Delta Marsh History Initiative, Steering Committee Meeting
9:00 am, 21 November 2005
Home of Shirley Christianson, Portage la Prairie
Present: Barry Bills, Shirley Christianson, Gordon Goldsborough (sec), Bob Jones, Cynthia Jordan, Glen Suggett
1. Minutes of the last meeting (3 October) were approved by consensus after the following corrections: 2A) “go” was added after “…long time to…”, 2B) “Bill” was corrected to “Bills”
2. Business
a) Progress report – Suggett is having a meeting this afternoon with Ken Lyon, a long-time resident of Tin Town. Allegedly, he was the fellow who (accidentally) shot Terry Atkinson. Suggett also had an interview with Pete Ward about two weeks ago. It went well. Pete loaned him a stack of reel-to-reel audio tapes (8 or 10 of them) containing reminiscences on Delta history by Bill Hutchinson and himself. Pete instructed him to listen to the tapes before returning for another interview. Suggett will investigate a company to transfer them to DVD for us. Suggett’s friend is doing research on the murder oak story for him. He has found full trial transcripts but copies are 40˘ per page. The file may have other information too, such as photographs, etc. from the case. Suggett has started work on the Jimmy Robinson story.
b) Other interviews – Names mentioned: Keith Hutchinson (meeting has been arranged), Sterling Lyon (Goldsborough will contact him), Jody Fletcher (den Haan to call regarding early Delta photos on the walls of her home seen by Suggett’s wife Janet during a visit), Neva Pearson (is busy now but Christianson will call her later), Bill Linden (is busy now but Christianson will call her later), Clarice Brown (Jordan and Christianson will arrange to meet Brown and Linden), terry Mobbeley (Suggett never saw him this fall; Goldsborough to return lodge log to Suggett’s office at the Delta Marsh Field Station), and Kelly Pierson (den Haan will call).
c) PCI Archive – Goldsborough has given a cheque for $1,000 to James Kostochuk, who has a student working on the project of finding photographs in their collections relating to Delta.
d) Vust quilt – Christianson has it now. It was decided to begin selling tickets in the spring. Christianson and Bills will get a license from the City. Tickets will be sold for $1 each or three for $2. The draw will take place at the 2006 Canada Day Fish Fry. Second prize will be an overnight and brunch at the Delta Marsh Field Station (coordinated by den Haan, Bills, Christianson). Ticket sales will be done at the Co-op Mall in the spring (Jordan will help).
e) McArthur book – A book of letters by members of the McArthur family given to Goldsborough by Edna Medd of Winnipegosis was donated to the project. It was borrowed by Suggett.
f) Lavallee photographs – Derek has a collection from his grandmother taken at the DMFS lodge in the 1950s. Suggett scanned them. Derek will bring many more.
g) Christmas party – It is arranged for Wednesday, 7 December at 6:00 PM at the Delta Marsh Field Station. Stefanie Goldsborough will be asked to organize a game.
3. Next meeting: The next meeting will be held at the home of Shirley Christianson (118 Wilkinson Crescent, Portage la Prairie) at 9:00 am on Monday, 16 January 2006.
4. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 AM.