Harbour Grace author grateful for 75th Anniversary of Confederation Medal
By Olivia Bradbury/Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Riverhead, Harbour Grace author, historian and retired teacher Patrick Collins was among those honoured with a 75th Anniversary of Confederation medal this winter.
All the members of the House of Assembly were tasked with choosing people who have made remarkable contributions to their communities as a way of marking the 75th anniversary of Newfoundland’s decision to join Canada.
Collins, who is past president of the Conception Bay Museum, was presented his medal by Liberal MHA and cabinet minister Pam Parsons, for his commitment to the promotion and preservation of local history and heritage through his written work.
Collins joined the museum’s board as a director in 2009. Over the years he served in several executive positions on the board, eventually becoming chairman in 2015, a position he held until last year. During Collins’ time on the board, it managed to renovate and modernize some of the museum’s rooms and take on a major reconstruction with the help of Canadian Heritage grants.
“With the help of a great board of directors and strong community support, we did a lot of good things,” Collins allowed.
The board opened the museum to public tours, staged Haunted Hikes, during which Collins donned a costume and played an undertaker tour guide. Over 11 Haunted Hikes some $25,000 to $30,000 were raised for the museum.
Collins costumed up again to play Joey Smallwood at the museum’s confederation event last year. The museum has also hosted other community events, such as pirate days.
“We became kind of a centre point for, I think, tourism in Harbour Grace,” said Collins.
One of the museum’s major accomplishments, he added, was a digital display created for Digital Museums of Canada on the Harbour Grace airfield. Alone Among the Stars: Aviation in Harbour Grace, NL 1919-Present, and can be accessed online via Digital Museums of Canada.
“I think the museum has sort of reawakened Harbour Grace’s awareness about the history of how important the region has been to a number of different things,” said Collins. “The marine history we have, the mercantile history, and the aviation history. So, those three things have been key, along with, by the way, a really good sports history.”
Collins said the work of the museum and its board of directors has sustained and revived Harbour Grace’s heritage. “It’s been great being there as a leader in that capacity,” he said.
Collins has also served as president and chairman of Junior Achievement Newfoundland and Labrador and served on its board for 10 years. He was also a founding member of the Eating Disorder Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and been part of the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank’s board of directors for over 15 years. He was also a founding member of the Harbour Grace Minor Soccer Association, and was a referee for the league and high school soccer for many years.
As a writer, all but one of Collins’ 13 novels have been rooted in the history of Harbour Grace. He has written about the 1919 flight of the Handley-Page “Atlantic” and other early flights that used the Harbour Grace Airfield. His book What Lies Below focuses on the Canadian servicemen at the airfield from 1939-45 who operated a radar station and were connected with a Class 1 submarine that was stationed in Harbour Grace during WWII as a training vessel. He also wrote a book about the S.S. Kyle, which has been aground in Harbour Grace for over 50 years.
Collins has written about tragedies that took place in the town, as well, such as the Harbour Grace Affray, a clash between Roman Catholics and Protestants that resulted in multiple deaths. He has also written about crimes such as the murder of Elfreda Pike at Mosquito Hill, which took 50 years to solve, as well as the murder of Robert Bray, Samuel Comer Bray, and Ellen Coombs on Gibbet Hill. Collins’ book Belonging is about the murders of Jane Sears Geehan and Garrett Sears.
Collins has also written several novels featuring Sergeant Lucas Fallon, who was a Harbour Grace police officer in the nineteenth century. “I took his life, and I fictionalized the things that he was involved in, and the crimes that happened in and around Harbour Grace,” said Collins. “When I write stories, I think of Harbour Grace going through the decades — decades of the 1830s up until the 1920s and 30s —how different a town it was, and also how rich the history was. That’s what I try to do in my writing. I don’t do it for the purpose of enhancing the heritage of Harbour Grace — it’s just that it makes such a good story.”
As for the Anniversary of Confederation medal, said he’s very appreciative.
“It’s a phenomenal feeling,” he admitted. “First of all, very humbled that that would even be presented to me and, you know, you’re only as good as the people around you.”
He commended the museum’s board of directors for their efforts and teamwork. He also expressed gratitude to his wife, Shirley, for her support in his endeavours. “She’s very cooperative and interested in things I do. So happy that she’s in my life, and that she’s been there for me over the years,” he said.
Collins has received many congratulations since he was awarded the medal.
“It’s so heartening, to hear that people are thanking, are congratulating me, on that work,” he said. “I can’t believe the overwhelming response I got from the public based on that presentation.”