Castles in the air: the life, times and influence of the Reverend Moses Harvey (1820-1901).

The period from 1874 to 1901 was a time of significant transition in the economic and political life of Newfoundland. Twenty years into responsible government and with Confederation on the backburner, the colony’s politicians turned their attention to economic diversification, landward development and carving out the island’s place in the British Empire. The period saw both economic prosperity and retrenchment; the construction of a trans-insular railway; the adoption of policies to foster agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and mining; and diplomatic efforts to resolve France’s outstanding claims on the northwest coast of the island. At the same time, the government made an attempt to intervene directly in its primary industry, the fisheries. It created a Fisheries Commission in 1889 that recommended conservation measures and artificial propagation as ways to restore the health of some of the island’s fish stocks. They also proposed new methods of curing, packaging and marketing Newfoundland’s cod, as well as a complete overhaul of the truck system. A major player in both the public and private debates surrounding all of these subjects was the Reverend Moses Harvey. Along with being minister of the Free Church of Scotland in St. John’s, Harvey was one of Newfoundland’s most active promoters in the late nineteenth century. He served as the media mouthpiece for both Prime Minister William Whiteway and Prime Minister Robert Thorburn; editing the Evening Mercury – the official organ of the Liberal Party and then the Reform Party – from 1882 to 1883 and 1885 until 1890. As well, Harvey wrote regular columns on Newfoundland issues for newspapers in London, New York, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax. He also produced numerous books, articles, encyclopedia entries, and travel guides outlining the island’s attractions and its vast economic potential. In short, Harvey made a significant contribution in shaping the way residents and the outside world viewed Newfoundland during this period. This thesis examines late nineteenth-century Newfoundland through the writing of Moses Harvey. The biographical approach offers a fuller, more nuanced account of some of the major historical themes of the period including the politics of progress, opening up the interior, railway construction and attitudes toward the fisheries. It also provides an insider’s prospective on what led to some of the major political decisions, policy positions or compromises taken by the Whiteway and Thorburn governments. Finally, a more detailed review of Harvey’s work exposes the practical and political differences that he had with people like D.W. Prowse and Bishop Michael Howley. While these so-called “boomers” in Newfoundland’s historiography agreed on broad themes, they parted ways over what should be done with the fisheries and how best to channel the colony’s growing sense of nationalism.

Improving safety of nursing staff: challenges and solutions regarding safety for nursing staff in acute care psychiatric settings

Workplace violence is defined as an act of abuse, threatening behaviour, intimidation, or assault on a person in his or her place of employment. Unfortunately, such violence is a reality for nurses. These take the form of physical, verbal, and threating behaviours, and harassment. Violence, particularly verbal abuse, is so prevalent that it is often considered “part of the job” and can contribute to many negative professional and personal effects for nurses. Therefore, it is important to understand what influences an individual to become violent in order to suggest and support initiatives to decrease it. A literature review and consultations with key stakeholders were conducted to gather relevant information regarding violence committed by patients and others visiting mental health care settings. Through data analysis, two relevant themes were revealed: reporting and interventions. Reporting incidents of workplace violence is important to track and quantify aggressive episodes, thus emphasizing its seriousness. Nurses may differ in the perception of what constitutes violence, underreport incidents, and feel a sense of futility when reported violence continues. In addition, cumbersome methods of reporting can be a hindrance to the reporting process. Six areas of potential interventions were identified to increase safety for nurses. These are staffing, de-escalation training, environmental considerations, addictions services, organizational support, and consequences. All findings were summarized in a document to be presented to the leadership of the Mental Health and Addictions program within the local health care authority. The goal is to offer recommendations to lead to a decrease in workplace aggression and increased safety for nurses in the acute care psychiatric setting.

The expression of tradition: perennial gardening in St. John's, Newfoundland

In order to understand the processes which effect the individual realization of garden design, I have studied the practise of perennial gardening in St. John's, Newfoundland. I begin with an examination of the practical constraints on design intentions resulting from difficult growing conditions, and a limited market of plant materials, relevant gardening literature and skilled· garden workers. I establish the local repertoire of design models within which individual gardens are executed. Finally, I record the "text" of six ·perennial gardens and the commentary of their principal designers in order to examine both the implicit and explicit considerations informing the structure of the gardens. A sample of gardens has been examined in order to represent two principal performance contexts -- the public garden and the private garden -- and a characteristic selection of garden style and plant material is observed. The public gardens typically recall the "traditional" use of perennials in Newfoundland gardens through the selection of "old fashioned" plant species and through the overall design of the bed. In contrast, the private gardeners have generally adopted the style of the more recently fashionable "perennial border". However, below the level of design the private gardeners continue to express a sense of tradition in the _repetition of conventions of behaviour and expression among the gardeners' families and friends, in the propagation of individual plants grown by the gardeners' parents, and in the maintenance of a family interest in gardening. This examination of the practise of gardening, thus, leads away from the folklorists' traditional focus on the continuity of the traditional "item" towards an understanding of tradition as an expression of continuity which is given tangible shape according to the avenues of shared communication within particular performance contexts.

Exploring the Process of Meaning-making after Partner Suicide

Meaning-making is increasingly recognized as a fundamental aspect of the grief experience. This study investigated the process of meaning-making in the narratives of individuals whose partners died by suicide, exploring their meaning reconstruction in response to this form of loss. The narratives of users of a public online grief support forum (n = 50) were analyzed using the Meaning of Loss Codebook (Gillies, Neimeyer, & Milman, 2014), which consists of core categories of meaning of loss in response to the death of a loved one. The results indicated that these individuals predominantly experienced negative affect, a lack of understanding associated with the loss, and a longing for their partners. The grief experience of participants in this study was marked by substantial psychological distress and an ongoing struggle to make sense of and find meaning in this type of loss. It is clear that grieving the loss of a partner as a result of suicide presents unique challenges to meaning-making in comparison to other types of loss. Given the importance of this aspect of adjustment to loss, these findings deepen the understanding of this component of grief and inform the provision of support for those grieving a loved one who died by suicide.