The waters off Newfoundland, in the North Atlantic, held the world’s most abundant supply of codfish, which, when discovered, was in great demand. Unlike the fur trade—the other major early commercial activity in what is now mainland Canada—the production of codfish did not require year-round residence. It did, however, require numerous men, young and old, for the fishing season, which ran from spring to early fall. This successful English-Newfoundland migratory fishery evolved into an exc...

Your behaviors, beliefs, and habits around money are holding you back.Financial confidence is hard to come by. Believe it or not, the solution is rarely more money. For the last three decades, author Shannon Ryan (MSPFP, CFP) has had a front-row seat to the financial lives of hundreds of individuals and families. She’s learned that money is emotional—always. Our habits, cultural expectations, past experiences, disappointments, shame, and fears combine to create com...

The Last of the Ice Hunters is a history of the seal hunt, an industry now in decline, but one which provided the few opportunities for employment to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians during the 1930s. Written in the words of the sealers themselves, the book is a compilation of interviews conducted by students who trained under Professor Shannon Ryan of Memorial University of Newfoundland. This study of the seal hunt begins with a chapter on the introduction, background, and overall develop...

Men and boys of Newfoundland's north East Coast always looked forward to the coming of March. It was sealing or swilin' time. Seal meat would give some reprieve to 'the long and hungry month' of March by which time the family food store was very low. At this time of the year, sealing provided the only opportunity to obtain fresh meat and the pelts brought long awaited cash.Shannon Ryan was born and bred in Riverhead, Harbor Grace, the one time home of the great sealing industry. He...

Niki is an elegant, classy, educated cat—at least, that’s what his family tells him. They all live in town, in a beautiful house with a big backyard, and the family takes good care of Niki. He walks out in the garden in nice weather and gets warm milk in the winter.Then one day he notices his family packing up their belongings, and soon a big moving van arrives at the house. Niki’s human family is moving to the country, and they tell him he is moving too. He is afraid to leave his ...

Have you ever wondered if your boss is evil?David Graves is having a bad life. A bill collector is threatening him with grievous bodily harm. His girlfriend thinks he's an incompetent loser. His human resources manager, a creature of nightmare, is sexually harassing him. And when he finally meets a girl he likes, she seems more interested in rebuilding engines and committing random acts of violence.Still, David thinks he is doing all right--until he discove...

Some stories are sad, some stories are true, some are violent and courageous, others are magical and full of wonderment. Some are lucky and funny, while others are just completely unbelievable. This story is about none of those things… This story is about all of those things! This story is about a wild haired, freckle faced, Indian fighting, seafaring, animal loving, little seven-year-old cowboy, named Danny boy O’Shaughnessy. This story is about the wonderment, adventure, terror, bold cur...

Your behaviors, beliefs, and habits around money are holding you back. Financial confidence is hard to come by. Believe it or not, the solution is rarely more money. For the last three decades, author Shannon Ryan (MSPFP, CFP) has had a front-row seat to the financial lives of hundreds of individuals and families. She’s learned that money is emotional—always. Our habits, cultural expectations, past experiences, disappointments, shame, and fears combine to create complicated beliefs that ho...

On the night of November 29, 1929, eleven schooners set sail for home from the comfort and safety of St. John’s harbour. They all headed north: directly into the teeth of a deadly hurricane. Here for the first time are the stories of the eleven schooners that were caught in the gale of 1929. Newfoundland’s favourite storyteller, Gary Collins, takes us aboard each one in turn to witness the terrifying ferocity of a storm at sea through the eyes of the schoonermen who battled it. These inter...

Among the bays, inlets, and communities of the province, author Gary Collins has earned a seat at the head of the table as Newfoundland and Labrador's favourite storyteller. Now, with six books under his belt, the “Story Man” from Hare Bay is ready to tell you a little bit about himself. The tales that make up this volume are pockets of memories taken from diary entries he recorded during the forty years he spent as a woodsman. Beginning with his childhood, Gary Collins retraces his first ...

Inspired by True Events “Men who weren’t hard workers didn’t last long at the lumber woods.” Most people in Newfoundland and Labrador have someone in their family who has worked “in the woods.” Some of these workers were employed seasonally—they fished in the summer and headed to the lumber camps in the winter—while others were full-time loggers who worked year-round. Stan White runs Camp 13 on the southwestern side of Gander Lake, which is a commercial operation cutting pulpwood for Bowat...

The dramatic incredible story of the South Coast Disaster of 1929.