Backstory

The Family Outreach Resource Centre and the Newfoundland & Labrador Literacy Council are pleased to welcome you to the Treasure Chest Toonie Draw, a new and exciting opportunity for the whole community to get their hands on the Shellbird Island treasure.

As the legend goes, in the time of pirates and high seas adventure, Western Newfoundland was host to a notorious English pirate, Peter Easton. Once a captain in his majesty’s royal navy, Easton favoured excitement of a buccaneering enterprise over duty to King and crown. The story goes that after the particularly successful plunder of a Spanish ship, Easton’s crew was set upon and grossly outgunned by a French warship. Not wanting to risk his bounty of Bolivian silver and gold doubloons, Easton raced to the mouth of the Humber River to hide from the French warship.

To ensure that the French would never find his treasure, Easton sent a sailor and a mate further up river to bury the treasure. Noticing the watchful eye of the man in the mountain, the sailor and mate stopped on Shellbird Island to bury the treasure. Once the digging was complete and the treasure buried, the sailor pulled his pistol, shot the mate and buried him atop the treasure to ensure his ghost would always stand guard.

The sailor’s fate was no better, as he launched his boat from Shellbird Island, it was quickly engulfed by the devil’s dancing pools, pulling the sailor to his watery grave. Although Easton was lucky enough to escape with his life, he never did find the treasure, which is now ours to share.

Each week players will place their marked toonies in a designated treasure chest at one of our participating local retailers. Every Wednesday a registered number will be drawn and the winner will receive 50% of the money collected that week. The remaining 50% will support the free community programming offered by the Family Outreach Resource Centre, Newfoundland & Labrador Laubach Literacy Council as well as a new charitable group or sports team or not-for-profit organization each week.