Clara Burke Byrne, President, Tilting Expatriates

The Tilting Expatriates Association (TEA) was formed in 1984 with "the preservation of the cultural heritage of Tilting" as one of its main goals.  The group is made up of former residents of Tilting who now reside in communities around the globe.  Meetings are held in St. John's and the executive is chosen from expatriates living in this area.  Since its inception TEA has been involved in several projects which entail preservation of culture, one of which has resulted in our receiving the Southcott Award for our part in restoring the oldest house in Tilting.

During the past couple of decades there has been an increased awareness of, and interest in, our history and culture.  Although many Tilting expatriates live far from the tiny fishing village perched on the northeastern edge of Fogo Island we are forever tied to the culture of that place which helped form our identities.  We long for news from home and when we get together we relive the days spent among the rocks and coves, we talk about the old schoolhouse, the old wooden lighthouse and the church with the high tower which got torn down before any of us realized the importance of buildings as reflections of our culture.

It was this sense of nostalgia which gave rise to several projects which have been undertaken by TEA over the past ten years.  The restoration of the Lane house, the oldest house in Tilting, and its subsequent use as a museum has been our biggest project to date, and the one for which we were honored by the Newfoundland Historic Trust.The association has been fortunate in receiving funding from various sources which enabled the group to record inscriptions on headstones located in three cemeteries, one of which has stones which date back to the late eighteenth century.  Another project included photographing every boat, fishing premises, and shed in the community, along with pictures of each senior citizen.  A second old house was donated to TEA in 1996 and work has begun on restoring it to its former state along with its fishing stage and flakes.  TEA has also mounted a plaque on the parish property which recognizes the existence of the parish of Tilting since 1835.

Other ongoing activities include the publication of an annual magazine with articles related to the culture and history of our place of birth, and a quarterly newsletter which keeps expatriates informed of the news about people from "home" (whether they still live there or not).  Social activities are also a part of our organization and the annual Colcannon (dinner and dance) and the St. Patrick's Day dance have become a way for the St, John's members of TEA to get together and celebrate our culture as we try and recapture the essence of being from Tilting.

Culture is not static and we cannot, nor do we wish to, hold on to the past but we do wish to preserve the sense of what Tilting was to those of us who lived there in a time that can sometimes be recaptured only in memories.  The Tilting Expatriates Association has added to those memories by its work in restoring some of the material culture of the place and the Lane House Museum, with its many artifacts, is tangible evidence of a time past, but not lost.