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Wind Phone Installation Brings Comfort and Connection to the Burin Peninsula
August 20, 2025
Most of us have lost someone dear to us, someone whose voice we long to hear again, have one more conversation with. And while we understand from a place of logic that physically speaking with our loved one is no longer possible, we still long for that connection.
Recently, NL Health Services installed a wind phone on a peaceful path at the Landing Place Pond Trail in Creston South on the Burin Peninsula.
The wind phone at Landing Place Pond Trail
A wind phone is an unconnected phone, placed in a natural outdoor setting, where people can ‘speak’ to loved ones who have passed on by allowing the wind to carry words of love and loss; share memories or unspoken thoughts, or express feelings of grief, longing, or hope.
Mental health promotion coordinator, Denika Ward, was inspired to bring the wind phone project to the Burin Peninsula after learning of similar installations elsewhere in the province.
She felt the project reflected community healing in a way that was innovative, accessible, and grounded in compassion.
“The wind phone offers something deeply personal—an opportunity to grieve and reflect in a safe, natural setting,” she says. “While professional mental health supports are important, the wind phone brings a different kind of healing. Nature-based initiatives like this can offer calm, peace, and a sense of connection that is incredibly meaningful for individuals navigating loss.”
Denika Ward stands next to the phone her husband installed for the community.
With the financial support of the Burin Peninsula Healthcare Foundation and the active role of the Town of Marystown, the project came to fruition with the installation in Creston South. The town even installed an additional phone on the Walk of Hope Trail in Marystown.
There is something spiritual about wind phones for those who experience them. As someone who recently lost their mother, for me, it’s a symbol of a simpler time when the phone was attached to the wall in your house and you simply picked it up and felt the comforting weight of it. That the wind phone is not connected is the part of the freedom that allows the caller to imagine that tangible connection to anywhere and anyone. And that’s the beauty of it.
The symbolism of a wind phone in connecting with loved ones
In addition to the wind phones, residents of the Burin Peninsula have access to several other supports to help navigate grief, loss, and mental health challenges:
Mental Health and Addictions Counselling Services, NL Health Services: 709-279-7900
