Carbonear only too happy to help out families from the North Shore

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Among the ways the Town of Carbonear helped residents of the North Shore who were evacuated from their homes last month because of wildfires was the decision to throw open the doors of its recreation programs to take in children from that area.

“The last week or so, as you’ve all indicated, has been very hard for the area,” recreation director Rob Button told council at its August 12 meeting. “But we’ve seen recreation at its finest. To see all the communities, organizations, and residents in this area come together in support of those in need has been outstanding.”

Button thanked the volunteers for their efforts in helping the evacuees and commended his staff for their work. “At a drop of a hat, they’ve, without hesitation, done what they can to help out,” he said. “They’ve worked extra hours without question or without compensation.”

Button thanked the Town’s summer students, who work in the program, for entertaining the evacuated children during a harrowing time. “They don’t even know what’s happening around them, they’ve been that engaged and kept active,” said Button. “So, kudos to those young students.” 

Councillor Danielle Doyle, who was among the organizers at the evacuation centre, said involving the children in the summer program gave parents a break to tend to other necessities. “And I’ve seen firsthand how happy the kids are to go to camp,” she said. “Because kids love normalcy, and they’re meeting new friends.” 

Passes were given to the Carbonear Academy evacuation centre so that all evacuees could freely avail of the Town’s public swimming pool. 

“They can come and go,” said Button. “They come and flash their cards. It’s become a real family in there because even our staff kind of call them all by name now. So, like I said, it’s been really a true recreation experience and I’m so proud of what everybody’s done.”

Button also thanked the regular patrons of the recreation facilities for their patience about rescheduling and cancellations. “It’s very fluid, what’s happening, so we don’t know from one day to the next whether people are going to be able to avail of their programming or not,” he said. “But everybody’s been very understanding, so hats off to them. Thank you to those people for working with us in this very fluid situation.”