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f' Page 8_______ BOOK REVIEW Background for Our Feature Presentation Reported On Page 6. WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY May 1994 LIFE IN A FISHBOWL Confessions of an Aquarium Director Murray A. Newman Douglas & McIntyre, 1994 $29.95 Plus Tax Generally following the chronological development of the Aquarium, the narrative is filled with lively vignettes surrounding the efforts of the many people involved in bringing this organization from its humble beginnings to what it is today. Newman highlights the many individuals who played such a large part in this development. His comments and background information, often humorous and sometimes provocative, regarding the major events in^^lving the Aquarium provide a perspective that was largely lacking in the media accounts at the time. Hfound surprising, the large part that so many of the Aquarium’s patrons exerted on its development, both financial and inspirational. In these days of government directed and supported institutions it is refreshing to read of the success of such an independent Not-for-Profit organization as the Vancouver Public Aquarium, ‘Life in a Fishbowl’ is available at all major book stores. It will be on the shelves of the West Vancouver Memorial Library by the time you read this; 17 copies are on order by the Vancouver Public Library System but have not yet been recieved. NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES - Continued from Page 5 Guidelines were laid down, the most important of which was that in order to become aNational Historic Site the property under question .... must have an intrinsic value and must also have a meaningful effect on a larger historical content For a time buildings were being removed and re-erected on different sites so that villages or towns could be reconstmcted. Nowadays buildings tend to be preserved in situ and a body called Heritage Canada is the final authority. National Historic Sites can be many things, ranging from ancient Indian burial grounds; a Norse settlement; various forts (like Fort Garry near Winnipeg, Fort Langley in the Fraser Valley or Fort Rodd Hill outside Esquimalt); to routes (like the Klondyke Gold Rush); buildings in Dawson City; Robert Services cabin (which has been beautifully restored); blacksmiths shops and foundries and a good number of canals! There is also a Canadian Heritage Rivers System which includes five designated rivers within National Parks. AU seven Provinces and the Territories are covered by this body and as of January 1990 no fewer than eighteen rivers were protected under its auspices. All in all, thanks to organisations like our West Vancouver Historical Society, we are now doing a much better job of preserving parts of our history for our descendants. By: Anne Vernon THE MUSEUM STORY - Continued from Page 7 While all this delay was undoubtedly an aggravation to many, it was very much in the West Vancouver tradition. Remember that the Memorial Library's first building was funded entirely by donations and that was after a long campaign which included door-to-door canvassing! Nonetheless, the museum will be open on July 1 and for this we are thankful. However the municipal budget could not cover such things as furnishings, display cases, computers, photocopiers and the like. Here again we find an act of public spirited generosity. Mrs. Kay Meek, who has underwritten many major West Vancouver projects (and avoids publicity no matter how well deserved), came to the rescue with a donation to the Society of such a size that it has paid for all the display cases, chairs, and counters that you will see this July 1 (and some you won't see, too). This magnificent gift has meant that Gertrude's house could be furnished as we believe she would have liked it. In this day and age no office is complete without computers. The Society undertook to equip both the museum and the archives with a modem computer system. Through donations from members, corporations and friends the Society had amassed part of the sum required. However it was another community spirited organization which came to the fore and provided the majority of the money needed. The West Vancouver Foundation, of which regretfully not nearly enough is known by our residents, provided the $6600 necessary to complete the project, and to them we are grateful. The Society has given the museum and archives an assortment of tables, chairs, cabinets etc, which it has collected over the years in anticipation, and also an archival class photocopier and other equipment which had been purchased previously with $13,000 donated by the West Vancouver Rotaract Club - which, in case you may not have heard of it before, is the youth wing of our friends the Rotary Club. The Gertmde Lawson House that you will see on (and after) July 1, its furnishings, equipment and displays, is West Vancouver's cultural gem, and it is there for all to enjoy because a few people had a dream fourteen years ago and over the decade of the 1980's they, and others who came to share it, persisted and gave generously because they believed. ^ ^ i ^ Entrance to Getrude Lawson House