488-2025 if you wish to be involved in those activities.
Murals Association
A special meeting was held on December 6, 1999 at the Wabana Complex. The
purpose of this meeting was to re-establish a board of Director's for the
Murals Association. Six individuals have already volunteered to serve on
this board. Within the next couple of weeks (late February or early March
2000) a new board of director's will be appointed. Any person interested in
volunteering to serve on this board should contact Gary Gosine at the Town
office at telephone numbers: 709-488-2025 or 709-488-2990.
Municipal By-law violations
On February 16, 2000 two persons attended provincial court, St. John's for
violations of the Town of Wabana by-laws:
A 50 year old Bell Island man and a 66 year old Bell Island man were charged under Regulation 3 of the Wabana Town Animal Regulations for allowing their sheep to roam. They received fines of $100 each for these offences.
Council Meeting Dates
The following is a list of dates for council meetings for this calendar
year:
Start Time -10:00 A.M.
Monday, Feb. 21st
Thursday, Mar. 30th
Thursday, Apr. 27th
Thursday, May 25th
Monday, June 26th
Monday, July 24th
Monday, Aug. 21st
Thursday, Sept. 28th
Thursday, Oct. 26th
Monday, Nov. 27th
Monday, Dec. 11th
These meetings are open to the public and all parties are welcomed.
A Large Decision
by Sgt. Wayne Hebb
Very early in your service as a police officer you realize that life is not always something warm and gushy. Generally that realization comes right after you leave the training academy. Training involves a lot of situations where the tasks you are taught are handled in a structured manner where everything seems to fit. "So, that's how it's done." the instructor would say. Simple enough, one would think but it does little to prepare you for what is in store for you. A lot of exercises in the training depot are done with a partner or a group and you make decisions based on everybody's input. When you get out in the field (or on the job), you quickly learn what the phrase ‘fly by the seat of your pants' means. You soon find out that often you are the lone person working especially in small communities and outports. That's been a good part of my experience serving in Newfoundland. Many times I have found myself in situations where the nearest backup is an hour or more away. What do you do, one wonders? Well, it is perhaps a little cloudy when you are single but when you start a family the answer is very clear. Your responsibility lies with keeping safe and going home at the end of your shift. I've always tried to face every situation as best as possible but there were times that I backed down and probably others when I should have backed down but I remained. You plague yourself whether you were right or wrong but in the end it was your decision so you accept it and put it behind you. This brings me to the incident I want to tell you about.
It was late fall as far as I can remember and I was twenty-five years
younger (twenty-one for those of you who like to know all the details). I
was the lone person working the late night shift at the Ferryland
detachment. We only had three members then and working alone was not an
uncommon event. We dared not complain because there were residents on the
shore who could remember when there was only one officer for the entire area
from Cappahayden to Witless Bay. We had detachments in Trespassey, Holyrood
and St. John's at that time so help was at best an hour away depending where
you were. Well, this night I was between Tors Cove and Mobile when I came
upon a car, (a Dodge Dart, I believe, blue in colour if my memory serves me
correctly) which was taking both sides of the road way. I immediately
engaged the emergency equipment and slowly this vehicle pulled over and came
to a stop. I tried the radio but I had no contact. I was in a ‘dead spot'
an area where no radio communications were possible. This was common in the
province at this time. They were only brief areas and you might travel only
a few hundred feet and have good contact however, I couldn't do that at this
time so I jotted down the licence number on my night sheet. If something
happened, at least, the investigators would have something to go on. While I
was doing this, I noted only one individual in the vehicle who appeared to
be waiting patiently for me.
I approached the vehicle in a routine fashion checking the back seat with
my flashlight. When I came to the open driver's window, I quickly noted the
strong odour of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver. I looked at the
watery eyes of the man behind the wheel and noted they were so bloodshot
they could easily pass for a map of a heavily populated area. I asked the
man to step out of the vehicle and while my initial observation was that he
was a stocky individual, I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. The man
stood about six feet tall but that wasn't the remarkable thing about him. I
know this isn't correct but it seemed as if he was as broad as he was tall.
He had to weigh about three hundred or more. To say he was big was an
understatement. Realizing I was no match for Godzilla I had to revert to
trickery. "Why don't you come back to the police car for a little
chat?" I said uneasily. To my surprise he started toward the police
vehicle. When he got to the rear of his vehicle he stopped and fumbled with
his keys. He then started to open the trunk. Warily I let him proceed and
when the trunk opened I could see an open two-four of beer (Labatt's 50, I
think) on the floor of the trunk. The man quietly reached in and got two
beers putting one in each side pocket of his suit coat. Nothing like a
couple of beer when your chatting with the police, I thought, realizing this
was something I would have to deal with later. First I had to get ‘King
Kong' in the police vehicle. He then closed the trunk and I breathed a small
sigh of relief as he started toward the police vehicle. I placed him in the
front seat because I wanted to see what was going to happen with those
beers. Once we were both safely secured in the police vehicle, I quickly put
the car in reverse and turned the police vehicle back toward the detachment
in Ferryland. I quoted the Breathalyzer demand from memory as soon as I
started moving and quickly brought the cruiser up to the speed limit. The
man began an explosion of verbal abuse, calling me every name in the book
and ‘gentleman' wasn't on any of the pages. Not long after we started
towards Ferryland I noted ‘Andre the Giant' rummaging in his pocket for
the beer. All the cursing had gotten him thirsty, I guess. He then attempted
to open the bottle with the seat belt fastener. (We're talking the dark ages
here. Long before seat belt regulations and twist off caps.) I snatched the
beer from his grasp and put it under my seat, well out of his reach. Another
barrage of non-dictionary terms spewed forth from his lips. Then a light
must have snapped on in his head (not very bright, twenty-five watt at best)
and he realized that he had another beer in his other pocket. He retrieved
this and was again using the seat belt opener unsuccessfully. I deftly
nabbed this stubby bottle and placed it with its mate. Goliath then started
to cry but before I could feel any sympathy for the man, the verbal
onslaught resumed. Tears of rage streamed down his cheeks as he blared out
descriptions of me that even my own mother couldn't love. He quieted
somewhat, still muttering but low enough for me to radio in my situation and
request a Breathalyzer technician. I was still about a half hour away from
the office when he accused me of not being a Newfoundlander. I explained
that I wasn't and he said "That's right because you haven't got the
guts to jump out of this car right now." The police vehicle was
travelling at the speed limit of fifty miles per hour (this was before
kilometres too) so I took this as only raving. Imagine the fright I got when
he opened the car door and started to get out. I grabbed his coat and
managed to pull him back in the car and he shut the door. The blood was
flooding through my veins like Niagra Falls at this point and I warned him
about doing that again. A few minutes later, he tried again. Again, I
grabbed his suit coat and managed to get him back in the police vehicle with
the door closed. Now, I was the one shouting at him to stop this crap. I
must have had some effect on him as he didn't say much as we drove through
Cape Broyle and up Cape Broyle Hill. Cape Broyle Hill is about a mile or so
long and very steep. My heart traded in a sledge hammer for a finishing
hammer at this point and I thought the worse was behind me. Yogi Berra was
in the back of my mind saying "It's not over til it's over" but I
didn't hear him. It was on the top of the hill when the door opened again. I
reached for his jacket but felt the material slipping through my fingers as
I slammed on the brakes. The car slewed to a stop and the man rolled out of
the car and was gone. There was only a small shoulder on the road which
dropped off to a treed valley below but no sign of Baby Huey. God, he's
dead, I thought as my heart picked up the sledge hammer again. I leapt out
of the police vehicle and ran down the hill. I fully expected to find a
rotted corpse with bulging eyes and lolling tongue (although how it could
have rotted in those few seconds, I don't know) lying amongst the bushes at
the bottom of the hill. Thankfully, all I found was a blubbering hulk
staggering around while urinating. He was holding his manhood with both
hands like a mountain climber holding his safety rope and sobbing
uncontrollably. After much effort, I managed to get him to the top of the
hill and back to the police car. This time I managed to get him in the rear
seat. Fortunately, a taxi driver with a passenger stopped and he agreed to
accompany me until I got to the detachment. Once at the detachment, I
brought this fellow into the office and presented him to the Breathalyzer
technician. Relief washed over me as the technician explained the procedure
to Igor. The man looked at us and told us he was going to take no
_____________(this space reserved for a profane explicative) Breathalyzer
test. The technician told him he would be charged for refusing the
Breathalyzer. I prepared the necessary documents and proceeded to drive him
home. The Breathalyzer technician accompanied me this time. The trip took
about an hour but it was long enough for Captain Grizzley to do a repetitive
critique on my driving abilities as well as my future as a police officer.
I find a lot of humour in this incident now but it was some time after it happened that I saw the funny side of it. I could only see the what if's because that was what I expected everyone else would see. What if, he had drank the beer? What if he had gotten killed? What if, etc? I guess, one could dwell on that a lot if you wanted but why bother. The trouble with the people that ask the what if's is, they don't often get to experience something as it happens. They are seldom there to depend on when trouble raises its fiery head. No, the only one you have to depend on in times such as these is yourself. Your decisions have to be made in seconds sometimes (flying by the seat of your pants) and they may not always be the prettiest solution but if it works why tear yourself up over it. Learn from it and move on. One less impaired driver on the road (probably the largest impaired driver, I ever apprehended). Hey, now that's Titanic.
The RCMPolice Bell Island Community Policing office responded to 60 complaints during the month of January 2000. The following are some of the reports we received:
On January 8th, a report was received from the Heritage Committee of rocks being thrown at the #2 Mine Museum. Damage was minor.
On Jan 12th, the Byrne's Easy Save was
broken into. Entry was gained through a window in the building. A quantity
of tobacco, filters & cigarettes was stolen. The investigation is
continuing into this matter. Gary Byrne, the owner of the premises, has
offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the
parties involved. Anyone with information in this regard should contact the
RCMPolice Bell Island Community Policing Office. This information will be
kept confidential.
On January 13th, while attending a hockey game at the arena, a local resident had damage done to his vehicle. Foot and vehicle patrols of the area during these events have been increased.
Between January 14th & 15th, a local resident had the passenger side window broken out of his vehicle overnight.
On January 15th, a window in the Curling Club was broken. A person, wearing a long dark coat, was seen running from the scene.
On January 17th, a 71 year old man was found dead in his residence. No foul play was suspected. An autopsy confirmed the man died from natural causes.
On January 18th, a disturbance was reported was received from mother who
was assaulted by her 14 year old daughter. Another daughter was also
assaulted. Youth was a first time offender and will be going through the
Youth Diversion Program.
On January 19th, a 65 year old resident of Bell Island was found dead in his home. The follow-up investigation revealed the man died from natural causes.
On January 21st, a youth assaulted a teacher at a local school. Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.
Between January 21st & 22nd, a window was broken out of the local Foodland.
On January 23rd a 40 year old Bell Island man was apprehended for impaired driving. He will be appearing in court on March 15, 2000 for plea.
Between 11:00 pm on January 27th and 8:00 am on January 28th, eight windows were broken out of Immaculate Conception School. An investigation is continuing.
Between January 27th & 28th, the glass on the Hydro meter was broken at the local Easy Save Store.
Between January 27th & 28th, Dept. of Human Resources &
Employment reported a 14 year old boy had been assaulted by 46 year old
father. The man was arrested and held in custody.
During the arrest process, the man resisted arrest and as a result was
charged with this offence. The man entered pleas of guilty to the charges of
resisting arrest, breach of probation and some previous charges but entered
pleas of not guilty to this assault. See court news for details.
Between January 28th & 29th, a window was broken out of the local Family Drug Mart.
On January 29th, a report was received of a 43 year old man, threatening his wife with an axe, hammer & his fists. The man is presently remanded in custody awaiting trial.
On January 31st the owner of a vehicle reported his vehicle being struck by a school bus. Minor damages resulted. The bus did not have any students on board at the time.
St. Michael's High School Report
by Jerome Delaney
Greetings again - since our last insert, lots of things have happened -
read on for the specifics…
REMEMBRANCE DAY LITERARY CONTEST WINNERS
Some time ago the winners of the Remembrance Day Literary Contest were
announced. This contest is sponsored on an annual basis by the Bell Island
Branch of the Canadian Legion and includes a number of monetary awards. As
usual, the response from our students was quite positive. This year's
winners were:
Jeff Lahey - 1st place winner - Intermediate Poetry Division
Amanda Fowler - 1st place winner - Senior Poetry Division
Shawn Galway - 2nd place winner - Senior Poetry Division
Heather Fowler - 3rd place winner - Senior Poetry Division
Mary O'Rourke - 1st place winner - Senior Essay Divison
Christy Foley - 2nd place winner - Senior Essay Division
Amanda Kavanagh - 3rd place winner - Senior Essay Division
DeeDee Conway - 1st place winner - Senior Black & White Poster
Edward Taplin - 2nd place winner - Senior Black & White Poster.
Our congratulations to these winners and our thanks and appreciation to the
local Legion Club for their sponsoring this contest.
VISIT FROM A UNIVERSITY FRENCH PROFESSOR
Dr. Jean-Douglas Comeau, director of the French Immersion Program at
Universite Ste Anne visited St. Michael's on January 31st. The purpose of
his visit was to speak to students about learning a second language and to
provide students with information on the Immersion program at St. Anne's. He
spoke to several classes from Grades 9 - Level 3. St. Anne's University is
located in Church Point, Nova Scotia (close to Yarmouth).
2nd PARENT-TEACHER MEETING FOR THE YEAR
On February 10th we held our second parent-teacher meeting for this year.
The purpose of these meetings was to give parents an opportunity to meet
with teachers of their choosing regarding their sons'/daughters/ semester 1
reports. The response from parents was indeed a positive one.
RE THOSE SEMESTER 1 REPORTS
To those students who did well on those reports, we say
"congratulations". To those who didn't do as well as they had
hoped, we encourage them to exert a greater effort over the next few months
to ensure they do better on the June report. For some students we hope that
this report is somewhat of a "wake-up call" to make that greater
effort.
WELCOME TO MRS. JOAN KENT AS OUR REPLACEMENT SECRETARY
As most of you are aware, our office secretary Mrs. Angela Cobb will be on
sick leave for the remainder of this school year. We had Ms. Crystal Parsley
and Mrs. Theresa Benoit filling in on a temporary basis and we now have Mrs.
Joan Kent with us for the remainder of the year. We thank Crystal and
Theresa for their excellent service and we wish Joan a very enjoyable stay
with us.
GRADUATION 2000 EXERCISES
This year's graduation exercises will be held on Saturday, April 29. The
church service will take place at St. Cyprian's Anglican Church, the dinner
at the CLB Armoury, and the grand marche and dance in the school gym. This
year's graduating class numbers 70 students.
The student committee has been selected by all students and they are:
Mr. Clarke's Homeroom 12-1: Stephanie Kent & Harold Rees
Mr. Connor's Homeroom 12-2: Melissa Skehans & Ken Kavanagh
Mr. Kavanagh's Homeroom 12-3: Charlene Galway & Chad Fitzgerald.
SCHOOL MARCHFEST 2000
Tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 29-Saturday, April 1, we're
hoping to revive and continue this very successful St. Boniface tradition.
Mr. Lew Bragg has agreed to oversee this project in conjunction with a
committee of the Student Council. More details in the next newsletter.
This month there are three submissions from the Katimavik participants:
Jamie Hague, Langley, B.C.
My name is Jamie Hague and my home town is Langley, BC. I came on this
program not knowing what to expect, not knowing who I would meet or how I
would change. I have been so fortunate to take part in many wonderful lives
all across the country. All of the people that I have encountered in
katimavik will remain a part of me for the rest of my life. Everyone has
influenced me and I will never forget them. I experienced openness, caring
and generosity pouring from the hearts of people who knew nothing about me,
who I was or where I came from. None of it mattered. The only importance was
that we were sharing in each others lives TOGETHER. Katimavik has opened me
up to the world, to the opportunities, but most of all to myself. Everything
I have experienced here would have taken me years to accomplish and
understand without all the help I was given. I have learned to open up, be
myself, to freely give the gift of happiness and love to others. It takes so
little time and effort to affect a person so deeply - it seems a crime not
to make that little extra effort to lighten the life of another. I am truly
thankful to all those people who made my experience the best it could be. I
will never forget those who took me into their lives with warm open arms or
those with whom I shared late night icecream raids. I will never forget
those who helped me build who I am today - whether it was at work or at
home. Thanks!
Julie Cloutier, Gaspe, Quebec
My name is Julie Cloutier. I come from Gaspé, Québec. I am 18 years old. I
heard about katimavik in school and I wanted to try this. I wanted to try to
live in a group and do different activities.With this program I learned
english ,I made new friends, I learned to cook and a lot of others things. I
also like that you travel to three different regions in Canada experiencing
different jobs. My first rotation was in Brandon,Manitoba. My second
rotation was in Drummondville, Québec and my last rotation is in Terre-Neuve
(Newfoundland). I like Terre-Neuve because it is a beautiful place and I
want come back here with my parents. Thank you very much.
Cedric Blanchette, Amos, Quebec
Hi, I'm Cédric Blanchette and I'm from Amos, Québec. It`s a small town in
the north with about 13 600 people. When we talk about Katimavik, it's a
very large topic, but I'll start with the begining. First, two of my friends
have already been in Katimavik and they told me about this wonderful
experience. I decided to apply. My principal goals were to learn english,
make new friends, travel and discover my own country. Now that I have
already reached these goals, lets talk about the experience. Katimavik is
the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life because it's a
completely different life for seven months. You have to deal with a lot of
new people and new tempers - adaptation is the perfect word for this new
start. You have some norms of behavior to respect. In fact, all of the
chemistry between the participants relies on this respect.Throughout the
program you go through a lot of feelings - you laugh, you cry and you lose
participants. You lose your friends or more your new family. In everything
you do, bad or good experience, there is always something to learn. Each
person in the group is a plus for you, everybody has an impact on you for
the rest of your life. I'll remember this experience for my whole life, even
if it does seem bad sometimes. It can only be a good experience, because you
learn to improve yourself. To finish, I just want to say I'm very happy to
finish my beautiful experience in Bell Island because the people are so warm
and welcoming. Thanks to Katimavik for this unique and wonderful experience.
by Capt. Wayne Fitzgerald
We are now in the sixth month of our 10 month training Calendar and things
are moving along at a good pace. Since our last report, we have done a
number of planned activities with the cadets and have a number of upcoming
events. Last weekend February 20th, we held a sports and recreation day with
the cadets in which we took them snow boarding, tube racing, followed by Hot
chocolate and sports in the gym. A good time was had by all.
Over the past several months we have had a shooting program ongoing which will culminate on Saturday, February 26th when our five person shooting team takes part in a competition in St. John's. The members of the team are WO Kim Dadd, WO Crystel Churchill, M/Cpl. Samantha Fitzgerald, Pte. Cheryl Butler and Cadet Chris Murphy. Our spare is Cadet John Hann. Good luck.
Also this weekend we will be hosting a Youth Initiative Weekend. The purpose of this weekend is to inspire Youth to take part in cadet & fun activities. We will be hosting a recreation night on Friday night for the cadets, a sports day on Saturday and a training day on Sunday. We will be holding two such weekends, this one in February and another one in March, where we will be having guest speakers, sports activities, etc.
Cadet camp is just around the corner and we will soon be making decisions as to who will go to camp. This is not an easy task, as all our cadets are deserving. These positions will be chosen on the basis of dedication, attendance, testing, and numerous other criteria. Remember the better you do, the greater the rewards. Several of the cadets have applied for Staff Positions this summer, good luck with your applications.
Cadets doing the Level III program in School, who will be going onto higher education have the opportunity to apply for two scholarships this year. One scholarship is a $1,000. one which will be given to one cadet from each corps. The other is a $5,500. which will be given to 8 cadets throughout the province. Last years winners of the $1,000. scholarship were CWO Bonnie Kearley & CWO Daisy Wade.
The cadet band will be taking part in a Band Seminar in St. John's during March. They will meet, mingle and take instructions from Cadets and Officers from all over the province. This is a good opportunity for our band to learn some new things and pass along some of the knowledge they have acquired.
Finally, our Annual Ceremonial Review will be held at St. Michael's School, Sunday, May 28th, we will advise you further on that as it draws closer.
Co-operators St. John's Junior Hockey League
by Sgt. Wayne Hebb
The Bell Island Junior Blues have made it to the playoff rounds. They
started the quarter finals round last Wednsday (00-02-16) against the
Southern Shore Home Hardware Junior Breakers. The Blues started cold and
were unable to warm up to the challenge of this first game losing to the
Breakers by a score of 9-2. However, Coach David Brazil must have given them
some divine inspiration because they were a different team when they faced
the Breakers on home ice on Saturday (00-02-19). The Blues were trailing at
the end of the second period by a score of 6-4. It was a well played game by
both sides but the Blues reached down deep and pulled off the victory in the
third period with a final score of 8-7. Calvin Power polished off a neat hat
trick and three assists while Dion Durdle followed up with a few tricks of
his own scoring 2 goals and assisting on four other goals. Jeff Pendergast
and Johnathon Bragg scored a goal apiece to round of the total Blues score
to eight. Jamie Tobin scored 3 goals with 1 assist and Bradley Maher popped
in a pair in a losing effort for the Breakers. Teammates Mark Sullivan and
Clinton O'Keefe also responded with a goal apiece but it was not enough to
stop the Blues momentum.
On Sunday 2000-02-20 the Blues travelled to the Southern Shore Arena for
game three of the best out of five series. They were unable to maintain the
momentum of Saturday's game and lost to the Breakers 6 - 4. Game four was
back at the Monsignor Bartlett Memorial Arena on Bell Island. This was a do
or die situation for the Blues who are down 2-1 in the series. However, they
showed the fans there was lots of fight left in them yet by flatening the
Breakers 5-2. Game five will separate the men from the boys when they face
the Breakers on home ice at the Southern Shore Arena tommorrow night
(2000-02-23). Game time 7:00 pm.
By Sgt. Wayne Hebb
The following are Bell Island matters that were processed through provincial Court, St. John's during this reporting period:
A 46 year old Bell Island man entered guilty pleas to a number of
charges on 2000-02-01. The man was arrested on 2000-01-28 in relation to
an assault and uttering threats against his 14 year old son. The man
resisted arrest at this time and was also on probation at this time. He
was awaiting trial for a
charge of causing a disturbance in relation to an incident in the fall of
1999 at the local Human Resources and Development Office and a charge of
uttering threats against another Bell Island man which also occurred in
the fall of 1999. He entered pleas to the resist arrest, causing
disturbance, uttering threats and breach of probation. He was sentenced to
serve four months in jail on these charges. He will appear in provincial
court on 2000-03-02 in relation to the other charges.
On 2000-02-09 a 24 year old St. Philip's man was convicted of impaired driving. This charge resulted from an accident which occurred on Main St., Bell Island on 2000-04-09 at 12:24 am. The man was fined $1100 and prohibited from driving a motor vehicle in Canada for a period of 18 months.
On 2000-02-14 a 20 year old Bell Island woman was convicted on a charge of obstruction of justice. This charge resulted from an incident on 99-11-09 when she gave a false statement to the police. She was sentenced to serve 10 days in jail and placed on probation for a period of two years. She will have to do 60 hours of community work as part of her probation.
A 40 year old Bell Island man entered guilty pleas on 2000-02-16 to charges of cultivating marihuana and to possession of a controlled substance (psilocybin - magic mushrooms). He was sentenced to serve five months in jail and was placed on a one year supervised probation upon his release from jail.
L to R: Ros Hurley, Clarence King, Sgt. Wayne Hebb, Peter Kent, George
Browne, Don Squires, Insp. Gary Browne, Bren Keough, Margaret Leonard,
Gouldie King, Sgt. D. Byrne,
Brian Kent, Teresita McArthy, Gordon Skanes. (Photo by Des McArthy)
On December 4, 1999 members of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
attended a ceremony at the Miner's Museum in which they presented two Ross
rifles to the museum. These rifles were part of four rifles which were held
at the Newfoundland Constabulary office on Bell Island until August 1950.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police took over policing of Bell Island at that
time. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later turned these rifles back over
to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary who had them in their possession
until this time.
Two of these rifles had been presented to the museum at an earlier date. At
the presentation on December 4th, Inspector Gary Browne of the RNC, St.
John's presented one of the rifles to the Bell Island branch of the Royal
Canadian Legion and the other was presented to the Bell Island Heritage
Soceity. All these rifles are only for display purposes and firing
mechanisms have been dismantled. Representatives from the RCMPolice, RNC,
Bell Island Heritage Soceity, Wabana Town Council, and interested residents
of Bell Island attended the ceremony. They were treated to a special
performance of the Bell Island Sub-Marine Miners. The melodious tunes of
these workers of the deep were thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The Bell Island Community Food Report
By Mary Murphy, Food Bank Co-ordinator
Today, there are food banks in every community across Canada. In the past five years or more, with major restructuring programs taking place in most corporate and industrial businesses, we are seeing more and more employment opportunities consisting of part time hours without benefits or basic scale wages. Downsizing or surplus is a polite way of saying >Your job no longer exists'. Small wonder, that more and more people are working harder and receiving less for their efforts. This winter has been especially hard when you consider the cost of fuel which has nearly doubled since this time last year.
People living on limited incomes, i.e. social assistance, people who work
for minimum hourly rates, people on E.I. or pensions are especially
vulnerable to the high cost of living. At times, they may have to visit
their local food bank for assistance. However, food banks depend on
fundraising and donations to assist people and we also have to ensure that
abuse does not become a problem. For this reason we do have guidelines to
keep in place. Our policy is as follows;
1. We will assist with a two day emergency supply of food.
2. We can only assist in an emergency and never more than once per month.
3. We do not want to have people create a dependency on food banks.
Therefore, if we feel there is no emergency, we will not be able to assist.
4. Anyone being served at Bell Island Food Bank will not be eligible to
receive assistance at Food Banks in St. John's or C.B.S. If they request
assistance they will be directed back to Bell Island Food Bank.
In January, we had a couple of unfortunate incidents. We had to ask a couple people who were under the influence and who were also abusive verbally to leave the premises. The R.C.M.P. were notified and following a discussion with Sgt. Hebb it was decided by the food bank that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, and in future any incidents of this kind will result in charges being laid against the individual[s]responsible.
We try very hard at the food bank to have a comfortable environment so that people who need our assistance feel at ease and fortunately for us, most people who come through our doors are as friendly and co-operative to us as we hope we are to them.
We will be holding an Easter tea, craft and bake sale in April. The date will be confirmed in next month's newsletter. There will be ticket draws on turkeys and hams. Anyone wishing to donate baked goods can call 488-2656.
Our >Holiday Package Tickets' are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased from the food bank or from any of our volunteers. Phone 488-2656 for further information about tickets.
As most people are aware, the Board of Directors of the Bell Island Community Food Bank have made a decision to discontinue the card games on Sunday nights. We are hopeful of having an alternate night that doesn't interfere with any other events taking place through the week. In the meantime, the Board of Directors, volunteers and I would like to thank the Board of Directors of the Wabana Boys' and Girls' Club for their tremendous ongoing support. In the year that the food bank has been opened, the employees and volunteers of the Wabana Boys' and Girls' Club have offered their assistance and facilities time and time again. A great big Thank You to Leona, Joe, Gerald, Paddy, Joan and the Board. We couldn't have done it without you.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or you wish to discuss a personal or community problem, by all means visit our office situated on Memorial Street or contact us at the following:
Telephone: 709-488-3312
Fax: 709-488-2311
Email whebb@nf.sympatico.ca
Everyone is
Worthy of
Respect