Raymond Eveleigh
Raymond Eveleigh was born in Comfort Cove, NL in 1912. He committed himself to an agricultural life at 18 when he cleared his first piece of land to begin farming. He couldn’t have known that this was the beginning of a legacy which, nine decades later, would be a mainstay in the province.
Triple E Farms, founded by Raymond in 1930, began as a small patch of land in Burn Cove, located 2km from Comfort Cove. Vegetable production was Raymond’s first foray, and his selection and volume grew in the proceeding years. He would eventually add fruit production, and then began raising sheep and cows. The farm supplied local markets in the communities of Twillingate to Lewisporte to Fogo Island. His dedication to quality production would earn the farm a reputation for excellence.
Raymond diversified into fish production, but sold this enterprise and returned to production agriculture. In 1993, Raymond’s son Junior and grandson Dwight partnered to turn the farm from a
10-12 acre production into today’s 115 acre farm. During peak production times, 30 people are employed, and they average 2-2.5 million pounds of product every year. The Eveleigh’s operation is now one of the largest vegetable farms in NL. It carries the logo ‘Pride of the Burn,’ a nod to where Raymond first cleared his patch of land in the cove.
Raymond’s dedication to agriculture extended beyond the farm gate. He was a member of the Association of Rural Development and the Chairman of the Agricultural Society. As a leader in the farming community, he spent many years chairing Agricultural Fairs.8
When not on the farm, Raymond was highly involved in his community. He founded the Comfort Cove-Newstead Boy Scout Troop and volunteered as Scout Master from 1945-1960. His dedication to this organization provided children with exceptional life experiences, and Raymond was recognized with the Medal of Merit from the Boy Scouts of Canada. Raymond served his community of Notre Dame for 13 years as a member of the School Board, and 12 years with the School Tax Authority. He chaired the first public meeting to form the Community Council, and thusly became a member.
Nominated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture for his long-standing commitment to production and community leadership, Raymond Eveleigh is a worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.