MEMORIES OF TEACHING IN MERASHEEN
Sept. 1965 - June 1966
by Theresa (O'Brien) Ennis

In early September of 1965 my friend, Doreen Power from Avondale, and I from Holyrood, caught a train that took us to Argentia where we boarded the M.V. Petite Forte - the boat that would take us to Merasheen.

Why were we going there? For me it was my first teaching position, my first time going to Merasheen, and my first time away from home. For Doreen it was her second teaching position, her second visit to Merasheen and her second time away from home. Therefore, I was a greenhorn in every sense of the word! At least Doreen knew where she was going. It was blind faith for me.

How did we happen to end up in Merasheen? It all started in our first year of teacher training at Littledale College in St. John's, an all girls’ residence run by the Sisters of Mercy. Patricia (Ennis)
Burke was also attending this college along with Doreen and me. Patricia's bed was right next to mine on the dormitory and Doreen's desk was next to mine in the classroom.

Before that time I had never heard of Merasheen Island - never knew it existed! However, I quickly became well educated as to its whereabouts, its people and its history. For the 8 months we lived there together Patricia spoke lovingly and enthusiastically about her childhood memories of Merasheen. Frequently we heard, ‘Out home in Merasheen....’ and the stories went on. Even after the lights went out she still talked on! I felt I knew what to expect there before I actually arrived and was familiar with the names like Wilson, Pittman, Ennis, Hann, Casey, Pomroy, Fulford, Hennessey, Pitcher, Best and so on.

Doreen told me stories also about her visit there to spend time with her sister, Mary Pitcher, her husband, Ron Pitcher, and their family. She had met a nice young man there whom she would like to see again. She did, of course, see him again and as a result of our time spent in Merasheen, she and George Ennis were married the following summer, August 1966, in Ontario - an event at which I was present having been given the honor of being the Maid of Honor. Doreen returned to Merasheen to teach again in the fall of 1967, at the time of resettlement and had the distinction of being one of the last to teach there along with John Tobias Pearson.

Along with Patricia and Doreen, Fr. Philip Lewis, who was the parish priest there at the time, also played a role in my going to Merasheen to teach. He came to Littledale while we were there looking for two teachers for Grades 3-5 and 6-8. He didn't try to gloss it up but rather told it like it was - pot bellied stove, mail twice a week, isolation, few luxuries, mail order shopping, no trips home till Christmas, etc. Doreen, who sat behind me said, ‘Let's go!’ It sounded so exciting and I felt like a missionary going off to some foreign land to teach. I immediately said, ‘Yes.’ and we were signed up. Of course we didn't have too much competition!

Fr. Lewis wrote us two letters - one to confirm our positions and another to tell us we would be staying with Mrs. Kate Wilson. I still have those two letters.

Now we were signed up! I almost didn't get there because during the summer the priest in the next parish to my home offered me a position there. I was very torn about the situation because for two years I had been keeping steady company with a young man from near my home. It was a very tempting offer and I was being advised by many to take that position. I decided to seek the advice of my high school teacher and principal whom I respected very much. He advised me that I should honor my commitment that I had made to Fr. Lewis and go to Merasheen because he might have difficulty finding a replacement for me at that late date. It was decided that I would go as planned and off we went.

As we drew near to Merasheen on that September day, the purser, Fred Mills, said, ‘That's Merasheen Island right over there,“ as he pointed to it.
Doreen tells me that I said, ‘That's not land, that's rock!” I was probably thinking, ‘What have I got myself into?‘ I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the houses and the wharf full of friendly faces there to meet the steamer, and probably to get a look at the new teachers as I was later told.

Not being much of a sailor and having lost my breakfast on the way over, I was very happy to have my feet on dry land, as I have been every time I have crossed Placentia Bay to get to Merasheen over the past 35 years. There are times when I have actually got down and kissed the ground!

Shortly after our arrival that day, we were brought to our boarding house that was to become our home for that year. Indeed we felt right at home as Mrs. Kate Wilson took excellent care of us and treated us like we were her own daughters. She even told us which male friends we shouldn't become involved with! She told it like it was with no back doors. Of course, when a man came by to visit he was sure to get a little repair job to do. Some male friends that we had wouldn't come by to get us because they didn't want to get a job. She used to say that any man who wouldn't come to the door for us wasn't much of a man! A wise old lady she was!

We soon settled into the routine of early rising for Mass every morning, then on to school, home to lunch, back to school, correcting and preparing work, supper and then out for the evening. There was always a chat every evening with Martin Connors, the school janitor at the time. Bruce White and Matilda Best were the other teachers we worked with that year. Matilda was down in the Co-op store with the Grades 1-2 classes while Bruce had the high school grades.

Our social life consisted of evening visits to Pitcher's Point to see Ron and Mary Pitcher and Mike and Liza Ennis. We'd often visit Harold and Bride Rose as well as Pad and Essie Ennis. An evening was not complete without a trip to Mrs. Sis Houlihan's for Coke, chips and apricot squares. After school we would often drop in to see Dick Ennis to post our letters to home and see if we got any mail when the steamer came. For a change of pace and scenery we would walk up to Big Merasheen to test out the treats at Mrs. Theresa Pomroy's and talk to all the Pomroys. Kevin, having one of the few vehicles on the island, would often give us a ride home. That was a real treat!

A fond memory we have of Kevin is that on our very first weekend in Merasheen he helped us to hide from two Yankee boys who came across from Argentia in a small aluminum boat to see us. We had met them on board the Petite Forte -the night before our sailing to Merasheen. They had come aboard the steamer, probably in search of female company. Being the friendly sort, Doreen and I told them where we were going and why, never dreaming that we would ever see them again. Lo and behold the following weekend they showed up on Merasheen Island!

Being a small place and everyone knowing what was going on and that two Yanks had landed we were worried about our reputations as Catholic teachers! Here we were trying to make a good impression and men arriving to court us. What were we to do? We decided not to have anything to do with them. They were staying out with Mrs. Dora Best. They came to Mrs. Kate's door but they weren't getting over her doorstep. We kept a low profile all day. At night Kevin picked us up and took us up to Big Merasheen where we stayed till very late at night when the coast was clear. Fortunately they got the message and returned to Argentia the next morning and we never heard tell of them again.

School for Doreen and me that year was a very satisfying and rewarding experience. I had been hired for Grades 6-8 and Doreen for Grades 3-5. However, since Doreen had taught Grades 6-8 before, we agreed to switch. I preferred the younger ones. Of course, multiple grades presented a challenge for us as well as the pot-bellied stove in the middle of the classroom!

Our memories of the school and the children are all pleasant ones. I personally enjoyed my first year in the teaching profession and am grateful that I got my feet wet, so to speak, in Merasheen! It must have been a positive experience as I continued to teach for 33 years till I retired in June of 1998. The students were easy to work with and for the most part eager to learn. I still have a big hard-covered book that I used that year to record my test results, as well as copies of my exams. It is a little shabby after 35 years but is quite legible. If anyone would like a copy of their report card I would be happy to make them one! I promise not to show the marks to anyone else — that would be unprofessional of me.

At past reunions and Merasheen dances we have frequently met our past students who always stop and have a chat. They seem to have fond memories of that year as well, which is wonderful to hear. Doris Pomroy and Vivian Hann, as well as a few others still call me “Miss” when they meet me. Vivian, who was in Grade 3 when I taught her, went on to become a teacher herself.

Recently when I was digging through boxes of memorabilia I came across a bag of ‘Thank you’ cards, notes, stories, and poems that were given to me by students at the end of that year. I can't say how happy I was that I had kept them! They brought many a chuckle and a tear as well. To me they are priceless. I plan to give copies to the people who gave them to me at the reunion in July, Z000. I will, of course, keep the originals. I have shown them to some of my Merasheen friends who also think they are very special. Thanks to my students of that year for the wonderful memories!

I should also mention that besides the Grades 3-5 students of that year, 1965-66, I also taught evening classes in French grammar to the Grades 9 and 10 students who wished to study the language. Their teacher of that year had a Latin background so was not prepared to do French. It had been a favorite subject so when Fr. Val Power, who replaced Fr. Lewis as parish priest, asked me if I would teach it in the evenings I agreed. Students would come back to school after supper, which showed they really wanted to be there. Incidentally, I have the names and grades of those students in my big book as well! I remember that Fr. Power gave me a big brown suitcase when I was leaving in June. That was my reward for teaching French at night.

While in Merasheen we took a few side trips to explore Placentia Bay. One Sunday we went with Fr. Lewis to Red Island and Port Royal for Mass. On a long weekend we got really brave and took a round trip on the steamer to Marystown. Bruce White took us down to Hr. Buffet to visit his family one weekend. I also remember going to Isle Valen one Sunday.

I believe we only got 2 trips home that year - at Christmas and Easter, like Fr. Lewis had told us. As I recall we always had lots of things to do to occupy our time. At night another pastime activity that I recall was a good game of cards with Aunt Kate. Our male friends would join us for a game as well, after the rosary of course! She dearly loved her game of cards. Sometimes one of the players would try to cheat and she would get really upset with them. Of course, they did it to get her going and were always successful. She'd growl at them but she still enjoyed it just the same.

On Sundays we would dress up in our Sunday best and go for a walk up to Big Merasheen. A lot of couples would be out walking. We would be sure to meet up with Willie and Betty, Roderick and Matilda, Nellie and Jimmy and others. We would take pictures. I have an album that I put together that year. There are a lot of blanks in it now because I have given a lot of them to the people who were on them. They do appreciate getting them.

Other pastimes for Doreen and me were the card games in the hall, counting and recording the Sunday collection at the priest's house, spending time at school decorating our classrooms and doing our school work. We would visit Paddy Hann's store often and made many visits to Soldier's Point to have a chat with Jack Barry at the store there. A scattered time we would walk out to Mrs. Dora Best's store but not very often as it seemed a long ways away. I'm sure we invested most of our pay cheques back into the community. I remember buying an electric toaster at Mrs. Dora's to send home to my mother. It was the one that had the sides that folded down.

On May 31st of that year Mr. Johnny Ennis returned home on the steamer to begin to take his house apart to bring it to Tors Cove to rebuild a new home there. He had moved away earlier that year as some people were getting ready to resettle. He brought his son Tom along to help him. On that same evening we were invited out to Mary Pitcher's house for supper as it was her birthday. I was supposed to go back in to the school at 6:00 P.M. to teach French. However, Miss O'Brien did not show up to teach that evening! It may have had something to do with the fact that a handsome young man, who had arrived on the steamer that day, dropped out to Mary Pitcher's that same evening.

Though we both had other relationships at the time, we soon after broke them off and have been together ever since - a total of 34 years. We got married on Sept. 18, 1967. We have raised 5 children all of whom have a special place in their hearts for Merasheen Island. We built a cabin on the foundation of Mr. Johnny Ennis’ old homestead in 1984 and spent from 4-6 weeks there every summer till 1995. After the fishery closed and since the children got older, we haven't spent as much time there but we manage a short trip every summer. We plan to continue to return there as long as we are able. Hopefully one day we will bring our grandchildren to Merasheen to visit as well.

Doreen and George, with whom we have kept in close contact over the years, also built a cabin there at about the same time that we did. They built next door to us. We generally plan to be in Merasheen at the same time each year if we can arrange it. Many a good scoff, scuff and sing along we have had at both cabins in the true Merasheen style!

So it seems that Doreen and I were destined to go to Merasheen to teach. A man from home said to us before we went there to teach that we would each come back with a man. We thought it was funny at the time but he was right after all. When we left in June of that year, we had Tom and George in tow and they have been around ever since. We have no regrets because we have wonderful friends and relatives that we would not have met if we hadn't made the decision to go to Merasheen in Sept. of 1965. The people have always made us feel welcome as they did in that first year we spent there.

Thank you to Patricia (Ennis) Burke and Fr. Phil Lewis for introducing us to the people of Merasheen Island!

Miss O'Brien’s Students Sept 1965-June 1966
Grade 3
Dolores Barry   Marion Connors   Roderick Connors
Donald Fulford   Vivian Hann   Frank Hepditch
Lorraine Pitcher   Peter Pitcher   Michael Pomroy
Raymond Pomroy   James Rose   Gerard Wilson
James Wilson   John Wilson

Grade 4
John Connors   Anita Ennis   Eddy Fulford
Ellen Fulford   Jimmy Pomroy   Elizabeth Hepditch

Grade 5
Carmelita Barry   Alan Connors   Lar Ennis
Mary Ann Ennis   Marion Fulford   Sylvia Hann
Carl Pitcher   Charlie Pittman   Doris Pomroy
Basil Rose   Camillus Wilson

Miss O'Brien’s French Students Evening Classes Jan.-June 1966

Grade 9
Phyllis Best   Jerome Ennis   Gertie Ennis
Philip Ennis   Marianne Fulford  Theresa Fulford
Raymond Hann   John Pitcher   Madonna Pitcher
Betty Pittman   Gabriel Pomroy   Madonna Pomroy
Shirley Pomroy   Bernadette Rose   Zeta Rose
Nicholas Wilson   Mary Theresa Wilson

Grade 10
Maureen Barry   Eric Connors   Ernie Pitcher
Carmel Pomroy   Theresa Pomroy   Viola Pomroy
Kennefh Rose   Stella Wilson