This book is a personal tribute to the greatest Newfoundlander of all time. It is not a biography, or intended to be; nor is its purpose to offer a comprehensive record of the Smallwood era. It might, however, be described as episodic history, examining key aspects of the political/economic development of Newfoundland and Labrador in its first decade as a province of Canada with Joseph R. Smallwood the undoubted central figure. Conventional history tends to be siphoned from old newspapers and dusty records by researchers and writers who, typically, were not born at the time of the events they write about. By contrast, the author of this work is one who was there...was part of it all...either as a respected print and broadcast journalist or as a member of the House of Assembly and of the Smallwood Cabinet. This book is based on meticulous research, authenticating William Callahan’s own experiences.

William R. Callahan was born in St. John's on November 7, 1931 to William Bernard Callahan of Harbour Grace and Alice Marie Rogers of St. John's. He was educated at Holy Cross Schools in St. John's and Petries, and graduated from St. Bernard's Academy in Corner Brook in 1948. He attended St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto, returned to Corner Brook to pursue a career in journalism with The Western Star and next joined the editorial staff of newly established CJON Radio (later Television) becoming in time News Director. He returned to the Star as Managing Editor in 1959, but in 1966 grasped the opportunity to experience elective politics. He served as MHA for Port au Port (1966-71) and Minister of Mines, Agriculture and Resources (1968-71).Successively, Publisher and Managing Editor of The Daily News and Managing Editor and Editorial Page Editor of The Evening Telegram, he also taught Journalism for five years at Lawrence College and was appointed to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission. He is married to Daphne Marie Ryan of St. John's and they have three sons, three daughters, and twelve grandchildren.William Roger Callahan, born in St. John’s November 7, 1931, is one of Newfoundland’s and Canada’s most senior journalists, having worked in print and broadcast media for nearly a half-century with a short time out for politics. He was natural resources minister in the final years of the last Smallwood administration of the Newfoundland government.Callahan’s interest in the Banting story was piqued by his discovery that documents relating to the investigation of the Hudson bomber crash of February 1941 in the Bonavista Bay wilderness were not to be found in any major Canadian archive, thus compounding the mystery surrounding Sir Frederick’s death. The Banting Enigma offers a possible explanation for what happened in the context of wartime intrigue.As editor of all three daily newspapers published in Newfoundland in the twentieth century—The Telegram, The Western Star, and the now defunct Daily News, Callahan set a record that will likely never be equalled. During those years he published literally thousands of commentaries on politics and public affairs.His other books include a detailed explanation of the Smallwood era, a centennial history (as editor) of the Christian Brothers in Newfoundland, and, currently in progress, an anthology on the Viking discoverers of Newfoundland. The Banting Enigma is his first novel.

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