Ethan Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Fair address: South Shore Regional School Board
Project: Privateer Alex Godfrey from Liverpool
My project is about Privateering in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. My relative who was a famous privateer whose name was Alexander Godfrey, his battles, prizes and hardship.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
The most interesting thing I have learned from doing this project was in the research. I thought I knew a lot about privateering but when I started to research and found that I had a relative that was a famous privateer really made me curious to find out more about him and privateering.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
My ancestor Alexander Godfrey's life was often scarred by tragedy with the death of his only child, he led a life of adventure and played a very important role in Canadian history. The Rover was built by Nova Scotians, crewed and captained by Nova Scotians and even though she was operating thousands of kilometers from home she was protecting the lives and way of life of her citizens. This bunch of adventurous Nova Scotia fishermen and the Rover were quite arguably the birth of today's Royal Canadian Navy!!
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
My life is much more different than a privateers. I have freedom to choose an education, I have sports to keep my mind and body healthy. To sum it up I have opportunities to try different things and not have the dangerous job that they had.