ST. JOHN'S, NL – The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, in partnership with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council and College of the North Atlantic (CNA), today announced that InnovativeNL, an engineering and project management firm in St. John’s, has been selected to undertake the fabrication of a bronze caribou monument for installation at Gallipoli, thereby finally completing the Trail of the Caribou.
InnovativeNL will undertake the work at an estimated contract value of $194,000. The sixth caribou monument will be placed 25 metres northwest of the Hill 10 Cemetery in Gallipoli, which is the resting place for 12 Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldiers, including Private Hugh McWhirter, the Regiment’s first casualty at Gallipoli.
Expected to weigh 1,500 pounds, the bronze caribou monument will measure approximately 10 feet from the nose to the back and approximately eight feet from top to bottom. To assist with the fabrication process, 19 students of CNA’s Geomatics/Surveying Engineering Technology program collected point cloud data from a digital scan of the caribou monument located in Bowring Park as part of their remote sensing course.
Premier Dwight Ball announces the final step to complete the Trail of the Caribou with the installation of the last bronze caribou near Hill 10 Cemetery in Gallipoli, Turkey. In order from left to right: Brittany Collier, student, College of the North Atlantic; Blair Bridger, P.Eng, Geomatics/Surveying Engineering Technology Instructor at College of the North Atlantic; the Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador; Ron Penney, Past Chair Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council; the Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Tourism, Culture Industry and Innovation; Frank Gogos, Project Manager, InnovativeNL Engineering and Project Management.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has worked closely with the Government of Canada and the Republic of Turkey to complete the Trail of the Caribou. The monument will be installed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the Regiment earned its first gallantry awards before they went on to fight with distinction on the Western Front.
The Trail of the Caribou extends through northern France and Belgium, located at sites significant to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and their accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices, including: Beaumont-Hamel, Masnières, Gueudecourt, Monchy-le-Preux, and Kortrijk.
Quotes
“One of the more meaningful achievements in my role as Premier is taking the final step in completing the Trail of the Caribou. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment distinguished itself at Gallipoli, becoming the only unit of the Allied Forces to receive the designation ‘Royal’ during the actual course of the war in honour of its valour. Now, they will be forever enshrined with a caribou monument at Hill 10 Cemetery. I thank the Government of Canada and the Republic of Turkey for recognizing the significance of the monument to the people of our province, and for honouring veterans of the Gallipoli Landing.”
Honourable Dwight Ball
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“I am very proud to partner with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council for this announcement as we help finalize the Trail of the Caribou. Remembering our war story at Gallipoli is a responsibility we all hold. And I want to ensure the legacy of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment is acknowledged and honoured. I also commend the students from College of the North Atlantic for taking on a project outside of course work to be part of a significant provincial historical project.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
“One of the key objectives of the Royal Newfoundland Regimental Advisory Council in commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the First World War, was to complete the Trail of the Caribou in Gallipoli, where the then Newfoundland Regiment first went into battle after completing its training in the United Kingdom, the only Regiment from North America to have served in that campaign. We thank the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for their efforts in helping to achieve that goal.”
Ron Penney
Past Chair, Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council
“An important component of experiential and meaningful learning for CNA students is understanding how their programs and work will impact communities, locally and even globally. We are honoured to be able to involve our Geomatics/Surveying Engineering Technology students in such a significant and historic project. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to apply their newly developed skills in laser scanning to a real-world situation, where the memory of such an esteemed unit as the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and their bravery is never forgotten as a result of this monument.”
Brent Howell, CNA Dean of Engineering Technology and Blair Bridger, P.Eng, Geomatics/Surveying Engineering Technology Instructor
“A century has passed since nations fought at Gallipoli, so today’s announcement is truly historic for Newfoundland and Labrador as we move forward to complete the ‘Trail of the Caribou’. While this final monument will recognize the sacrifice from long ago, it will also celebrate the friendship that exists today. I would like to acknowledge the support of the House of Assembly, the special relationship between the Offices of Speaker in both countries, Turkish and Canadian Ambassadors Selςuk Ünal, Kerim Uras, and Chris Coote, and a special ‘tesekkür ederim’ to the Director of the Gallipoli Historic Site, Ismail Kasdemir.”
Perry Trimper
MHA for Lake Melville
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Media Contacts
Jeremy Reynolds
Office of the Premier
709-729-3558
jeremyreynolds@gov.nl.ca
Debbie Marnell
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
709-729-4570, 699-9048
debbiemarnell@gov.nl.ca
Ron Penney
Past Chair, Royal Newfoundland Regiment Advisory Council
ronaldp@nl.rogers.com
Michelle Barry
College of the North Atlantic
709-643-7721
michelle.barry@cna.nl.ca
Bonnie Learning
Constituency Assistant to the
Honourable Perry Trimper, MHA for Lake Melville
709-896-7975
bonnielearning@gov.nl.ca