Here we are in gander, newfoundland and labrador!
[cheering & applauding]
On the central part of the island,
This newfoundland town's history has
Little to do with fish, but was more built with
A bird's eye view to transatlantic flight.
It was considered the perfect destination to fuel up
Before the long and perilous flight
Across the pond to europe.
The big hop.
Gander soon became known as the
'crossroads of the world',
With celebrities and heads of state
Coming through on the regular.
It's a story that dips and dives with defections
Throughout the cold war,
And makes a miraculous landing on broadway.
It's a wild ride with lots to cover, so make sure
Your seats and tray tables are upright in the
Locked position, and maybe even get your barf bags out
Because from grounded planes to broadway plays,
You might experience some emotion sickness.
[laughing]
T minus two to take off! Gander, here we go!
[cheering & applauding]
When you grow up in a small town in newfoundland,
You see that people have a sense of humour
About hard times.
Check, check.
I turned that into a career and hit the road.
[mc] mr. Jonny harris!
Now I'm on a mission to find the funny in the places
You'd least expect it,
Canada's struggling small towns,
Towns that are against the ropes, but hanging in there,
Still laughing in the face of adversity.
This is gander, newfoundland and labrador.
♪
[laughing]
♪
[cheering & applauding]
The airport in gander was built in 1938,
A few years before the town of gander.
Building the world's largest airport in
The middle of nowhere became known as
The greatest gamble in aviation history.
Now, you might be thinking, at the time,
Aviation history's only like 12 years old,
But still, early aviation was all a gamble.
It was all risky business back then.
Things have changed a lot.
Now, the biggest risk in aviation is probably vaping
In the bathroom and blowing it down your shirt.
[laughing]
Gander's reign as the 'crossroads of the world'
Lasted for decades.
[car honking]
To find out why, I got a first class seat
Next to a second generation
Gander airport employee, now the vice president
Of allied aviation, dion faulkner.
[cheering & applauding]
Most newfoundlanders are tied to the water,
To the ocean, boats and fishing.
For me, it's aircraft and the smell of jet fuel.
Yeah?
Gander airport was a window to the world.
You know, at one point, every plane that crossed the
Atlantic had to land in gander to get fuel.
So, you had movie stars.
You had frank sinatra, marilyn monroe,
You had the beatles.
This airport has hosted marilyn monroe,
Frank sinatra, all the sexiest-
Gorbachev, mikhail gorbachev.
[laughing]
The queen, I could go on and on.
But maybe the beatles is the coolest one.
I saw the pope one time.
I saw pope john paul ii in flat rock.
But seeing john and paul in gander...
[laughing]
So, what happened?
Well, dion explained to me, basically,
It was the jet engine.
The airplanes became lighter, the engines
Became stronger and bigger,
And then they used less fuel and,
We quickly seen a decline in aircraft that
Were using gander.
He said things did pick up for gander in the 1980s
When the u.S. Closed their airspace to
Airlines from the soviet bloc.
In the late 70s, early 80s, we had all the
Communist traffic using gander.
We had aeroflot, cubana, interflug.
They couldn't go into the u.S.
So, gander was a very ideal location for them to fuel.
They were servicing something like 100 flights a week.
This was a huge economic boom.
The fuel stop here also made gander
The ideal opportunity
For people from communist countries to defect.
When the plane landed, and the passengers
Had an opportunity to disembark,
They would come to an rcmp officer or someone that
Worked at the cafeteria or snack bar,
The duty free, and they would say, "I want to defect."
All you had to do, legally, to be given a hearing was
Communicate your intent to defect to somebody,
Anybody, at gander airport.
You could run up to the snack bar.
You could say, "I want to start a new life."
And she'd say, "yes, all right, my lover.
Do you want gravy on that?"
[laughing]
Word of mouth spread across the soviet union
That gander was...
A hole in the wall, a hole in the iron curtain.
We had situations where...
The captain or first officer defected.
No!
He said one time there was a russian plane where
The captain and first officer defected,
Left a plane load of russians on the runway.
[laughing]
"boys, why's that russian plane still there?"
"oh, didn't you hear? The pilot took off."
[laughing]
It was too much.
After 2,000 defectors came through in 1990 alone,
The canadian government implemented new
Visa regulations, making it much
Harder for communist bloc airlines to refuel here.
It virtually eliminated all that business overnight.
And you can imagine what impact that would have
On the economy of gander.
If there was a hole in the wall,
Ottawa plugged it with red tape.
[laughing]
And now today, two or three airplanes,
It's considered a good day, and that's sporadic.
But dion says the airport in gander
Will always remain here.
With big runways and capable staff, and lots of space,
Gander is perfect for dealing with aviation emergencies.
We'll always have a beacon for aircraft
That need our services,
And we'll keep that light shining.
He said this airport is the lifeboat
Of the north atlantic.
And in 2001, the lifeboat became legendary.
[applauding]
On September 11th, 2001,
There were almost 7,000 'come from away's'
Stranded in gander when the u.S.
Closed their airspace.
What happened here is a story told around the world,
Helped largely by a musical...
That has taken the world by storm.
And a few characters in that musical were
Inspired by real life locals-
Oz fudge, beulah cooper, and brian mosher.
[cheering & applauding]
I met up with these three over at the legion,
Which sheltered and fed some of the 'come from away's'
Stranded in gander at the time.
On September 11th, beulah got a call
From her daughter-in-law. She said, "turn on the tv."
She said, "turn it on." I said, "what station?"
"doesn't matter." I thought it was a movie.
She said, "no, that's the real thing."
Next thing you know, she gets a call
Saying that they want her to bring a
Tray of sandwiches down to the legion.
I never questioned it.
They wanted a tray of sandwiches, beulah made 'em.
And when I got down, I asked what was going on.
They said there was a plane load of people coming in,
And they're staying the night.
Now beulah, at this point, has no idea that
You're going to end up with 38 planes,
Nose to tail, on your runway.
And then the plane people started coming in.
And the legion filled up.
We had 64 people that slept here.
It was wee hours in the morning.
-Yeah? -And...
-[laughing] -what?
I took some men over to the hotel.
She was asked to take a carload of fellows
Over to the hotel...
Which she was happy to do.
[laughing]
And at this point of the story,
This is when oz and brian start giving her a hard time.
How many fellas did you bring over the hotel?
-Four. -[laughing]
Unload your mind, beulah.
I took them over to make phone calls.
And then he says, "beulah went took the men
Over to the hotel."
Poor beulah's- this act of kindness,
They're trying to make it sound like she's giving out
More than sandwiches.
[laughing]
Brian was the host of the local tv station and,
His role was to keep people informed
On what was going on.
All air traffic was suspended in north america,
And this brought a massive influx of world class
Airliners to the gander airport.
I went up to do one show at rogers community channel
Here in gander.
One show ended up being 11.
And one hour ended up being 4 days.
And not just what's going on in new york,
But more so locally, what was needed and
Where it was needed.
And at one point, a local police officer, oz,
Gives him a handwritten note.
He comes in and, on the top of his pile,
With this grin on his face,
He's got this piece of paper typewritten
From gander academy, just up fraser road
That says they're running low on toilet paper.
Gander academy, which was housing
I think almost 1000 of the plane people,
Gander academy is running out of toilet paper.
And this gives you an idea of how eager
Ganderites were to help out.
In his next broadcast- only 90 minutes later....
In he comes, and he's got another grin on his face-
And he's got the typewritten note,
But he's got, "for the love of god,"
Written on the top of it.
The note that oz gave him said,
"for the love of god, stop bringing
Toilet paper to gander academy."
[laughing]
Wall to wall, floor to ceiling.
More toilet paper than you'd ever need,
Especially after you give people a feed of
Salt beef and toutons.
[laughing]
People bonded, people binded.
[laughing]
It was more backed up than planes on the runway.
[laughing]
It's a response that you can't even dream of...
You know, to see that level of response that quick.
No sooner would they put a bulletin out
In the community station,
There'd be a pickup truck in front of every other house.
People just bringing everything that was asked for.
Coolers, sleeves of water,
Boxes of granola bars.
People were bringing everything from
Stuff out of their campers,
To beds out of their houses, in the back of pickup trucks.
But the effort that people made here for the
'come from away's', beulah said...
They came as strangers.
In the middle of the week, they were friends.
And by the time they left, they were family.
And years later, "come from away",
Which would take the world by storm,
Premiered right here in gander, newfoundland.
Beulah said because of this show,
She's traveled around the world to various premieres.
I've been in london, England.
I've been to dublin, australia.
All over the world.
She's been to london, dublin,
Australia, new york.
That's a lot of hotels.
[laughing & applauding]
♪
So, how did gander get so good at welcoming people
And getting them to feel at home?
Well, experience.
I met with a woman who came here
When her family escaped communism.
Mimie carroll.
[cheering & applauding]
Mimie has a wild story, incredible story.
Her parents are escaping communism in laos.
When the communist government took over,
My parents wanted my brother and I to have a future.
So, they planned an escape.
They sold everything to hire a guide to lead them
Through the jungle to safety.
She told me about this harrowing journey
Of her family trying to evade
Soldiers in the jungle.
And her parents had to keep her and her brother quiet.
She was two years old at the time.
So, my parents gave us special candy-
[laughing]
So we would stay quiet throughout the, ah,
The trek through the jungle.
Candies with an ingredient that would
Somewhat sedate them,
A traditional southeast asian ingredient.
What's the name of it?
What's the name of it again- opium!
[laughing]
Opium candies!
Harrowing journey or hell of a trip?
[laughing]
Her mom gave her opium in the jungle.
My mom wouldn't let me smoke in the shed!
[laughing]
[applauding]
Mimie said when her family arrived,
A church group that had sponsored her family was
There waiting for them, and they had signs done up,
Welcome signs and everything.
But, her parents didn't read english,
So they didn't know. Finally,
They get to the house that's been set up for them.
And in good, old newfoundland fashion,
We love potluck, right? So, everybody brings a dish.
They got all this food there.
But it's food that her family's never seen before.
Fish and brews,
And jiggs' dinner, and root vegetables.
And then, when they had their first bite, it's like...
"oh my god, really? Is it really food?"
-Yeah. -[laughing]
So my mother said, "do not eat.
They're trying to poison us."
It's not fair to say they were paranoid
'cause a few days earlier, they're crossing the
Mekong river in a boat and getting shot at.
Her mom, she thought this food was gonna kill them...
Which, depending on how much salt you're used to
In your diet, I suppose...
[laughing]
...Maybe could have. I mean, jiggs' dinner,
Like... I don't know if I'd call it poison.
Meet me halfway,
It definitely is considered a sedative.
[laughing]
♪
Mimie told me that the airport international lounge
Was fully restored to its former glory.
They created like a historical museum upstairs.
There's an exhibit in the museum that has a piece of
The twin towers that new york city gifted to gander
As a thank you.
There's also a display with refugees.
In fact, there's a picture of mimie's family
Right next to...
Pictures of syrian refugees that came in 2016.
So it tugs at my heart, right,
Every time I see these stories of refugees,
I'm like, you know, it's almost like, "you can do it!"
In fact, during the syrian refugee crisis,
Who of course was one of the first people to
Volunteer to help out? Mimie.
And she got her kids involved this time so that
They would know exactly what their grandparents
Went through to get here.
And when the syrians arrived, just like when mimie arrived,
People were there holding the signs.
"welcome to canada. Welcome to gander."
Even her kids had signs done up that said,
"the jiggs' dinner is not poisoned."
[laughing]
[applauding]
♪
Here in a town that
Mohammed ali once passed through,
I met a local athlete who tried to teach me
How to float like a butterfly.
Canada's 2015 special olympics
Female athlete of the year, sarah brown.
[cheering & applauding]
I know you're well-known around gander
As an accomplished athlete.
Sarah is more decorated than gander airport's
International lounge.
[laughing]
She's won over 200 medals.
But you've also done a lot of fundraising for
The special olympics.
I've went around every single house,
Knocking on doors,
And I have collected up to $7000...
-Really? -On my own.
She is a dedicated performer.
She gets up every morning, early enough so that
She can do weights or cardio before she goes
To the pool, before she goes to her full-time job.
I'm training six days a week.
Really?
-I get up, 2am. -What?
She said to me, she said, "jonny,
Today I got up at 2am."
I don't know if I accept that.
[laughing]
Like, I wouldn't even say 2am is this morning.
I would say 2am is still last night.
[laughing]
But for me, it's morning.
Have I ever gotten up at 2am?
Yes, to pee.
[laughing]
Sarah tried to teach me her favourite
Stroke in swimming, the butterfly.
But I think the trouble is you need a lot of
Upper body strength.
Like, when I was watching sarah do it, the arms,
Every other stroke is enough to like lift her
Out of the water enough to get a breath.
So, when I was doing it...
I couldn't breathe, and I had to stop every
Now and then so I could take a breath.
In the whole lesson she gave me,
I don't think anything I ever did resembled
The butterfly stroke.
Probably looked like a butterfly having a stroke.
[laughing]
But sarah said that she lives by this special olympics oath.
"let me win, but if I cannot win,
Let me be brave in the attempt."
And I've also lived by a similar oath.
Let me win, but if I cannot win,
Let the editors fix it to look like I did.
[laughing & applauding]
♪
With everything going on in gander,
To end my trip on a Tuesday night at legends lounge
Seems almost trivial.
But who's keeping score?
The host of Tuesday night trivia, sophie evans.
[cheering & applauding]
Sophie moved to gander 10 years ago
With her husband, jason evans.
And she said for years she was just known as
"evans' mrs". -[laughing]
We moved here in 2013.
I think I was just shy.
To get out and meet people and break the ice,
She got involved with the trivia night at legends.
All right, if I can get your attention, please.
Everyone's familiar with me, I'm sophie.
10 years later, jason says that
Sophie knows more people in town than he does.
[laughing]
We're gonna do a little bit of a twist here.
We're gonna do international airport codes.
On my team was
Jason evans' mrs' fella, jason evans.
[laughing]
And I also had beulah and brian and oz on my team.
Now these three, they're just who you want by
Your side in a time of crisis, but in trivia...
[laughing]
Akl, home to the largest polynesian population in
The world and also nicknamed 'city of sails'
Due to its waterside location and high density of boats.
I don't want to say we completely ---- the bed,
But they needed more toilet paper at legends.
[laughing]
Did anyone- stop putting up multiple hands, you little...
[laughing]
But it's shocking to think that sophie was ever shy
When she first got to gander because now,
She's known for being a little bit saucy.
[laughing]
Mr. Mosher, no shouting.
[laughing]
But that's just the way it is here, right?
Like, people are always joshing each other and...
She said that's newfoundland's love language.
It's a culture of sauciness.
[laughing & applauding]
-Congratulations! -Woo!
[laughing]
But I had a great time playing trivia.
It was great hanging out with these guys,
Having a few beers, but eventually,
It was time for beulah to take me back to the hotel.
[laughing]
[applauding]
♪
Jonny, nice to meet you.
You know, growing up here you hear a lot about
Newfoundland hospitality and, and generosity.
But you also think that the worst in times
Can bring out the best in people.
So, is it really different here?
Is it something next level? Is it something special?
Absolutely, 100%.
Gander, during 9/11,
Proved that to the world.
What happened here is modern legend.
Should you get to look down from the sky from a plane,
It's plain to see why...
The place is worth and named after a gander.
From the early days of aviation to a musical that
Swept the nation, makes a person proud
To say they're a newfoundlander.
I've a few things in common, I'll say,
With your people who came from away.
I think I slept on a legion floor once,
It's a bit of a haze... But more,
I've come to understand how people came to
Gander, newfoundland, and went from
Stranger to friend to family in just five days.
Thanks for coming out, everybody!
You've been great! Amazing!
[cheering & applauding]
My parents thought it was absolutely amazing.
Ah, I think they felt like a local celebrity here.
They were quite honoured.
Nothing says newfoundland like a good laugh.
That's right.
Buddy stopped me in the lobby of the hotel this morning.
He goes, "hey, you! Are you on 'cash cab'?"
[laughing]
So you want to do one lap down and then...?
I'm gonna have a heart attack if I try to do that.
There's a lifeguard here.
Is there a defibrillator here?
[laughing]
Jonny, if you ever retire, we can use another man
At the airport to park some planes.
Okay, so how do I get 'em to go over there?
♪
I think he wants me to take him to the hotel.
[laughing]