Statue unveiled to honour 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in N.L.

It's been 100 years since women in Newfoundland gained the right to vote. 

To celebrate, PerSIStence Theatre Company unveiled a statue of Armine Nutting Gosling at Bannerman Park on Wednesday.

Gosling played a significant role in the province's suffrage movement, leading to the first election where women were eligible to vote in 1925.

"There's such a backlash to women's rights and human rights in general in the world, and here is a woman who stood up for equity with great courage and persistence," said Margot Duley,  chair of the legacy project.

The unveiling on Wednesday was four years in the making, and cost approximately $300,000, which came from donations.

"We're a little tiny theatre company and we would reach moments of great discouragement, and then somehow, miraculously, a cheque would arrive," Duley said. "So many threads have come together."

Dozens of people attended Wednesday's ceremony  to celebrate the unveiling, including politicians and Gosling's great-grandson, Michael Keegan.

From England, Keegan said he didn't know about his great-grandmother's legacy until the theatre company reached out to him. 

He said it has left him with pride.

"The unbelievable role that she played here is really quite inspiring," Keegan said, adding that many members of Gosling's family have ties to politics.

"My father, Armine's grandson, was a member of parliament, my mother was a journalist and campaigned for women on personal finance, and my own wife was the British Secretary of State for education under Rishi Sunak's government," Keegan said.

"I kind of feel my great-grandmother would be quite proud of the role in public life that her descendants have had in the U.K. at least."

Sheila Coultas is the artist of Gosling's statue. She's also the first woman to create a statue unveiled in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

"The whole thing has been such a privilege and such an honour. My heart is bursting honestly," Coultas said.

The statue was designed to attract walkers passing by.

"It's interactive, and I pointed it in the direction of the path on the way to the Colonial Building," she said.

With two upcoming elections on the horizon, Duley said it's a fitting moment to unveil a statue recognizing women's right to vote.

"One of the phrases that she had that has resonated with me, and I'm not sure that I'm quoting her exactly, but it was to this effect that 'the vote means absolutely nothing, unless we use it,'" Duley said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.