At its AGM on June 5, the BC Historical Federation welcomed three new directors-at-large to the board.
Anna Irwin holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and French from the University of the Fraser Valley and a professional specialization certificate in collections management from the University of Victoria. Originally hailing from the Eastern Fraser Valley, Anna has held a variety of positions in museums and is a former director of the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame. Anna is a collections manager (auxiliary) in the history department at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.
Kira Westby is from Peterborough, Ontario. She received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in archaeology and history from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2010, and a Masters in public history from the University of Western Ontario in 2011. Prior to moving to Smithers she worked at the archaeological collections facility Sustainable Archaeology: Western in London Ontario for three years. While living in London, Kira was the emerging leaders representative on the London Advisory Committee on Heritage. Kira has been the curator of the Bulkley Valley Museum in Smithers since November 2014. She also sits on the boards of the Tourism Smithers Society, and the Wetzin’kwa Community Forest.
Refano Evan Lumempouw is a Bachelor of Arts candidate in sociology (2022) at UBC. He worked with the BCHF on the “Buy Local” campaign as a student in SOCI 383 – Sociological Methods: Historical Research. Through this course, he notes, “I was able to learn about archives, the BCHF, and history through a different lens.” Outside of learning new things, Refano likes to push the limits on vegan food by exploring different food places and spending time with people he loves, riding bikes, hiking, and being outside. Currently receptionist at Green College UBC, Refano is also assistant director of the General Assembly for UBC Model United Nations 2022. He was teaching assistant for Sociology 102 – Inequality and Social Change (2020) and is looking forward to the UBC Urban Ethnographic Field School (2021). Refano has volunteered in the community at Kerrisdale Community Centre
and at Union Gospel Mission.
