A large number of former residents returned to Belleoram for the community’s 2012 Come Home Year that ran from July 15 to the 22.
Several of these returning visitors outlined their reasons for wanting to visit Belleoram during the exciting week.
Home1.jpg: Rose Dominix
I moved from Belleoram to Cap-Pele in New Brunswick seven years go to work in fish processing plant. As it’s seasonal work I get an opportunity to come back home every summer and Christmas to visit my family. I’m really enjoying the Come Home Year activities, and I’ve had an opportunity to meet a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a long time. I really miss Newfoundland and it’s always special to hear the Newfoundland accent as soon as you get on the ferry in North Sydney. I have no immediate plans to return to live but maybe at some point down the road I may come back this way to settle down and stay.
Home2.jpg: Kim Lawrence
I left Belleoram about a year ago to work as bookkeeper in Red Earth Creek in Alberta (near the Great Slave Lake area). Although it’s very different there in some ways I still get a chance to use my rubber boots, as there’s a lot of mud and clay in the area. So, that’s nice – not having to retire my rubber points. I miss Newfoundland terribly, so we especially wanted to be home for this event. My husband is from Mose Ambrose and we’re hoping to take in apart of the St. Jacque’s-Coomb’s Cove Come Home Year as well. This has been a great week for us – we’ve had a fantastic time.
Home3.jpg: Bill Cross
I left Belleoram when I was 10 years old 65 years ago. We moved to Port aux Basques where I eventually went to work for Marine Atlantic. This is only the second time I’ve returned to Belleoram in all those years, the other occasion being the Iron Skull Festival in 2003. I’ve lived in Halifax for the past 15 years. There was something in me that was wanting to return to Belleoram one last time and I’m really glad I did. We’re having a ball and it’s great to be a part of this wonderful occasion.
Home4.jpg: Rosie Dominix (right)
I came to live in Belleoram from Bay du Nord when I was just eight years old. When I was 16 I went to work fro a family in Halifax who hired me to look after two children. I stayed in Halifax for five years and then returned to Newfoundland and eventually settled in Little Bay East. I’m here this week mainly to visit my two sisters but I wanted to take in some of the goings-on as well. I’m having a great time in catching up on all the family news and taking in the fun activities such as the concert on Monday night. Rosie (r) is seen here with her sister Mary.
Home5.jpg: Jake Hanham
I moved to Cap-Pele in New Brunswick in 2000 to work as a carpenter in that area. I having a wonderful time here this week in meeting with family members and old friends I haven’t seen in quite a while. It’s always nice to get back home of course, and it’s especially great during a Come Home Year as you get to meet old friends and acquaintances.
Home6.jpg: Kim Drake
I moved to Fort MacMurrray, Alberta in 2004 to work in a warehouse connected with shipping and receiving. It too a while to get used to Fort Mac as we call it but I enjoy it now and I especially love my job. I’m having a blast here this week and my legs are killing me. I’ve especially enjoyed meeting some of my old high school friends, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years.
You know, I miss Newfoundland out in Alberta. Miss my family and friends but, believe it or not, I really miss the salt water. When you get to Newfoundland and you can smell the salt water, well it’s beautiful to me. I didn’t come back one summer and I got homesick for a little bit as I missed the water so much.
Home7: Don Poole
I was working at the post office here in Belleoram back in 1957 and wasn’t really interested in that type of work. I was on my way to Halifax in in March 57 when I met some people who were heading to Montreal so I said I’d go to Montreal too. After spending about six months there I moved to Barrie, Ontario and from that I eventually ended up in Toronto where I found a job with CN. I worked a steamfitter/pipefitter for the rest of my career, and worked out of a station where the CN Tower is today.
I adjusted to life pretty quickly in Toronto and in June 1960 I marred a Newfoundland girl who had moved to Ontario. We had four children and settled down to become permanent residents of the city.
I tried to get back to Belleoram as often as possible when my parents were still alive. I recently bought a house here as I plan to spend some time here during the summer months.
Mr. Poole has taken to writing poetry and songs in his spare time. While none of his work has been published, he has written quite a bit of material on a number of topics.
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