The Our Town - Clarenville Blog by Paul Tilley

  Bare Mountain is one of the prominent features of the Clarenville's skyline. It towers some 156 meters above Clarenville’s harbour .  You can reach the peak of Bare Mountain relatively easily along the Bare Mountain hiking trail that can be accessed at numerous points in the town.  At the top, you can overlook most of the town, Random Island and Smith Sound as it leads into Trinity Bay.   Beyond Clarenville residents, people are familiar with Bare Mountain because of the prominence of the large star that sits at its top.   Each Christmas season the star is lit - making it visible from the Highway many kilometers beyond Clarenville's boundaries.   The Bare Mountain Star was a 1967 Centennial project of the Town of Clarenville. The original Centennial Star was designed, welded, wired and assembled by students and faculty in drafting, carpentry, electrical, welding and pipefitting programs at Clarenville campus.  They even helped the Town erect the structure.

(I always find Barbara Dean Simmons Editorials in the   Packet though provoking. In this week's Packet see argues that governments should get on-the-ball with new technology (See: To 2013...and Beyond)  .  I want to take that a step further in relation to Clarenville)    Happy New Year everyone! When I arrived here in Clarenville twenty one years ago, the first person that I met at the College, where I work, was then Principal Steve Quinton.  Steve began to tell me about how he and a group of progressive individuals had lobbied to make Clarenville a hub in the technological revolution.  Shortly after that our campus was hooked to a brand new fibre optic network that connected Clarenville to the world at then’ blazing’ speeds  – through that innovation and initiative we (the Campus and the Town) gained a reputation for practical application of technology. Today we take it all pretty much for granted – we all connect to the internet and use it without a thought.   Techn

Over 60 students and staff at Clarenville campus attended the Day of Remembrance event Thursday, December 6, marks the 23rd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre in which Marc Lepine walked through l’Ecole Poyltechnique in Montreal , separated the men from the women, and then proceeded to shoot and kill 14 women while making anti-woman statements.  A new generation of students now attend postsecondary schools like Clarenville Campus all over the world.  These commerations ensure we will never forget this tragic event and others like it - many of which happen closer to home..

Last week I received a very interesting email from Leo Bonnell.  Leo is a strong voice for older people in Clarenville and a great advocate for making our community and other communities more age friendly.  He sent me a copy the April edition of the International Federation of Ageing newsletter.  Why?  Both Clarenville and Clarenville Campus were profiled in it...see for yourself in this excerpt - Great job Leo at raising the Town's and our campus' profile!   April 2012   IFA taking part in the WHO Global Twitter Chat on Healthy Ageing - 2 April 2012   On Monday 2 nd  of April, the IFA participated in a Global Twitter Chat organized by the World Health Organization (WHO).  It aimed at bringing together various organizations and individuals worldwide to discuss and share views on "Healthy Ageing".  In celebration of the World Health Day, the IFA was proud to be part of this global discussion and raise important issues co

The annual Lion's Santa Claus Parade is a tradition in Clarenville.  Through the dedicated efforts of many volunteers in the Lions Club and participating organizations the parade creates a new set of memories each year.   I've included this year's parade and some notable parades from years past below as well.   Be sure to LIKE us online at www.facebook.com/ourtownclarenville The 2011 Edition The 2010 Edition The 2009 Edition The 2002 Edition The 2001 Edition