My writings began somewhat by chance seven or eight years ago. They started with a need to tell our story before we lost all the resources of our beautiful traditions from an Acadian region not known at all outside and even by our own people. Since I do not consider myself a writer, I initially sought someone more skilled than I to do it. Having found no success in my search for this ideal person, I decided to try it myself. I began with small steps, attempting to write our story in stages for our local weekly, the Guysborough Journal. My first article was a success according to the readers and editors who encouraged me to continue. This only ended after the publication of thirty-seven articles in total.
As I prepared my writings, I became aware that my endeavor had nearly everything I wanted to tell about our little corner of Acadia. Thus, I decided to fully commit to the project of writing a book. The success was somewhat astounding with the sale of seven hundred and fifty copies of the first edition in thirty-eight days.
“The Forgotten Acadians” became a text based in history, but to complete this work, I had to write another one that tells our life through folk tales revealing how we survived in a small isolated corner. Not only did we survive, but we also had a lot of fun and are filled with good memories. The result, “Joie de Vivre”, was born.
Finally, my third book is the story of our son, Justin, whom we lost early on New Year’s Day 2004, at the age of 18. Like other parents, we never want to forget the good times with our children. “From Sorrow to Strength” is an attempt to tell the beautiful story of Justin, how his life touched us, and how we overcame this tragedy. Perhaps our story can help those who find themselves in the same heavy situation.
Jude’s Writing
Publisher: New World Publishing
ISBN: 9781989564196
Joie de Vivre – Love of Life
by Jude Avery
Les Acadiens, who eventually settled in the Torbé region of Guysborough County (NS) undoubtedly had a difficult journey to even get to this place, having left George’s Island detention and deportation centre in Halifax Harbour, and other similar smaller forts within the region, eventually making it to Chezzetcook on the Eastern Shore after the first Treaty of Paris (1763), only to be displaced again a generation later (1783) by United Empire Loyalists fleeing the New England & New York after the American Revolutionary War/War of Independence. This time these Acadians settled in one of the more isolated areas of Nova Scotia, where the soil and rugged coast were more suited to forestry and mining than farming. Thus, these traditional Acadians reinvented themselves once again as fishermen and woodsmen, eking out a living from the forests and the sea, along with subsistence farming of root vegetable in rocky soils, and learning from their Mi’kmaq friends to seek sustenance among the woodland berries, edible plants and native animals/birds of the land and shores.
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While there is little doubt that Les Acadiens of Torbé, Guysborough Co. were more isolated and indeed, were largely “forgotten” by most, (see Avery’s first book, The Forgotten Acadians © 2019; 2020), readers also need to be aware they were not, until recently, even included by FANE on their map of Acadian Communities of this province, and were barely on the radar of the federal or provincial governments until July, 2019 at Festival Savalette, with the dedication of Place Savalette. Their story of survival in a harsh environment is not only a remarkable testimony to their resilience and their dedication to the creator through their religion, as well as to one another, which not only sustained them, but forced them to invent their own unique forms of socialization, entertainment, games, recreation and culture out of what the natural environment provided.
This latest work by Jude Avery, Joie de Vivre/Love of Life, covers a wide range of Acadien culture and qualities, and while it aptly describes the local scene, with unique communities, family names, as well as geography and climate than differs from other Acadien communities, a quick look at the book’s ‘Table of Contents’ reveals a list that may well be very familiar to Acadians living in many other parts of the Maritimes. Topics such as Acadien culture – a resilient people; neighbours more like family; Roman Catholic religion/the influence of priests and nuns; Feast days and Celebrations; home grown theatrical presentations; Maritime Acadian Music and its performers – from all three Maritime provinces – and “Cajun country”; food and its preparation; winter vitality – sport and recreation; summer fun; rural politics; the influence of culture and history on tourism … would seem to apply widely within the Maritime region. What was different was the geography, degree of isolation and the distance from larger communities and urban centres … and the separation of time – the communities of Torbé being more economically and technologically isolated well into the second half of the Twentieth Century.
Again. while the specifics are different in time and place, many Acadians, indeed many others who lived in isolated, rural locations, may well relate to the struggles of living off the land and available resources. Even those of different cultures were often sustained by their beliefs and ‘religion’ and in looking out for their neighbours more as family, both in safety and economically. Growing up in many of the more isolated areas of Atlantic Canada meant being without many of the amenities that public infra-structure, transportation, recreation and goods afforded urban dwellers, so they too learned to be inventive, using one’s imagination and ingenuity to create what the author refers to as fun!
One suspects many individuals could relate to much in their own upbringing related to hard work, caring for others and the role of faith in our personal growth and development. Within the larger world, one can appreciate those who are different from themselves, for family, faith and culture are what binds us as humans. In those aspects we are hopefully, more alike than different … and can appreciate the differences among us, as certainly we could use far more tolerance today in a sorely divided world.
More specifically, having travelled widely for nearly 40 years, experiencing many cultures, I saw much in common among peoples who have struggled, not only with their environment, but with the political and economic realities of the world in which they found themselves. And having been fortunate to have shared the special hospitality of Les Acadiens in all three Maritime provinces during a primary working career in education and in organizing national programs for youth, I would argue strongly Les Acadiens are to be especially admired for their fascinating culture, resilience and joie de vivre.
While the book is geographically placed in the land of the “Forgotten Acadians”, in remote Guysborough Co., NS, it is recommended to all Acadians as a shared experience, but also to anyone who can relate to what was required by people internally, not only to survive, but indeed to thrive under difficult circumstances, including isolation.
A final comment on the author: In March 2021, Jude Avery was among the first of six initial recipients of the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award of Excellence for l’Acadie and la Francophonie of Nova Scotia, awarded for his life-long contribution to Acadian affairs and history, which included writing stories on his region for over thirty years, teaching French for even longer in regional schools, helping out in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, working with others to bring Le Congrès Mondial Acadien to this region and a driving force behind the recognition of Place Savalette by the federal and provincial governments, commemorating a lesser-known, but very important historic meeting between Captain Savalette and Samuel de Champlain in 1607 (at Port Felix, NS) before the latter founded what became the City of Quebec a year later – truly significant Canadian historic events.
Page Length: 127
Published: 2020
Publisher: New World Publishing
ISBN: 9781989564127
The Forgotten Acadians
by Jude Avery
For Acadians, tracing their history has been a challenge that has spanned several centuries. Little was known of their story beyond some oral accounts, and the titbits of written information available were most often written by someone other than Acadians and subsequently discovered to be riddled with biases and inaccuracies. For that reason, it was difficult to learn this story based on facts and have the information presented such that Acadians were not seen as villains, but victims of a dark period in Canadian history. Most Acadians grew up believing that if our ancestors had signed the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown in 1755, the atrocities of the Deportation would have been avoided and everyone would have lived happily ever after. Due to an initial lack of education and laws that prevented our ancestors from attaining the truth, Acadians remained in a “black hole of knowledge” for centuries. However, political and social forces can only succeed in maintaining forceful ignorance for so long before small rays of light begin to penetrate the abyss.
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Having lived under a ban of possessing written materials, Acadians were slow to accumulate information that countered allegations of our ancestors’ short-sightedness and involvement in Mi’kmaq uprisings. Through eventual cracks in oppressive education practices, new information began to emerge that led to demands for corrections, justice and basic human rights. Slowly, political, legal and social wheels began to turn, such that Acadian unrest and demands grew stronger. However, early changes were mostly witnessed in the larger Acadian communities within the Maritimes, while smaller and more isolated ones remained locked in ignorance much longer.
Such was the case with the Torbé Acadian region of Guysborough County. Where writers, politicians and educators from other larger Acadian areas were contributing their research and knowledge for their people, local populations in the easternmost corner of the Nova Scotia mainland benefitted little from those early efforts. Isolation kept communities too removed from the key “movers and shakers” from being awakened by those discoveries and impacts. Obscurity caused the local population to not only miss this awakening, but they were off the radar screen so that few other Acadian regions even knew they existed. Local discoveries came much later than other areas of the Maritimes, but those community education processes (outside formal institutional education) provided a deeper knowledge of who they were as this education became recognized and entrenched.
One great failure for Torbé Acadians was to have someone who lived there relate their story from the Acadian point of view and with local input. This book is an attempt to correct this with the hope that as many as possible will read it and learn with appreciation some information that will make readers see our communities as having a rich and noteworthy history. It is hoped that others will follow with contributions in music, art, poetry or any other expressive medium to tell our story from different perspectives. In his initiative, the writer does not use the approach of an historian, but attempts to weave a combination and compilation of historical information, folklore, culture, and traditions into a local historical tapestry.
During his entire teaching career, Jude was involved in Acadian affairs and served as regional representative and member of le Conseil d’Administration de la Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle Ecosse. This was a natural extension of his Acadian life and interest that evolved into a passion. Upon retirement, he was able to devote more time and effort in educating himself in his culture, genealogy and history. The first Congrès Mondial Acadien held in the Moncton area of New Brunswick in 1994 and subsequent ones held every five years in different Acadian/Cajun areas, proved to be the real catalysts for him and many others to be drawn into this discovery process.
Through Jude’s involvement with F.A.N.E., many doors were opened via meetings with a wide range of people from many regions, which then provided access to even more significant sources of information. Visits to Louisiana, France and all Acadian regions of the Maritimes led to a growth in knowledge and a greater feel for the Acadian saga.
When Nova Scotia hosted the 2004 Congrès Mondial Acadien, Jude got involved in the organization of the local Pellerin/Bonnevie /Retrouvailles/family Reunion celebrations. He followed Brad Pellerin as President of the newly formed Société des Acadiens de la Région de Torbé after Brad’s death in 2002. This Association was established for the sole purpose of planning and steering the 2004 Pellerin/Bonnevie family reunion celebrations in the Torbé area. However, the celebrations proved to be so moving and exciting for the entire Torbé Acadian region, that an expressed desire to continue the process was made and the “Forgotten Acadians” of the Torbé shores were awakened and continue to make “cultural noise”. As a result of this Réveil/Awakening, several celebrated additions have been made to this forgotten Acadian region that has evolved into tourism gems for the area and province.
An annual Festival Savalette has been established and will be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2019. Plans for a unique Parc de Nos Ancêtres were conceived and developed in 2006/2007 as ten professionally painted chapter scenes by Moni Deursch and Charlotte Petitpas/Pitts on rocks were created. These were accompanied by bilingual interpretive panels as a means of presenting and interpreting in a unique way, the Acadian history from the 1604 departure from France to settlement on the shores of Torbé in the late 1700s. This park was developed in an anchor shape (see p. 19, as well as the photo on the page opposite) signifying the Acadian qualities of determination, attachment, perseverance and adaptability. A “Salle Acadienne” Resource Centre was developed and built in 2011 where visitors and locals can discover and expand their knowledge of history, culture, and genealogy. An 8 x 16 foot Moni Deursch historical mural (painting) is a featured part of this facility highlighting twenty-five local memorable scenes from the early 1900s to 1960.
