Congrats and caution to new MHA

News from the shoe - Well, another byelection is over and done with, but the million dollar question is for how long? It seems congratulations are in order for PC candidate Kevin Pollard, who succeeded in winning the right to represent the Baie Verte - Springdale area in the House. I can't understand for the life of me, when all I have heard people say is that if we get another person on the Williams team, we will be done for sure. I guess we are done for sure.

I strongly believe that when Danny tells Kevin Pollard to hush up, he will, or he will be shuffling out the door faster then he came in. I think Kevin has a strong voice, and he does know what rural Newfoundland is all about, but now the big question is if he will act or not.

He knows the needs of his people, and what we need most. I don't expect we will see many results in the coming months and year, but maybe I am wrong, and I hope I am.

Health care is a big issue and so are roads and lack of money for many other very important issues. We know that whoever got in could not get everything every person asks for, but we do need many issues taken care of.

So Mr Pollard, congratulations on your win, now get on with your job of doing what needs to be done most, serving your area in its most important needs.

School opens this week

Many students are now ready to enter school for another season and for some, it is very exciting. I guess many, especially some kindergarten students, have all kinds of fears and phobias racing through their little minds.

Leaving mom and dad for a half-day, making new friends and meeting a new teacher takes some getting used too for some.

For many at Cape John Collegiate, they are anticipating what lies ahead for them as they have a new principal this year. Congratulations to Shawn Tibbo on receiving this position. Students at Hillside Elementary have a new principal also, but I do not know who it is.

Now comes the task of getting everyone settled in for a new year. Good luck to all students on getting geared up for another new year.

Squid not too plentiful yet

Those tormenting squid are not showing up. There have been a few patches here and there, like a few in Burlington and Pacquet early last week, but rumors have been circulating that the plants don't seem interested until after Labour Day. Hopefully they may show up in other parts of the bays and people can get out and get some to clean, to sell or just to ship.

Personally I need lots to clean, for my orders are starting to pile up for both fresh and dried squid. I don't mind yanking the pips out of them, stripping off the skins, turning them inside out, and cleaning them to be bagged and sold.

But then again, they may be like the caplin and only show up in small patches or not at all. I have always observed squid as having a seven year cycle. They come in droves for awhile, then disappear as if there never was a trace of a squid around. It's true when they say you can't tell the mind of a squid.

A footnote to the above has a sighting here in recent days. My husband put his squid jiggers on and went out to try late last week.

Lo and behold he did strike them.

They were very small but at least its a sign, or I like to think so. He was almost ready to give up and come home, when he decided to give a try just out from the wharf, what we call "off home." He said when he looked over he saw them coming and his jiggers could barely go down through them.

Then that was it. They were all gone again and he gave up for the night. I did clean two dozen to get a few to stuff for now. They were so small you needed two dozen to make up a proper half dozen! They might take two teaspoons of dressing to fill them. I just hope by the time you read this I have many dozens cleaned!

Another slap in the face

from our government

With the byelection now behind us, our new PC candidates are getting ready to take on the roles of MHAs. It may be nothing more then another slap in the face for rural NL, no offense to those men.

Recently, residents of Long Island took what may be the last slap in the face when they were told point blank, no, that $50 million was not going to be spent to provide a causeway. Rural residents mean nothing, unless it's election day of course.

What I am trying to get at here is that when government said no to what they think is only about 200 residents, there are actually thousands of residents! How many are living off the island, that frequent the island, especially summertime, but some more often?

I have heard some very sour stories just from this summer of people wanting to visit Long Island. With one ferry having to try and service two islands in the same day, if you don't know the ferry schedule, you might have to wait up to four hours before the next trip.

Not only that, but where is one supposed to go to use the bathroom?

Those government members do have nice clean bathrooms where they go, so why can't rural NL have some sort of decent place to go when nature calls around ferry wharfs?

These government officials don't visit rural areas very often, I bet. Why not treat them like ferry users are treated? Maybe they might see the reality of what rural residents have to face daily. That's just two of the many problems that face Long Island ferry users.

So if our PC government thinks that there are only a couple hundred people affected by their decision, they better think again, for hundreds of votes may matter next time around.

If you read this, please pass along your personal stories to your MHA and encourage him to get government on their feet. We do have a large majority to consider here do we not!

A boy's dream come true

Many children dream of winning or receiving things sometime throughout their life. For one boy right here in Shoe Cove, 10-year-old Brandon Gray, seems like he dreamed of having a nice boat. He once saw several boats in a La Scie home and would visit as often as possible with his parents.

Retired La Scie Jack-of-all-trades, Ray Tilley has a knack for building things, especially boats, as his home collection shows. Ray has quite a few boats in his collection and Brandon is the kind of a boy who doesn't mind chatting to anyone.

One time he got to chatting with Ray and upon going into Ray's home, he discovered Ray's boat collection. One particular boat is a replica of one of Ray's long liners I think he built himself in his younger years. Brandon somehow took a fancy to this boat and always dreamed of having it for his own, but maybe thought he would never see that day. But he did see that day just recently.

Ray decided the time had come to part with this boat and not having any sons of his own, he decided that Brandon was the right boy. Brandon was so excited he could hardly contain himself when Ray delivered it a little over a week ago.

This long liner replica has a lot of detail visible on the outside, but so much more work was done inside. Ray has built in bunks, table and chairs are also in the forecastle along with other things. There is lighting added all around the outside, as well as inside. Ray even has pictures of some of his family inside the wheelhouse.

Brandon, dreams do come true, and now you know first hand. For now, he has his boat stored in his family's shed, but his Dad says he is going to try and get it into their basement where it can viewed and cared for.

Ray still has several models in his home and for now that's where he plans to leave them. Sometimes, adults have dreams too! Whatever your dreams are, be sure to come on back and read all about the happenings in next week's News From The Shoe.