January 24, 2024
Hello Members and Friends,
Not too late I think to wish you all a Happy New Year! Our year started off with the news of the passing of Al Donnelly – it was shock as I had visited him before Christmas in Boundary Hospital. I know we all extend our heartfelt sympathies to all of Al’s family and friends. Al had stories ready for Report #19 and we are hoping that with the help of his friend, Barry Noll, that we might yet recover them. Al’s eyes lit up when I asked him for permission to reprint two of his books “Greenwood – Heritage Comes Alive” and “Stories from Boundary Creek.” Al was keen on having our Historical Society reprint them and we are looking into the possibility.
At our January meeting we discussed a memorial for Al. We have decided to hold one in conjunction with our Annual Picnic in August. We are planning on a bench dedicated to Al – nothing ostentatious as Al would not appreciate that – and it will be placed in front of the Jewel Lake cabin. We will be getting help with the bench from the Boundary Woodworkers’ Guild. I will let you know closer to the date more about our plans. Hope we will have lots of sharing of memories of Al.
Our January meeting was held on a very snowy day but just about everyone made it out. We discussed our Annual Luncheon. I am including an invitation with this newsletter. Our Luncheon celebrates the anniversary of our incorporation as a Society. We are a bit off on the month – we were incorporated on January 29, 1951 but February sees Heritage Week and the celebration of history in BC, so it seems like the perfect time to celebrate with our luncheon. We will hold the luncheon at New Century Restaurant on Sunday, February 25th – 11:30 – 2 p.m. Meet and greet and membership renewal from 11:30 to 12:00 and then lunch will be served buffet style. Lana Rodlie – history buff, journalist, and author of “Keepers of the Garden” has consented to be our guest speaker. Hope many of you will consider attending – cost per person is $30.00 – cash or cheque.
At our meeting, Bob McTavish showed us the cement crosses and Malcolm Anderson’s headstone that the Boundary Woodworkers’ Guild are constructing for the Upper Phoenix Cemetery. They will also be building small picket fences to encircle the crosses and headstone. We want the Upper to resemble the Lower cemetery as it really is just one cemetery. Plans are being formulated for a small kiosk to be built next winter for the Upper. Jo Ann and I drove up to the Guild’s meeting room in much better weather the following Saturday and presented the Woodworkers with a cheque for $1500.
We had an enquiry from Greenwood City Hall about the possibility of burials at the Phoenix Cemetery. We informed them it is a closed cemetery.
We are considering the possibility of hosting the BC Historical Federation’s convention in 2025. Joan and Cher are looking into possible venues and Joan has invited Jon Bartlett from the Federation to attend our Luncheon so that we can learn more about our responsibilities. Jon and his wife, Rika, are history buffs and they managed the convention in Princeton with aplomb.
Time to send out membership renewals – at our January meeting we had 120 members paid up and 3 Life members. I renewed our BC Historical Federation membership but ran into a little glitch and so now we have a 2-year membership with a big annotation on my calendar to not renew until 2026!
Our next regular meeting is on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 1 p.m. at the Boundary Woodworkers Guild meeting room. We are so very thankful for all the support they offer us – including free meeting space!!
In history,
Doreen Sorensen
Secretary
A couple of pictures of our friend, Al.
Cementery Stair Repairs September 27, 2020 with Al Donnelly
Al Donnelly at 2019 Boundary Historical Society
Leave a Reply