Local
Museum at Risk - they need City Council Support
Meg Hamilton, Secretary to the Council of Heritage Orgizations of Ottawa - CHOO - suggests that individuals support local heritage and our 10 community and city museums for an uncoming vote in mid-July at City Council.
Suggested text for a letter is: Please
sustain Ottawa's Museums by voting in favour of the Museums
Sustainabilty Plan on Wednesday July 13th. I strongly support City
Staff's recommendation of a $2M increase in operating funding for
Ottawa's local museums. I urge you to reduce the implementation
period to three years. Send the note to your councillor and the Mayor
asking for a vote in favour of the Museums Sustainability Plan.
Check the City website for a list of councillors and their contact
information
www.ottawa.ca/city_council/councillors_en.html
Kelvingrove
Refurbishment Appeal - Glasgow
The Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal is a charitable trust established to raise £5 million towards refurbishment of Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. The KRA still has to raise almost £1.5 million towards its target. This is an historic opportunity for art lovers to help transform the legacy of Glasgow's proud past. Gifts of any amount are welcome. In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped to preserve one of Scotland's cultural treasures, all supporters will be permanently recognised within Kelvingrove.
Scottish
Heritage Tour - the Lower Ottawa Valley - a report
L'Orignal,
Carillon, St Andrew's East & Pointe Fortune
By the time Hugh and Frances Reekie arrived at Knox Presbyterian Church, Vankleek Hill, on 9th June 2005, most of the others in the group of 35 had already arrived; there was quite a range of nibbles to eat, provided by the ladies of the church. The tour party included visitors from Hawkesbury, Montreal and rural Quebec. During registration, there was a forewarning that washrooms were hard to find in L'Orignal; this produced quite a lineup before leaving at 10.15 am!! This was after a brief presentation, which was well received, about Knox Church and the early Scots settlers, by Mrs. McCaskill.
We parked on Court St, L'Orignal and had a brief look at the old Courthouse. However the walking tour included an extended stop at St Andrew's United Church, built in 1832 as a Presbyterian Church. The interior had undergone a major refurbishment in 1898, and our host Alan Simpson explained the modifications and history; (your editor has a descriptive text of the details). Some even explored the attic, using the long ladder provided. Hugh MacMillan, an Ottawa historian on the tour, had just received word that we were welcome to take a brief look inside old Duldreggan Hall - originally built by Alexander Grant, a Nor'wester in the fur trade, in 1790. The owner kindly took us into his appropriately furbished dining room and explained some of the building's history; the relevant paragraph from Hugh MacMillan's new book was read out.
This extra actvity made us 40 minutes late for lunch at the Presbyterian Church, St Andrew's East, where a light lunch awaited. Our host Nicole Steimer, with her helpers, produced an excellent meal. Frances Hammond gave a brief history of the Scots settlement of the area, and we had a look at the church sanctuary &endash; many of the features are in the Scots Presbyterian style. A church organist, from south-shore Howick Quebec, who was on the tour with his wife and a friend, was delighted to play the church's Hammond organ. One tune selected was St George's Edinburgh, and those nearby started to sing the hymn Ye gates, lift up your heads on high - including some members, who were outside and singing through an open window! Our organist friend had previously given a similar short organ recital at St. Andrew's, L'Orignal.
Many wandered around part of town; our host at the Anglican Church was Jean-Claude deGuire &endash; the local museum curator &endash; who had his audience transfixed with local stories of intrigue. On the way back to Carillon, all stopped for a brief look at the old Scottish/Irish headstones in the Protestant graveyard; there was a surprise - a piper was playing! The visit to the Argenteuil Regional Museum at Carillon was very informal &endash; wandering around the building and seeing the different thematic displays in the many rooms. Soon after 3 pm we all took the short ferry ride to Pointe Fortune, Quebec; cars were on three separate sailings.
At the Macdonell-Williamson House we were welcomed by host Valerie Verity. A number of volunteers were on hand, and tours of the large old house were arranged in small parties of 8-10; a nice touch. The tea, which included scones with Devon-style double cream, was in the pleasantly refurbished dining room. The illustrated presentation (by yours truly Hugh Reekie) on the Development of Transportation on the Lower Ottawa River 1790 - 1910, was in the upstairs Ballroom; there were a number of questions and comments with personal anecdotes. We were all reminded of the considerable number of voyageurs &endash; many led by Scots in the employ of the North West Company &endash; who had travelled the Ottawa over the years. The politics, finances and logistics of building the first Ottawa River Canal from Grenville to Pointe Fortune were explained in some detail; Bob Leggett wrote an excellent book on the subject.
So it was about 5.45pm when the decisions of "who goes home with whom" were made. Most went on to the Willow Place Inn, Hudson where diners selected from the wide range of choices on the menu. There was no rain the whole day, and people drifted off home from 8pm; there was quite a delay for meal service at one table &endash; a very small blot on what was considered by most to be an excellent day. Next year the tour will probably be in the northern part of Glengarry county &endash; from Maxville to the Quebec border.
Annual
General Meeing & Tartan day Dinner - 8 April 2005
There were over two dozen in attendance for our Tartan Day Supper at Britannia Yacht Club. Our thanks to Lynn Paul for making the arrangements. On display there was a link with the past, with photographs and Scottish items from the Dunlop family &endash; active in the Society in the 1920s. Items included a fine pipe practice chanter and a photo of the St Andrew's Society Pipe Band. Our Annual General Meeting was held after the dinner. The Nominating Committee, headed by Ross McLellan, proposed a slate of persons for the Executive Committee; they were duly elected. They are:
In addition, Honorary positions were appointed:
Local
Highland Games - three this year
The Society had a booth at the Veterans Memorial Highland Games, Spencerville on Saturday 18th June; the Games got off to a good start last year, but attendance seemed lower this year. Many pipe bands were in attendance, and there was a highland dance competition. The Society booth was run by Hugh Reekie and Bob Bhan. We were placed out of the natural traffic flow between events, and had few visitors. The Glengarry Highland Games will be held at Maxville on July 29/30 2005. Tickets are $20 for the Saturday, or $18 if purchased by July 15th. There will be a Friday concert as usual. Details - http://www.glengarryhighlandgames.com/ The North Lanark Higland Games will be held at the N.L.A.S. Fairgrounds, Almonte, Ontario on Saturday August 20, 2005 9am to 6pm. Tractor and straw trailer shuttle from parking lots. http://www.almontehighlandgames.com/ - The Society will have booths at both Maxville and Almonte.
Sunday
Afternoon Lectures return
Your executive has decided to bring back Sunday afternoon lectures, on interesting topics with a Scots flavour. It is planned to have one in October. Admissison will be by ticket &endash; and advanced reservations will be required. More details in the Fall Newsletter, out in September.
Local
books of interest
Local historian Hugh MacMillan has spent many years hearing rumours about, tracking down, getting hold of &endash; and then finding a good home for &endash; papers and documents of historical interest. His book, anecdotal in style, is of interest to local Scots historians. Adventures of a Paper Sleuth is published by Penumbra Pess. Call Hugh for more details and ordering - 613-726-7588. http://www.penumbrapress.com/book.php?id=247
Lucille Campey has spent many hours documenting the Scottish pioneer settlements of Ontario. Her book The Scottish Pioneers of Upper Canada, 1784 - 1855 is published by Natural Heritage Books. Details and ordering - 1-800-725-9982. http://www.naturalheritagebooks.com/bookdescription.php?bookid=314
The
Man from Glengarry a new book
A new book about Ralph Connor - the Man from Glengarry &endash; has recently been published in Winnipeg. It describes the events in and around an historic mansion in the heart of the city. Newly designated as a Building of Historic Significance by the Manitoba Heritage Council, the preservation of the 1914-era house will benefit from the sale of this book. The story of a man who spent his formative years in Glengarry County and then became a famous Winnipeg citizen &endash; in fact one of Canada's first "best seller" authors on the international scene &endash; should be in the public eye once again. The Rev. Charles Gordon (aka "Ralph Connor") was not only an author but also a social activist, a founder of the United Church of Canada and a friend of Prime Ministers (both Canadian and British).
The Ralph Connor novels financed the building of this home. The Rev. Gordon was a Chaplain to the Canadian Forces in WW1. After his death in 1937, the house was saved from demolition by the University Women's Club of Winnipeg. There is something for everyone in this book, no matter where they live &endash; especially those interested in architecture, social history, women's issues &endash; together with stories of laughter mixed with a few tears &endash; in a unique corner of Canada's heritage.
The book, 54 West Gate: Stories of Ralph Connor House spans the years from 1860 to 2004. A truly Canadian story about a magnificent house on the Assiniboine River in a historic neighbourhood &endash; Armstrong's Point, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Published by the "Heritage House Conservation Committee", a non-profit organization. 221 pages, illustrated - $25, s&h $4. For more information (204)954-7880 or email maboul@mts.net or Friends of Ralph Connor House, 54 West Gate, Winnipeg, R3C 2E1.Cheques payable to Friends of Ralph Connor House. See www.uwc-wpg.mb.ca/cfuw
- Extracted from a news release
The
Triumph Tree - Scotland's Earliest
poetry -
Eight hundred years of Alban
poetry in 5 languages
This book brings together the poetry of five lanaguages - Latin, Welsh, Gaelic, Old English and Norse - an accessible, scholarly anthology of translations to form a spectacular window on Scotland's past. Ranging from war to religion, and nature to love, the quality and power of these poems display the riches of a now-vanished world. Alongside such works as The Gododdin and The Dream of the Rood, are poems by and for St Columba, the homesick verse of Gaelic poets on crusade, and many more. Some of these poems have never before been published in translation; poems from the first 800 years of Scotland's literature are here brought together in one volume.
- summarized from the Montreal St Andrew's Society Journal, May 2005.
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