Avon River Heritage Society
  • About
    • Avon River Heritage Society
    • Artifacts & Archives
    • The Avon River
    • Meet the People in our Neighbourhood >
      • Dawn Allen, August 21st, 2020
      • Sara Beanlands, July 22nd, 2021
      • Carolyn Connors, July 30th, 2020
      • Carolyn Connors, July 21st, 2021
      • Louis Countinho, August 13th, 2020
      • Sean Countinho, January 13th, 2021
      • Eva Evans, July 24th, 2020
      • Elizabeth Ferguson, July 27th, 2020
      • Nicholas Hughes, August 6th, 2020
      • Olwynn Hughes, August 11th, 2020
      • Kim Lake, January 18th & 21st, 2021
      • Trudy Lake, March 13th, 2022
      • Raymond Parker, August 12th, 2020
      • Raymond Parker, July 7th, 2021
      • Zacchary Paul, August 21st, 2021
      • Tacha Reed, August 27th, 2020
      • Allen Shaw, January 18th, 2021
      • Carolyn vanGurp, July 16th, 2020
      • Abraham Zebian, August 24th, 2020
    • Avondale Walking Tour
    • Fundraising
    • Book an Appointment
  • History
    • Natural History >
      • Highest Tides in the World
      • Tidal Bore
      • Avon Peninsula Ecology
      • Birds of the Avon
      • Marine and Freshwater Species of the Avon
      • Karst Environment
      • Gypsum
      • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society >
        • Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society, Interview with President, Raymond Parker
    • Mi'kmaq >
      • Mi'kmaq Birch Bark Canoes
      • Mi'kmaq of the Avon River >
        • Treaty Truckhouse 2 & Zacchary Paul
    • The Coming of the Europeans
    • The North American Colonies
    • Acadians >
      • Pisiquit
      • Acadians of the Avon River
      • Village Thibodeau (Poplar Grove)
      • Acadian Families After Expulsion
    • New England Planters >
      • New England Planters in Avondale >
        • Genealogy
        • James and Lydia Mosher
    • Loyalist
    • African Nova Scotians
    • Local Home Histories >
      • 28 Chip Hill Road
      • 51 Avondale Road
      • 38 Avondale Road: The Clifford Mosher House
      • 58 Avondale Road
      • 60 Avondale Cross Road
      • 71 Avondale Road: The John A. Harvie House
      • 354 Belmont Road: The Yellow House
      • 603 Belmont Road: Wallace Point
      • 801 Avondale Road
      • The Acadia House
      • The Avondale Church
      • The Avondale Parsonage
      • The Church Farm
      • The Fred Robart House
      • The Henry Lyon House
      • The House Across From The Church
      • The John E.F. Mosher House
      • The Knowles Homestead
      • The Mounce Mansions >
        • Captain George R. Mounce House
        • The Thomas A. Mounce House (Honeymoon House) >
          • Interior of the Honeymoon House
      • The Mrs. Dunham Hotel
      • The Old Newton Mosher House
      • The Old Stone House >
        • The Mystery of the Fieldstone House
      • The Roley Mosher House
      • The W.H. Mosher House
    • The Avondale School
    • Golden Age of Sail >
      • The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Sail in Newport
      • The Mosher Shipyards
      • Sailing Ships, Sugar, and Salt
      • Vessels of the Avon River
      • Shipbuilding Process
      • Shipbuilding Tools
      • Ship Directories
      • The Avon Spirit
      • Kings Wharf
      • The Hamburg >
        • Obituary Capt. Andrew B. Coldwell
        • The Hamburg and Alice Coalfleet’s Diary
      • Captain George Richard Mounce Sr
      • Annie Armstrong Mounce Correspondence 1875-1892
      • Captain Daniel William Dexter & The Emma Payzant >
        • Captain Daniel William Dexter and Family, Interview with Debbie Siler, July 21st, 2021
        • Diary of Sarah Dexter, 1892-1893
      • The Rotundus
    • Avondale Wharf & The Landing
    • Community Orchard
    • Edmund McCarthy
  • Arts & Culture
    • The Great Little Art Show >
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2021 - Artwork
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artists
      • Great Little Art Show 2022 - Artwork
    • Artists Landing Art Gallery
    • Open Studio at the Museum
    • Full Circle Festival >
      • Sofa Sundays
      • Solstice Market
    • Artisans in Action >
      • Artist in Residence 2022
      • Paint Avondale
    • Avondale Wharf Day
    • Honey Harvest Festival
    • Yoga, Meditation, Free Writing Series
    • Lyrics & Letters Concert/Workshop
  • Events Calendar
  • Planters Sea Chest Gift Shop
  • Lydia and Sally Cafe
  • Rentals
  • Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
  • How to find us!

Meet the People in our Neighbourhood


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Sean Countinho,  January 13th,  2021

Tacha Reed: What was your introduction to Avondale?

Sean Coutinho: So the first time I came to Avondale I was doing the due diligence, we knew the business (Avondale Sky Winery) was up for sale, so we came to check out the winery and have a pleasant drive going through the windy roads. It was the middle of summer, so it was July, it was absolutely gorgeous and I had a friend visiting from Germany. We had gone to Three Pools, and did a little bit of a jumping around in the water and then came over here and had supper and it was awesome. It was a good time. So yeah, we actually drove down to the water too and looked off of the dock by the museum, it’s a gorgeous area.

TR: Beforehand, did you have any experience working in a restaurant or vineyard?

SC: Oh, well, not really, not a whole lot. I worked at the Keg for a little bit, so I have some experience with backhouse. My first job ever, besides goalie coaching, was washing dishes at Smitty's, so I was a dishwasher, but that was obviously quite miserable. All the egg and everything you had to clean. But yeah, so I worked as a dishwasher, a host, a little bit of a server role as well, but nothing like this, where all of a sudden I’m running the kitchen side of things and the winery. Just before we bought the business, during the due diligence phase, I did a sommelier course, an introductory sommelier course, so that's where I learned a lot about the wine making and different wines and our region and that kind of stuff.

TR: So now that you've been in operation a full year, I know this year was not a typical year seeing that it was a pandemic, but you know kind of what the business is now, what do you envision doing in the future? Do you have any big bright things you want to reveal? (laughter)

SC: Ah, so many, so many, (laughter) a long list. Yeah, there's lots more we want to do with the community, which is awesome. We did the garlic weekends five times last summer, which was great that we were able to do that. We'd love to do more of that and maybe just do markets every weekend. When it comes to summer time I would love to have a food truck party. A couple food truck parties during the summer. I think that's awesome, I always loved it in Halifax, so I think that would be a good draw. Lots of food, which is always a good time. But no, I've got lots of big plans, like I'd love to have a community rink in the backyard. I'd love to have some chalets and some things for people to stay over after any kind of celebration. There's lots in my head, but it's all a long-term plan.

TR: So being that you basically consider yourself a city boy, now that you've been in the country for almost a year or so, what is the biggest challenge that you've found?

SC: I find it sad that there's no delivery.

TR: Food delivery?

SC: Like I lived on Barrington Street before I lived here, so it's a complete 180 living downtown Barrington Street, Halifax to the valley. There I could look outside on my deck and I could see more people in one minute than I see pass by the winery in a full day. So getting used to that's a little different and just, yeah all the food that I could get delivered, or if I wanted to do anything and I was feeling a little anxious I could meet up with friends no problem or just go out and I'm sure I'd run into somebody. So I think that's part of it, just like if I want to have a couple beer and then just go home, it's not as easy (laughter). Everything is a bit of a distance and I’m used to just being able to walk everywhere and not have to worry about driving. I think that's part of it, getting used to that, but other than that I love the country.

TR: So I guess the other side of that is, now that you've lived in the country is there something that you feel like you can’t give up now, that you didn't really realize you were missing in the city and now you can't live without it? Or are you not there yet?

SC: I think I'm getting there, like I’ve got some of the toys. I'm like, if I'm going to be in the country, I'm going to live a bit of the country lifestyle. So I got myself a telescope, which you've seen. Being able to look at the stars anytime is amazing, and really the lack of light pollution is beautiful, and then having like a little mini bike so I can rip up and around, I couldn't do that... and the best part of all, we're getting a dog this weekend. I was never able to have a dog in the city. An apartment is just too small, you need land and now there's lots of room for a puppy to run around, so very excited. In three days we get a puppy. That’s some things I don't think I could do in the city. TR: Is there a boat in your future? (laughter)

SC: Ah, maybe. I'm used to boating, my buddies in the city all sail. We would normally be, if it's not a crazy summer where I'm working like I'm now, I'd be out on the water 2 - 3 times a week. So I definitely miss getting out on the water and sailing. I don't think you can really sail out here, it's probably more of a motorboat sort of spot, but you never know. We'll see. I'd be up for it and I know it would be a good easy way to get my friends to come visit me to go for a rip on the water, they're pumped to come do that.

TR: So the one question we always ask is what do you love the most about Avondale so far?

SC: What do I love the most? There's lots, honestly I guess it's just the impression I think that I had and how much it's... I was like I'm going to be in the middle of nowhere and I'm not going to have any friends around and I just assume people are going to be older and it's going to be kind of like one of those kind of dying communities and it really isn't at all, it's so lively around here. As soon as I met Ryan (Beecroft) from down the road, he was at the winery and he told me about some of the fun things that happen, the Friday nights by the wharf, and ping pong and all these awesome things, like I played hockey back in the day too, so there’s good pickup. So yeah I just found that it's pretty awesome for all the kind of stuff that I love to do and the people that I like to be around, it's really easy. It’s easy in this area for sure.
Avon River Heritage Society Museum, 17 Belmont Road, Avondale/Newport Landing, Hants County, Nova Scotia, B0N 2A0
Email us at infoavonriver@gmail.com
Telephone us, May through October, at (902) 757-1718