RIVER JOHN – A group of walkers in River John were recognized for going the extra mile during the unveiling of a new addition at their local library branch.
On Wednesday Pictou County Warden Ronnie Baillie unveiled a model ship mirroring the last schooner built on the banks of the River John in 1918, the Mary F. Anderson, a tribute to the village's rich ship building heritage.
"This is a very special day for the River John community," said Baillie, who also serves as the president of the Friends of the River John Library Society.
"This will serve as a lasting reminder of a very important part of our village's history."
For the past nine years, the Rob Roy walking group, named after the Scottish folk hero and outlaw Robert Roy MacGregor, has been strolling around the village gathering up recyclable beverage containers, donating the funds to the society.
Since 2001 their efforts have raised $2,500, but one of the group's leaders, Grace Swantee, said the fundraising campaign has reached the end of the road.
"I had so much help," she said, after Baillie singled her out for washing and storing the containers, then delivering them to the recycling depot.
"There was a lot of laughs, but now I wouldn't get into the ditch for anything."
The model was constructed by Bill Keeping of Pictou and cost about $1,000. Supplies and labour to build a display case were donated by other community members.
The original ship was built by Charles MacLellan and two of his grandchildren, Minnie Cormier and Charles Haliburton, attended the official unveiling.
"The schooner was well known for her lofty spars and fine lines," said Janis Gill, a community member telling a brief history of the unlucky ship.
Something went wrong during its first launch when it dropped into the water too fast and slammed against the opposite shore, breaking at the stern. It took about two years to repair the damage and her maiden voyage was hauling a load of lumber from North Port, Cumberland County to France.
The schooner made several transatlantic crossing during the next six years until it collided with the steel steamship the S.S. Fanad Head off the coast of Nova Scotia. The damage was substantial so the ship was condemned and dismantled.
Cormier, a lifelong resident of River John, said she remembers hearing the stories about ship building as a child and is pleased the model will serve as a reminder of by-gone days.
"I think it's wonderful," she said. "It's the last of our ship building history in River John. I think it is something that needed to be done. It's very sentimental as well."
Along with operating a bustling shipyard, her grandfather built a hotel in the village, which is still in use today as the Stagecoach Emporium.
He was also fond of recycling, using scrap wood from construction at the shipyard to build the first boardwalk along the village's street.
"Shipbuilding was a great part of Nova Scotia in the 1800s and to have a reminder of that for the kids when they come here to use the computers is great," said Haliburton. "Having it here, it's like old meets new."
