By Robin McGrath
Oceanside Press: Flatrock, NF 1997.
The town of Torbay, Newfoundland, is located ten kilometres outside the capital city, St. John's, and is home to over 5000 people. As small town go, it has the usual complement of schools and churches; it has a library, a museum, service clubs, and shops. If you are living in Torbay, you can be christened, go to day care, play baseball, join the volunteer fire brigade, arrange a divorce, and eventually get buried. If you are a visitor, you can buy gas, get a haircut, have a meal, find a souvenir, or take a walk. On the surface, it sounds like every other small town in North America. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Torbay has a history that is longer, more colourful and more interesting than almost any place of a similar size on the continent, and this culture and heritage has shaped what it is today: one of the most captivating modern outports on an island full of wonderful villages, magnificent scenery and talkative, welcoming residents.