Description
For 16 years, from 1979 to 1995, the show Newfoundland Outdoors featuring Lloyd Colbourne and Bryce Walsh ran in prime time on CBC-TV.
“Bryce, put the kettle on.” That order, ah, suggestion, given by Lloyd to his buddy Bryce is familiar to anyone who watched the outdoor reality show. People will recall too that Bryce always obliged.
Lloyd and Bryce were well known to television audiences and can still be seen on DVDs that are available from Lloyd, who wrote this book and dedicated it the late Bryce, his lifelong friend and best outdoor buddy.
Lloyd and Bryce were true outdoorsmen who loved to hunt and fish and getting paid to do their favourite things for a television show was a dream come true for both of them. In no time at all they were stars and wallowing in the celebrity of being recognized.
Lloyd and Bryce were both born in Twillingate and ended up as neighbours in St. John’s, where Lloyd built a successful business, L.G. Colbourne Electronics Limited, and later a film and video company, Colbourne Productions Limited. He produced training videos and commercials in his new studio. He also got a contract with CBC-TV and went on to produce 72 films for a series he named Newfoundland Outdoors, the first series of television shows ever produced by an independent producer in this province. Lloyd was the producer, writer, director and host of each episode. He also recorded and edited all the sound.
In Newfoundland Outdoors: The Story, Lloyd tells readers about the making of the television series that featured him and his buddy, Bryce, and relates stories, often funny and irreverent, of them as they travelled and filmed the great Newfoundland outdoors. This is the behind the scenes story of their troubles and tribulations and their fun and enjoyment in filming the very popular and well-loved television series. Told by Lloyd in his own unique style, the book is a read you are sure to enjoy.
Here’s an excerpt from Karl’s Bull-Only, Chapter 9: Bryce and I had lots to load aboard before leaving in the morning. First and foremost were our cameras and sound gear. Our camping gear: tent, camp stove and sleeping bags was our hotel away from home and just as cozy. Cooking gear and grub box were already in the back of my vehicle. The last in importance was my .308 Browning and shotgun. I picked up a bear license plus a box of 12-gauge shells for grouse. I was planning a film of me tagging along with Karl as an armed guide. Bryce suggested it was just in case we were charged by a hippo or rhino. There was also a flask of brandy for a highly likely snake bite, also because of a previous heart issue years earlier: Bryce’s daily chest pain that occurred daily around noon. Snake bites, meanwhile, occurred just before bedtime or in his sleeping bag!
