Statue? What Statue?

While focusing their attention on concerns over parking and big city outsiders allegedly burying diapers in the sand, many locals overlook an interesting feature of our beautiful beach. 

At the beachfront bend of Paul Currelly Way, close to the Lion’s-Lioness pavilion, stands a life-sized bronze depiction of local hero Fern Blodgett Sunde (1918-1991). Fern was the first Canadian woman to qualify as a professional wireless radio operator, and the first woman to work deep sea as a ship’s radio operator and served in WWII’s Battle of the Atlantic. 

Created by sculptor Tyler Fauvelle and unveiled in 2020, the statue offers inspiration to those who have felt unseen but have bravely pushed through to realize their dreams. 

The plaque beside the statue reads:

“Growing up in Cobourg at a time when women were not allowed to work aboard Navy or merchant ships, Fern wanted to be a sailor. In 1941, she found a way, bravely serving Canada as a radio operator aboard the Modale, an Allied (Norwegian) Merchant Navy ship. Fern made 78 transatlantic crossings during the perilous Battle of the Atlantic, opening the door to a sisterhood of Sparks.

The Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) was WWII's longest military engagement. Thousands of Canadian and Allied lives were lost in the struggle to keep vital sea lanes and supply lines open. This monument is dedicated to all Canadians who served at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic, especially those who paid freedom's highest price.”