I was driving out the Kenmount Road the other week and my car dropped into a pothole in the road under construction. It was of Olympic proportions. Is it my imagination, or has that road been under construction for a couple of decades? 

Now it did not flatten my tire or bend my wheel, but it was a nice bump, and I was peeved. “Peeved” is not the word that came immediately to mind, but it will do. 

I was reminded then of another summer day some years ago. We had just had a rough crossing from Dover to Calais and had passed through an outdoor refugee camp outside Calais. The camp was nicknamed “the jungle” and held desperate people mostly from Africa trying to get through Europe to England and a hoped-for better life. They lived in tents and at one time there were as many as five thousand people there. Ultimately that camp was closed, but still people remain in the area. 

Skip back a couple of years from that to another summer and what was the former Olympic site in Beijing, China. My wife and I were there as visitors and there at the Olympic Village lying on the ground on a mat outside the gates was a beggar. This was not like somebody panhandling on Water Street. This poor fellow, who was attended to by another man, had no arms and no legs. It’s a situation almost hard to imagine. He had a little plate in front of him where you could leave an offering. We did just that, but I noticed a couple of touristy types taking pictures. God forgive me, but I so wanted to smash their faces in.

It’s about perspective

A year later in London, England we were rushing to Waterloo station to catch an early morning train from Waterloo to Gatwick airport and there in an underground tunnel at Waterloo was a man asleep on the ground on a piece of cardboard.  He had, what appeared to have been what were his belongings with him, and he was covered by an old tarpaulin.  We passed quietly by at first, but then returned and left a few coins in a cup next to him. We didn’t wake him. We just moved on to our train and our flight from Gatwick and back to Canada. 

What are lessons from all of that? What was learned? Well, it’s about perspective. There’s something about travel that’s very real. We see things that we are not used to and then we return to our comfortable everyday world. It’s true though that once something is seen, it cannot be unseen. 

I feel so very badly about my anger a few weeks ago at a bump on my wheel during a drive up a St. John’s road that was under repair. The lesson though is learned. 

NTV’s Jim Furlong can be reached by emailing: jfurlong@ntv.ca

At one recent Newfoundland Growlers hockey game, announcer Chris Ballard paused to welcome some newcomers to our province who had also been invited to the game that night. 

Following the formal introduction, those gathered to cheer on the home team stood in unison and gave the many Ukrainian refugees in the stands a standing ovation that seemed to go on for at least three minutes. 

It’s little wonder that Newfoundlanders were welcoming to come from aways seeing how our ‘put the kettle on,’ mentality for strangers and loved ones alike has long been celebrated around the globe. There’s lots to be proud of certainly. 

Commitment to Kindness

From our commitment in battle over 100 years ago as proud members of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment to our demonstration of colour-blind humanity following the sinking of the Truxton & Pollock near St. Lawrence to our hospitality following the tragedy of 9/11, Newfoundlanders & Labradorians have stepped up and dusted off the welcoming mat. It doesn’t matter how you get here, as no matter the method of entry, the welcome is always the same. 

Remember ‘the boat people?’ In August of 1986, 155 refugees from Sri Lanka were found adrift near St. Shott’s by a local skipper, Gus Dalton. Starving and dehydrated, Dalton said at the time that he knew helping the ‘boat people’ was simply “the right thing to do.” 

In fact, this province has long demonstrated a commitment to kindness and the fact that it continues is a tradition to be proud of. The fact that NL was the first in this country to welcome Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country in droves following the brutal Russian invasion should only add to that pride. 

Of course, this province needs workers to add to our population deficit, so it’s a win/win situation. Minister of Immigration, Gerry Byrne, said that many of the 166 people who arrived as refugees had jobs they could go to once they rested up from their travels. That’s great news. 

But more than the need to contribute to the NL economy or population census numbers or the need to earn a living is the need to belong, and that doesn’t seem to be an issue at all for these recent arrivals. 

One Facebook group, Newfoundland & Labrador Help/Host for Ukrainians, has over 10,000 members as of press time. 

Wrote one woman shortly following arriving here with her six year-old son, “I do not have enough words to express my gratitude … I want to add that Canadians, you are incredible people! Thank you for everything!” 

Wrote another, “Some days ago I was in Odessa, Ukraine. Today I am in Newfoundland. Still, I don’t believe how I made (it) alone with my pets, but I don’t feel alone. The whole way I got support (from) everyone I met and I am still feeling it. It is amazing!” 

At the Growlers game following the arrival of the refugees, Ukrainian flags joined our own provincial and country’s throughout the stadium, and as the National Anthem rang out, the words “stand on guard…” felt particularly moving to all gathered. That long-lasting standing ovation was simply more proof that welcoming newcomers to our country and province is a long-held NL tradition we have no plans on abandoning.

Pam Pardy, The Herald’s Managing Editor, can be reached by emailing pghent@nfldherald.com