Newsletter - Eagles Watch 16th Sept

Volume 3, Issue 8, September 15th, 2006

Owner Matters Brian Dobbin comments on Nettec transaction
As you may have heard, Newfound and its resorts have recently gone public in a reverse takeover of an AIM company on the London Stock Exchange. Aside from us receiving a majority of shares in the new Newfound public company, we have also raised over $40 million for the company. We are well positioned now to continue the company's expansion and in particular strengthening our commitment to Humber Valley Resort. We will be announcing new additions to the resort in the near future, and I am very pleased with the progress being made on resort operations. We understand clearly that the growth of the resort as a holiday and retreat destination is the key to our growth as a whole. I look forward to you seeing better access to the resort, better experiences being offered there and better communications. Now we have completed the transformation of the last year we can focus ourselves solely again on building and improving the Newfound group.

Construction of new ramps for Humber Valley Resort has started
Construction of two highway ramps on Exit 11 to provide access both ways onto the Trans Canada Highway has commenced. The ramps are being built at the west end of Rapid Pond, near the existing tunnel that provides access to the bridge leading across The Humber River to the Resort. They will allow Resort Guests to avoid driving through the community of Little Rapids when traveling to and from Corner Brook and Strawberry Hill. The work is expected to be completed by mid-November.

Works started on TCH exit for Resort guests coming from Corner Brook.

Construction update
Chalets either complete or currently under construction this year now number 65. After several weeks of negotiation an agreement has finally been reached with one of the largest home builders in the province to join the current contractors constructing chalets at Humber Valley Resort. The new contractor has been on site this week and work has already started on the first of many chalets they are expected to build, creating real momentum to the construction program.

MARKETING MATTERS
Positive media coverage continues
Humber Valley Resort continues to garner significant attention from mainstream, travel and property media. The Resort featured very positively in the piece John Bovill wrote for the Sunday Express magazine on September 3. His excellent article promoted Humber Valley as the prefect all-season family retreat. Other recent articles include full page spreads in the Evening Standard on August 16 and The Scotsman on September 6. (http://living.scotsman.com/travel.cfm?id=1312252006).
Representatives of property media outlets included Andrea Watson, Property Editor at The Express, who visited Humber Valley in August. She truly enjoyed her time at the resort and this was reflected in her positive feature, which was published on August 30.

Other recent publications featuring Humber Valley Resort include Hot Property magazine on the 8th of September, House Beautiful magazine, October issue and House Hunters in the Sun magazine, September issue.

Future coverage
Upcoming articles will be provided by Ed Coode, UK Olympic rower, who visited Humber Valley Resort on behalf of Country Life Magazine, which commissioned Ed to write a wilderness-angled feature for their upcoming travel supplement and Maxine Ashford, a reporter from the South Wales Echo also visited the resort in August. Both trips were a great success and their features are expected in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Newfound Group CEO Brian Dobbin will be the focus of a documentary by Venture. Produced by CBC Television, Venture is a prestigious business program that airs right across the country. Their interest was sparked by what has been achieved at Humber Valley to date and coverage will have significant impact in raising the Resort's profile throughout Canada.
Representatives of the program were at the resort for about a week in early September. They filmed the charter flight arrival at Deer Lake, interviewed owners Jim and Sue Mitchell, attended the official opening of The River Course, and completed extensive footage of the Resort.

The official opening of The River Course on September 8 (see separate story below) was attended by Jock Howard, Senior Editor at Golf World, Vic Robbie, Editor of Golf & Travel, and Owen Blackhurst, Travel Editor at Golf Punk who all flew out to Humber Valley. They were very impressed with the course and the Resort and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Jock Howard particularly liked the way chalets had been very subtly worked around the golf course without being obvious or intrusive like so many other resorts around the world. All will be writing features in the coming months.

Planned visits
Graham Woods, Director of Photography at The Times magazine, will be visiting the resort in October. His multi-page spread will be a photography piece featuring images of Humber Valley and Newfoundland. Winter press trips are currently being planned and it is expected that a number of writers from national newspapers as well as regional and consumer publications will visit the resort by the end of the season.

JUST FOR FUN
The River Course officially opened
A great mix of local, provincial and federal dignitaries and politicians, partners from the business community, loyal local golfers, several chalet owners and members of the media took part as The River Course was officially opened on September 8. Course designer Doug Carrick, Newfound Group CEO Brian Dobbin, and Managing Director Mike Clewer teed off from the 10th hole to mark the official opening. This was followed by a fun event with prizes and a dinner and presentation afterwards. The event was very well received by all attending. Willy Hamilton, an owner at the Resort, noted "I wanted to thank everyone at the resort for such a fantastic time at the Opening. As always everything and everyone was first class." Owners Guy Stratford and Kim Mitchell, echoed those sentiments. "We felt really honored to be included in such a special event...Congratulations to all on such a well organized day." In addition to the international media attending the event local representation was covered by The Western Star newspaper and CFCB Radio.
Doug Carrick, The River Course designer hitting the inaugural ball off the 10th tee in front of an enthusiastic gallery – despite the pressure Doug actually won the longest drive competition for his excellent tee shot!!

Season Ski passes now available for Marble Mountain
October 28, 2006, is the deadline for ski enthusiasts to purchase seasons passes for Marble Mountain at the lowest rates of the season. Although autumn has yet to descend, many people in the Humber Valley are already thinking about the upcoming ski season. Some local residents are optimistically predicting a snowy winter season and the folks at Marble Mountain are no exception, as information on season's passes are now available at: http://www.skimarble.com/seasonspass.php

View land near bridge ... with Randall

View two plots of land close to the resort bridge, which will be passed by everyone entering. The other end has good views of the river and resort.

Sounds good, but the land has large areas that are unusable due to water and serious slopes. Each plot is $250k for an acre. But you'd need to buy both as they are long and thin. Someone has offered (we guess) approx $220-$230k for both. But was rejected. Price being pushed by agents, but recokon could get it for less than $300k.

Not for us however!!!

PR Article - TALL TRAILS

Tall trails

http://living.scotsman.com/travel.cfm?id=1312252006

REBECCA FORD

THERE are still places here where no human has ever been," said my guide, as we watched an eagle surf the breeze. I felt a tingle of excitement. Few things are more tantalising than wilderness - the word itself oozes promise. Trouble is, it also conjures up images of an exhausting journey to a malaria-ridden corner of the globe - where you're expected to lug around a rucksack and live on beetles.

But there are some wild places that are accessible. I was staying at the Humber Valley, a new all-season resort in Newfoundland, just five hours' flight from the UK. It's an upmarket and rapidly expanding activity centre with a restaurant, chalets and programmes for children. But while it's comfy - my chalet turns out to be a sleek house with three en suite bedrooms, sundeck and a fridge as large as my car - it is surrounded by a landscape so unspoilt that sea kayakers see humpback whales, and golfers find moose wandering the resort's championship course.

Newfoundland is huddled against the east coast of Canada, a sea-slashed island where nature still holds the upper hand. It's been settled by Europeans for centuries; John Cabot named it New Founde Isle when he came here in 1497, unaware that the Vikings beat him to it by hundreds of years. It was mapped by Captain Cook in the 18th century and his charts can still be used today. The coastline is dotted with communities that rely on whaling and fishing, leaving an island of mountains, glacial lakes and green forests that are home to bears, caribou and lynx.

The resort has been built on the quiet western coast on the shores of Deer Lake, a 20-minute transfer from the airport. Depending on the time of year, you can ski, snowshoe or try caving, and the sailing is inspiring. Between May and October, a great way to enjoy the untamed landscape - and work off the breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup - is to go for a walk.

I made for Corner Brook, a former logging community and the nearest town. It's the starting point for one of a number of short, family-friendly trails. An easy amble along forest tracks and I was standing above a gorge so steep that stunted trees clung grimly to the rocks. I felt as if I'd stepped into a Caspar David Friedrich landscape. A short walk later and I was back in the comfort zone of Corner Brook, raiding Tim Horton's (the local equivalent of Dunkin' Donuts) for coffee and cake, and marvelling at the warmth of the locals. Newfoundland must be the only place where the response to: "Thank you very much," is a relaxed "You're welcome very much."

More adventurous walks can be had in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site an hour's drive from the resort on the Gulf of St Lawrence. Part of the park is bisected by Highway 431, a road with forested hills on one side and bare brown slopes on the other. These are the Tablelands, flat-topped mountains forced through the Earth's crust when vast geological plates collided. Made from a rock that is toxic to most plants, they remain lifeless and forbidding millions of years after they appeared.

I followed the Green Gardens Trail, over barren ground dotted only with insectivorous pitcher plants, silently seducing flies with glossy red leaves. It was silent save for the occasional call of a bird. Jonathan, my guide, handed me a piece of glossy, chocolate-coloured rock: "That's part of the Earth's mantle," he said. "This is one of the few places where you can see it."

The trail continued past stunted spruce trees, known as tuckamore, and then into thick forest, where a narrow path led steeply down to the sea. This was the Green Gardens, a stretch of coast where lush meadows line the rocky shore and dramatic sea stacks jut from the water. We stared out over the Gulf of St Lawrence, looking hard for surfacing whales, while a bald eagle soared overhead. All this, and I didn't even need a rucksack.

FACT FILE: HUMBER VALLEY

NEWFOUNDLAND PACKAGE

Barwell Leisure (0208 786 3071) has seven-night packages from £658pp based on four people sharing a three-bedroom chalet, with return flights from Gatwick. Flights from Scotland to Gatwick start at £62 from Edinburgh, £66 from Glasgow and £76 from Aberdeen, all with British Airways ( http://www.ba.com/, 0870 850 9850). Two people sharing a three-bedroom chalet starts at £924pp. Activities are extra, http://www.humbervalley.com/

AND THERE'S MORE

For more information on Corner Brook, visit http://www.cornerbrook.com/

For more on Gros Morne National Park and the Green Gardens Trail, visit http://www.grosmorne.com/ Trails take from three to eight hours.

NEWS: CanJet Decision Leaves Passengers Scrambling

CanJet Decision Leaves Passengers Scrambling
September 6, 2006

Air Canada is stepping in to fill at least some of the void left by CanJet's departure from passenger flights. Air Canada says it will add four new round-trip flights beginning in October, including one from Halifax to Deer Lake. The other flights are from Halifax to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Air Canada also says they will use larger aircraft and add more flights on an as needed basis in September. Air Canada says they will continue to monitor the demand for flights. Air Canada also says passengers booked on CanJet flights after this Sunday will be able to make travel arrangements with Air Canada.

Travel agents will be working overtime to find space for CanJet passengers now that the airline is folding its wings to concentrate on its charter business. The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies says CanJet's decision will have a major impact on this province. Regional Director Ellen Tucker says while eventually travellers will cope with the loss, it will be a difficult transition. Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador President Nick McGrath points out CanJet's decision will hurt. He says CanJet will now be focusing on flying tourists out, and not into the province. Joe Bennett with the St. John's International Airport Authority expects other airlines will pick up the routes dropped by CanJet. CanJet operated at Deer Lake Airport for nearly four years. Deer Lake Regional Airport Authority General Manager Jamie Schwartz says the next step is to find another airline to offer a similar service.

Provincial Airlines in this province is looking at the market following CanJet's sudden halt of service. Spokesperson Bob Halliday says they intend to act quickly to fill any voids.

Some indication today from CanJet on what may have forced the airline to cancel its passenger service. In a letter to passengers on the company's website, CanJet Executive Vice-President Julie Gossen says CanJet has been faced with many uncontrollable challenges over the four years since its inception, including high fuel costs and increasing airport fees. The letter also indicates that the ability of competing airlines to increase their capacity put pressure on CanJet. Gossen recommends CanJet passengers contact their Reservations Centre for answers to their travel plans after this Sunday. The number is 1-800-809-7777. She says passengers who have reservations with CanJet after Sunday will be fully refunded.

Jet Boat - Humber Valley Resort to Steady Brook

Jet boat down Humber River, from Humber Valley Resort to Steady Brook.

Saling on Deer Lake / Humber River

View to Corner Brook ...