Spring 2024 qMAS Quarterly

qMAS Quarterly

A quarterly newsletter with updates on museum going-ons and history tidbits!

A Fresh Coat of Paint

The P.R Co. Pipe Band - 2

Website Spotlight - 4

Featured Books - 5

Upcoming at qMAS - 9 INSIDE THIS

Poem from the Archives - 6

Project - 8

In terms of the collection project (see page 9), the title is literal. For the rest of the Museum, it doesn’t have that much new paint, but it has gotten a face lift. With some outdoor alternations and changes to the main display floor, we’re thrilled to finally be reopened to the public as of April 17th after months of closure. While nothing too drastic has happened to the exhibits (yet), we wanted the Museum to feel more welcoming and friendly than ever before, and hope that visitors feel refreshed and inspired after coming by.

To stay up to date, follow us @qathetMuseum on

The Powell River Company

Pipe Band

by Devan Gillard

In 1930, Powell River got its first organized pipe band. It was an independent organization, originally comprised of Scottish mill workers gathering to play music after World War One (PR Digester 1949, p. 18). The town was excited for the addition of the band, and from the start the band was busy, performing at multiple public events throughout Powell River in its first couple of months (PR Digester 1931, p. 5). Their first documented performance was on Armistice Day in 1930 (PR News, Nov 20th, 1930).

In 1939, the pipe band was officially sponsored by the Powell River Company (P.R. Co.). Under this sponsorship they got new uniforms and instruments and began to travel for performances (PR Digester 1949, p. 18).

The Uniform

When the band first began, its uniform used the MacGregor tartan in honour of the band manager, John MacGregor.

Once the band became sponsored by the P.R. Co. in 1939, the company ordered a new set of uniforms using the MacGregor tartan - which never arrived. The uniforms were lost on the SS

Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-boat in 1940.

After 1960, when the Powell River Company was bought by MacMillan Bloedel, the band's uniform was changed to include the MacMillan Tartan (PR News June 27th, 1963).

PR Co pipe band 1939 | 1967 1 168

earned the band an international reputation.

| 1967.1.4424

Traveling: Emissaries

In 1939, the P.R. Co. Pipe Band traveled to Vancouver to play for the visit of King George and Queen Elizabeth (PR News, June 1st, 1939). This success, along with the Powell River Company sponsoring them, allowed the pipe band to travel more, both for competitions and as goodwill ambassadors, which

Throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s the band traveled all over Canada and the United States. The band toured around Texas in 1941. In 1954, the band made over 30 public appearances and came first in a Portland competition, the Calgary Stampede Parade, and the Pacific National Exhibition opening day parade (PR Digester 1954, p. 15). In 1956, the P.R. Co. Pipe Band won the championship of California, and were awarded the key to San Francisco (PR News, Sept 6th, 1956).

The P.R. Co. Pipe Band was considered an “A” class band for much of the 1950s and 1960s (B.C. Pipers Archives). In 1961, they put out an album called the Pipes and Drums of Powell River which was originally sold for $1.98. In their 1961 newsletter, the B.C. Piper’s Associations called the album a “treasure”. The P.R. Co. Pipe Band stopped competing after 1970 and became dormant in the 1980s, though they remain an important part of the legacy of the town.

See More at

https://qathetmuseum.ca/ symphonies-of-the-sunshine-coast/

Article Sources on page 7

First ferry, the Quillayute at Saltery Bay circa 1954 | 1967 1 3868

Powell River Pipe Band in Los Angeles at the Twentieth Century-Fox Studios in California. circa 1940

Virtual Exhibit Spotlight

by Mary Williams, Assistant Curator

Riveting Women

At the time of writing this newsletter, our website is still fresh-faced and new feeling, and our Museum building only just reopened with no new exhibits in development. However, there are still exhibits you can explore: namely, our virtual exhibits.

One of our more recent virtual exhibits, titled Riveting Women, tells the stories of women who worked in the Pulp and Paper Mill in WWII. During their employment at the Mill, the Mill wasn’t making paper, but instead airplane parts.

The exhibit goes into depth on the subject, highlighting specific women who were employed and showcasing some artifacts used and owned by them. The six featured in the exhibit are only a small fraction of the women who worked at the Mill, but their stories were just begging to be told.

We hope the public takes a scroll through the virtual exhibit and learns a few more things about these riveting women that maybe they didn’t before. The virtual exhibit won’t be going offline any time soon, so there’s plenty of time to check it out - along with all the other virtual exhibits on our website!

*This exhibit is best viewed on a desktop browser.

Featured Books

Views of the Salish Sea

Howard Macdonald Stewart

$39.95

It is not mere coincidence that two-thirds of the population of British Columbia occupies lands bordering its great inland sea, the Strait of Georgia, and connected waterways collectively known as the North Salish Sea. From Vancouver and Victoria in the south to Powell River and Campbell River in the north, the North Salish Sea has long sheltered a bounty of habitable lands and rich maritime resources ideal for human settlement.

Desolation Sound

Heather Harbord

$32.95

Beautiful Desolation Sound has for many years been the most popular cruising destination on the BC coast, but is today almost as devoid of local occupants as it was in 1792 when the dyspeptic Captain George Vancouver gave it its misleading name. It has not always been this way. Thick clamshell middens in remote bays, rotted pilings on silent estuaries, ambitious stone terraces on vacant hillsides, overgrown fences around deserted fields, even abandoned railroads--all contribute to an impression that this is an area full of ghosts, an area with a storied past.

2006.86.5590

This Item was donated by Doreen Mitchel. “My Dear Mother”

Mother, dear Mother

When I think of you

I want to be all that is fine

This is true.

All that is worthy Noble or Grand Has come from you, Mother, From your guiding hand.

Sources

“Fred J.P. Macleod, 1931-2018.” Pipes, www.pipesdrums.com/article/fred-j-pmacleod-1931-2018/. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

BCPIPERS, bcpipers.org/images/stories/newsletter/ issue325 bcpa newsletter summer2002.pdf. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Logo & Name Change Update

By Assistant Curator Mary

When the logo contest results came through in December, staff were excited at the prospect of a new logo to go along with the name of the Museum. Several months later, and the public may have noticed something: we still aren’t using the new logo.

The past couple of months, staff have diligently been communicating with the winner designer, Grant Hooper, and with representatives from the Tla’amin Nation. As the winning design features an Indigenous symbol, we wanted to be sure it was a respectful and accurate representation of the local Indigenous People.

We are pleased to say that Grant Hooper is currently working with Tla’amin artist Ivan Rosypskye on the logo’s design.

In the meantime, staff has begun the process of designing and ordering new signage to be installed on the Museum buildings, as well as around town. Another big change is occurring as well:

New summer and winter hours

Staff hope this isn’t too much change all at once, and look forward to seeing visitors once again!

Create and issue Press Release #4 advising membership and public of the outcome (the vote) at the next AGM or Special Meeting If the Special Resolution is passed, proceed with Steps 14-20.

Register new name with the Canada Revenue Agency. Register new name with the BC Registry (gov’t of BC).

Review bids and designs for new logo and new external signs.

Agree on logo and external signage designs and purchase by ordinary resolution at a regular Board Meeting.

Incorporate new name and logo into all external Museum communication formats.

Ensure proper installation of new exterior signs through consultation with the City of Powell River.

Hold Special Public Event to launch new name and new signage.

The Collection Project

By Assistant Curator Mary & Ava

The months of closure have been hard for the Museum, as we’ve had to pass on many interesting events and great opportunities. Staff has been dedicating all their time to this project, and there’s still a long way to go.

Over the course of February and early March, our collection room has undergone a huge transformation. The asbestos tiles were safely removed and remediated, new paint has gone up on the walls and new epoxy is on the floors. It gives the entire room a completely different feel than it had before, and staff are looking forward to spending lots of time down there.

The mobile shelving is on it’s way, but due to manufacturer shortages, it’s installation isn’t scheduled until late May. Until the shelving is installed, the Museum will be operating in a kind of limbo state, where we’ve opened our doors to the public, but we can’t offer our full range of services until all our artifacts are safely back home and on shelves.

Staff is doing everything we can to keep the project moving and to prevent causing more disturbances to the public. We even got the air quality tested in February, to ensure we had paper proof that the buildings were safe, and we

passed with flying colours. We have excellent air quality!

As we get closer to the finish line of this project, we can already see how much the collection is improving, and we look forward to sharing the new storage with all of you.

Background

Our collection hit over capacity in 2021, and years of rotating staff led to some discontinuity in collections organization, a common challenge for most museums. By doing this massive project, not only will we be gaining more usable storage space in our collection room, but we’ll also be able address preservation and storage needs for each artifact one at a time.

By the end of the project, our artifacts will be receiving excellent care, and our database records will be so thorough we’ll know everything (or almost everything) there is to know about each item.

Staff looks forward to the more efficient workflow they’ll get, and the public should look forward to the exciting ideas we have for programming and display once everything is done.

April 17, 2024 - Museum Reopened to the Public

May 21, 2024 - Shelving Installation Begins

July 5, 2024 - Special Collection Event

TBD - Summer Program Guide Released

TBD - Logo Unveiling Party