Gander’s 9/11 Solidarity: A Community’s Unexpected Heroism

In the remote Canadian town of Gander, located on Newfoundland Island, a significant event unfolded on September 11, 2001. At the time, Gander’s population was smaller than its current 12,000 residents. Its strategic location in the far northeast made it a crucial landing site for grounded flights after U.S. airspace was closed.

Once you leave Europe in the morning, once you get halfway across, the nearest airport is Gander, said Claude Elliott, Gander’s mayor on 9/11. By day’s end, 38 planes had landed unexpectedly at Gander’s airport. The town’s emergency protocol was not designed to accommodate this sudden influx of 7,000 people.

As 38 international flights were diverted to Gander International Airport, the town had to act quickly when it became evident the planes would not depart any time soon. Mayor Elliott declared a state of emergency. Supplies were urgently gathered, and churches, schools, and even the local hockey rink transformed into shelters. We got truckloads of food and we put it all in the community center on the ice surface, and we used it as a refrigerator to keep the food cool, Elliott explained.

Residents of Gander provided shelter to stranded passengers in various venues and their private homes. Known as the “plane people,” these visitors met with generous offers of help from community volunteers. The greatest asset that your community has is its people. And we had our people. Everybody came out, Elliott emphasized.

One committed volunteer was Beulah Cooper, a Gander resident. She expressed relief at the arrivals, knowing they would be cared for. Cooper assisted at the Royal Canadian Legion, which hosted 67 people from an Aer Lingus flight. She provided sandwiches, assisted passengers to use pay phones, and invited some to her home for rest and refreshment. For Cooper, being helpful was rewarding. It does so good in here to know that you’re doing something to help somebody, she shared.

“Come From Away” Musical

The story of Gander’s compassionate response became the inspiration for the musical “Come From Away,” which premiered on Broadway in 2017. Initially, Mayor Elliott doubted the potential of the story. I had to confess I had never seen a musical, he said. But in my mind, I’m trying to visualize, how are you gonna make a musical out of sandwiches, soup, blankets, boxes, pillows?

The narrative’s humble nature struck a chord globally. “Come From Away” won a Tony Award, toured internationally, and played 139 times to Elliott’s viewership. The play returned home, performing during summer at Gander’s local arts center. Actor Peter Halley, from nearby St. John’s, portrayed Mayor Claude in this unique production. It’s the only cast where Newfoundland characters are played by Newfoundlanders, he noted.

The show’s title, “Come From Away,” references visitors to Newfoundland. Halley explained, You’re just coming to see us and to experience the province, and you are from away. With the musical’s popularity, Gander experiences an increase in “CFAs.” The local aviation museum showcases artifacts, including Twin Towers beams, and the Legion hosts “screech-ins,” a tourist ritual depicted in the musical, where visitors take a rum shot and kiss a cod fish.

The Legacy of 9/11 in Gander

Beulah Cooper often participates, embracing her newfound celebrity status. She humorously recounted, All they want, ‘I gotta hug Beulah. I gotta hug Beulah,’ and the tears running down their face. Yet, the enduring message of Gander’s story remains its ordinary citizens rising to help others in a crisis. The musical emphasizes “9/12″—the acts of kindness following the tragedy.

You talk to people like you like to be spoken to, and you treat people like you like to be treated, Cooper stated. And if you see somebody that needs help, if you can help them, you better do that.