Workshop - Collecting Oral Histories around Anniversaries and Milestone events. Nov 9, Corner Brook.

“Collecting Oral Histories around Anniversaries and Milestone events: Digital collection methods of the stories and descriptions of artifacts in collections.”

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2016; 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Location: Corner Brook, NL. Venue to be determined.

Collecting the oral history of an artifact is an important part of collections management. When people assemble at anniversaries and millstone event exhibitions opportunities to collect information on collections are created, and museums should be prepared to use these interactions with the public to collect and enhance collections records. The stories of veterans and people associated with artifacts should be properly recorded.

This workshop will provide information on the proper recording methods for oral history in museum settings. These histories will enable participants to enhance artifact records by recording stories on digital media. Participants will learn proper methods for digitizing audio and video recordings including the use of electronic devices, recording best practices and proper methods of digital storage. These recordings maybe used to enhance the display of artifacts.

Instructor for the Workshop: Dale Jarvis, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
Enrolment Limits: Maximum of 20
Registration fees: $85 for MANL members, $110 for non-members
Registration Deadline: November 1, 2016

To register, contact Museums Association of NL 

Living Heritage Podcast Ep058 Tomboy Survival Guide

Ivan Coyote is the award-winning author of ten books, the creator of four short films, and has released three albums that combine storytelling with music. Ivan is a seasoned stage performer and long-time road dog, and over the last eighteen years has become an audience favourite at storytelling, writer's, film, poetry, and folk music festivals from Anchorage to Amsterdam. Ivan's 11th book, Tomboy Survival Guide, was released in the fall of 2016 with Arsenal Pulp Press. In this podcast, we discuss the writing process, performing, Ivan’s new book Tomboy Survival Guide, trans and queer stories shared after Ivan’s performances, and their latest projects.

Listen on the Digital Archive:
http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/693/rec/1

Photo courtesy www.ivancoyote.com   

Announcing the 12th Annual Heritage Places Poster Contest!

The 2016-2017 school year marks the 12th year of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Heritage Places Poster Contest.

In every community across Newfoundland and Labrador there are buildings, structures and lands that hold historical significance. They represent our past and need to be protected for our future. Talk to your students about these special places in their community and ask what they mean to them. Students are asked to create a poster themed after an existing heritage place (demolished buildings or recently constructed buildings will not be considered). They must also prepare a short written statement explaining the importance of their chosen place. Suggested lengths for this statement are as follows:

Primary (K-grade 3): 1-2 sentences Elementary (grades 4-6): 3-5 sentences
Junior High (grades 7-9): 1-2 paragraphs Senior High (grades 10-12): 2 paragraphs or up to a page

In addition to student prizes, the overall winner’s school will receive $750 and the three runners- up’s schools will receive $300 each.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Andrea O’Brien at 1-888-739-1892.

Our website www.heritagefoundation.ca and our Facebook page @heritagefoundationnl are both great resources for students.

Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 - Heritage Skills

Heather Elliott (Youth Ambassador and Wooden Boat Board Member) and Crystal Braye (Wooden Boat Museum Folklorist).

Last week the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 which was a three day event focused on the celebration and use of wooden boats and traditional skills. There were speakers from across the world – Basque Country, Connecticut, New York, Washington, Scotland, Nova Scotia, and many parts of Newfoundland. The speakers focused on different elements of wooden boats and gave presentations on how reconstructed wooden boats can celebrate the past and renew interest an interest in maritime heritage, how wooden boats can be used in experiential learning and in tourism, and how wooden boats can be used to teach youth new skills they can use in many aspects of their lives.

Aside from the presentations about wooden boats there were also musicians who performed, and facilitators who moderated working groups to develop new ideas on how the Wooden Boat Museum should develop over the next few years. The highlight of Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 was the Heritage Skills Challenge in which participants, and youth volunteers learned how to use a variety of tradition tools and skills which would be used in building boats and fishing. The event took place in Petty Harbour and was organised in partnership with Fishing for Success. Here is a selection of photos from the event!

Terra Barrett of the Heritage Foundation learning how to knit nets.

Ema Kirbirkstis (Youth Ambassador) casting a net.

Facing off in the adze challenge.

Wooden Boat Museum Board Member Frank French and Eileen Matthews of Heritage New Perlican working together on the double ended saw.

Adam Green of Rock the Boat and Youth Ambassador Emma Lang face off in the splitting fish challenge.

Evelyn Ansel explaining how caulk a boat with oakum.

Youth Ambassador Lisa Daly tying a withe (wiff).

Rowing competition.

Which skill is your favourite? What would you like to learn?

~Terra Barrett

Living Heritage Podcast Ep057 The Wren Boys of Dingle

Aoife Granville is from Dingle, Co. Kerry (Ireland). A flute player, fiddler and traditional singer, she completed a PhD thesis in 2012 entitled at University College Cork entitled "We never died a winter yet" The Sráid Eoin Wrenboys of Dingle: Music, Community and Identity. Aoife has held lectureship posts in Music at UCC and Newcastle University (UK) and is currently working at the Folklore department at UCC. She has released two solo albums to date and is working on an Arts Council of Ireland funded project on traditional songs of The Schools Collection (Irish Folklore Commission) at present.

In this podcast, we talk about Dingle, growing up within a musical tradition, fife and drum groups, calendar customs, the routes taken by wren groups on St. Stephen’s day, parades, disguises, traditional tunes, straw hats, and the evolution of wren traditions in Ireland and Newfoundland!

Listen on the Digital Archive:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/694/rec/1

Photo courtesy Aoife Granville/Facebook

A Life-Changing Experience: Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers Booklet Launch

Lossie Trask, Linda Furey, Marie Ryall, Ruby Hann, Terra Barrett, Dale Jarvis, and Mayor Dennis O'Keefe at the booklet launch. 

On Tuesday the Heritage Foundation and the City of St. John’s Community Services Department launched the booklet A Life-Changing Experience: Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers. The booklet launch took place in the Foran Green Room of City Hall at the Council Meeting. The five volunteers who were interviewed for the booklet came out and were treated to some snacks before being invited into the Council Meeting where the booklet and the women were recognized.

A Life-Changing Experience: Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers is the first booklet in the Collective Memories Series produced by the Heritage Foundation. This booklet focuses on the experience of five City of St. John’s volunteers and their reflections and advice on volunteering in the community. The bulk of the work for this project was completed by Conservation Corps summer student Sarah Hannon who completed interviews, transcribed, and edited the booklet.

The volunteer booklet is part of the foundation’s Collective Memories Project. This project is an initiative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, with funding provided by the Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development. The Collective Memories Project invites seniors to record their stories and memories for sharing.

If you want to learn more you can head to collections.mun.ca to hear the full interviews or you can check out PDF here!

~Terra Barrett

Audio notes from the Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 Conference

Last week, the Wooden Boat Museum of NL hosted "Wooden Boat Heritage 2016." Heritage Foundation of NL staff and volunteers with Youth Heritage NL helped moderate a morning session on the final day where a series of questions were asked to participants.  They were asked:

• What experiences could I create in my community? 
• What resources and assets related to boats and boatbuilding reside in my community? 
• Who has the necessary knowledge and skills? 
• What skills, training, or assistance do you need to pull this off? What help do you need?

After an hour of discussion, each table reported back on the exciting and inspiring things they heard. Listen to the results here:

Booklet Launch - Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers

City of St. John's Volunteers and Heritage Foundation employees.

Booklet Launch - Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers
The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the City of St. John’s Community Services Department present a booklet launch at the Public Council Meeting in the Foran Green Room, St. John’s City Hall on Tuesday October 11, 2016 from 4:30-5:00pm.

A Life-Changing Experience: Memories of City of St. John’s Volunteers is the first booklet in the Collective Memories Series produced by the Heritage Foundation. This booklet focuses on the experience of five City of St. John’s volunteers and their reflections and advice on volunteering in the community.

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the City of St. John’s volunteers, and to learn from their experience,” says the foundation’s folklorist Dale Jarvis. “If you are interested in learning more about volunteering this booklet is a wonderful little resource.”

The volunteer booklet is part of the foundation’s Collective Memories Project. This project is an initiative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, with funding provided by the Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development. The Collective Memories Project invites seniors to record their stories and memories for sharing.

The booklet launch is open to the public and there will be copies of the booklet available at the launch as well as a PDF version which will be placed online. For more information on the booklet launch or for information on how your community can get involved with the Collective Memories Project please go to www.collectivememories.ca or call Terra Barrett at 1-888-739-1892 ext. 5.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep056 Nurturing Tomorrow’s Cultural Custodians

Sarah Wade has worked for the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) since June 2011. Prior to working at MANL, Sarah attended Memorial University of Newfoundland where she received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Archaeology and History in 2009. Sarah also obtained an Honours Diploma in Advanced Museum Studies from Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario in June 2011. Sarah is also an active member with Youth Heritage Newfoundland Labrador, a group that works to create a network for youth and heritage professionals within the province.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, Sarah talks about how young people can start to develop a career in heritage through education and volunteerism, the importance of employers developing meaningful internship opportunities, networking, the role and mission of Youth Heritage NL the youth mentorship speed-dating model, how institutions can better utilize the skills of youth, social media, and workshop opportunities.

Listen on the Digital Archive:
http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/698/rec/1

Folklorists Dale Jarvis and Kristin Catherwood on the SaskScapes Podcast

I'm just back from a great two-week trip to Saskatchewan, teaching workshops and giving lectures on intangible cultural heritage.

While there, Kevin Power of SaskScapes Podcast interviewed me and folklorist Kristin Catherwood about our work, and you can listen to us here!

Living Heritage Podcast Ep055 Secrets of a Hooker

Ruth has been a mat maker since 1995. She works primarily with wool yarn to create mats which capture Newfoundland and Labrador past and present especially as it relates to her connections to places throughout the province. Though her works vary in size, Ruth particularly likes large scale mats. Some of her larger pieces include Portugal Cove c1920, Quidi Vidi c1900, the Battery c1960 as well as modern day Quirpon and Fortune. Her works have been exhibited at the Battle Harbour National Historic Site of Canada, the Arts and Letters Competition, the Bonavista North Museum Gallery, the Kildevil Fair and Auntie Crae’s. Ruth and her work have also appeared in a Parks Canada promotional video. Her works hang in private collections across Canada. She has taught mat making for the Provincial Museum, the provincial Youth Heritage Forum and to private students.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, Ruth talks with folklorist Dale Jarvis about her introduction to mat making, explains the process being making a hooked mat and the materials involved, different styles of designs, the role of place, family, memory and history in her work, and the differences between hooked and poked mats, with some comments on braided mats.

Listen on the Digital Archive:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/697/rec/1

Department of Folklore Field School Presentation - Work in Cupids

In the second week of September Dale, Heather, and I spent several days in Cupids with the new folklore students. Each year Memorial University's Department of Folklore holds an intensive three-week field school for the incoming MA and PhD students to focus on fieldwork techniques. This year the students were in the community of Cupids, Conception Bay North and they focused on occupational or workplace folklore.

Dale describing good interview techniques.

During the students' first week in Cupids, Dale spent two days teaching them interview techniques, showing them the basics of working with recording equipment, and doing a staged interview. I also gave a short presentation with suggestions of how to use the material collected in oral history interviews for blogs, articles, audio and video clips, booklets, etc.

Gerard and Emma taking field notes during the Targa Newfoundland Races.

Heather and I also joined the students in class to learn more about fieldwork techniques and how to take better field notes with folklorist Bonnie Sunstein. Bonnie teaches nonfiction writing and ethnographic research at the University of Iowa and gave the students a presentation on how to take field notes and how to work with the field notes taken to produce a piece of data that can be used in future writing. She stressed the need to be descriptive and suggested the students do double entry notes - using one side to describe the situation and the other to describe their feelings and reactions to the situation.

After the students classes in research, writing, and field techniques they went out into the field and conducted their own interviews and research. This Thursday September 29 the students will be presenting their research results to the community. This event is open to the public and everyone is invited to come out and learn more about work in Cupids!

~Terra Barrett

The City of St. John's Volunteers: Lossie Trask

Lossie Trask was born and raised in Port Blandford. She moved to Grand Falls at age 15, where she met her husband and started a family. Eventually they moved to St. John’s for work, where they lived together until her husband passed away. Shortly thereafter, Lossie began to receive brochures in the mail to volunteer for Senior’s Outreach. At first, she wasn’t sure.

“I said “I don’t want to do that!” But my daughter kept pushing me, and she said “Come on, let’s go!” So she got me out and before I knew it I was in it. And I never stopped.”

“It’ll maybe make your life a bit longer by being out around people. You almost have a lighter step. You feel good, you go into your house that you spend many days in, and you feel better about coming in and looking at your surroundings. I do, I know I did, because there was a time when I came in and said ‘I don’t want to be here’.”

Lossie is an upbeat, open person; it is hard to imagine her any other way. It is clear that she is the type of person to make the most of every day, and that she believes in the power of volunteering.

The Folklore of Corn Dollies with Donna Thompson. #FolkloreThursday

I am currently in southern Saskatchewan, teaching a series of intangible cultural heritage workshops with my colleague Kristin Catherwood for the Museums Association of Saskatchewan.

Earlier this week, we were in the community of Indian Head, teaching a two day workshop, and we were fortunate enough to have tradition bearer Donna Thompson as a participant, who talked to us about the tradition of English Corn Dollies, and then gave us a demonstration of how to weave a corn dolly using wheat straw.

Here, Donna talks about the folklore behind the craft, and tells the story of the spirt in the grain field.

Living Heritage Podcast Ep054 Memory Maps

Marlene Creates is an environmental artist and poet who lives in Portugal Cove. Underlying all her work is an interest in place—not as a geographical location but a process that involves memory, multiple narratives, ecology, and language. Her work has been presented in over 350 exhibitions and screenings both across Canada and internationally, and is in many public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, folklorist Dale Jarvis sits down with Marlene to discuss how she got her start in art, how she found herself in Newfoundland, her work in Newfoundland and Labrador on place, the importance of place, several recent projects including her memory maps and important place awards, and her new book “Brickle, Nish, and Knobbly: A Newfoundland Treasury of Terms for Ice and Snow”.

Listen on the Digital Archive:
http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/686/rec/1

#CollectiveMemories - Main Street Memories

Stewart's. Photo courtesy of Carmel Barry.

Yesterday morning started with a chat with Carmel Barry about Stewart’s store on Main Street in Windsor. Carmel worked with George Stewart for 47 years. She spent one year working part time and another full time on the floor packing shelves and doing whatever needed to be done but most of the time she spent in the office doing the bookwork. Carmel vividly remembered the money system that was in place in the store which allowed money to traverse the store from the office to the cash. She also remembered the wood stove that heated the store and how George would head in to the store before the staff and have the fire burning so it would be nice and toasty when they arrived. Carmel clearly loved the store, the work, and the staff and she exclaimed that she would still be working there today if she could. Unfortunately George Stewart died in 20008 and the old store was torn down a couple of years ago.

In the afternoon we had two interviews. One was with Boyd Cohen whose family moved from the Ukraine and Poland. His grandfather moved from what is now the Ukraine to London, England in the 1890s to work for a clothing company. Between the years 1904 and 1906 Simon Cohen, Boyd’s grandfather, moved to Newfoundland to work for a Newfoundland Clothing Company which was being established by a firm out of England. Following the First World War the family moved to Grand Falls-Windsor and opened a general store. This store sold “anything from hardware and nails to ladies hats”. Boyd also discussed the move from Main Street in Windsor to High Street in Grand Falls and how he got into the furniture business and into real estate.

Cohen's bus.  Photo courtesy of Boyd Cohen.

One memory Boyd shared was of the bus his father ran between High Street, Grand Falls and Main Street, Windsor between 1928 and the mid 1930s. Listen to the clip below.
Our next interview was with Mary Kelly. She discussed growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor and spending time on Main Street, Windsor. Mary had many fond memories of Riff’s where her aunt Helen Kelly worked for years and years. She described going to the store and the magic of Main Street in Windsor. Mary fondly remembered the generosity of the Riff family and how they sent Christmas cards to the family long after her aunt had passed away. She described how after one of Riff’s buying trips to Montreal her family would eat bagels for weeks which were brought back from Montreal from Mr. Riff.

Riff's Christmas party. Helen Kelly and Marie Penney. Photo courtesy of Mary Kelly.

Listen to Mary’s memories of Main Street in Windsor.

Here Mary describes going into Riff’s on Main Street.
Let us know your memories of Main Street, Windsor! Email terra@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-739-1892.

~Terra Barrett

Collective Memories Grand Falls-Windsor - Sealing Sweep

Harry Pinsent

I’m spending this week in Grand Falls-Windsor talking to folks about their memories of Main Street in Windsor and merchants such as Becker’s, Chow’s, Cohen’s, Hiscock’s, Munch’s, Riff’s, Stewart’s, and many more who started shops and businesses in the area. The Heritage Foundation is working with the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society to gather and learn more information on Windsor as the society has a large number of interviews focused on Grand Falls, the company and the mill.

Yesterday afternoon Audrey Burke and I had the pleasure of talking with 93 year old Harry Pinsent about his life and his memories of growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor. Harry had vivid memories of growing up in the community and has certainly seen the town change over the years. Harry grew up in a family of six including his only surviving sibling Gordon Pinsent. Harry described going to school in Grand Falls-Windsor and the joy of being able to wear jeans in the summer instead of the shorts required for the school uniforms!

Harry's equipment for his work as an electrician.

Once Harry finished school he worked for the mill briefly before signing up and flying overseas with the RAF during the Second World War. When he returned to Grand Falls-Windsor Harry worked as an electrician with the mill until he retired at the age of 65. Harry married and together with his wife raised a family of fifteen. Harry described some of the shops on Main Street in Windsor and High Street in Grand Falls. He also had memories of leisure activities such as dances, picnics, and going to the movies.

Harry's mother Flossie is in the centre of this picnic.

One story which stood out during the interview was Harry’s description of the Sealing Sweep. Harry remembered the Methodist Church on the West End of Gilbert Street where movies were shown while the new town hall in Grand Falls-Windsor was being built. He saw the first “talkies” or talking pictures at the church. Harry explained that bingo was also played in this church however you couldn’t play for money. In the sound clip below Harry explains the only gambling allowed in the town – the Sealing Sweep.
Do you remember the Sealing Sweep? Or do your recall memories of shopping or working on Main Street? Let us know in the comments or email terra@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-739-1892.

~Terra Barrett

The City of St. John's Volunteers: Marie Ryall

Marie Ryall with her volunteer awards. Photo taken by Terra Barrett.

Marie Ryall grew up in the West end of St. John’s. Her daughter, Rhonda, lives in Nova Scotia with her husband. They have three children, and Marie is now the proud great grandma of four.

Marie considers her life in two stages: before and after the accident. In 1990, she was in a head-on collision while driving to Nova Scotia to visit her daughter for Christmas:

“It was a life-changing experience. After the accident my marriage broke up, and that’s when I started to live for myself.”

For Marie, living for herself meant a chance to help others. “Because I was so lucky that I had lived, I wanted to get into volunteering with those who are less fortunate than me and who experienced likewise. I just want to be part of a team that’s out there helping others. You know, and it gives me a sense of purpose. As I said, it’s a two way street. You help someone, you’ll get it back millions of times over.”

During Marie’s working years, she collected for the Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation and was team captain of the Arthritis Society in her area. After she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia she helped to launch a support group for sufferers of the disease. She continues to volunteer at the Miller Center Veteran’s Pavilion, has been volunteering at the Agnes Pratt Nursing Home since 2001, and is an active member of the City of St. John’s Senior’s Outreach Program. Once a year, she helps out with the Children’s Wish Foundation.

”When I look back over the years and realize how many new friends I’ve made through volunteering, and the events that I’ve experienced getting involved with them and their families, it gives me such a very, very gratifying feeling. My motto is that by helping others you help yourself.”

Living Heritage Podcast Ep053 On the road

Andrea McGuire is completing her MA degree in Folklore at Memorial University. She is currently in the throes of writing her master’s thesis on hitchhiking traditions in Newfoundland and Cape Breton. In her thesis, she is looking at how trust, in its many variations, influences the way hitchhiking is practiced, and the way hitchhiking stories are told.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we discuss why Andrea chose hitchhiking for her thesis, how she conducted her research, the difference between short and long distance hitchhiking, how gender effects hitchhiking, the stories people tell and the techniques they use, the brief history of hitchhiking in Newfoundland, and examples of the hitchhiking stories she has heard.

Listen on the Digital Archive:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/691/rec/1

The City of St. John's Volunteers: Ruby Hann

Ruby Hann with her Volunteer Award. Photo taken by Terra Barrett.

Ruby Hann was born and raisedin downtown St. John’s. She is a mother of three and a proud grandmother of many.

Ruby began volunteering at the Miller Center at the Senior’s Resource Center when she retired about thirty years ago. She has always had a great deal of respect for seniors.

One woman in particular has been an inspiration for Ruby: Ivy, another senior volunteer, who had a massive stroke which left her paralyzed on one side and unable to speak. According to Ruby, Ivy came back to the Senior’s Resource Center dances and began learning to speak again.

When Ruby is at home, her door is always open. “They know here if my door is closed I’m either gone out, or I’m having a shower, or I’m having a nap.” She is well-known at Kenny’s Park Apartments, where she has sometimes been mistaken for the building superintendent because of her helpful nature and involvement with the community.

As for aging, Ruby embraces her life as an older person: “I’m a very happy senior, and I’m very proud that I’m a senior, actually. People say ‘how old are you?’ and I say ‘I’m eighty!’ Ah! ‘You’re not eighty!’ Yes I am, unless they made a mistake on my birth certificate! But that’s me.”

“I feel for other people - differently. You know, I have always sympathized with people but now I can see. Me being a senior, I can see.”

Heritage Update - New Perlican, Windsor, Champney's West & Fisheries Heritage

In the September issue of the Heritage Update: we have news on heritage programs in the town of New Perlican; an update on the architectural history work we are doing on the Salvation Army Citadel in Elliston; a report on the wreck of the Hazel Pearl in Champney's West; we announce our planned oral history fieldwork in Windsor; and we are looking for communities interested in documenting their fisheries heritage and fixing up old fishing stages (with a $10,000 grant to support restoration).

Download the pdf here

Contributors: Andrea O'Brien, Michael Philpott, Terra Barrett and Heather Elliott.

Looking for a past issue of the Update? They are all online as part of Memorial University's Digital Archives Initiative. You can browse through them here. 

Living Heritage Podcast Ep052 What is a Planner?

Ken O'Brien is the Chief Municipal Planner for the City of St. John's, involved with land-use planning, rezonings, heritage planning and environmental planning. He graduated from MUN in 1986 with a B.A. in Religious Studies and a minor in Math (having tried Engineering first), then attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, graduating with a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning in 1991. He likes history and old buildings and is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

In this week's episode of the Living Heritage Podcast, we discuss what a land use planner does and what they study, the importance of the social history of buildings, his work with the city of St. John’s, changes in the past 20 years, the benefits of heritage regulations, St. John’s storm doors, the Atlantic Planners Institute and the Planners’ Plate series, how community members can get involved with planning, mapping community assets, the oddities of downtown St. John’s, and growing up in Georgestown.

Listen on the Digital Archive:
http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/690/rec/1

The City of St. John's Volunteers: Linda Furey

Linda Furey. Photo taken by Terra Barrett.

Linda Furey was born in Torbay and attributes her interest in community work to her family. According to Linda, her mother was always involved in the neighbourhood and local churches:

“Mom always had a houseful. On the weekends the women would all get together and we all had to do our share of whatever had to be done. I used to help out with the churches when they’d have a dinner on. I was about 18 when I started.”

Helping out really does seem to run in Linda’s family. Her volunteer initiative has been an inspiration for her grandson, who, like her, has learned the importance of showing respect through service to others.

“My grandson will help anybody. He helped out when they had the parade on Armistice Day - there was a man trying to get into the church, and because that man couldn’t get up over the steps he went over and said ‘Use me as a walker.’ He’s 15 now, and he comes and spends the weekend with me.”

“Since I moved in here I’ve been pretty active, I haven’t stopped. I like the mingling with people. I like company. I’d have a houseful if I could! I like the fun and the enjoyment of it all. Especially the dinners and that, I’m amazed, how they all jump up to dance as soon as the music starts!”

Request For Proposals (RFP) - Municipal Museum Plan & Heritage Evaluation

The Town of Torbay is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to identify qualified consulting firms to examine and present recommendations on the future of the Torbay municipal museum.

The Town seeks a firm with specific past experience in the research, preparation and delivery of reports for municipal museums, and cultural or heritage focused organizations.

Copies of the RFP and all inquiries relating to it, can be requested from the Town by emailing bparsons@torbay.ca.

Contract award is dependent on government funding approval.

Proposals will be accepted up until 12:00pm (NST) Friday September 30, 2016 and must be mailed in marked “Attn: Municipal Museum Plan & Heritage Evaluation” to the following address:

Town of Torbay
1288 Torbay Road
PO Box 1160
Torbay, NL
A1K 1K4

Living Heritage Podcast Ep051 Archiving the Arts

Colleen Quigley holds a Masters degree specializing in Archives from University of Toronto and is Acting Head of Archives and Special Collections at Memorial Libraries. Her primary responsibilities include managing the vast treasures of the division’s Performing Arts Collection, which included North America’s largest online performing arts poster collection. In addition to archival work Colleen is also a trained dancer, with a degree from York University, who performs and choreographs regularly.

On this week's episode of the Living Heritage Podcast we discuss how Colleen started working with archives, her work with ANLA and a dance think tank which moved Colleen into the archives world, her work with the Archives and Special Collections at Memorial University including their poster collection, the STAGE project, and some of Colleen’s favourite collections.

Listen on the Digital Archive:

http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/ich_oral/id/688/rec/1

Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 is Looking for Youth Ambassadors!

Are you a youth? Do you enjoy heritage? Education? Working within your community?

We have the perfect opportunity for you!

The Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador is hosting Wooden Boat Heritage 2016 from October 4th-6th in St. John's and Petty Harbour, and we're looking for volunteers! You'll be Team Leaders during the Heritage Skills Challenge, moderators during brainstorming sessions and, of course, active participants throughout the whole conference. We want your voices to be part of the conversation!

We are looking for people who can commit to both Wednesday, October 5th, and Thursday, October 6th, and who are available for the full day. Volunteers will have free registration to the conference.

If you're interested, please click here to learn more and register!

Looking forward to seeing you at this unique conference. It promises to be an exciting time!

The City of St. John's Volunteers: Kat de Metz

Kat de Metz volunteering with one of the horses

Originally from Newfoundland, Kat de Metz is an animal lover who grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She credits her family for instilling in her the desire to care for creatures big and small.

“I think I was born into it. My grandmother Metz and Uncle Ed homesteaded in Alberta, where she was in charge of the two big draft horses. I look like her and I’m petite and strong also. I’ve never had a fear of animals, only respect.”

Kat told us all about her experiences caring for animals in B.C. She has rehabilitated family pets, livestock, and wild animals alike. Her wards have included everything from cats and dogs to horses, toads, and birds of all kinds. She told us what it was like to work with raccoons:

“They’ve got little, almost human-like hands with little opposable thumbs, and they are quite grabby! They’re very intelligent, and we had double locked entrances, because if they saw how you got in they would know how to get in and get out - they’re very smart! They would remember it and go ‘Ah, I can do that!’ Little hands, you know…”

Kat is presently working on a related novel, The Dragon of Tessier Place. It’s a story about Peter Easton, a certain dragon, and modern day domestic violence.