Mary Marks of Bolton, Ont., laments the disappearance of lighthouses in her native
Newfoundland after a recent visit to the province. Here’s her letter to the monthly
Downhomer Magazine, published in St. John’s, Nfld.: “I am aware of the ongoing Canadian debate regarding the future of lightkeepers on
our east and west coasts, a subject well-documented elsewhere, but why demolish a
structure that more than any other symbolizes the maritime culture of Newfoundland...? I believe quite strongly that these maritime architectural symbols are, in some ways,
what Newfoundland is all about. They are our link to the ocean, the fishermen, the ships
that pass by in the night, our heritage...I returned to Ontario with an empty feeling in
my stomach... My greatest fear is that this will be another one of those affairs where we will look back
and say, “Where have all the lighthouses gone? How could we have let this happen? If
only someone had spoken up!””
