PAT POMROY:

Pat was born in Merasheen on March 26, 1921. At the age of 13, he left school and went fishing with his father, Bill. From that day to this, he has not missed a year fishing on the White Sail. This is a distinction which not too many men of Pat's generation can boast, as in the 30's and 40's, most of the men in Merasheen either went fishing on the boats, or worked on the base at one time or another. As a matter of fact in the early 40's, when the base opened in Argentia, besides Pat and his father, there were only two or three other boats fishing out of Merasheen (most of them of his father’s generation).

During the first two or three years the base was open, fish was very scarce and there was very little incentive to stay in Merasheen. However, after a couple of years, fish began to get plentiful again for Pat and the boys, and the others started to return. A bait depot was then established in the harbour, and the Cooperative was formed, and times began to look good in Merasheen again. This would certainly make one wonder what would have happened if Pat and the handful of others had also gone to Argentia - would anybody have bothered to go back to Merasheen to fish at all? Would the people of Merasheen have started resettlement twenty-five years earlier than they actually did? At the age of 16 Pat built his first punt. He sawed the first plank on St. Patrick’s Day, but that was about all he managed that day, as he dropped everything and went on the beer, this being the only chance he would get until Easter Sunday. However he obviously did not waste too much time after that, as the punt was ready for the start of the fishing season.

Pat was active in community affairs in Merasheen, being Vice President of Merasheen Fisheries and the Ophelia Credit Society as well as a director of the Merasheen Cooperative Society. Pat raised a family of eight and his son, Gerard, is following in his father's footsteps, as after a number of years of expert training by Pat, bought his own long liner and now fishes out of Merasheen each year.

LEO POMROY:

Leo was born in Big Merasheen on September 3, 1919. After a number of years of constant nagging, scolding and dragging Leo to the school house, Bill and Therese decided to let him go his own way and at the age of 13, he began fishing with his father Bill. The first few years were naturally without pay, as every cent was needed to feed 12 brothers and sisters. At the age of 19, Leo, along with buddies Jim Connors and Jack Barry and others went fishing on the Grand Banks and Golden Bay. He spent the next 8 years with a person he has always had a great deal of respect for, as a friend as well as a skipper, Mr. Din Pat Walsh. Work on the boats was exceptionally hard and days were long, but there are quite a few stories which tell that it was not a case of all work and no play. Leo was married to Jean Ennis on December 30, 1946 and began fishing home the following year, when he and his long time ship mate Jim Connors bought a trap each. Although they fished separately in the spring and fall, Leo and Jim trapped together until 1967, and had many very successful trap voyages.

Very active in community affairs, Leo was a director of the Merasheen Co-operative Society, director of Ophelia Credit Union, director of Merasheen Fisheries and a member of the Community Council.

Leo and Pat continue to trap, net, trawl and jig from the island each year in a long liner appropriately named “Merasheen”.