Today marks the 40th anniversary of the rescue of hundreds of refugees abandoned and left to drift in the cold north Atlantic.
On August 11th of 1986, 155 Tamil refugees were plucked from two lifeboats drifting in thick fog near St. Shott’s off the coast of the southern Avalon.
The refugees had been abandoned after fleeing war and violence in Sri Lanka, and were spotted by Captain Gus Dalton of Admirals Beach who then alerted authorities to the humanitarian emergency.
The Canadian Coast Guard worked with local fishing boats and organized the rescue effort – bringing the refugees to safety.
Captain Gus Dalton (via the Canadian Tamil Congress)
For years, the Tamils, who had since built lives across Canada and around the world, would return to Newfoundland to remember the extraordinary events and offer their thanks to Dalton and their rescuers.
Dalton, who passed away in 2018 was posthumously awarded with the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada for his efforts on that day.
