Naomi Gagnon, a Grade 7 pupil at St. George Separate School in Ottawa, was the winner of the City of Ottawa trophy for local history and a $200 prize from the Historical Society of Ottawa at the recent Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair. As well, she received a smaller cup to keep permanently as part of her award from the HSO.
Her winning project at the fair featured handcrafted models of the Rideau Canal locks and gates.
The fair, in its tenth year, was held on April 18 at the Canadian War Museum and attracted some 250 competitors who produced almost 160 exhibits.
The HSO award to Naomi was presented by the Society's president, George Neville.

2011-12 Annual Report

Following are excerpts from the Historical Society of Ottawa's annual report for the past year. The full report has been mailed to members and will be available in printed form at the annual general meeting on May 25, 2012.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

At the Annual General Meeting held on 27 May 2011, the following members were elected to the Board of Directors for the year 2011-2012: Donald Baxter, Edward Bebee, Donald Carrington, Anne Carruthers, Jean L'Espérance, Alan McLay, Dave Mullington, George Neville, Donald Ross, Herbert Sills, and Barbara Whitfield.

At the meeting of the Board in June, the principal officers were reappointed – G. Neville as President, D. Baxter as Secretary, and A. Carruthers as Treasurer. At the same time, the Chairs of Committees were reappointed along with appointment of E. Bebee to Publications and Jean L'Espérance to Library.

The January (Issue No. 131) of The Historical Society of Ottawa News announced the pleasure of the Society's Board of Directors that His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D. Governor General of Canada, had accepted the Society's invitation to continue the tradition of being its Patron for the duration of his term of office.

For the third year running, the HSO Program mini-card booklet listing topics and speakers proved successful in raising awareness of the Society and contributing to well attended sessions for the programs listed below:
Jan. 28 - Barry Padolsky: The Canadian Museum of Nature – Renewal of the Victoria Memorial Treasure
Feb. 25 - Anna Bilsky: A Common Thread – A History of Jews in Ottawa
Mar. 25 - Martha Edmond – The Paradox of Rockcliffe
Apr. 29 - Mike More – The Descendants of Roger Billings of Milton, Mass.
Sep. 30 - Dave Mullington – Charlotte Whitton's Coronation at City Hall
Oct. 28 - Edward Bebee – Lemonade from Lemons: The Rideau Corridor and the Rideau Canal
Nov. 25 - Stuart Rogers – Challenging the Myths Surrounding 1492.

The Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair brings together historical displays prepared by Public and early High School students. This year's event, the ninth, was held on April 20, 2011 and marked the first year of its Official Sponsorship by the HSO. The HSO gave the Fair $1,500.00 in general support of its activities and for the distribution of medallions to each Fair participant, bearing the HSO name, crest, and motto. In addition, the City of Ottawa Cup award and $200.00 from the HSO for the best exhibit was shared between the partners of the winning exhibit. Those winners go on to the Provincial fair. Special coverage was provided in the June HSO Newsletter.

Two well-subscribed bus excursions were organized by George Neville during the year. The June trip (reported in the June 2011 Newsletter) was to Kingston via the Loyalist Parkway to Bath and Adolphustown and included a return visit to the Royal Military College to visit Fort Frederick, missed the previous year, and its Senior Staff Mess. The second trip in October (reported in the January 2012 Newsletter) was to Wilno and its Polish Kashub Heritage Park Museum in the Twp. of Madawaska, representing the communities of Wilno, Barry's Bay, and Combermere. The Board is still seeking a member to serve as Tour Chair, to relieve the President of this involvement, now into its 6th year.

The Society published four issues of the HSO NEWSLETTER during the year, and it is fortunate to have been able to retain Arthur Beaubien for a second year as its volunteer Editor. The Board continues to be pleased by Art's selection of Allegra Printing for its economy, clarity and brightness in photo reproduction.

The publication of three Bytown Pamphlets in 2011 was attended to by Ed Bebee. In October, (Pamphlet No.78) "Bellwood Mobile Home Park: The Struggle for Alternate Housing in an Ottawa Suburb" was Timothy Osborne's 2010 Col. By Essay Award paper in history, prepared for Prof. Bruce Elliott's course on Ottawa neighbourhoods at Carleton University. In December, the slim Pamphlet No. 79, "Windfall: The Badge Story" by Don Carrington featured colour reproduction of the front and back covers as well as the center-fold pages to better convey the intrinsic beauty and nature of selected badges. Also in December, the first of the Walter Jachan Commemorative Pamphlets (No. 80), extracted and formulated by Don Carrington from Recollections (1957) by Lilian Scott Desbarats, was augmented by relevant photos, courtesy of Ed Bebee, HSO Chair of Publications.

The HSO website (hsottawa@ncf.ca) continues to be active and frequently consulted. Past Newsletters and Upcoming Events continued to be posted along with profiles of speaker's topics for the monthly meetings throughout 2011. Our thanks to John Reeder, HSO volunteer webmaster, and Don Ross, web liaison Board member, for keeping the website current and appealing.

Susan Moss continued to be the HSO Outreach Coordinator placing regular notices along with speaker profiles about HSO monthly meetings in Heritage Happenings of the CHOO/COPO website. Susan and George attended to an HSO table with copies of past Newsletters, program cards, membership application forms, and a range of Bytown Pamphlets for sale at four functions in 2011: Heritage Day (Feb.) at City Hall; Gene-O-Rama (1-2 April), sponsored by Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society; Col. By Day (Aug.) alongside the Entrance Locks, and the annual conference (Sept.) of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO), whereby much interest was generated and many new contacts made.

Library located at the Bytown Museum, putting the shelves in order and updating the computer database. During July, a complete inventory check of the Rare Book Collection, located in separate cabinets, was initiated and completed by Grant Vogl (Bytown Museum), Lana Shaw, and Jean L'Espérance, and all was found to be in order. Library Reports were printed in the April and September HSO Newsletters. Selected HSO Art Books were transferred to the Library of the National Gallery of Canada, as was reported in the June issue (No. 133). I am grateful for the dedication and services provided by these volunteer custodians of the Library.

When the new City of Ottawa Archives lifted its ban on receiving acquisitions by early spring (due to the arduous task of transferring from the old to the new premises), HSO volunteer Archivist, Brigitte Pollack, was able to resume her activities in effecting transfer of HSO historical material to the new Archives.
The HSO Board is particularly grateful for the services rendered by the Telephone Committee in reminding members of meetings and related activities.

On 18th May, President Neville attended Fielding Drive Public School to present $100 cheques to each of Brianna Proceviat and Shirin Ali-Rahim, awardees of the City Cup for their joint project, "Breakfast of Heaven, Maple Syrup". (See the June Newsletter.) On 1st June, George Neville attended the Awards Ceremonies at Algonquin College to present a cheque for $500 to Melanie Hugron for her distinction in the Applied Museum Studies program there (Sept. Newsletter for Melanie's student nomination letter). On 20th June, the Board learned that the winner of the 2011 Col. By Award for History at Carleton University was Sanna Guérin for her essay, "For Town, Crown and Country – The History of Cartier Square". Alan McLay, Chair, Awards Committee, attended a reception for the Awardee at Carleton University.

The Society continues to financially support St. Alban's Church in Frant, England, for the maintenance of the gravestone of Lt-Col. By and his family. The annual money order for £200 was sent in December.

Also in December, Honorary member, Ronald Elmer, began to digitally photograph the HSO collection of Past President framed photos. Thanks to Jean L'Espérance, more were found in the Museum attic amid other artefacts, and Ron was able to complete the task by the end of the month, and all originals were prepared for transfer to the City Archives. In addition, Ron was kind enough to scan and digitize a number of Minutes, records, and reports for Jean as she was cataloguing them for the Library and provide copies of all on a DVD. Also in December, the President participated in a Niva Inc. City of Ottawa Archives Strategic Direction and Communications Plan conducted by John Thurston along with David Jeanes, Erin Snow, Linda Hoad, Meg Hamilton and Sean McKenny.

In 2011, the HSO made its fourth donation of $500 to the Bytown Museum towards the audiotaping for Museum tours; the 2012 donation will complete the Society's pledge for this endeavour. An additional $500 was donated to the Museum for its activities, for which the Museum grants free admission to HSO members.

With growing signs of austerity for external funding in 2011, both the City of Ottawa and Province of Ontario grants were reduced to $1,500.00 and $1,159.00, respectively. Donations from members amounted to $775.10, and are much appreciated. The Walter Jachan Commemorative Pamphlet series was begun in 2011 drawing from the Society's current account; however, the $1,000 Jachan bequest will be deposited to the current account in May 2012 on expiry of its currently-invested GIC. The HSO Board is still open to suggestions of worthy projects of special consideration for expenditure of the two remaining legacies - $4,000 from Gordon Cullingham and $3,000 from Vivian Lawrence. Until the capital base of the HSO Research & Development Fund is at least doubled, no payouts can be initiated at the prevailing low interest rate returns without serious erosion of its capital.

The year's activities for the HSO ended with our annual Christmas Luncheon at St. Richard's Anglican Church attended by nearly 50 members and friends. A buffet, full course hot turkey dinner, was prepared by Elsa Beeb and her staff (the 29th consecutive engagement of Beeb's Catering). Unfortunately, the cost per person had to be raised to $25.00 due to rising food costs and appreciative increase in the church rental fee. After the luncheon, we retired to the sanctuary to listen to the Nepean Songsters and participate in varied Seasonal and Advent Choral selections.

I am grateful to all members of the Board of Directors for their loyal support and faithful hard work in advancing the life and functioning of the Historical Society of Ottawa in what proved to be another busy, intensive, and productive 2011.

-- Respectfully submitted by George A. Neville

IN MEMORIUM

The following members died during the 2011 year. Carmen Desbarats , Clare Grandmaison (a past president), Herbert Kelland , Fairlie Sills, Nancy Smith

RARE BOOK COLLECTION

The HSO Rare Book Collection (hereafter referred to simply as the Collection), comprising 258 items securely stored and segregated in two locked cabinets within the Bytown Museum, was thoroughly verified for its content, data listing, and condition last July by an HSO-Museum team (Lana Shaw, Jean L'Epérance, and Grant Vogl);
All items of the Collection remain part of the HSO holdings following the 2006 Bill of Sale between the HSO and the newly constituted and independent Board of Directors for the Bytown Museum save for 38 items therein previously specified by the Bill of Sale for transfer to ownership by the Museum; however, no Museum Board officers signed off the Bill of Sale, and no nominal monetary payment has been received by the HSO from the Bytown Museum as specified in the Bill of Sale;

The crowded conditions of the Bytown Museum, lack of suitable space for examination and study as well as custodial oversight by either Museum or HSO personnel of such precious and often fragile material mitigate against access to the Collection by scholars, researchers, and interested public;

The Chief Archivist, Paul Henry, of the new City of Ottawa Archives has expressed interest and willingness for accession of all and any items of the Collection that the HSO would elect to transfer to its custody for retention within its fireproof vaults under proper ambient conditions of temperature and humidity for longevity of the Collection;

Items of the Collection, if held within the City of Ottawa Archives, could be readily accessed by the public through appointment with its custodial and archival staff, as well as being eligible for restorative care by the in-house resources of the Archives.

Therefore be it resolved by Motion to be put before this 2012 Annual General Meeting that the HSO enter into an agreement with the City of Ottawa Archives to transfer those items of its Rare Book Collection that are acceptable to the Archives under its mandate of operation for retention by the Archives with identification as the HSO Rare Book Collection together with the stipulation and condition that any request by the Bytown Museum for temporary loan of any item(s) from the Collection for exhibit purposes within the Bytown Museum shall be subject to whatever logistical terms the City of Ottawa Archives requires for execution of its custodianship.