Presidents Message
The Dog Days of Summer have come and gone all too quickly! As we head into the fall season I reflect back on the busy time the Old Sydney Society has had in 2010. After a relatively quiet winter, the spring brought with it the urgency of one of the oldest houses in Sydmey- the fire damaged house at 96/98 Charlotte Street. Action taken by the society along with the Heritage Revolving Fund to acquire and stabilize the building with the approval of the Municipal Council seemed all in order when the whole situation changed literally overnight. The purchase of the building by a private citizen has once again put the old building at risk of demolition. The society is doing all it can yo preserve this heritage building. Stay tuned for further developments. Thanks to all for their help and dedication in this matter.
The cruise ship season started early this year, in April, with several visits from ships carrying mostly European passengers from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Historic walks and museum visits are always a challenge with these groups, with translators from the cruise lines providing assistance to our volunteers and staff. The summer season was very slow, but with the onset of fall and the season's spectacular colours, the cruise ships returned and we experienced a very busy September and October. Thanks to all for participating.
Ghost walks in Wednesdays during the summer have once again been well received. The Lyceum is hosting a display on the history of Sydney Harbour chock full of information on the old wharfs, ferry services, shipping, historic battles, etc.. If you haven't seen this wonderful exhibit, I highly recommend bringing your friends and family to visit. You'll be so glad you did.
Thanks to all the summer students for their hard work on behalf of the society! All the best for a new school year full of delightful experiences and useful education. Maybe we will see some of you back next summer?
Well, here's looking forward to a fall and winter season filled with new and renewed challenges for the OSS. Best wishes and thanks to all!
Don Ward, President
Wi-Fi Project Update
Next Season, cruise ship passengers will be able to refer to their handheld mobile devices for more information on the sights and sites of the historic North End. In October, the OSS installed a pilot program giving people access to information about the
North End’s historic sites and buildings on their smart devices, and also brought St. Patrick’s on-line, allowing events there to be webcast, as at the CBCHS. More applications and content are to be added continually in coming years, potentially even live digital tours. The wi-fi project aims to help our museums keep pace with changes in technology, and to encourage new audiences to explore Sydney’s oldest neighborhood.
Update From the Museum Committee
The new committee formed in April and May of this year, and was composed of Charles MacKenzie (Chair), Genevieve Paquette (Secretary), Vanessa Childs-Rolls, Ken and Eleanor Lynds, Pauline Thomson, Donnie Ward and Peyton Chisholm (the last two ex officio). Vanessa Childs-Rolls has now taken over the position of chairperson. Since then, the committee has met 4 times and has had a very active agenda, with a comprehensive exhibit plan that is scheduled until 2013. In addition to an exhibit on childhood in 2011 and one on local flora and fauna in 2013, Old Sydney has been cooperating with the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Parish in Whitney Pier on an exhibit that will showcase the Ukrainian community of Cape Breton and their rich cultural history and will be held in the Lyceum in 2012. The Committee is also planning a special exhibit for Remembrance Day 2010 to celebrate the centennial of Canada’s navy. Details will be forthcoming, but the exhibit will be larger than previous years, and there will be an excellent opening reception. If any members have items which they would like to contribute to the Remembrance Day exhibit, please contact Peyton or Elaine at 539-1572.
Members are invited to visit Saint Patrick’s Church Museum this coming fall. The second floor of the museum is undergoing a change in exhibit, and will soon feature an exhibit on the role of religious orders in education in Sydney, with photos and artefacts on display. Also, the church bell which came into our possession a few years ago has been moved to a new stand which allows visitors to ring the bell. The summer staff have also done an excellent job maintaining the church and planting flowers in the front. There are several other ideas afoot, including the return of Old Sydney Society’s Heritage Teas and a special Christmas event in 2010. If anybody has ideas for future exhibits or events, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear from you!
-Charles MacKenzie, former Museum Committee Chair
Old Sydney Autumn Lecture Series/Upcoming Events
October 28:
Vanessa Childs-Rolls, "Who Cares? Industrial Health at the Sydney Steel Plant, 1900-1950." 7:30 PM at the CBCHS
November 25:
Ken Donovan, "Imposing Discipline on Nature: Gardens, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Cape Breton1713-1758." 7:30 PM at the CBCHS
November 4:
The OSS will be holding its annual volunteer appreciation party at 7:30 PM, November 4, at the CBCHS, 225 George St. All are welcome.
Cape Breton Naturalists Society News
Autumn Schedule 2010
7:00 PM Wed. October 13
7:00 PM Wed. November 10
7:00 PM Wed. December 10
All topics and speakers to be announced.
Meetings begin at 7:30 pm at the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science, the Lyceum 225 George Street Sydney.
Summer Workers
The OSS has had the good fortune this year to be able to hire 6 summer students. They have brought with them enthusiasm and fresh thinking, and have accomplished a great deal during the summer, from painting the Cossit fence and planting flowers at St. Pat’s to making strides in organizing the collections’ room. Our Action Week activities and their success were thanks to the efforts of these hard-working students. Storytelling at
Cossit House was well attended, with local children being entertained with fairy tales. A Victorian Paper Cutting Session also brought more visitors to Cossit and St. Patrick’s
(where it was held due to inclement weather), giving people a chance to try the art form. The Scavenger Hunt brought attention to all of the Old Sydney Society sites and monuments. At least 28 local residents participated in the event.
The ever-popular Ghost Tours have been guided in large part by the students, too, with more people taking the tour than last year. The summer students have also worked
tirelessly at the Lyceum, working both with the public and in the collections room, making great strides in cataloguing the artifact backlog.
To learn more about the young people who have done so much for our organization this summer, check out the special supplementary newsletter put out by the students themselves.
Getting to Know: Vanessa Childs-Rolls
Hailing from Scarborough, Ontario, Vanessa Childs-Rolls is vice-president and acting museums committee chair. Read on to get to know more about her:
Favourite Book: Jeanette Walls: Glass Castle
Favourite Movie: Serenity
Favourite Music: Sarah McLachlin. Spelled totally wrong. I also LOVE J.B. McLauchlin. True Story.
Pet Peeve: Teeth grinding.
Favourite Historical Period: They are all pretty cool.
Favourite subject to research: Women's history.
Favourite Quote: Procrastinate now, don't put it off.
What are your goals as vice-president? To take over the WORLD. Mawahahaha. Kidding. To ensure that the Society is ready to move into
the future and that means ensuring that the population takes an active interest in their own history. And this includes not just a history of place, but also a history of its people. SOCIAL HISTORY RULES!!!
If you had unlimited resources, what’s one thing you would want to do with/for the OSS?
Obviously, I would take over the world, but in reality I think that I would build a massive cultural centre for the island. It would have a restaurant that serves traditional dishes, an art gallery, a museum, and various performance spaces. This would be great in the Holy Angels Convent building.
Vanessa has lived in almost every province, but settled right here in the North End, where she met her husband and started her family (“Owen is awesome”). She has worked on the Northend Heritage district by-laws. Her credentials include having attended both UNB and McMaster. She is currently finishing her Ph.D in History at Memorial University and writing on her thesis, the history of industrial medicine at the Sydney Steel Plant. If anyone knows anything about the steel plant hospital or the
Mutual Benefit Society she would love to hear from you!
Meet the New Board of Directors
In April of 2010, a new board of directors was elected. They are:
President: Donald Ward,Vice President/Museum Committee Chair: Vanessa Childs-Rolls, Robert Morgan: Secretary, Rick Farmer: Treasurer, Frances Alteen, Pauline Thomson, Donald Rowe, Tom Urbaniak, Norman MacDonald, Steven Lane and Marion Peach (CBRM)
Recent Changes
The Old Sydney Society would like to thank Charles MacKenzie for his hard work and time as the chairman of the Museums Committee. Charles will soon be off to London, Ontario to pursue new job prospects before returning to school to work on his PhD. We would like to wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
The role of chairperson has been by the Vice President of the society, Vanessa Childs-Rolls. In the first days of her change in position, Vanessa has already made a move to make our collections more accessible to the public, creating a Facebook page for our photographs. Visitors to the page will be able to view the photos and add their own comments, possibly identifying persons or situations that were otherwise unknown to us. If you would like to have a look, search “Old Sydney Society” on Facebook.
To view archived newsletters, refer to the sub menu to the left.