|
Marine Heritage volunteers appreciation night |
Heritage To Comment on this article Click Here |
|||
|
Capacity crowd filled Bruce County Museum theatre for volunteer appreciation night
Crowd moves outside to view the newly restored Stokes Bay lighthouse |
||||
|
The Marine Heritage Society held its 'volunteer appreciation night' on Friday, September3rd. The event began at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Southampton where Ken Cassavoy and Mike Sterling gave presentations.
Marine Archeologist, Ken Cassavoy Cassavoy's lecture provided an illustrated update of the work that has been done on the hull of the British warship, the HMS General Hunter, found buried beneath the sand on Southampton Beach. He also explained the Hunter's life, first as a British brig and, later, as a U.S. Army vessel. Its demise at Southampton, in a violent gale in 1816, has created an aura of mystery and new information is still emerging from the ongoing research. The 2007 excavation, in addition to the lifting and moving of an 1870's stone-hooker barge wreck that partially lay over the Hunter's hull, was also explained insofar as it had an impact on the General Hunter. "The entire project was carried out by volunteers," said Cassavoy, "and without them, it never would have happened. Everyone pitched in, young, old and in between. It became a community event where everyday at 4:00 p.m. more than one hundred people would gather around the dig to hear about the day's progress." The Voyage Continues of the General Hunter
Mike Sterling Mike Sterling explained to the audience how the 107 year-old Stokes Bay lighthouse made its way from Stokes Bay on Bruce Peninsula to its final home at the Bruce County Museum. "Thanks to Chris Hughes of Bruce County Tourism," he said, "the lighthouse was saved from demolition and transported to Southampton." Sterling and a cast of volunteers have carefully been restoring it throughout the summer, painstakingly heating and stripping the many layers of paint down to bare wood and then repainting in its traditional lighthouse red and white. The lighthouse now sits at the back of the Museum overlooking Fairy (a.k.a. Little) Lake. Landscaping around the structure is being completed by Ross Dundas and period fencing now encloses the area.
Community Services Director, Mike Myatt (L) and Mike Sterling
Councilor Diane Huber (L) talks with Southampton 'grande dame' Jane Kramer
|
The evening also included entertainment by former Art Gallery Director, Ali Boltman and her husband performing an original composition written by Boltman about Chantry Island.
Ali Boltman performs original 'marine' song accompanied by husband, Leon Rosenbaum After the brief lectures, the entire audience moved into the Marine exhibit section of the Museum and then outside to view the Stokes Bay lighthouse.
As a finale to the 'volunteer appreciation' night, everyone attended a reception at the Boat House in downtown Southampton. Doug Johnson(L) and Deputy Mayor Doug Freiburger (far R) in discussion with George Plant
Connie & Rick Schumaker and Anne Holman (R)
An historical look back at the work done on Chantry Island
|
|||
|
 for
world news,
books, sports, movies ...Monday, September 06, 2010 |
|||
