Beaubears Island Speaker Series Wrap Up
The Friends of Beaubears Island would like to extend its thanks for all who made our Speaker Series so very successful over the course of the last month. Thanks to Todd Fitzpatrick and Nelson Rural School, for their gracious offer to host our guests and presenters, and to Bradley Russell, who facilitated access to the presentations for some of our patrons. To the presenters themselves, Marjorie Sinclair, Tony VanBuskirk, Manford Wasson, Cyril Donahue, Barry MacKenzie, Neil Wallace, and Tim Humes, our gratitude for volunteering your time and offering your talent through your engaging presentations. Finally, we very much appreciate the support given to us by the community, which surpassed all of our expectations. Whether you joined us for all the presentations, or only one, we are much obliged to you for your encouragement.
That Miramichi has a rich and vibrant past is no secret, but if the past month has shown us anything it is that by exploring that past we not only find compelling stories, but we build stronger connections with our community and one another. Each evening, as the speaker concluded, a lively, and much more informal, discussion would commence, as people reacted to what had been heard and offered their own commentary on how it spoke to their experience. Stories were often exchanged and frequently the speakers themselves walked away with new information to add to their research.
Events will continue throughout 2016 to mark the 150th anniversary of Beaubears Island’s final days of shipbuilding. More details about our next experience, a play about the life of the Island’s final shipbuilder John Harley, will be released very soon. Yet, such was the triumph of the Speaker Series, that there exists little doubt it will be presented again, with new stories to tell, in the future.
Giv’er Miramichi is about “What’s up, what’s new, what’s happening”. We are focused on building people up, supporting one another and celebrating our successes.