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Page 4 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY September 1994 SOCIETY NEWS â€" Current Affairs and News of General Interest to Members EDITORIAL COMMENT I SPECIAL EVENTS ACTIVITIES A CHANGE IN EDITORIAL STAFF We are pleased to welcome Barbara Johnson to our Newsletter team. She will be taking over as Contributions Editor from Pat Wallace who joined the present group in January of 1993. She has found that her increasing obligations to the Breast Cancer Society are restricting the time and effort that she can devote to History-onics. She promises to continue contributing articles as her time permits. I know that you all join me in thanking her for her efforts on our behalf Barbara Johnson is a founding member of our Society and, together with her husband Harold, has been active since day one. They are probably best known for looking after the refreshments at our General Meetings. After many years of devoted effort they are turning this chore over to others. Barbara has been a lifetime resident of West Vancouver and has contributed many fine articles to History-onics. With her wide circle of friends and her pleasant outgoing manner she will be a tremendous asset to our group. By way of introduction she has prepared the following item. NEVER IN OUR WILDEST DREAMS....................... By: Barbara Johnson, Contributions Editor As I listened to the Museum opening ceremonies my mind went back fifteen years to a time when a group of interested citizens of West Vancouver sat around a table at Pauline Johnson School with Bemie Holt, our Society’s first President I was fortunate to be one of those who gathered to discuss their dream of a Historical Society for the preservation of West Vancouver’s past Our dream became reality when our Society was registered in July 1980 and in March 1983 when Volume 1, Issue 1 of History-onics was published. Some of the first meetings of our Society were real Show-and-TeU sessions, with each member eager to tell of his or her memories of early West Vancouver. Growth in those early days seemed slow. In our wildest dreams we couldn’t have foreseen the recent acceleration in progress, culminating in the opening of our beautiful Gertrude Lawson House. Every member of our Society has to be bursting with pride; a rich payment indeed for those many hours, days, weeks and years of dedicated effort As Contributions Editor, I want to take an active part in the preservation of our past but I need your help. Please send me your contributions. Think back to those early Show-and-Tell meetings and send me your memories of the early days. I know you love to tell those stories and so many of our members would love to share them... COMMUNITY DAY, JUNE 5,1994 Comment most heard - “This is the first time it has rained on Community Day in 12 years’’. Our DISPLAY was once again in the Music Room of the Seniors Centre at the Recreational Centre. The rain brought many of the exhibitors inside, so we had crowded noisy hallways for a while. However,itdidaddtothefestivemood. The rain letup early in the afternoon, so all in all we had a good attendance. The picture panels were some old and some new, featuring some early families and how things have changed over the years. Many thanks for helping to set-up and pack-up to Ted Meglaughlin, Mary Chapman, Hugh Johnston, and Peter HalL To the docents, who are always ready with all the answers, Mary Chapman, Joan Skipper, Eleanor Hamilton, Edith Hawirko, Pam Dewdney and Effie Sutherland. To Byron Briton for his time and efforts involved in being our Parade entry. To Bas Collins for the parade video. I thank you and the Society thanks you! The Parade began with an early downpour, which disappointed but didn’t discourage the participants who carried on, though the crowd was thinner than usual. The Parade Marshall, Bas Collins, set the right mood with a smile and a wave that seemed to stop the rain. Our entry in the Parade was Byron Briton in his Heritage Packard, though he had hoped to use the 1911 Overland open car. Unfortunately the enclosed Packard sometimes shielded our 1943 May Queen, Dawn (Smith) Langley, from view but we did however see that “regal” wave, and waved back from our display area. We hoped that Dawn could visit the display, but she had to return to work. We all thank you Dawn and appreciate your taking the time to be our May Queen of the Day! CANADA DAY/MUSEUM OPENING A Special “Thank You” to the Historical Society Members who donated their time and efforts on this special day: Jack Leyland, a Past President of the Society, was presented a Certificate of Appreciation by Mayor Mark Sager, thanking him and the Society members for their contribution to the the restoration of Gertrude Lawson House. Bjron Briton, who arranged the parade of Heritage cars for the VIP’s and Elders. Eleanor Hamilton, who greeted guests. Waring Pentland, who video filmed the ceremonies. Bas Collins, who loaned some display items and costumes, and who also video filmed the activities of the day. Peter Finch, who with me took part in the ceremonies. Curator Jacquie Gijssen, Archivist, Christina Andrews and their assistants, whose boundless energy put it aU together And especially to Cathy Matheson and her Canada Day Committee, who together with many volunteers too numerous to mention, are to be congratulated on producing a very successful event By: Laureen Jones - Director, Special Events