Historic fishing stage destroyed by fire lives on through stained glass, helping to restore it

Efforts to restore an iconic fish stage destroyed by fire over the summer is being supported by a piece of art in its likeness.

Two historic fishing stages burned in the Quidi Vidi gut on July 30. A stained glass panel of one of the stages created by SGO Designer Glass was put up for auction, raising $1,250 and going to support fundraising efforts to rebuild one of the stages.

“It sure would be nice to see them rebuilt again, so I just thought that I would do something — albeit small,” said David Pye, SGO Designer Glass owner and operator.

“It's such a beautiful area and you can't help but gaze at the cliffside and see all the pretty stages along the way. So when I heard that they had burned, I did feel a real sense of loss."

He said the fishing stages are a popular place for people from this province as well as visitors.

“I can't imagine how many pictures and photographs have been snapped at that area,” Pye said.

“When you lose something like that, it does mean something to you. And I certainly would love to see them rebuilt again.”

Pye’s creation caught the attention of Nicole Parker, who put in the winning bid in order to gift it to her father.

Originally from Nova Scotia, and now living in Alberta, she said the fishing stages bring back fond childhood memories. 

“We used to take some family trips to Newfoundland. The last one we took was in 1998 when I was a teenager. And so it was my brother and myself and my parents. And I remember going to Quidi Vidi at the time then,” Parker said. 

She’d been admiring Pye’s work for some time, and had been hunting for a gift for her father, so this particular piece ticked a lot of boxes for Parker. 

“When I saw this auction piece come up, I thought, ‘Wow, this is really baking many cakes with one pan,’ so to speak, in terms of kind of supporting a really great cause and it being a beautiful piece, and speaking to some other issues that I thought were really important,” Parker said. 

With a family history in the fire service, the piece has an added layer of significance for Parker and her father. She said it's also important to see the stage rebuild and she's happy to contribute.

“I'm very proud to be a very tiny little piece of that," Parker said.