Notes from the Rotary Meeting 12.30pm Thursday, February 27, 2025
President Jackie chaired the meeting. Prospective Rotarian Linda Carroll was welcomed.
Toonie Quest West Weekly Draw
This week there was no winner this week from the Toonie Quest week draw. Remember if you have a number, play your number each week by paying a Toonie as your number is entered in the draw even if you haven’t played.
Guest Speaker
Rotarian Elaine introduced the guest speaker Ian Stone. Ian with his wife are the innkeepers of the Gros Morne Inn, Woody Point. Ian was born and raised in St. John’s, and now is the unofficial ambassador for Bonne Bay in hospitality and tourism, He represents the region on local and provincial tourism boards. He’s an avid volunteer with the Bonne Bay Search and Rescue Team as well as the Trails Tales Tunes Festival and is a supporter of tourism development and marketing projects throughout the region.
He began his presentation by talking about how Sustainability is extremely important to him. He began in 2015 Tour Gros Morne with customized tours of the Bonne Bay area. He wanted to fill a niche that was lacking for people who wanted specialized tours that provided a sustainable tourism experience combining award winning hiking, culture and culinary experiences.
Ian wants the money earned in the area through tourism to stay in the area which he believes can happen if people work together. Tour Gros Morne aims to give tourists as local a sustainable experience as possible and this includes food eaten.
During covid, Ian and his wife bought the Gros Morne Inn and had to totally renovate it. Again Sustainability came into the renovation and so there was no
wastage everything was repurposed or reused. This attitude even changed the minds of contractors working on the renovation. Hot tubs and saunas were built with everything purchased in Canada. Everything was built with sustainability in mind. Both the tour company and the Inn are certified for Sustainable Tourism which means they are audited three times a year and monitored. In 2022 the Inn was included in the list of Top New Hotels in the world.
Ian spoke about the amazing chefs from Ukraine at the inn and the dishes they prepare. He mentioned that the middle eastern dish Shakshuka can be served at breakfast.
Ian is also teaching local people about sustainability for the whole area. He feels by working together the health of coastal communities will be protected and Gros Morne will become a leader in Sustainability.
Ian answered several questions before being thanked by Verbon on behalf of the club. The meeting then adjourned.
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