My daughter, along with four members of her running group, just recently returned from a trip to New York. They proudly displayed their provincial flag at "Come From Away," and were recipients of thanks and hugs from many of the patrons attending the performance. On reflection of the events which unfolded on that Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I wondered why we retain such vivid memories that provide such a long-lasting sense of exactly where we were, and what we were doing at that time. It's called flashbulb memories; we recall the experience of learning about the event, not the factual details of the event itself. My daughter and son-in-law had just purchased an older type house in Torbay and we were there working on some wall paneling and floor tile. Early on that fateful day my brother-in-law arrived bearing the earth-shattering news, whereupon we checked the television for confirmation and more details surrounding the Twin Towers attack. Early next morning we received a call made from one of the shelters in Gambo, someone was seeking permission to go to our home to get our coffee percolator; they were catering to a number of stranded passengers. We arrived in Gambo on Thursday, September 13, at five p.m. and went directly to one of the 10 shelters in town. I photocopied some traditional Newfoundland songs and, around 7:30, four of us led the singing of them. I imagine at the other shelters there was also some kind of entertainment. Some made it to the Trailway Pub, where two of the passengers performed; some compared them to the Everly Brothers. We were late getting in on the action, as many of the passengers had already been taken into homes. We spoke to one guy getting his cot ready on the floor and asked if he would like a more comfortable bed and a shower and he accompanied us. We discovered that he was with the PDVSA, the state oil company of Venezuela, returning from an oil Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, and was now living in Houston, Texas. When he informed us that his travelling companion from the oil conference (who resided in Venezuela) was in another shelter, we decided to go and get him. Initially, he was not convinced it was the right move, but after some reassurance from his Houston friend, he joined us. Both were good conversationalists, not accustomed to our changing seasons, they were interested in the amount of work and chores involved in preparation for winter. Just after breakfast on Saturday, September 15, we had a call to have all passengers back to their shelter as their bus could be leaving to join their flight at Gander. Dora, being an RN, was asked to go to another shelter to check out passengers who may have been in need of medical care before boarding their flight. The people at our shelter all gathered out in the church joining hands in a circle in a very poignant ceremony. We said our goodbyes and they boarded the bus for Gander around 1:45 p.m. A passenger, on arriving at another shelter, was curious in determining what was happening, went outside and spotted a satellite dish on a house just across the road. He approached the couple sitting on the patio (my father-in-law and his spouse) and asked if he could check out the television news. He spent the next five days tuned in to CNN. He said he was a biblical archaeologist destined for Colorado Springs, Colorado. On checking his biography, I found that he is a former police investigator and SWAT team member, is a biblical investigator, international explorer and author of nine books. He has participated in over 50 expeditions around the world searching for lost locations described in the Bible. Among other things, he has sent his host and hostess a copy of one of his books. Other passengers were taken on ATVs, in boat, and to cabins on Gambo Pond. Still others were taken to larger stores in Gander where, ostensibly, Walmart quickly sold out certain items. Many made life-long friends, and have since visited them in various USA locations, England, and Germany. The "Come From Away" story is about more than politicians and headliners. In smaller communities surrounding Gander, without large emergency resources at their disposal, local residents opened their homes, hearts and kitchens and volunteered their time to make the crowds of anxious "plane people" feel welcome and comfortable. In 2001 the population of Gambo was approximately 2100, and we had about 1100 passengers here. Crowds of people could be seen strolling along Smallwood Boulevard in the September sunshine. One of the passengers who stayed at a shelter here said in an interview, "They had people working in the kitchen 24 hours a day and it turned out to be for five days. We were 187 passengers and they fed us three meals a day. They celebrated us like we were five-star guests. They were so full of love." For once, our isolation was an advantage, placing us in a more favourable position. When the lights of the world seemed extinguished, we provided a beacon of light and a ray of hope as members of one big family simply carrying on a tradition of caring and sharing. Above photo: Cots, U.C. Hall By Charles Beckett Gambo, NL   Submitted By: NULL