Our third and final lecture for 2020 will take place this coming Saturday. All are welcome to attend.
Saturday, February 22nd, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Olive Bryenton, Ph.D. – Pioneers in Aging
Olive Bryanton, Ph.D. (Guardian Photo)
Combining her lifelong interest in older adults and lifelong learning, Olive graduated with her PhD in Educational Studies at UPEI in May 2019. Her study topic was “Pioneers in Aging: Women Age 85 and Older Living in Rural Prince Edward Island.” Olive will talk about the 10 women in her study and their experiences and continued contributions to rural communities. Because these women consented to participate in her study knowing they would not be anonymous, she has their permission to make them visible. By telling some of their stories we will learn why we are fortunate to have these “pioneers in aging” living in our communities and how their voices contributed to a new program for older adults living in this province.
Olive Bryanton grew up and spent the early part of her married life in Malpeque and Summerside. She spent most of her life in Hampshire, where she and her husband Harold raised their five children. Olive began her university educational journey as a mature student and continued her studies into older adulthood.
Our lecture series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. This presentation is followed by refreshments. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.
Saturday, February 8th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Gary MacDougall, The News Media: A work in progress
Gary’s talk will touch on a history of the Charlottetown Guardian; the issue of fake news, then and now; and a look at the impact social media plays in our news consumption. Gary will also discuss some of the more unusual questions he fielded during his time serving as managing editor of The Guardian.
Gary MacDougall
Gary MacDougall is a retired P.E.I. journalist. He had a 47-year career in the newspaper industry, with over 20 of those years serving as managing editor of the Charlottetown Guardian. In 2017, he received an Atlantic Canada Journalism Award in the Lifetime Achievement Category. In 2013, MacDougall was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to journalism on Prince Edward Island. He has recently published his second book, “Wayne Gray: A Man of Vision.” His first book, “Forbie,” was published in 2018 and has become an Atlantic Canada best seller. MacDougall and his wife, Ola, live in Cornwall, P.E.I. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.
The 8th Annual Clyde River Lecture Series will begin this Saturday. All are welcome.
Saturday, January 25th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Linda Jean Nicholson – Genealogy and Serendipity: Crossing the pond
Linda Jean Nicholson (Guardian photo)
In September of 2019, Linda Jean travelled to England, Scotland, and Norway on a genealogical research trip. Her plan was to search for distant relatives in dusty archives and ancient cemeteries and, if time allowed, visit some local historical sites. What she also found were lovely people, beautiful scenery, and unexpected connections. Linda Jean will share stories about her trip and the serendipity she experienced while walking where her ancestors once lived.
Linda Jean Nicholson is Executive Director of the PEI Senior Citizens’ Federation and a past President of the PEI Genealogical Society. A certified genealogist, Linda Jean has been doing research for over 40 years and has authored several articles and books on Island history and genealogy. She was born and raised in suburban Boston, but all four of her grandparents originated from Prince Edward Island. She is currently working on her thesis for her Masters of Arts in Island Studies from UPEI on the development of the poor relief system on PEI.
The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.
The Clyde River History Committee is pleased to announce our 8th Annual Clyde River Lecture Series that will begin on Saturday, January 25th. Topics will cover genealogy, news media and aging. Each year, we wonder if we can find yet more topics that connect with current interests, but that’s the interesting thing about history – there are layers upon layers of subjects to pursue. We always keep our ears open for ideas, so feel free to make suggestions for future. When we pick the three topics for a series, we try to pull out an overall theme. This year, as we move into a new decade, these presentations will offer us a chance to reflect on where we come from, how we make sense of the world we live in and how we can grow old well. We welcome you to join us.
Linda Jean Nicholson (Guardian photo)
Saturday, January 25th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Linda Jean Nicholson – Genealogy and Serendipity: Crossing the pond
In September of 2019, Linda Jean travelled to England, Scotland, and Norway on a genealogical research trip. Her plan was to search for distant relatives in dusty archives and ancient cemeteries and, if time allowed, visit some local historical sites. What she also found were lovely people, beautiful scenery, and unexpected connections. Linda Jean will share stories about her trip and the serendipity she experienced while walking where her ancestors once lived.
Linda Jean Nicholson is Executive Director of the PEI Senior Citizens’ Federation and a past President of the PEI Genealogical Society. A certified genealogist, Linda Jean has been doing research for over 40 years and has authored several articles and books on Island history and genealogy. She was born and raised in suburban Boston, but all four of her grandparents originated from Prince Edward Island. She is currently working on her thesis for her Masters of Arts in Island Studies from UPEI on the development of the poor relief system on PEI.
Saturday, February 8th, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Gary MacDougall, The News Media: A work in progress
Gary MacDougall
Gary’s talk will touch on a history of the Charlottetown Guardian; the issue of fake news, then and now; and a look at the impact social media plays in our news consumption. Gary will also discuss some of the more unusual questions he fielded during his time serving as managing editor of The Guardian.
Gary MacDougall is a retired P.E.I. journalist. He had a 47-year career in the newspaper industry, with over 20 of those years serving as managing editor of the Charlottetown Guardian. In 2017, he received an Atlantic Canada Journalism Award in the Lifetime Achievement Category. In 2013, MacDougall was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to journalism on Prince Edward Island. He has recently published his second book, “Wayne Gray: A Man of Vision.” His first book, “Forbie,” was published in 2018 and has become an Atlantic Canada best seller. MacDougall and his wife, Ola, live in Cornwall, P.E.I. They have two sons and four grandchildren.
Saturday, February 22nd, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Olive Bryenton, Ph.D. – Pioneers in Aging
Olive Bryanton, Ph.D. (Guardian Photo)
Combining her lifelong interest in older adults and lifelong learning, Olive graduated with her PhD in Educational Studies at UPEI in May 2019. Her study topic was “Pioneers in Aging: Women Age 85 and Older Living in Rural Prince Edward Island.” Olive will talk about the 10 women in her study and their experiences and continued contributions to rural communities. Because these women consented to participate in her study knowing they would not be anonymous, she has their permission to make them visible. By telling some of their stories we will learn why we are fortunate to have these “pioneers in aging” living in our communities and how their voices contributed to a new program for older adults living in this province.
Olive Bryanton grew up and spent the early part of her married life in Malpeque and Summerside. She spent most of her life in Hampshire, where she and her husband Harold raised their five children. Olive began her university educational journey as a mature student and continued her studies into older adulthood.
The Clyde River Lecture Series takes place at the Riverview Community Centre at 718 Clyde River Road. All presentations will be followed by refreshments and a social time. These events are a great chance to get out in the winter to learn about and discuss our interesting local history. Our museum will be open to view our collection of over 200 artifacts and heritage photos. For more information on this series, please contact Vivian Beer, vivian@eastlink.ca.
Editor’s Note:Here are links to our past 22 lectures:
Flying into PEI on Sunday, Air Canada took a convenient flight path over Clyde River, so I took full advantage by capturing some shots of the community’s latest aerial view that feature the new bypass highway. Click to enlarge photos.
The following story appeared on CBC Prince Edward Island site on November 11th. We have reprinted it here with their permission. We are pleased to feature this story of Jean MacLean who lived for many years in Clyde River and now lives in Meadowbank but stays very involved in our community activities. We look forward to reading the published book in 2020.
Author Katherine Dewar and Jean MacLean look through a photo album to stir memories. (Isabella Zavarise/CBC)
A P.E.I. author has been collecting the untold stories of Canadian women who served in the Second World War.
Katherine Dewar began working on her latest book about two years ago. While the book is still a work in progress, Dewar hopes it will preserve the legacies of the many women who were part of the war effort.
“They’ve got absolutely amazing stories, these women, and they’re all so brave, they’re all so laid-back,” Dewar said.
“I guess I know why they lived to 95 and 97. Nothing seemed to bother them. They took it in stride.”
The stories include women rescued from the Mediterranean Sea after their ship was sunk by torpedoes and women who served on the battlefields of Europe.
Among the stories Dewar has collected is that of Jean MacLean, who served in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS or commonly referred to as “Wrens”) in Halifax.
MacLean, now 95, told Dewar she liked the camaraderie with her fellow Wrens. There were some women whose mothers had done everything for them, even washing their stockings. MacLean said the war taught them to be self-sufficient.
MacLean said her time in the military made her become used to what was available. She said they were given orders and did what they were told. When the war ended and women returned to civilian life, MacLean said it impacted how they were able to live their lives.
“They were just so used to someone telling them what to do,” MacLean said.
After meeting her husband while stationed in Halifax, MacLean moved to the island in 1945.
Jean and husband Harvey on their wedding day in Halifax. (Submitted by Katherine Dewar)
“I wasn’t used to anything with boats or fishing, or anything like that,” said MacLean, who grew up in Ontario and has lived in Meadowbank, P.E.I., since leaving the war.
Her Wrens uniform is on display in a museum in Kensington, P.E.I.
Dewar said the stories in her book have a common theme of women who weren’t afraid of adventure and didn’t seem to be rattled by what was going on around them.
One Island woman told her about living in military barracks where 60 women shared one bathroom. She said the woman told her she thought it was “paradise” because it had running water, power, a telephone and a washing machine.
“She had come from rural P.E.I. where they never had any of those things, so she thought life was good,” Dewar said.
When she began her research, Dewar was in contact with 17 women ranging in age between 95 and 104. While working on the book, she said nine have died.
Of 11 women she interviewed, she said four had boyfriends that were killed during wartime.
“Some of these stories are very, very sad, too,” Dewar said.
She hopes to have the book ready for publishing sometime in 2020.
Dewar has written other books, including Those Splendid Girls and Called to Serve: Georgina Pope, Canadian Military Nursing Heroine.
Many of you will recall last year we featured 32 transcribed letters from The Great War that former Clyde River resident Lee Grant Darrach (1882-1953) wrote to his brother in Boston. Further to publishing these documents, Alan Buchanan was engaged to read each of the letters which was recorded by Perry Williams, Virtual Studios Creative Digital Media. These recordings certainly bring to life the gripping reality of the War that Lee experienced. To listen to Alan’s reading of each of the letters, click here or on the photo, scroll down and click play on each of the 32 audio files appearing just underneath each title. You can read along as you listen. We commemorate Remembrance Day 2019 by sharing these audio letters. This project was managed and supported by the Clyde River History Committee. We once again thank the Darrach family for sharing these letters.
If you know of a senior in Clyde River or connected to the community who does not have internet access, offer to print out articles for them to read. Also invite their ideas for future stories.
Our third and final lecture for 2020 will take place this coming Saturday. All are welcome to attend.
