Lectures & Gatherings

Greetings to all our Wessex Society members. We are pleased that we can look forward to another season of interesting speakers and presentations in 2023-2024. As you know, our lectures are held on the second Wednesday of each month beginning in October and continuing to April of next year. Our first lecture will be held on Wednesday, October 11, at 7:30 pm.

Since the onset of Covid 19, our lectures have been offered virtually. This has indeed been successful and we have had the opportunity of adding new members who join us from many parts of the province and also from several other provinces, and beyond. Although we are exploring the possibility of a return to in-person lectures, we will continue to offer the lectures by Zoom for at least the beginning of the coming season. So please mark your calendars for the second Wednesday of each month and make plans to join us. Details of our first lecture follow below:


A schedule of lectures for 2023-2024 follows:

11 October 2023 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Jim Wellman, Author and former Radio Broadcaster
Topic: “The Newfoundland and Labrador Fishery: The Good, the Not-so-Good, and the Bad”
Abstract: For hundreds of years coastal Newfoundland and Labrador has existed on the fishing industry. From the days of wind powered boats to now, the industry has been constantly evolving yet, stayed dependent on very few fish species. Only one species dominated. Cod was king. But that all changed in 1992 when the largest single cod stock in the world collapsed. Everything changed and fishing people and entire communities were forced to change with it. Jim Wellman has had a close-up view of the fishing industry for most of his life. He is the son of a schooner captain who fished off Labrador. Later, in his broadcast career, he hosted the Fisheries Broadcast on CBC Radio for 15 years. In 1997 he became a writer and editor for a new fisheries magazine called “The Navigator”. Jim will talk about some of what he learned through first-hand encounters with those directly involved in the business that built much of our province.
Download a recording of this lecture.

08 November 2023 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Ted Rowe, Real Estate Broker/Author
Topic: “What’s Happening in Heart’s Content”
Abstract: Heart’s Content is known internationally as the landing place of the historic trans-Atlantic telegraph cable of 1866 and home to North America’s pioneer cable station. The community is now entering a new phase in its history with the station’s designation by Canada for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the station in Valentia, Ireland. This talk outlines the background of the community and the station, efforts to conserve and promote its heritage, and the prospects for its future as a World Heritage Site.
Download a recording of this lecture.

13 December 2023 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Derrick Moore, Retired Educator/School Principal
Topic: “A Salvation Army Christmas”
Abstract: This presentation will focus on the place of The Salvation Army Band at Christmastime. It will touch on the wider societal acceptance of the Band and the Bell-Ringers in the entertainment industry, the origins of the Christmas Kettle (now bubble) in the United States and Canada. Attention will be paid to the Newfoundland context. The presentation will be ‘wrapped’ in Christmas carols played by a Brass Ensemble comprised of current and former Salvation Army band members.
Download a recording of this lecture.

10 January 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Robert Crocker, Retired Professor of Education at Memorial University
Topic: “All or Nothing: How the Churches Lost their Schools”
Abstract: Dr. Robert Crocker, former Dean of Education and now Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University, will speak about his forthcoming book with the working title All or Nothing: How the Newfoundland Churches Lost their Schools. In his book he develops the theme that the loss of denominational schools was almost entirely a consequence of the uncompromising position on denominational rights taken by two of the religious denominations. It also argues that government’s preoccupation with governance reform distracted from its own goal of improving the performance of the provincial school system.
Download a recording of this lecture.

14 February 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Marie-Beth Wright
Topic: “Teaching Out of Bounds”
Abstract: Because of the Wessex Society's ties to the West Country of England, along with meeting on Valentine's Day, Marie-Beth will touch on Newfoundland's Commission years and highlight the 'romance' factor for these young teachers, as they accepted employment beyond the familiar and known! Marriages often followed job offers and adopted communities. Teaching Out of Bounds profiles young inexperienced teachers who taught in multi-graded classrooms or sole charge schools in small, isolated communities throughout Newfoundland, especially from 1940-1969, with very limited resources or support. It intends to preserve a vital segment of our province's educational base prior to Confederation, from its educational links to British education and subsequent development after union with Canada. There are vital life themes expressed by these educators and although training, infrastructure and equipment were sparse, these novice teachers established a heart-to-heart connection in the communities they served. This led parents and students to trust their efforts, Trust was the precursor to much success.
Download a recording of this lecture.

13 March 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Maxime Geoffroy, Research Scientist, Marine Institute
Topic: “Arctic Fish, Fisheries and their Ecosystem”
Abstract: The Arctic is warming up four times faster than the rest of our planet, resulting in a drastic reduction in sea ice cover and an increase in water temperatures. These changes strongly modify the habitat of the fish thriving under the extreme conditions of the Arctic and allow boreal species from the Labrador Sea and North Atlantic to migrate further North, potentially opening new fishing grounds. This presentation will provide an overview of the fish inhabiting some of our coldest waters and will discuss current and future changes in fish ecosystems of the Arctic and Labrador Sea.
How to Attend: Click here.
Audience members can begin connecting online at 7:00 pm

10 April 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speakers: Robyn S. Lacy and Ian Petty, Archeologists/Historians
Topic: “Black Cat Cemetery Preservation Project”
Abstract: TBA
How to Attend: Click here.
Audience members can begin connecting online at 7:00 pm


Archived recordings of previous lectures can be found here.