Having wolfed down the better part of his prize from the Gander River, Uncle Gnarley was ready for an evening stroll to aid digestion and to inspect all the little changes, in the neighbourhood, that were apparent to someone with his keen eye.
He loved improvements that showed pride of place. There was much to see as we strolled down the old Newfoundland Railway bed, whose current purpose, as a T’Railway, seemed more suited to the charm of the Waterford Valley than any of the dreams of Sir William Whiteway, Newfoundland’s longest serving Prime Minister, before Confederation and the railway’s chief promoter.
“A Policy of Progress”, voiced Gnarley, in a tone that sounded almost derisive. “That was a key Whiteway slogan and a trans-island railway was the centrepiece of his policy. It had worked for many countries, including Canada. But unlike central and western Canada, Newfoundland’s pattern of settlement was established around hundreds of coves and bays, built around an inshore cod fishery.
