A delegation representing Gander that included Mayor Claude Elliott, chief administrative officer Jake Turner, Pastor Ralph Benson, Des Dillon, Beulah Cooper, Major Wade Budgell, Hazel Bishop and Premier Kathy Dunderdale, were showered with love last Thursday in Washington, D.C.
The delegation was in the U.S. capital for a 9-11 commemorative event to pay tribute to the central Newfoundland community for its response 10 years on one of the darkest days in U.S. history.
And feel the love they did, according to Mayor Elliott, especially when the delegation was asked to the stage to accept the International Community Resiliency Award. The award was presented by Center for National Policy, the Voices of September 11th, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
“The applause and standing ovation started before we reached the stage,” said Mayor Elliott, from his office Monday. “And it was at that moment I wished that every citizen of Gander and the communities that helped out could be there behind us.
“To me, this award may say Gander, but it’s for every community that helped Gander, it’s for every community that brought in food or clothes, it’s for every community that accommodated passengers, and it’s for every community that had aircraft in Newfoundland and Labrador. It should be something we should be proud of as a province.”
He added he was honoured Premier Dunderdale could join the local delegation in accepting the award, and it was her involvement that truly made it an award recognizing the province’s efforts of 9-11.
Mayor Elliott said the invitation to attend the fully-paid trip to the awards gala was for just seven people, and it was difficult to narrow the selections down, but he felt good about the cross-section of the community the people chosen represented.
Somber moment
While the gala brought feelings of pride to the local delegation, Mayor Elliott said, in the few hours they had to tour some of U.S. capital, they encounter several things that were not as joyful.
The group took a two-hour of the Pentagon, and was shown the area where the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, killing 184 people in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77.
“In the memorial they have there are the names of the people that died there, and this feeling came over me that was very somber because you are thinking about what these people went through,” he said. “It was a very touching moment for all of us to be there.”
Also while in Washington, the group had the opportunity to meet Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer, the country’s representative in the United States, as well as Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, who represents the 28th Congressional District of New York State.
“She was very honoured to meet us, and thanked us personally,” said Mayor Elliott. “She was overwhelmed with what we did for the American people.”
After this 45-minute meeting with Congresswoman Slaughter last Thursday, the delegation then got ready for its moment in the spotlight. The following morning it was back on a plane to return to Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The applause and standing ovation started before we reached the stage. And it was at that moment I wished that every citizen of Gander and the communities that helped out could be there behind us.” - Mayor Claude Elliott
However, it was not without some lasting impressions.
“We had a very short time in Washington, but we got to see a lot of history and heartaches that was caused by that terrible day 10 years ago,” said Mayor Elliott.
There was also one other memory Mayor Elliott said he returned with from the U.S. capital — one that all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians should keep in mind.
“We live in the best place in the world, and the more of the world I see, the more I am convinced of this,” he said. “ But I don’t think we should take what we have for granted, because the world is still pretty fragile.
“Every morning we get up, we should thank God for the blessing we have. And right now, this is where I want to live.
“I’ve seen some beautiful places and met some wonderful people, but there’s nothing like the soil in this little province of Newfoundland and Labrador. And that’s why the passengers keep coming back because they see what we have, and I believe what we have is probably what a lot of people in the world are searching for.”
khiggins@ganderbeacon.ca
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