Hello again, I thought I’d start to talk a little about some wonderful people that we know. Since we opened The Roost, just 8 years ago, we have been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many talented and creative people. Many have become friends as well as our partners. We take great pleasure in promoting and showcasing their creations. As artists ourselves we know the challenges of getting work viewed, let alone getting it sold! There is a very good reason for that old saying “ Starving Artists“
At The Roost we have a couple of solid rules: #1 that the product be hand made, # 2 that it be made in Newfoundland. We have travelled ourselves and have always been disappointed when we find souvenirs in shops they are stamped made in ……?….. well not where we were visiting lol.
We take great pride in our own work and also in those we sell for others. Their story is our story!
So here we have the story of a boat builder told to us by his daughter Brenda!
Patrick Bruce was born in Harbour Buffet, Placentia Bay in 1935. He went to school until he was 15 years old and then went to work at WW Wareham and sons for 2 and half years. His job consisted of moving hundreds of quintals of fish(112 pounds in a quintal). He then worked on the Ronald George Schooner. This vessel made a return trip from Harbour Buffet. His parents resettled to Long Harbour in 1954. Patrick never resettled to Placentia but left Harbour Buffet and came to Stephenville in 1953. He worked on the base for a year and then as a mechanic until he retired. Boat building started as a hobby after retirement(model boats) and he still continues to do so at 85.
We were thrilled to discover Patrick and his amazing boats. Thanks for listening to his story and drop into the shop to see his dories on display and of course for sale. If you are interested in something larger than a dory (like the schooner pictured above) feel free to send us a message!
That is all for this time but stay tuned for more stories about our artisans.
Cheers
Blake
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