Eagles maintain a secure place in my memory. How they would soar high above the hills surrounding my hometown of Burin, Newfoundland. Circling like scouts like they were protecting myself and the town from untold harm.
Burin and the mighty Eagle are endlessly intertwined. The sports teams of Burin are known as the Burin Eagles and the bar where I played youth darts was called The Eagles Nest. In the local museum, a taxidermy eagle sits pitched with lifelike eyes watching visitors. When I think about the Eagle and its link to this historic town, I begin to understand how its traits of beauty, bravery, nurturing and resilience are matched with those of the towns past, people and future.
Beauty
To see an eagle up close is to be mesmerized by its piercing eyes and predatorial physique.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to watch the sun rise over Burin you already know how truly beautiful it is. It’s ideal how the town is named after a French carving tool because it looks like it was sculpted by the gods when actually its rocks are some of the oldest on earth and were sculpted by ancient glaciers and ocean. The shoreline is surrounded by lush green islands, one of them being Great Burin that was resettled in the mid 1900’s. Although it’s one of the foggiest places in the world, watching the fog roll in after a hot summer’s day is truly a spectacle.
Bravery
The Eagle is an apex predator and will defend its home to the death.
The first people to arrive in Burin in the 1600’s, journeyed for its plentiful fish from Spain, Portugal, England, Jersey, France and Ireland. In the 1700’s travels were aided by Burin creating a shipping industry. Burin can get 100 cm of snow in a night so imagine facing it with no insulation or communication. These early settlers were tough!
The Mina Swim schooner left in the afternoon of Feb. 7, 1917 with 21 men from Burin and was never seen again. These men, like so many from Burin who still make their livelihood from the ocean, braved the waves to provide for their families.
In the 1980’s the people of Burin stood together when their fish plant was in fear of closing. They dug up the road to the plant and took turns keeping watch as they knew it was the towns lifeline.
Bravery is on our blood!
Nurturing
When a baby eagle learns to fly, the mother eagle pushes it from the nest and the father eagle swoops down to catch it over and over again until it eventually flies.
The town of Burin has always provided for its citizens. The United, Catholic and Salvation Army Churches created gathering places as far back as the 1780’s. The first school was built in 1793 and in 1960 the town erected a college that is still there today. Organizations like Masonic Lodge, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and Mariners Club all started to help build Burin’s community.
Resilience
When a storm is on the horizon, most birds flee but the eagle harnesses the racing wind to rise above the storm.
And Burin has had to face and overcome many challenging storms in its history.
In 1929 a Tidal wave hit Burin washing people and their homes out to sea. The people went into the bay and hauled their homes and loved ones back and rebuilt, making sure a monument was erected so we would never forget.
When Burin didn’t have a hospital, the people fought for their right to full health service and raised money through a lottery and built one.
Today, the town continues to invest in its attractions like walking trails and parks. Entrepreneurs have created new tourist attractions like Smugglers Cove Roadhouse and have turned the old fish plant to a hydroponic cannabis plant called Oceanic Relief. Chris and I are even playing our part by building cottage rentals at Captain James Cook’s Lookout trail.
Soaring High
If you could be associated with a bird who would choose any other than the mighty eagle. Burin and Eagles will forever be paired and rightfully so.
As Burin progresses into the future, its best we remember our inherent traits and continue to be proud of Burin’s beauty and be brave and resilient in fighting for continued growth to care for our town that has taken such good care of us.
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Much love,
Larry and Chris
