Snapshots of Labrador: A new CBC exhibit presents the best of the Big Land
Labrador Morning had a busy year in 2018.
The stories we brought came from every corner of Labrador, whether it was the continued decline of the George River caribou herd, the excitement of Cain's Quest, or a story about horses that help people who are struggling.
CBC's Labrador Morning is starting a yearly photo exhibition, and is inviting you to send your best snaps of a story happening right now.
In Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the exhibit — which features prints of the photos displayed here — has been set up at the dining hall at the Labrador Winter Games, where athletes are enjoying their meals.
On Friday, the exhibit will be installed at the Lawrence O'Brien Arts Centre, where it will be on display for the coming months.
Later in the year, the team hopes to stage the exhibit in other communities. Stay tuned for updates on dates and locations.
We want to create an ongoing conversation about what it means to live in Labrador, through photographs — and we want you to be part of it.
A picture is truly worth a thousand words. Tell us your story in photos by emailing us at labradormorning@cbc.ca.
Here's a look at some of the photos from this year's exhibit.
An old ride
The year started strong in January with Nain's 90-year-old snowmobile. A 1927 Ford Model T outfitted with skis, abandoned by scientists in Labrador's wilderness. Jamie Brake spent hours before the test drive making minor adjustments, and he was pretty sure the 1927 Ford Model T would start when he turned the key. "When she fired up, it was just like a dream," he said. "It was awesome."
Organ transplant
Happy Valley-Goose Bay's Jodi Loder tattooed the organs her brother Jeffrey donated in the summer of 2016. The flowers growing out of each organ symbolizes there's still life, and reflects the different people who received the organs. In September, Jodi and her family met the man who has her brother's heart, Robert Buttle. He picked the colour green for the flowers to personalize her heart tattoo, which is now red. Green symbolizes organ donation. The other tattoos will stay black until Jodi meets the other recipients.
Running caribou
Brandon Pardy was at the right place at the right time when he took this picture of running caribou just outside Nain. "We were coming back from Antalak across the ponds, somewhere around Third Pond. As soon as we turned a bend on the pond, here they were charging towards us. We stopped our machines and got off. We didn't want to further disturb them by moving one way or the other. I grabbed a camera and knelt down. The caribou spotted us only 20-odd feet away and veered off when this picture was taken."
Cain's Quest
Supporters of the Innu Hawks racing team cheered loudly and displayed banners as the Cain's Quest Team rolled into Happy Valley-Goose Bay in early March. Aaron Poker and his teammate, Len Rich, were greeted like heroes by dozens of supporters, many of whom made the journey from as far away as Natuashish, their hometown. Ideal conditions made the 2018 race one of the fastest Cain's Quests to date. At the end, it's Wabush resident Andrew Milley and American Rob Gardner, who ran the race for a second year in a row.
Boat builder
In June, master boat builder Robert Pardy made a 17-foot, six-inch wooden speedboat in his shed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Born and raised in Paradise River, the 87-year-old has been making boats for most of his life. The knowledge he possesses is valuable given today's popularity of fibreglass and aluminum boats. The hand-crafted boat with planks he cut and steamed himself, was possibly his last. After completing it, Robert took it to Pack's Harbour to go to his cabin last summer.
Mud Lake musher
Mud Lake dogsled musher Watson Rumbolt took 32 sled dogs, including Klondike, with him as he fled his home in the spring of 2017. Dogs stood in water up to their stomachs as a flood surrounded his house. Loading them into a qamutik, Watson took several trips to get the dogs to the checkpoint for the helicopter, tying them to trees before going back for more. He chuckles, remembering some were only too happy to get on board by jumping in.
Horses for Hope
Late last year, we found out about Horses for Hope Centre Labrador, a horse therapy program that got started by accident by Jim Barrett and his wife. Spending time with animals can have a calming effect, especially if you're having a rough day. So they turn their passion for horses into a tool to bring relief to those who need it.
Travelling trees
In December, we heard of Andreas Jararuse from Hopedale. He went out with his dog team to fetch Christmas trees for people in town who are unable or unwilling to go out themselves. This shot was snapped on his second time coming home with a set of Christmas trees.
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