Past Event
2017 Annual Dinner & Awards Evening
Camp Fortune, Chelsea - May 30, 2017
Outside, the thunder rumbled and the rain pelted down, but the storm didn’t keep anyone away from the GVHS’s Annual Dinner May 30th at Camp Fortune. Eighty-four people dined on a tasty buffet in the spacious lodge, transformed into an elegant banquet hall for the occasion (with nary a ski boot in sight!)
Besides being a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends in a relaxed atmosphere, the evening marked the launch of the latest edition of Up The Gatineau!, a compendium of articles published annually that research and recount stories of local history. Louise Schwartz, the editor for the past six years, has produced yet another fascinating edition.
The GVHS also presented a number of awards to outstanding community leaders who have contributed their time and energy in various capacities to the GVHS:
Special Awards
- The annual Arthur Davison Prize (named for an important earlier President) recognizes the best article from the previous year and went to Michael Lait for his outstanding article in Volume 42: A Lake with Two Names: The Harrington Lake (Lac Mousseau) Toponomy Controversy.
- Anyone who’s been part of the GVHS for any length of time knows of the late Carol Martin’s inspiring and unsurpassed commitment to the GVHS (including 21 years as editor of Up the Gatineau!). Her absence was keenly felt at the dinner by those who knew her. A new award in her name and honour, the Carol Martin Award, has been created to recognize a significant, cumulative contribution to Up the Gatineau! over a sustained period and was awarded to Frances Curry, an author, editor, indexer and genealogist with whom Carol worked on earlier issues.
GVHS Awards
- Linda Bardell received an honorary lifetime GVHS membership for her many contributions to the Society;
- Paul Gessell, a retired journalist with the Ottawa Citizen, was given an Award of Honour for his editorial work for several years on Up the Gatineau!
- Awards of Honour also went to Shirley McGlashan and Dave Dunphy who have distributed the Society publications for the past five years;
- Ian Tamblyn was awarded a Certificate of Commendation for spreading the history of the region through his recent series of plays;
- Claude Gervais also received a Certificate of Commendation for his role in sharing the history of Farm Point with the public last year.
A highlight of the evening was the performance given by guest artist Ian Tamblyn. He performed songs from the trilogy of highly entertaining plays he’s written over the last three years; through a series of vignettes, they reflect historical events of the region that have often relied on past editions of Up The Gatineau! for stories and details. His latest work, A Summer...A Fair, is focussed on the Cantley Picnic that took place annually for over 100 years and attracted up to 3,000 people each time. Says Tamblyn, “Nobody knows where it is [referring to how spread out Cantley is], but everyone seemed to know how to get there!” The play tours the region this summer.
In short: a wonderful time was had by all!
