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  Researching the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada
  Recherche sur la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg Lieu historique national du Canada

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES OF CAPE BRETON
LIEUX HISTORIQUES NATIONAUX DU CAPE-BRETON

Vol. 5, No. 02
February 2003 - février 2003 

• Parks Canada 2003 Calendars 

The 2003 Parks Canada calendar highlights some of the awe-inspiring natural, historical and cultural treasures of Canada. 

This calendar was meant for all employees to enjoy and to that end we have received another shipment to distribute. 

Any employees who have not received a calendar may pick one up from their supervisor or manager. 

• HP Staff attend forum in Quebec 

In February, De la Plagne staff, Greg Joyce, Sandy Anthony, JR Bourgeois and Peter Chiasson attended a National Heritage Forum in Quebec City. It was a gathering of parks staff from field units, service centres and the national office. The forum, which consisted of presentations, workshops and discussion groups, was highlighted by the first Heritage Presentation Awards of Excellence. Many Parks Canada staff were recognized for their achievements in the area of Heritage Presentation. Peter Hope, Chief Park Interpreter at Kejimkujik National Park was presented with a life time achievement award. Peter will soon be retiring after over 30 years with Parks Canada. Another highlight of the Forum was a speech delivered by CEO Alan Latourelle who also fielded questions from the participants. 

Submitted by Peter Chiasson 

• Vimy and Beaumont Hamel 

At the end of the first world war Canada and Newfoundland erected 13 memorials in northern France and Belgium to commemorate the role of Canadian soldiers. Responsibility for caring for the monuments was given to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Two of those memorials, Vimy and Beaumont Hamel, recently were recognized as national historic sites. Both incorporate the remains of battlefields.

When Veterans Affairs decided to undertake a review of their operations at Vimy and Beaumont Hamel they asked Parks Canada to assign a manager with similar experience to participate as part of the review team and I was chosen.

The most prominent World War I monument in northern France at Vimy. It is a dramatic piece of architecture and sculpture commemorating the almost 12,000 Canadian soldiers who died in the battle of Vimy Ridge, but whose bodies were never found. It sits on the edge of a ridge overlooking northern France and is surrounded by the remains of a huge battlefield, honeycombed with tunnels and craters. They are still finding unexploded shells and other artifacts from the war. 

At Vimy and Beaumont Hamel, Veterans Affairs operates interpretation centres and brings in a new group of students to work as guides every 4 months. 

The review involved looking at all aspects of the operation including human resources, financial management (including revenue potential), asset management, marketing, and cooperating associations. 

Standing back and looking at someone else’s management decisions, challenges and opportunities was really interesting. I realized that we are all extremely lucky to work for Parks Canada. Our organization recognizes what a field operation is all about and tries to provide us with the tools and support we need to do our job. In Veterans Affairs this operation in northern France is the oddball and their problems with staffing (imagine running a FSWEP hiring program every 4 months!), finances and asset management are not understood and they do not always get the help they need. 

The trip to Vimy and Beaumont Hamel was overwhelming in some ways. To walk around the monument at Vimy and look at the names carved on it, or to walk around the 3 cemeteries on the grounds at Vimy and read the names of Canadian soldiers and look at how young they were when they died in April 1917 leaves you incredibly humbled and moved. 

The monument at Vimy is memorable and evocative of a nation’s sorrow and pride. As Canadians we can be extremely proud of it and the way we continue to care for it. 

Submitted by Carol Whitfield 

• Hawthorne Cottage National Historic Site of Canada

Hawthorne Cottage, home of Captain Bob (Robert Abram) Bartlett (1875-1946) who was honoured the world over for enabling American Commander Robert Edwin Peary to make his celebrated dash to the north pole in 1909. For this, and other contributions during a lifelong career devoted to northern exploration, he was hailed as "the greatest ice-navigator of the century".

Peary recognized the skill and daring that would make Bob his most vital asset in attaining his lifelong goal. The Canadian Arctic expedition of 1913-18 under Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson on the ill-fated Karluk, earned Captain Bob Bartlett the following citation from marine historian Thomas Appleton: "the finest feat of leadership in Canadian Marine history." 

Captain Bob commanded more than twenty expeditions to the Arctic region. Many of these voyages were devoted to advancing scientific knowledge of the North. During the First World War he worked for the U.S. Army Transport Command in North America. During the Second World War, he and his famous schooner, Effie M. Morrissey, were commandeered by the U.S. Navy for hydrographic and supply work in Frobisher Bay and Greenland. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s many young American boys enjoyed the thrill of sailing north with Captain Bartlett on the Effie M. Morrissey. No matter how far north he sailed, Captain Bob seldom returned to his home in New York City without docking in Brigus for a few days. Here he enjoyed time with friends and family at Hawthorne Cottage.  

Hawthorne Cottage National Historic Site is located in the scenic community of Brigus, Newfoundland, approximately a one hour drive from St. John's. The cottage combines features of Newfoundland vernacular architecture enhanced by picturesque architectural details. The architecture of Hawthorne has been recognized by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as typifying the refined lifestyle of Newfoundland outport merchant families of the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

 

• Congratulations!!! 

Congratulations to Lionel and Georgina Wadden on the birth of their first grandchild, Lacey . Proud parents are Vanessa and Joe Bellefontaine. Lacey was born on February 8^th weighing 6 lbs., 2 ounces.