Spring is wrapping up at the qathet Museum & Archives, and we’re busy preparing for the summer season! Keep an eye out for updates on our Summer hours and new and exciting summer programs, including regular activity/ scavenger hunt drop-ins
Looking ahead, our Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday, June 13, in the Centennial Building at 4790 Marine Avenue, Powell River. Additional details are forthcoming.
Saturday, June 13 2026 th
Stay tuned for more details!
1937 in a Snapshot
by Devan Gillard, Reception and Administrative Assistant
1937 was a year of global change and growth. It was the year, George VI was crowned King of the British Empire following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, the start of the Second Sino-Japanse War, and the year of the Hindenberg Disaster. The world was beginning to recover from the Great Depression, but it was also edging closer to another global conflict. So, how were global affairs in 1937 reflected in Powell River.
The Coronation
With the coronation of George VI in May massive celebrations occured in the Powell River region. Fourteen local organizations sponsored groups in a large-scale pageant at the Riverside Oval. Festivities began with a parade of Powell River Ex-Service Men, followed by eight hundred schoolchildren. The pageant itself featured elaborately costumed performances, with each group reenacting scenes inspired by the mythology and history of the British Empire.[1] Later in the year, Chief Tom Timothy of Tla’amin was among the select few awarded a coronation medal, an honour given to those in the British Commonwealth for service to their communities. Other local recipients included George Cook, an executive member of the Army & Navy Veteran No. 223, and Major A.C. Sutton, chairman of the Coronation Committee.
[2] [3]
Mass drill of Powell River school children uon Powell River on the Coronation Day, May 12, 1937
Visitors From Abroad
Despite its geographic remoteness, Powell River was not entirely insulated from international developments. In January of 1937, the first German ship visited the Power River Company’s Mill, delivering zinc, a common bleaching agent for pulp. A few months later, in April, Japanese representatives from importing and publishing toured the area, reportedly expressing interest in the city’s “mechanical, social and cultural development”. [4] [5]
Labour and Industry
For local industry, 1937 was a pivotal year. The Powell River Company expanded into the sulphite pulp export market. That same year, workers organized into two unions: the International Brotherhood of Papermakers and the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite, and Paper Mill Workers. By August, these unions had successfully negotiated a minimum wage increase to 51 cents per hour, along with time-and-a-half pay for overtime. [6] [7] [8]
This represented a significant improvement, especially compared to the 37 ½ cents per hour earned by the mine workers at Blubber Bay on Texada, who went on strike in 1937.[9]
Riverside Oval beside the Powell River Mill | 2007 50 18662
Sports
Community life also saw new developments in sports. In May, a new Lacrosse box opened in the now-demolished Riverside, though its debut was delayed slightly to accommodate coronation celebrations. Meanwhile, the 1936-37 season marked the first rugby season in Powell River.[11]
All in all, 1937 shows Powell River at a turning point, marked by progress and celebration, but heading towards an uncertain future.
Footnotes
1.Town Crier, May 23 , 1937 rd
2.Powell River News, Wednesday, Oct 7, 1937
3.Powell River News, Wednesday, Oct 6, 1937
4.Powell River News, Jan 7 , 1937 th
5.Powell River Digester, April 1937
6.Powell River News, Thursday, June 3 1937 rd,
7.Powell River News, Wednesday, Aug 4 , 1937 th
8.Powell River News, Wednesday, Aug 25 , 1937 th
9.Powell River News, Thursday, May 6, 1937
10.Powell River Digester, May 1937
Lacrosse Box in Riverside| 1987.30.167
Heritage Interpreters will orient and engage museum visitors and program participants and, at the direction of museum staff, lead and contribute to the delivery of museum interpretation and programming in a fun, engaging and educational manner
Must be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment
Workplace Essential Skills and Training (WEST) Program
This year, the qathet Museum & Archives has partnered with VIU’s WEST program. The WEST program supports students with developmental disabilities, helping them build the personal, interpersonal, and employment skills needed to obtain and maintain meaningful work. Its goal is to foster personal growth and independence by equipping students with vocational, academic, workplace, and essential life skills.
Since January, our student has been working at qMAS, contributing to the compilation of an updated inventory of objects on display in the museum’s exhibits on domestic life and the early general store.
Learn more about the WEST program here: https://acp.viu.ca/west
Remembering Terry McCune
First car off the ferry at Saltry Bay in 1954. Volunteer Terry McCune identified the car as a 1952 Ford Customline Coupe. | 1967.1.3874
The qathet Museum & Archives would like to posthumously acknowledge and thank Terry McCune for more than a decade of service as a volunteer. Much of Terry’s work centred around identifying, describing, and digitizing archival photographs in our collection. One of his early projects involved identifying the makes and models of historic vehicles depicted, such as the 1952 Ford Customline Coupe shown above. He later went on to contribute to our ongoing archival records digitization project, which, through the collective work of Terry and our long-term volunteers, has resulted in 89,000 images and 72 years of images digitized. The staff, volunteers, and board of the qathet Musuem & Archives were incredibly saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague earlier this year. His contributions were invaluable, and his humour and congeniality in the workplace are greatly missed.
qMAS’ New Curator
ermen dellicarpini
ermen is an Italian, Irish, Spanish, and Puerto Rican Taíno cultural studies scholar who was born and raised on Lenape and Shinnecock territories (the five boroughs of New York City and Long Island). After moving to xʷməθkʷəy əm (Musqueam) territory (Vancouver), ermen completed an undergraduate degree that specialized in museum studies followed by a master’s degree in anthropology that focused in experimental and sensory autoethnography through the framework of endangered language revitalization of the Taíno language. In their role as curator, ermen strives to highlight the stories of all who call the qathet Regional District home through a framework of equity, community engagement, and collective liberation.
qMAS | Spring 2026 | Page 11
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Starting in June, our drop-in scavenger hunts and activities will rotate every two weeks, so there’s always something new to explore. In May, we’re holding a special Mother’s Day drop-in activity in the lead-up to the celebration. Pop in to make your own Mother’s Day craft.
