PRIDE in Harbour Families!

Here at Fishing for Success, we truly value the meaning of inclusion and making sure everyone has the chance to experience the shared human heritage in fishing. This year’s unusual Pride month is one like no other, with virtual celebrations and physically distanced events replacing annual parades and get-togethers. Such circumstances had our team brainstorming different ways we could mark the event with the same level of attention and passion as what would be expected during a regular season. It just so happened that at the time we had a traditional dory in need of a new paint job, which to us, presented an opportunity to highlight the support that F4S has for the gay community in Newfoundland and Labrador and how that is reflected in our mission. For the future of the fishery in this province, it is essential that we collectively challenge the idea of who a fisherman can be. In the media and in the consciousness of many, it is a profession typically portrayed as being dominated by the status quo providing for their family at home. The Pride dory is meant to show that there is truly room for everyone in the boat and that fishing is for everybody.

Our now colourful dory was graciously donated through a partnership between Thrive and the Wooden Boat Museum, which included young boat-builders from Thrive and McMorran and Buckmaster’s Circle community centre. On the inside of the brightly-coloured rainbow exterior is pink, blue, and white, to signify the colours of the trans flag. The gunnel is painted black and the stern is painted brown, representing the unique struggles that people of colour have in the gay community. It is named “Paul and John” as a tribute to the late Paul Hearn, who was from Petty Harbour and is the brother of F4S volunteer Leo Hearn, and his late husband, John Campbell.