Low Down Articles
GVHS Related
Article 32 of 49
This article first appeared in the May 16, 2012 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
o o o
Hills history society hits 50-year mark
Digging through the archives of a 50-year-old Hills gem
by Lucy Scholey
While the federal government slashes its national archives, a group of volunteers steadily works to preserve history here in the Gatineau Hills.
Just contemplate that juxtaposition: jobs and archives with Library and Archives Canada are recent victims of federal budget cuts, while here in the Hills, a few unpaid history and archives enthusiasts work to preserve what's near and dear to so many.
That's the story of Gatineau Valley Historical Society (GVHS): 10 dedicated volunteers quietly working each week to keep history alive. With the GVHS turning 50 this year, there's more desire than ever to preserve the past, according to society president Marc Cockburn.
"I think people move here because they feel the heritage," he said. "The roots are deep."
Volunteers archiving photos for the GVHS might conjure up images of people toiling away in a dark room in the basement of the Chelsea Library. Not so. The office, big enough for two computers, a couple of filing cabinets, a wall lined with books and a table to seat a cozy six people, is open but three days a week or other days by appointment.
On the door, the newly applied "Pat Evans Archives" is fresh for the 50th anniversary. It's a tribute to the man - also a former Low Down columnist who hand-wrote his articles to prevent any editing changes - who started the archives collection.
Just down the hall, filing cabinets stretching 20 metres are filled with more antiquated treasures, like a photo album with "Quilts of the Outaouais" stitched onto its quilted cover or a wooden Wakefield boy scouts logbook dating back to 1955.
It's outside the office where, arguably, the society is best known for its work. They have helped other organizations like the Wakefield Covered Bridge reconstruction initiative, the new historical group Cantley 1889 or the yet-to-open Fairbairn House heritage centre.
Cockburn is quick to stress they are less about advocacy and more about supplying information.
The GVHS has come a long way since its formation in 1962. Back then, a small group of people wanted to reopen the Moorside Tearoom in the Kingsmere Estates, so they created the thennamed Historical Society of the Gatineau. Eventually, they took over responsibility of the Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery and started collecting photos and documents for the archives.
Today, the GVHS schedules monthly public meetings about different historical topics (which can attract as many as 100 people) and dig up photos of old neighbourhoods for new homebuyers curious about their property's history.
Every year, a new issue of Up the Gatineau! - featuring historical stories and anecdotes about the Hills - hits the stands in area outlets and depanneurs.
The society has won numerous awards for its work and Cockburn is convinced the GVHS website is the "most content-rich website of any historical society in Quebec" with about 2,000 pages of information.
Digital archiving is ongoing and outreach to the Francophone community is the next big project for the society.
"A lot of people don't even know that we do this," said Linda Bardell, a nine-year member who manages the society's 7,000-plus image bank. Her own roots run deep in the Gatineau Hills, so she often networks families for old photos worth preserving.
Because people are often emotionally tied to their old family albums, building trust is another largely unrecognized facet of the GVHS role.
Louise Schwartz, a GVHS board member and Low Down history columnist, said the society fills a significant gap in the Hills.
"If we weren't around to collect and preserve history, there would be no one else to fulfill that role," she said
The GVHS is celebrating its 50 year anniversary at its Annual Dinner and Awards Evening, at Camp Fortune on Monday, May 28 at 5:30 p.m. Reserve a spot (before May 23) by contacting Shirley Brown at 819-827-1999 or browncrest@sympatico.ca. Tickets cost $35 per person.
For other information about the GVHS, visit www.gvhs.ca.
