My pal Jimmie Bise from The Sundries Shack reminded me the other night that some of the heroes of September 11th were the 10,000 inhabitants of Gander, Newfoundland, who opened their homes to strangers when American air traffic was diverted.
Gander has a tribute page on its site that talks about the day the planes came in.
As the hours went by, food became scarce, toilets overflowed and nerves were frayed. Like many of the other passengers, Muro did not even know where Gander was. “I’m embarrassed to say I never heard of it before,” he said.
Some of the passengers remained on the airplanes for as long as 30 hours. But when they finally disembarked, they got a warm welcome. It turned out that the people of Gander had come together like never before to make sure every single person would be taken care of.
Although Newfoundland is the poorest province in Canada, everyone helped out. When calls went out for food and bedding, Ganderites emptied their cupboards and closets and went to the airport.
“They had been there all night long bringing food and standing at the tables, passing it out,” said Bass.
Asked who was manning the tables, Ricardelli said: “They were the grocer, they were the postman, the pastors. They were your everyday citizens of Gander who just came out.”
Gander has a population of just 10,000, and only a few hotels, with a total of 550 rooms. So the locals opened their schools, churches and homes to the visitors they called “the plane people.” The town’s school bus drivers, who had been on strike for weeks, came off the picket lines to shuttle passengers to their new quarters.
The local telephone company set up long-distance phone banks so that passengers could call home. Wires and cables were strung so that television and Internet connections were available.
Local Liz Gilbert invited the Muros to her log cabin on the banks of the Gander river. She housed and fed them for four days, but doesn’t think she did anything out of the ordinary. “This is all I know of Newfoundland. This is the way everybody is,” she said. “Thousands and thousands of people volunteered and everyone did the same thing as I did and more.”
Finally, after four days, the airport and the skies reopened and the “plane people” headed home – after tearful, heartfelt goodbyes.
Soon after, the town began receiving cards, gifts and thank-you notes in the form of donations. Even though the citizens of Gander neither asked for nor expected anything in return, their grateful guests have raised more than $60,000 for the town. Many of the town’s new friends even promised to come back for vacation, under better circumstances.
Here in Canada, Newfoundland is the butt of many jokes. But not that day. That day, they were heroes. Thanks for reminding me of the little bit my country could do, Jimmie. And check out Jimmie’s 9/11 post: The New Tet.
