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$4.99 April 2026
Vol 38 • No 11
Lessons in Trouting
Fantastic Flag Facts Home Fire-Safety Tips
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Dillon Collins Assistant Editor Nicola Ryan Editor Lila Young
Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Shipping/Receiving Clerk Jonathon Organ Shipping/Receiving Clerk Kim Tucker
Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters
Retail Operations Retail Operations Director Jackie Rice Retail Manager, Water Steet Crystal Rose Retail Manager, Avalon Mall Emma Luscombe Retail Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Kim Tucker, Destinee Rogers,
Advertising Sales Account Manager Ashley O’Keefe Account Manager Sharon Muise Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Emily Snelgrove, Alexandria Skinner, Colleen Giovannini, Morgan Powless, Adriana Hann, Keith Lamkin, Martina Rogers, Hayley Warren, Annie Woelfel
Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Jennifer Kane Customer Service Associate Jacinta Squires Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young General Manager/Assistant Publisher Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions 1-Year term total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NB, PE $49.44; NS $49.01; ON $48.58; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $45.14. US $54.99; International $59.99
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada
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explore central
Contents 22
fly the colours
APRIL 2026
22 Island Insights Fantastic Flag Facts Nicola Ryan
40 The Voice of the People Paddy Daly’s Open Line Exit Dillon Collins
60 Natural Wonders 10 Wild Reasons to Explore Central NL Nicola Ryan
90 From Our Readers A Lesson in Trouting Mac Moss Cal Reynolds photo
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Contents
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homefront 8 Between the Lines A note from the Editor
10 Letters From Our Readers Thank You, A Life Cut Short, Save Our Water and more.
18 Then & There Downhome catches readers up on major recent news, notes, events, anniversaries and acknowledgements across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.
20 true north strong
20 Downhome Tours Canada 26 Life’s Funny Three Sisters Patsy Day
27 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
28 Lil Charmers Hoppy Days
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aging gracefully
30 Pets of the Month Easter Buddies
32 Book Nook Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature 34 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews Maria Cherwick & Jockey Special
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funny bunny 4
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Contents
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48 staying at home
features 48 A Place You Come To A look at NL’s people, present and future. Pam Pardy
54 A Pond’s Many Faces Subtle changes over time. Nellie P. Strowbridge
66 Smiles, Strength & Service The Derrick Bragg
66
Award Kim Ploughman
in tribute
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Contents
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82 Easter eats
home and cabin 70 Stuff We Love How sweet it is 72 Be Fire Smart Simple Steps to
72 be prepared
Be Home-Safe this Fire Season Todd Hollett
78 Everyday Gourmet “That” sushi restaurant salad dressing Andrea Maunder
82 Downhome Recipes Essential Easter Eats
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98 at the ice
reminiscing 88 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places. 89 This Month in History Aunt Kate 94 From Our Readers The Great ‘56 Barons Lloyd Bonnell
98 Sarnoff and Einstein Bill Whelan 104 A Time in the Cove Cyril Griffin 110 Puzzles 122 Colouring Page 124 Classifieds 126 Mail Order About the cover It’s a wild and changing world, and Downhome shares 10 wild reasons to explore Central Newfoundland. Our April issue features stunning photography from Julian Earle, showcasing Change Islands, “at the edge of the ocean.” Plus, Paddy Daly speaks on his exit from VOCM’s Open Line, we serve up savoury and sweet excellent Easter eats and debut our investigative monthly column, Island Insights.
Cover Index Voice of the People • 40 Savoury & Sweet • 82 10 Wild Reasons • 60 Lessons in Trouting • 90 Fantastic Flag Facts • 22 Home Fire-Safety Tips • 72 www.downhomelife.com
the back porch 130 The Labrador Current The Team From Labrador Nathan Freake 132 What Odds Paul Warford’s toptier tribute.
134 Ties to Home A Warm Welcome Dianna Brown
138 I Suppose Ye Knows Barbara Daley
142 St. Mary’s By the Sea Ron Hogan
144 Photo Finish April 2026
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between the lines
Change is necessary. It can also be refreshing, overdue, soul-affirming, intimidating, frustrating, frightening, and above all, inevitable. We’re going through changes here at Downhome. It’s a brave new world, and with that changing world and province comes a very special April issue dedicated to rolling with the punches and adapting to an ever-evolving present. In our feature stories, the voice of Newfoundland and Labrador, Paddy Daly, breaks down his unexpected exit from VOCM’s Open Line. Premier Tony Wakeham outlines what makes this province a place to come to, as well as what can be done to make it enticing enough to stay. We introduce readers to Island Insights, a new research-based monthly column answering the questions you never knew you had on all things Newfoundland and Labrador from our very own Nicola Ryan. We toast a beloved civil servant gone too soon, and key readers in to central Newfoundland’s natural wonders. And while there’s much newness to celebrate, one can’t move forward without a look to the past. With that in mind, we celebrate tried-and-true Easter eats, examine the many faces of a pond, look back at a trouting trip to remember, and rewind to a team for the record books. So turn and face the strange, friends and readers. We’re here with you for whatever comes next.
Dillon Collins Editor-in-chief
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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules
You could WIN $100! Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*
Submit Today! Send your photo, story, joke or poem to
Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at: www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material.
Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: Corky Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com Deadline for replies is the 25th of each month.
Congratulations to Rose Parsons of Conception Bay South, NL, who found Corky on page 44 of the February issue!
*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person
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Thank You
This is a letter I just had to write as soon as I saw the result of Pet of the Year. I want to express my thoughts and feelings upon opening the September issue. An amazing read every time I get my issue in the mail. This issue was extra special for me as I have been a subscriber for quite a few years. I was by chance invited to a family reunion in Twillingate for the Stucklesses about 18 years ago, and fell completely in love with your province and the people that live there from that day. Overwhelmed so much that my wife and I fancied a place that we inquired about when we returned home, and could not say no to this purchase. The rest is self-explanatory. We have been going out there at least once a year, sometimes twice every year. It’s my happy place. I can’t stay away and hope to soon move out to see the rest of your beautiful island and stay months instead of weeks. Anyway, my wife, my dog and I were out there this past August, but before we left home in Ontario to drive out for our annual trek to our cabin, I grabbed the mail in our mailbox as we headed east. We knew that this would be a sad visit this time out because my buddy, who asked us to come out all those years ago, has been battling dementia, and in the last couple of years, has gone downhill 10
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fast. It made me so sad to see a shell of a buddy that always made me laugh, and think, ‘he doesn’t know me after 35 years of being best buds.’ It’s so heartbreaking to see how fast this horrible disease can rob a completely healthy person of what should be a longer and better life. I would like to say healthy, but for most of us into our 60s and 70s that’s very rare today. I’ve also seen how life for the spouses and caregivers who are obligated to do this stressful task has completely changed, from their lack of sleep, weight loss, constantly watching, worrying 24/7 because of a lack of space of facility that can better handle this situation. I can only sympathize with all of the people who are in the same position. Every day, I was an observer of something I had never been around before and learned a lot in the four weeks I was there. Something I heard about dementia is ‘all you can
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do is wait.’ Not fair at all. So, back to the reason for this letter. After a few days at the cabin, I got to open my Downhome. Kind of anxious to find if a winner was picked for Pet of the Year, so I skipped right to it and glanced at the winner (congrats to the horse). I skimmed to the next page but noticed the first letters of my name ‘Cla’ and then looked at the pet’s picture with the star around him. Then it really hit me, that my dog was runner up. My heart started pumping hard, and yes, I had tears of joy as I called to my wife, who was upstairs. “You’ll never guess who is runner-up for Pet of the Year!” She came down and started reading it, as I had never told her that I had entered Pete in this contest. I can’t thank you enough. For the people involved in selecting Pete, I can’t tell you the emotions I felt. So happy and proud, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, in
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Newfoundland with our best friends in Botwood. To whoever else cared to listen, if I knew them or not, and carried my copy of Downhome to show them (and was so proud to do so), it’s something I’ll treasure. It sure was uplifting for me, and I think for those who know me and my awesome fourlegged buddy Pete. Thank you so much. This letter was halted for a few weeks after we returned from our trip, as we received a call from our close friend Rhona, Paul’s spouse, that he had a seizure and was taken to the GF hospital. Once there, they had to put restraints on Paul because he couldn’t sit still due to his sickness. He was always walking around the house or down the road in Botwood, but almost always, would return, or we would call or go bring him back. After a few days in the hospital, Rhona called and said that they’ve done tests and bloodwork, but his health is failing fast, and they don’t know why. Rhona requested that he be transferred to Botwood Hospital after they told her that he needed to go to palliative care. He was transferred on October 22/25 at 7:30 pm. Rhona was with him for a few hours and had to go home as she hadn’t slept much at all. She got a call at 3:00 am from the hospital to say she better get here because Paul was in distress. Sadly, my best buddy passed away at 4:45 am, Thursday, October 23/25. Cause of death: still don’t know. It was a gut punch as I felt with my
Pete, 2025’s Pet of the Year runner up brother. When we left to go back home on Wednesday, September 24, aside from his progressive disease, he was a fit and healthy man, just 69 years old. We were just there for a month, and once he was admitted, he just went downhill. I am fully aware of the issues facing your province, as is the case across Canada, health care in general and big time lack of help. I’m hoping the new premier will follow through with his objective if he gets in. But this is not the purpose of this letter. I just had to get this off my chest. I’m completely floored and so sad from my best friend’s passing. He who got me out here all those years ago, who showed and told me so much about his hometown, Botwood. He lived right beside one of the many murals, and I watched him on many occasions pass out brochures he
CORRECTION In our January 2026 issue of Downhome, our segment on “This Month in History” (page 93) incorrectly labelled the birth dates of siblings Roy, Jake and Ada King. Per Roy’s granddaughter Kaylen King, Jake’s actual birth date was January 3, 1938, and Ada’s was December 26, 1943. We apologize for the error. 12
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would get from the town to tourists when he saw them taking pictures. They were surprised, and I’m sure so grateful for that. I said a few times to him, you are a silent ambassador for Botwood that nobody knows about. I’ve always looked forward to my annual trips there. Paul and Rhona are our best friends. Now we’re short one awesome buddy who loved to dance, sing and make new friends, as he knew them already. The shock and sadness are very fresh, and I suppose they will be for quite a while. His favourite song, “Hotel California,” will be at the top of my songs to play. After all the laughs, fun and things we’ve done in those 35-40 years, I can still go to my memory bank and can recall a lot of them. They make me smile. Thank you, my buddy, and I hope you have the best room at Hotel California. Make sure you reserve one for me. You were certainly one of a kind,
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Paul Wells. I sure wish we could have done half the things that we put on our bucket list: Brimstone and George Street festivals, travelling around NL, starting a busines. We had a few ideas of what we might do when I moved there. My buddy loved to dance, sing and wanted people to have a good time in his presence, and they did, except for my runner-up winner dog. Every time Paul would get his dancing feet banging, Pete would attack his feet like they were two sheep, as if to tell Paul, ‘You dancing here is not happening on my watch!’ That always had me in tears watching the action. That’s locked in my mind. Now Pete will do what he’s done since I’ve had him: always be by my side to comfort me through this next major loss in my life. A big part of my life has changed forever. Thank you so much, Paul Eugene Wells, for being in my life and showing me the Newfoundland way.
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