The Fabian O’Dea Map Collection on display
(Posted August 9, 2024)
The Fabian O’Dea Map Collection
In 2005, the Centre for Newfoundland Studies received a donation of 99 maps and charts of early Newfoundland and Labrador. The donor, Dr. Fabian O’Dea, had passed away the previous year. He was a well known public figure, former naval officer, one-time French Consul, businessman, barrister, former Lieutenant-Governor (1963-69), Honorary Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, art connoisseur, and scholar.
He started collecting maps of his home island of Newfoundland while serving in the Second World War. While on his leaves in Britain, he would visit shops and purchase maps and charts that caught his interest. Throughout his life, in between the many careers he had, he would find time to not only collect his treasures, but study them and he published a number of articles over the years dealing with cartographic and toponymic history, as well as give presentations.
During the Canadian Association of Geographers Conference being held at Memorial University in August 2024, a number of the O’Dea maps and charts will be on display in the Map Room in the QEII Library – Thursday and Friday, August 15-16 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Please drop in and enjoy these fascinating and wonderful documents.