A quarterly newsletter with updates on museum going-ons and history tidbits!
New Exhibit
To stay up to date, follow us @qathetMuseum on Spirit of Powell River - 2 New Museum Manager- 4 Virtual Exhibit Spotlight - 6 Featured Books & Merch - 7
Poem from the Archives - 8 Forestry Museum- 9 Upcoming at qMAS - 10
This summer, the museum is proud to present Gathering in Song: International Choral qatᶿaymɩxʷ Throughout the Decades, a new exhibit celebrating the 20th International Choral Kathaumixw (qatᶿaymɩxʷ) Festival. On display from July 2 to August 31, 2025, the exhibit features a rich collection of festival programs and archival films on loan from the Powell River Academy of Music, offering a look back to the festival’s beginnings in 1984. Learn more about Kathaumixw in our Virtual Exhibit Spotlight on page four.
The Spirit of Powll River
by Devan Gillard
Photo of a Tiger Moth Based on CASPIR the one bought by the Powell River Company was No 4054; this one is 4064 | 1987.30.161
The Fundraiser
In the summer of 1940, the citizens of Powell River launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to support the war effort their goal: to purchase a de Havilland Canada DH-82 Tiger Moth trainer aircraft. The idea had taken root in Vancouver, where residents were raising money with the goal to buy ten training planes for the Royal Canadian Air Force.[1]
Inspired by this initiative, the Powell River Company quickly stepped in. In June 1940, they purchased a Tiger Moth for $8,000 and donated it to the government.[2]
Motivated by the company, the residents of Powell River decided to start their own campaign in July. They named their plane the Spirit of Powell River.[3] Fundraising efforts began with enthusiasm. In just six weeks, the town had reached its goal of $8,000 a considerable achievement during wartime.[4] By October 1940, the Spirit of Powell River was already in active service, helping train new Canadian pilots.[5]
Their Fate
When the war ended in 1945, the secretary of the newly established Powell River Flying Club was asked to write a letter to the government asking for the return of the Spirit of Powell River so it could be repurposed.[7] However, neither of the planes donated the one from the Powell River Company or the one funded by the residents ever returned home.
Thanks to records from the Canadian Aircraft Serials Personnel Information Resource (CASPIR), we know that the Powell River Company’s aircraft, Serial No. 4054 was “Struck off Strength to War Assets for sale” in January 1945. It was sold to an unknown buyer.[8]
As for The Spirit of Powell River, identified as Serial No. 4076, it was withdrawn from active inventory in 1944 and repurposed for spare parts. Eventually, it was disposed of by guillotine, a common practice for aircraft deemed beyond further use.[9]
While the planes themselves may be gone, the story of Powell River’s wartime generosity and the community’s commitment to the greater cause lives on in memory and history.
4 1940 th
Sources
[1] Powell River News, June 27 1940 th
[2] Powell River Company Digester, August 1940
[3] Powell River Company Digester, August 1940
[4] Powell River News, August 26 1940 th
[5] Powell River Company Digester, August 1940
[6] Powell River News, Nov. 8 1945 th
[7] Museum, Canadian Warplane Heritage. “De Havilland Moth, Tiger.”
CASPIR Serial Search, caspir.warplane.com/aircraft/serialsearch/aircraft-no/200001626. Accessed 11 July 2025.
[8] Museum, Canadian Warplane Heritage. “De Havilland Moth, Tiger.”
CASPIR Serial Search, caspir.warplane.com/aircraft/serialsearch/aircraft-no/200001626. Accessed 11 July 2025.
Newsclipping from the Powell River News, July
Greetings from qMAS’ new Museum Manager: Shauna Allen
I was born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised on Treaty Six Territory. As a settler Canadian, I respect that Indigenous peoples have been here since time immemorial and their culture and perspectives have long contributed to a rich and vibrant Canada. I also acknowledge that these contributions have historically been met with prejudice and violence and that I have a role to play in the truth and reconciliation of the ongoing legacies of colonialism. I endeavour to place this commitment at the centre of my work in museums.
I arrived in qathet Regional District and traditional territory of the Tla’amin Nation in early July. I am excited to have moved to a vibrant coastal community and joined the team at the qathet Museum and Archives. I bring with me more than twenty years of experience as a museum practitioner, having worked at a variety of historic sites and museums across Canada.
Complementary to this, I have also completed a Master of Arts and a PhD in Museum Studies. My MA
dissertation Reconciliation and Social Justice in Museums and doctoral thesis Curating Change: A Study of Activism in Museums are representative of the vital role I believe that museums have to play in contemporary society.
Over the course of my career, I have seen the great potential for museums to intentionally engage visitors in eye-opening and thought-provoking experiences. Demonstrative of this is an encounter I had with visitors to the Oil Sands Discovery Centre, a geo-science museum that addresses the history, science, and technology of the Alberta oil sands. Following my presentation of a science demonstration of the oil extraction process, a young girl asked, “If it’s bad for the environment, then why do they do it?” I responded by discussing some of petroleum products that we had used that day; from the cars we travelled in to the plastic aglets on our shoelaces. I saw the moment that she made a connection between
fossil fuel development and the way we consume things. As her family continued through the museum, they discussed changes they could make in their daily lives. Encounters like this inspire my commitment to impactful and socially engaged museum practice.
As I embrace my new position as Museum Manager of the qathet Museum and Archives, I am eager to learn the inspiring and diverse stories of the qathet region. I look forward to working with my colleagues to preserve and present local history and culture. We will keep striving to improve collections care and access, and endeavour to continually enhance and grow exhibitions and programming. Engaging with the public in meaningful and activating ways while emphasizing our commitment to diversity and inclusion, decolonization and indigenization, and making a positive impact in our community.
I am excited to get started!
Virtual Exhibit Spotlight
by Devan Gillard
Kathaumixw: Its Earliest Years
This month, Powell River once again welcomed the world to its renowned music festival, Kathaumixw.
What began as a simple idea on a Powell River mountaintop has grown into one of North America’s most distinctive international choral gatherings. Founded in 1984 by Don James and Dal Matterson who dreamed of creating a world-class festival in their own backyard Kathaumixw was inspired by the European choral tradition and driven by a deep love of music and community. Its name, Kathaumixw, meaning “a gathering together of different peoples,” was gifted by the Tla’amin Nation.
Hosted biennially and organized by the Powell River Academy of Music, Kathaumixw quickly earned global recognition. From humble beginnings with just nine youth choirs, the festival has welcomed singers from around the world from Venezuela to Uganda, Estonia to Australia. Its success has been powered by community spirit: local families billet singers, and volunteers help bring each event to life. Kathaumixw is more than a choral competition it’s a celebration of cultural exchange, human connection, and the unifying power of music.
*This exhibit is best viewed on a desktop browser.
laget hiyt toxwum / Herring to Huckleberries
By ošil Betty Wilson Illustrated by Prashant Miranda
$24.95
It’s ošil’s favourite time of year! When the seasons change and the weather grows warm, the ɬagət (herring) return to the waters of the ɬaʔəmɩn Nation, located on the southwest coast of British Columbia. For ošil and her grandparents, their arrival is the beginning of a full year of harvesting traditional foods provided by the sea and land. Together they fish, pick berries, and dig for clams. Everything tastes so good. And the best part is that there is enough for everyone to share!
New Stationary
$2.00-$4.99
This summer at the qathet Museum and Archives, we’re excited to offer a variety of new gift shop items! Check out our latest stationery, including new postcard designs, greeting cards, stickers, and bookmarks.
A Poem from the Archives . . .
1992.11.1
Written by Mary Anderson.
From a Collection of poems titled “Progress of Madness”.
A Rose
A rose is the thing- is the thing that enables my garden to sing; When the violets so pretty and shy and the beautiful daffodils die there’ll still be a riot of bloom and a sweet potpourri of perfume: But ‘twill be like the whist of the tomb until there are roses in bloomfor a rose is the thing-is the thing that enables my garden to sing.
Forestry Museum
open this Summer until Sept 30th Thurs - Sat from 12 - 4 pm At Willingson Beach
