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Little Harbour West
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Little Harbour West, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada


Credits:
Jamie O'Brien

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Little Harbour West
Little Harbour West, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada


Credits:
Christina Synard

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Written from and interview with Melvin Murphy formerly of Little Harbour West, now residing in Parker's Cove.

I will never forget the day I left, December 18, 1967, I was 16 years old. During resttlement myself and my family gave up everything we had and moved to a place where we had to build up homes, stores, stages, and a different way of life then we had and were used to. My dad had just reached retirement age and after working hard all his life had to start anew. This was very tough.

I think that if the government had to spend some money and improve our way of life and give us a highway so we could get to other communities, things would have been a lot different. I lived in Little Harbour West. Life was as good there as any other outport community without roads. People fished, built boats and went to the lumber woods. As well as worked on Coastal Boats.

We chose to move where we did because some of our friends moved their and with a motor road we could get to larger centers. People moved all over the place during Resettlement, some to St. John's, Placentia, and places around the bay like Rushoon, Baine Hr., Parkers Cove, Red Hr. etc.

The people of Little Harbour West made a living by fishing, carpenter work, building boats, going away to Lumber Woods and on Coastal Boats. Day to day life was good, everyone had work to do and helped one another.

We had lots to keep us entertained in Little Harbour. We would have concerts, soup suppers, card games among other things.

I have returned there since resettlement there are cabins where homes once stood. As well as a community center, Tom's Dance Hall it was built by Thomas Walsh for the Come Home Year as well Thomas Walsh, Thomas Manning, and Wilson Romane's homes still stand there.

The people from Little Harbour West were very intelligent. There were captains of CN boats, teachers, religious, boat builders.

I remember quite well the day we left. It was December 18, 1967. I remember how sad my dad looked. He hated the word resettlement until the day he died. Him and another man went around and tried to get the people of St. Joseph's to join us in Little Harbour and resettle in Baie de Lou. But it didn't work. Our family and Thomas Walsh were the last two families to leave the harbour. We felt very sad when we did go. What I miss the most is being with all the people of Little Harbour West. We were separated from the people we grew up with, went to school with, played sports and spent most of our time with.

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Little Harbour Dance Hall
2000-2006
Little Harbour West, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada


Credits:
unknown