Rockaway 11 – 9/11 Memorial Sculpture – Gander, Newfoundland, Canada

The Gander, Newfoundland, Canadian sculpture wouldn’t have been
possible if it weren’t for Charles (Chuck) and Brenda Matchim from the
town of Happy Adventure, Newfoundland. I met them at a tradeshow in
January of 2020. It didn’t take me long and I started talking about
having one of the Project 911up sculptures in Canada. I told them I only
wanted to consider the town of Gander because it is where 38 planes
coming across the Atlantic had to be grounded because air travel had
halted for safety reasons on September 11, 2001. The small town of
Gander took care of housing and feeding over 7,000 people from those
planes for 5 days while everyone waited for the air space to open back
up. There has been a play written about that time and it is called Come
From Away. This play has gone all around the world to tell the story of
the heroic and selfless acts of the townspeople in Gander and some of
the other communities all over the Island of Newfoundland, Canada.

Chuck and Brenda have had me stay at their Inn in the town of Happy
Adventure for the past couple years. The Happy Adventure Inn, right on
the water, is the loveliest place to lay your head down at night, eat at
their gourmet restaurant and take in the sights. Their daughter Shar-lett
and son-in-law James run the Inn as the most accommodating couple
there ever was. I cannot think of a better place for anyone to go and
enjoy the folks who have this 9/11 Memorial permanently on
Newfoundland soil. Here is a link to their establishment.
https://www.facebook.com/happyadventureinn/ and in print:

https://roadtripper.ca/happy-adventure-is-a-family-affair-in-central-
newfoundland/

ROCKAWAY 11 gets its name from Newfoundland being nicknamed ‘The
Rock’ and from the play called ‘Come From Away,’ which is heartfelt and
funny both, telling the story of all the love and care the local people gave
to the weary and worried passengers on all those 38 planes that landed
there on 9/11/2001 for several days.