Postcard | The time Gander’s population doubled

(Gander, Newfoundland) Hard to believe, as the plane approaches the ground, that 7,000 tourists could land here in a few hours on a certain Tuesday in September, 21 years ago.

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

It’s not a matter of space, notice. Because in this corner of Newfoundland, there is space. Turn your head and what will you see? More space.

Not for nothing that in 1936, Gander was chosen to build an airport that would essentially serve as a refueling point for transatlantic flights.

“The airstrip is two miles long. Any aircraft can be accommodated here. We’ve had Airbus 380s before, even the big Antonov,” proudly says Dean, a security guard seen in the terminal.

This airstrip found its usefulness on September 11, since it was here that 38 planes were diverted which had no place to go after the closure of the airspace of the United States. Thirty-eight jumbo jets, in a village with more or less 10,000 inhabitants.

That week was their ice storm, on steroids. You know that moment when everyone pulls together? That moment we remember all our lives?

We guess that there is a plaque commemorating this day somewhere in the airport. “If you go to the mezzanine, there’s a piece of beam from the World Trade Center,” answers the good Dean.

In this village where everything revolves around aviation, a mini-museum has been set up on the said mezzanine, with the beam as the highlight.

The detour is definitely worth it. Visitors will be particularly happy to learn that he is following in the footsteps of Fidel Castro, who passed through here in 1976 when his plane to Montreal was diverted due to a storm.

This postcard would be incomplete without speaking to a witness who experienced the events of September 11 up close here. We inquire at the airport bar, the waitress comes back two minutes later with Natasha, the communications manager.

“Hello, I’m a journalist, I would like to talk to people who were here in 2001.”

Natasha immediately pulls out her phone. “Try Brian Mosher, he was the reporter covering the events here. »

We run. “Sure, would you like to meet?” Are you at the airport? I’m coming in five minutes. »

Ten minutes later, here is Brian in the terminal. When Natasha said he was THE journalist, she wasn’t lying. “We were two journalists here. Janice was in writing, and I was on television, for the local station. As the airport was full, no other journalist could disembark! »

Brian has storytelling skills. “The Beatles’ first steps in North America were here,” he says, pointing to a front door. Not at Ed Sullivan Show ! The planes stopped here to refuel. We are the biggest service station in the world! »

And then, September 11?

“I haven’t slept for five days. From the 12th to the 16th, I had three one-hour shows to produce per day, with information that was constantly changing. We also had to run people’s announcements between shows. Normally, it was simply a board announcing bingo night or a hockey game. There, it was announcements to say that such and such a product was missing in such a place.

“My favorite story is about toilet paper. Ozzie the cop—because there are two city cops here—went around picking up requests, and brought them to me to play on the station. The note on top was that Gander Academy needed toilet paper. In a few hours, we filled a classroom with toilet paper! Whatever you asked for, people would bring two or three copies! »

The arena where the game between the Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators will take place this Thursday has also been put to use. “I did one of my interventions leaning on a box of yogurt,” he says.

Either way, the generosity of people here has not gone unnoticed. A study fund has been created by passengers who have been accommodated here, to help families in the region. A musical, Come From Away, has been written. Brian and his writing colleague, Janice, were the inspiration for the character of Janice Mosher, a journalist who covers the events. Brian was therefore invited to various premieres of the show, including the one in Los Angeles. As proof, he shows us on his phone a photo of him with George Takei. “I insisted on calling her Sulu!” “, he jokes.

Even Oprah Winfrey took an interest in the events. He plays a video recording of his voicemail, where an Oprah researcher leaves him a message asking if he could provide excerpts from his on-air reports of the time. You can feel him moved as the recording rolls.

We will end up spending a good hour listening to Brian Mosher’s stories about the generosity and ingenuity of the people here, who saw their village turn into a dormitory overnight. We would have gladly stayed an hour longer. Or two.

“I take it you’re going somewhere in town?”

– Yes, yes, but I’ll take a taxi, that’s okay.

– No, stop it, you’re in Newfoundland. I’ll drive you back. »