Harbour Grace celebrates return of Earhart statue
By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After more than a year, Amelia Earhart is back where she belongs: the Town of Harbour Grace.
The trailblazing pilot was a notable part of Harbour Grace’s history. The town’s airstrip was the takeoff point for her historical transatlantic flight in 1932. In 2007, a statue of Earhart was erected in The Spirit of Harbour Grace Park. However, in April of 2025, the statue disappeared just like her real-life counterpart. Four months later, the statue was found in pieces. On May 20 it was restored, whole, to its proper place.
A ceremony to celebrate the statue’s return was held at St. Francis School in Harbour Grace and emceed by pilot Captain Kim Winsor. Guest speakers included Mayor Terry Barnes, MHA Pam Parsons, and Avalon MP Paul Connors. Representatives of the Pike family, which has a connection to Harbour Grace’s aviation history, were also present. The town’s landmark plane, The Spirit of Harbour Grace, was donated by the late Roger Pike in 1993. Pike’s grandson, Sam Bruce, commended the community for rallying to recover the statue, and said his grandfather would be prouder than anyone.
A speech was also given by Elisabeth O’Higgins, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Ireland to Canada. Ireland, like Harbour Grace, has a connection to Earhart, as she completed her transatlantic flight with an impromptu landing in Derry. A Derry poem, “What Do Dreams Know of Boundaries,” was recited by Captain Winsor and student Kate Taylor.
Earhart herself also appeared at the event, still in her pilot gear and with the thermos of soup given to her by Harbour Grace resident Rose Archibald to take on her flight. Actress Emma Mercer played the famed aviatrix and recounted her journey across the ocean to the audience and later received ‘Welcome back’ cards from students.
Another notable pilot also attended the event: Beverley Bass, one of the pilots to land in Gander on 9/11. Bass, portrayed by Rebecca Sellars, performed the song ‘Me and the Sky” from the musical Come From Away, in which she herself is a character. Winsor, Taylor, Bass and Earhart performed together as a quartet, singing Every Time I See a Star.
The ceremony concluded with a livestream of the statue’s unveiling at the Spirit of Harbour Grace Park, which included a flyover by members of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association. Earhart is now back where she belongs, watching over the Town of Harbour Grace, with a plane waiting just beyond her.
