Mystery of the missing plaque

By Mark Squibb/March 24, 2022

Although it may be a few months yet before flowers burst into bloom, Carbonear Deputy Mayor Sam Slade turned his mind towards the warmer months ahead during last week’s public meeting by inquiring about a gardening award that seems to have fallen by the wayside.

“It was for people with tidy properties and gardening, and through one thing or another it seems to have fallen off the face of the earth,” said Slade. “There’s only three names on it, and the last time it was handed out was in 2013.”

Slade asked if it’s something the Special Events Committee would consider bringing back.

Councilor Danielle Doyle said that while the committee usually has garden appreciation events most summers, she’s not sure why the winners’ names were not added to the plaque. She agreed with Slade the plaque should be used and promised to bring it up at the next committee meeting.

Doyle noted the Town should still have the names of the missing winners.

Councillor Malcolm Seymour said he will be sure to raise the question at the next meeting, especially since the town has registered with Landscape NL’s Communities in Bloom initiative.

“You’d be surprised,” said Slade. “If you went around Carbonear in the summertime, to look at the fronts of the houses you wouldn’t say there was a thing around. But to go around the backs of the homes, it’s absolutely beautiful, with the flowers and so on,” said Slade. “Nice and clean, and great jobs done on the property. So, it was kind of a property plaque, I suppose you’d say, for the best garden, and at one time it was very, very active. So councilor Seymour, I would certainly like to see it utilized, it’s a shame that it’s out there not being utilized.”

Doyle said it’s likely the plaque had not been intentionally neglected, but may have simply been looked over during a turnover of committee members.