HISTORY
MONUMENTS & MURALS
MONUMENTS & MURALS
THE MURALS PROJECT
The Murals Project was started in 1990 when Brian Burke was operating a mini-golf course on Bell Island and was looking for ways to attract customers to his business. He had seen the CBC television program On the Road Again in which the community of Chemainus, British Columbia was featured. This former logging town just north of Victoria had lost its only industry and was drawing great numbers of tourists to see the large murals depicting the town’s history. “I thought of doing a mural on a building next to the golf course. I figured a few people would come by to take a look and at least some of them would stay and play golf,” Burke recalls. He started gathering old photographs of the community and mining industry to get an image for his mural but, as he talked to residents and the Town Council about the plan, the idea grew into a project to paint murals on buildings throughout the town, just as had been done in Chemainus. He asked Charlie Bown, who was the deputy Mayor, and Steve Fitzgerald, Robbie Murphy, Betty O’Neill and Bill Whalen to serve on the first Bell Island Murals Project Committee. They approached government agencies to raise the funds to get started. The Town Council, the provincial Department of Development, Enterprise Newfoundland and Labrador, Employment and Immigration Canada, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as well as private individuals, all contributed funds to pay for materials and provide training allowances for the artists. The photos below, taken in the lobby of the Wabana Complex, are of paintings done by the murals' artists in preparation for the work they did on the murals. Photos by Gail Weir, June 1992.
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Painting of No. 2 Bottom by Jeff Parsons and Wayne Cole, June 1991, done in preparation for their work in painting the murals. Photo by Gail Weir, June 1992. |
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Painting of No. 6 Deckhead, Front Entrance and Tramway by Scott Tremblett and Rich Hawco, June 1991, done in preparation for their work in painting the murals. Photo by Gail Weir, June 1992. |
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Painting of No. 6 Deckhead and Picking Belt by Bill Whalen and Gord Johnson, June 1991, done in preparation for their work in painting the murals. Photo by Gail Weir, June 1992.
By the summer of 1991, the project was underway with eight artists, all with local connections, working on the first four murals. The lead artist was John Littlejohn, described in a 1990 Express article as a “rising wildlife artist, who has concentrated on painting animals in meticulously technical detail for the last six years.” Littlejohn’s work had caught the eye of naturalist painter Robert Bateman, and his work entitled “Ice Bear II,” commissioned by John Stoneman, producer of the television program The Last Frontier, was featured in a show which aired in the Fall of 1990, and was now hanging in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Littlejohn, who was then 40 years of age, was a former K-Tel Records graphic artist, whose style had been compared to that of Bateman and Norman Rockwell. Born on Bell Island, he had hitchhiked to Ontario at the tender age of 14. That was 1964, several of the mines had already closed and he saw no future there. For a long time, he thought he would never return to Bell Island. In 1972, this self-taught artist was selling his ink drawings for $10.00 a piece. By 1990, the starting price for his small works was $3,500.00 and some works had sold for as high as $30,000.00. He came home to work on the Murals Project and direct the other artists, teaching them the techniques of high-realism. He devised a system of painting in which the artists worked in pairs to map out the murals on walls and then paint them. While one artist worked on a small-scale painting of the subject, another would create a grid on the wall, allowing a foot for each inch of the original painting. Littlejohn created “The Miner” (unveiled Nov. 9, 1991), “Miners’ Monument” (unveiled New Year’s Eve 1992), “On the Hub” (unveiled Dec. 29, 1995) and the “Steve Neary Memorial” (unveiled June 21, 1997).
There were seven other artists on the project:
Rick Murphy was a 22-year old who had just graduated from art school in Ontario when he learned about the Murals Project. He was born in Cambridge where his father, a Bell Islander, had moved to find work after the mines closed. Murphy assisted Littlejohn with “The Miner” and also worked on the “Miners’ Monument,” “On the Hub” and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Bill Whalen grew up not far from No. 6 mine. He was a teenager when the mines closed and his father tore down their house and moved the family to Spaniards Bay. Bill had worked for many years as a musician with the Newfoundland Showband before starting work on the murals. He was the only artist with any experience painting murals, having painted several on the walls of his friends’ rec rooms as a hobby. Whalen supervised the younger artists during the summer of 1991. They painted small-scale scenes of Bell Island’s history to determine which ones would be enlarged as murals. He then took over the painting of the “No. 6 Deck Head” mural on the C.L.B. Armoury after Jeff Parsons had completed the preliminary work, finishing it in late fall 1991. He also worked on the “On the Hub” mural and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Jeff Parsons grew up in St. Philips where he had moved with his parents after the mines closed. He was an art student at Sheridan College in Ontario in 1991. He did the gridding and sketching of the “No. 6 Deck Head” mural and, at the end of the summer, returned to Ontario for his second year of studies.
Wayne Cole sketched the mural of “No. 3 Main Gate Area” on the former No. 3 Hoist House using photographs of the original mine site as his guide.
Gordon Johnson, for whom this project awakened an art interest that had lain dormant for 20 years, remembers playing in the area of No. 6 Mine, not far from where he grew up, and recalls being chased out of the mine a few times. He did the painting of “No. 3 Main Gate Area” when Wayne Cole had finished sketching it. It was unveiled on Christmas Eve 1991. Johnson also worked on the “Miners’ Monument,” the “On the Hub” mural and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Richard Hawco and Scott Tremblett were school friends on Bell Island who had painted and drawn since grade 9. Together they painted the mural of “Town Square” on the Orange Lodge. It was finished in February 1992.
These eight artists painted in all weather conditions, wearing gloves when it was freezing cold. Some mornings, the first thing they would have to do was thaw the paint. They were assisted by a support crew of four, headed by Colin Cobb along with Aiden Fleming, Walt Vokey, and Francis Kennedy.
The fifth mural, the “Miners’ Monument,” differed in several ways from the first four. First of all, this mural is in three parts. The large central painting is of the Scotia Pocket, where the ore was deposited while awaiting shipment from Scotia Pier to steel mills around the world. The smaller painting to the left of it is entitled “Taking Five Underground” and shows a driller resting on his drill as he contemplates the job at hand. The model was Ray Stone. The smaller painting on the right is entitled “The Second Wash.” It shows a miner at home washing his hands and face at an old-fashioned wash stand. The model was Don Decker. This mural was the first in which live models were used. It was also the first to be painted on a free-standing wall. The mural is associated with three separate plaques honouring Bell Island and its people. On a concrete platform in front of the paintings is the plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declaring the Wabana Iron Ore Mines a National Historic Site for being one of the world’s premier iron ore mines and for its important contribution to the Newfoundland economy prior to Confederation with Canada. On the wall to either side of the mural are two plaques. The one on the left was commissioned by the Department of Tourism of Newfoundland honouring the Bell Island Mines on the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada. On the wall to the right of the mural is a memorial to those who lost their lives in mining-related accidents at Bell Island between 1895 to 1966. Littlejohn, Johnson and Murphy painted this mural during the summer and fall of 1992. It was unveiled on New Year’s Eve of that year.
The sixth mural, entitled “On the Hub,” was a massive undertaking. It was the first mural to be painted on a privately-owned building, Martin Hurley’s warehouse on Theatre Avenue, the Green. The subject of the mural is a busy street scene, as Theatre Avenue looked in 1942 when it was still an important commercial district. This was the first mural to be populated by a large group of people, all live models. To prepare for this painting, the Murals Association advertised for people to model in 1940s-style clothing. On April 24th, 1993, a group of Bell Islanders and former Bell Islanders of all ages gathered on Theatre Avenue, where they spent several hours being photographed by Ron Bennett as they posed in period clothes that had been provided by Marie Sharpe, wardrobe mistress of the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre. Using these photographs and archival images of the street as his guide, Littlejohn then sketched out the mural and he and Gord Johnson proceeded with the painting. A shelter was constructed to protect the artists and the work-in-progress from the elements. Because of the fine detail involved, coupled with a shortage of funding, it took two and a half years to complete this mural. The two original artists were eventually joined by Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy. The mural was unveiled December 29th, 1995.
To commemorate Steve Neary, long-time MHA and advocate for Bell Island, a monument with an attached mural was unveiled in his honour on June 21, 1997. Steve had died a year earlier at the age of 70. This monument was first located at the Memorial Community Recreation Field on the west side of the former East Track (also called Railroad Street), which was renamed Steve Neary Boulevard in 1996. It was relocated next to the Royal Canadian Legion in 1998. The mural is a portrait of Steve Neary overlooking a scene depicting the eastern portion of Bell Island as seen from the Tickle. This mural was painted by Littlejohn, Johnson, Whalen and Murphy.
Several of the earlier murals have deteriorated due to exposure to the environment and problems with the process and materials that were used to create them. Two of these, the “Miners’ Monument” and the “No. 6 Deck Head,” were repainted by their original artists in the comfort of the former Trades School. When repainting the “Miners’ Monument,” John Littlejohn took the opportunity to enhance the central panel by superimposing over the image of Scotia Pier portraits of 17 former DOSCO employees: Bill Ford, William A. Newman, James Kavanagh, Gregory L. Gorman, William R. Power, John Cummings, Peter J. Kent, Alex McDonald, Alphonsus P. Hawco Jr., Elijah B. Blackmore, James J. Butler, Hector Cobb, James P. Delahunty, Dick Parsley, Charles O’Brien Sr., Lewis Pynn, and Thomas O’Keefe. This new rendering was installed over the old one in the summer of 2004. The original “No. 6 Deck Head” mural was removed from the CLB Armoury sometime in 2002. The new version was installed on the west wall of what was the Fire Hall in the summer of 2005. (That building, now privately owned, is immediately west of the Boys' and Girls' Club on the corner of Compressor Hill and Quigley's Line.)
Sadly, the lead artist on the Murals Project, John Littlejohn, passed away on June 9, 2004 at the Kingston General Hospital Cancer Centre in Ontario. Following the completion of his masterpiece “On the Hub” mural, he and Rick Murphy had continued to work together, creating several aviation murals for the Town of Gander while training and supervising a group of young murals’ artists there. Their work then took them to Cambridge, Ontario, where they formed a company and worked on a number of murals, the most notable of which is probably the huge three-piece mural done for the Galt Arena Gardens. The large centerpiece mural, entitled “The Fans,” was composed in a similar fashion to the “On the Hub” mural. Prominent Cambridge sports figures posed for it, as did all the members of the Cambridge city council. Many of the faces in the crowd are former Bell Islanders. “The Fans” is flanked by portraits of hockey legend Gordie Howe and Detroit Red Wing Kirk Maltby. It was unveiled in 2002 with Gordie Howe in attendance. The work caught the attention of then Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, who invited the two artists to his office, where they presented him with a portrait of Gordie Howe. John, the son of a humble mining family, has left us with a fine legacy, both here in his home town and in his adopted Ontario home.
There were seven other artists on the project:
Rick Murphy was a 22-year old who had just graduated from art school in Ontario when he learned about the Murals Project. He was born in Cambridge where his father, a Bell Islander, had moved to find work after the mines closed. Murphy assisted Littlejohn with “The Miner” and also worked on the “Miners’ Monument,” “On the Hub” and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Bill Whalen grew up not far from No. 6 mine. He was a teenager when the mines closed and his father tore down their house and moved the family to Spaniards Bay. Bill had worked for many years as a musician with the Newfoundland Showband before starting work on the murals. He was the only artist with any experience painting murals, having painted several on the walls of his friends’ rec rooms as a hobby. Whalen supervised the younger artists during the summer of 1991. They painted small-scale scenes of Bell Island’s history to determine which ones would be enlarged as murals. He then took over the painting of the “No. 6 Deck Head” mural on the C.L.B. Armoury after Jeff Parsons had completed the preliminary work, finishing it in late fall 1991. He also worked on the “On the Hub” mural and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Jeff Parsons grew up in St. Philips where he had moved with his parents after the mines closed. He was an art student at Sheridan College in Ontario in 1991. He did the gridding and sketching of the “No. 6 Deck Head” mural and, at the end of the summer, returned to Ontario for his second year of studies.
Wayne Cole sketched the mural of “No. 3 Main Gate Area” on the former No. 3 Hoist House using photographs of the original mine site as his guide.
Gordon Johnson, for whom this project awakened an art interest that had lain dormant for 20 years, remembers playing in the area of No. 6 Mine, not far from where he grew up, and recalls being chased out of the mine a few times. He did the painting of “No. 3 Main Gate Area” when Wayne Cole had finished sketching it. It was unveiled on Christmas Eve 1991. Johnson also worked on the “Miners’ Monument,” the “On the Hub” mural and the “Steve Neary Memorial.”
Richard Hawco and Scott Tremblett were school friends on Bell Island who had painted and drawn since grade 9. Together they painted the mural of “Town Square” on the Orange Lodge. It was finished in February 1992.
These eight artists painted in all weather conditions, wearing gloves when it was freezing cold. Some mornings, the first thing they would have to do was thaw the paint. They were assisted by a support crew of four, headed by Colin Cobb along with Aiden Fleming, Walt Vokey, and Francis Kennedy.
The fifth mural, the “Miners’ Monument,” differed in several ways from the first four. First of all, this mural is in three parts. The large central painting is of the Scotia Pocket, where the ore was deposited while awaiting shipment from Scotia Pier to steel mills around the world. The smaller painting to the left of it is entitled “Taking Five Underground” and shows a driller resting on his drill as he contemplates the job at hand. The model was Ray Stone. The smaller painting on the right is entitled “The Second Wash.” It shows a miner at home washing his hands and face at an old-fashioned wash stand. The model was Don Decker. This mural was the first in which live models were used. It was also the first to be painted on a free-standing wall. The mural is associated with three separate plaques honouring Bell Island and its people. On a concrete platform in front of the paintings is the plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declaring the Wabana Iron Ore Mines a National Historic Site for being one of the world’s premier iron ore mines and for its important contribution to the Newfoundland economy prior to Confederation with Canada. On the wall to either side of the mural are two plaques. The one on the left was commissioned by the Department of Tourism of Newfoundland honouring the Bell Island Mines on the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada. On the wall to the right of the mural is a memorial to those who lost their lives in mining-related accidents at Bell Island between 1895 to 1966. Littlejohn, Johnson and Murphy painted this mural during the summer and fall of 1992. It was unveiled on New Year’s Eve of that year.
The sixth mural, entitled “On the Hub,” was a massive undertaking. It was the first mural to be painted on a privately-owned building, Martin Hurley’s warehouse on Theatre Avenue, the Green. The subject of the mural is a busy street scene, as Theatre Avenue looked in 1942 when it was still an important commercial district. This was the first mural to be populated by a large group of people, all live models. To prepare for this painting, the Murals Association advertised for people to model in 1940s-style clothing. On April 24th, 1993, a group of Bell Islanders and former Bell Islanders of all ages gathered on Theatre Avenue, where they spent several hours being photographed by Ron Bennett as they posed in period clothes that had been provided by Marie Sharpe, wardrobe mistress of the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre. Using these photographs and archival images of the street as his guide, Littlejohn then sketched out the mural and he and Gord Johnson proceeded with the painting. A shelter was constructed to protect the artists and the work-in-progress from the elements. Because of the fine detail involved, coupled with a shortage of funding, it took two and a half years to complete this mural. The two original artists were eventually joined by Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy. The mural was unveiled December 29th, 1995.
To commemorate Steve Neary, long-time MHA and advocate for Bell Island, a monument with an attached mural was unveiled in his honour on June 21, 1997. Steve had died a year earlier at the age of 70. This monument was first located at the Memorial Community Recreation Field on the west side of the former East Track (also called Railroad Street), which was renamed Steve Neary Boulevard in 1996. It was relocated next to the Royal Canadian Legion in 1998. The mural is a portrait of Steve Neary overlooking a scene depicting the eastern portion of Bell Island as seen from the Tickle. This mural was painted by Littlejohn, Johnson, Whalen and Murphy.
Several of the earlier murals have deteriorated due to exposure to the environment and problems with the process and materials that were used to create them. Two of these, the “Miners’ Monument” and the “No. 6 Deck Head,” were repainted by their original artists in the comfort of the former Trades School. When repainting the “Miners’ Monument,” John Littlejohn took the opportunity to enhance the central panel by superimposing over the image of Scotia Pier portraits of 17 former DOSCO employees: Bill Ford, William A. Newman, James Kavanagh, Gregory L. Gorman, William R. Power, John Cummings, Peter J. Kent, Alex McDonald, Alphonsus P. Hawco Jr., Elijah B. Blackmore, James J. Butler, Hector Cobb, James P. Delahunty, Dick Parsley, Charles O’Brien Sr., Lewis Pynn, and Thomas O’Keefe. This new rendering was installed over the old one in the summer of 2004. The original “No. 6 Deck Head” mural was removed from the CLB Armoury sometime in 2002. The new version was installed on the west wall of what was the Fire Hall in the summer of 2005. (That building, now privately owned, is immediately west of the Boys' and Girls' Club on the corner of Compressor Hill and Quigley's Line.)
Sadly, the lead artist on the Murals Project, John Littlejohn, passed away on June 9, 2004 at the Kingston General Hospital Cancer Centre in Ontario. Following the completion of his masterpiece “On the Hub” mural, he and Rick Murphy had continued to work together, creating several aviation murals for the Town of Gander while training and supervising a group of young murals’ artists there. Their work then took them to Cambridge, Ontario, where they formed a company and worked on a number of murals, the most notable of which is probably the huge three-piece mural done for the Galt Arena Gardens. The large centerpiece mural, entitled “The Fans,” was composed in a similar fashion to the “On the Hub” mural. Prominent Cambridge sports figures posed for it, as did all the members of the Cambridge city council. Many of the faces in the crowd are former Bell Islanders. “The Fans” is flanked by portraits of hockey legend Gordie Howe and Detroit Red Wing Kirk Maltby. It was unveiled in 2002 with Gordie Howe in attendance. The work caught the attention of then Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, who invited the two artists to his office, where they presented him with a portrait of Gordie Howe. John, the son of a humble mining family, has left us with a fine legacy, both here in his home town and in his adopted Ontario home.
Mural # 1: “The Miner”
Subject:
William Frederick (Billy) Parsons, a miner for 51 years, based on a photograph that appeared in the July 1954 issue of the Company magazine, Submarine Miner, taken by Phonse Hawco, who was the editor and photographer for the magazine. The world-famous portrait photographer, Yousuf Karsh, first visited Bell Island shortly after Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949 to help document that historic occasion. He returned in the summer of 1954, at which time he and William F. Parsons were photographed together. In the background of the mural is the plant of No. 3 Mine.
Location:
The east wall of the Wabana Complex (former Trades School / Community College)
Artists:
John Littlejohn and Rick Murphy
Size:
21' in diameter
Date:
Unveiled Nov. 9, 1991
Subject:
William Frederick (Billy) Parsons, a miner for 51 years, based on a photograph that appeared in the July 1954 issue of the Company magazine, Submarine Miner, taken by Phonse Hawco, who was the editor and photographer for the magazine. The world-famous portrait photographer, Yousuf Karsh, first visited Bell Island shortly after Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949 to help document that historic occasion. He returned in the summer of 1954, at which time he and William F. Parsons were photographed together. In the background of the mural is the plant of No. 3 Mine.
Location:
The east wall of the Wabana Complex (former Trades School / Community College)
Artists:
John Littlejohn and Rick Murphy
Size:
21' in diameter
Date:
Unveiled Nov. 9, 1991
Mural #2: “No. 6 Deck Head”
Subject:
No. 6 Deck Head
Location:
Originally painted on the C.L.B. Armoury south wall, its location when the first photo above was taken
Second version (second photo above) was installed on the west wall of the former Fire Hall, now a private business, on Quigley's Line (immediately west of the Boys' and Girls' Club)
Artists:
Original version: Bill Whalen and Jeff Parsons
Second version: Bill Whalen and John Littlejohn
Size:
40' wide x 15.5' high
Date:
Original version on the C.L.B. Armoury was finished late fall 1991
Second version was installed on the former Fire Hall in the summer of 2005
Subject:
No. 6 Deck Head
Location:
Originally painted on the C.L.B. Armoury south wall, its location when the first photo above was taken
Second version (second photo above) was installed on the west wall of the former Fire Hall, now a private business, on Quigley's Line (immediately west of the Boys' and Girls' Club)
Artists:
Original version: Bill Whalen and Jeff Parsons
Second version: Bill Whalen and John Littlejohn
Size:
40' wide x 15.5' high
Date:
Original version on the C.L.B. Armoury was finished late fall 1991
Second version was installed on the former Fire Hall in the summer of 2005
Mural # 3: “No. 3 Main Gate Area”
Subject:
The buildings that made up No. 3 Mine plant
Location:
The east wall of the No. 3 hoist house
Artists:
Gordon Johnson and Wayne Cole
Size:
Approx. 42’ wide x 13’ high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 24, 1991
Subject:
The buildings that made up No. 3 Mine plant
Location:
The east wall of the No. 3 hoist house
Artists:
Gordon Johnson and Wayne Cole
Size:
Approx. 42’ wide x 13’ high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 24, 1991
Mural #4: “Town Square”
Subject:
The lower end of Town Square from a picture taken in 1961. Front and centre in the mural is the 1927 Whippet driven by its owner Ned Kent. His passengers are his two daughters.
Location:
The Loyal Orange Lodge north wall
Artists:
Richard Hawco and Scott Tremblett
Size:
Approx. 28’ wide x 17’ high
Date:
Finished February 1992
Subject:
The lower end of Town Square from a picture taken in 1961. Front and centre in the mural is the 1927 Whippet driven by its owner Ned Kent. His passengers are his two daughters.
Location:
The Loyal Orange Lodge north wall
Artists:
Richard Hawco and Scott Tremblett
Size:
Approx. 28’ wide x 17’ high
Date:
Finished February 1992
Mural # 5: “Miners’ Monument”
Subject:
The large central panel is of the Scotia Pocket superimposed with portraits of 17 former DOSCO employees. The smaller mural to the left of it, entitled “Taking Five Underground,” shows a driller resting on his drill as he contemplates the job at hand. The smaller mural on the right, entitled “The Second Wash,” shows a miner at home washing the iron ore from his hands and face at an old-fashioned wash stand.
On a concrete platform in front of the paintings (obscured by park bench in this photo) is the plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declaring the Wabana Iron Ore Mines a National Historic Site. On the wall to either side of the mural are two plaques. The one on the left was commissioned by the Department of Tourism of Newfoundland honouring the Bell Island Mines on the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada. On the wall to the right of the mural is a memorial to those who lost their lives in mining-related accidents at Bell Island between 1895 to 1966.
Location:
The small park east of the Post Office
Artists:
John Littlejohn, Rick Murphy and Gord Johnson
Size:
30' wide x 10' high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 31, 1992
Subject:
The large central panel is of the Scotia Pocket superimposed with portraits of 17 former DOSCO employees. The smaller mural to the left of it, entitled “Taking Five Underground,” shows a driller resting on his drill as he contemplates the job at hand. The smaller mural on the right, entitled “The Second Wash,” shows a miner at home washing the iron ore from his hands and face at an old-fashioned wash stand.
On a concrete platform in front of the paintings (obscured by park bench in this photo) is the plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declaring the Wabana Iron Ore Mines a National Historic Site. On the wall to either side of the mural are two plaques. The one on the left was commissioned by the Department of Tourism of Newfoundland honouring the Bell Island Mines on the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada. On the wall to the right of the mural is a memorial to those who lost their lives in mining-related accidents at Bell Island between 1895 to 1966.
Location:
The small park east of the Post Office
Artists:
John Littlejohn, Rick Murphy and Gord Johnson
Size:
30' wide x 10' high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 31, 1992
Mural # 6: “On the Hub”
Subject:
Theatre Avenue on the Green in 1942 showing the Gaiety Theatre and St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church and surrounding shops and buildings. The mural is populated by more than 200 people in a busy Christmas scene.
Location:
The west wall of Martin Hurley’s warehouse on Theatre Avenue, the Green
Artists:
John Littlejohn and Gord Johnson, with Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy
Size:
50' wide x 8' high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 29, 1995
Subject:
Theatre Avenue on the Green in 1942 showing the Gaiety Theatre and St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church and surrounding shops and buildings. The mural is populated by more than 200 people in a busy Christmas scene.
Location:
The west wall of Martin Hurley’s warehouse on Theatre Avenue, the Green
Artists:
John Littlejohn and Gord Johnson, with Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy
Size:
50' wide x 8' high
Date:
Unveiled Dec. 29, 1995
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This monument to Steve Neary was first located at the Memorial Community Recreation Field on the west side of the former East Track (also called Railroad Street), which was renamed Steve Neary Boulevard in his honour after he died in 1996. Due to vandalism in that remote area, it was relocated next to the Royal Canadian Legion in 1998. |
Mural # 7: “Steve Neary Memorial Monument”
Subject:
Portrait of Steve Neary with the eastern portion of Bell Island as seen from the Tickle
Location:
The parking lot of the Royal Canadian Legion
Artists:
John Littlejohn, Gord Johnson, Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy
Size:
7' in diameter
Date:
Unveiled June 21, 1997
Subject:
Portrait of Steve Neary with the eastern portion of Bell Island as seen from the Tickle
Location:
The parking lot of the Royal Canadian Legion
Artists:
John Littlejohn, Gord Johnson, Bill Whalen and Rick Murphy
Size:
7' in diameter
Date:
Unveiled June 21, 1997