Conference & AGM

Virtual Conference 2021 — June 3-5

Due to the ongoing global pandemic, the 2021 BCHF conference hosted in partnership with the Surrey Historical Society will be held via videoconference over three days: June 3-5.

Annual General Meeting – June 5, 2021

Our AGM will be another virtual one via Zoom platform. Details will be announced this spring.

Member Societies are encouraged to submit an annual report to the Federation at least 10 days prior to the AGM.

Societies may provide a short presentation on the highlights of their annual reports during the Member Society Reports segment of the AGM.

Virtual Presentations

Baltej Dhillon — Hear Baltej Dhillon’s story from his first assignment in a small rural community to a long association with the RCMP and most recently the province’s task force on gang violence.

Maurice Guibord —Maurice will engage you with his presentation which incorporates his research on the Francophone heritage of Surrey.

Kyle Jackson —How can historians use new digital tools to enliven and deepen our study of the past? In this talk, Dr. Kyle Jackson will introduce the field of digital history on a global scale, as well as several local experiments underway at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and the City of Surrey Archives. Students Emily Deasy and David Piraquive will share their experiences as authors of a smartphone app tour comparing the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 pandemics in the Lower Mainland.

Renée Sarojini Saklikar —Meet City of Surrey Poet Laureate Renée Sarojini Saklikar. As a poet and a writer she’s explored history (Children of Air India, un/authorized exhibit and interjections); science and poetry (Listening to the Bees); and forthcoming this spring, a Sci-Fi poetry epic that deals with all these. Renée will speak to her work in these areas.

Book Prize Gala

While we won’t be gathering together in the same room, the mood will be festive and social as we present the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s book prizes. New this year, we will have an opportunity for a “people’s choice” winner, selected by the audience in real time.

Virtual Silent Auction

Throughout the three-day conference we will be running a virtual silent auction. Bid on local history books. Two years worth will be up for bid!

Virtual Field Trips

Surrey Cemetery Tour —Surrey Centre Cemetery sits on the top of the hill above Mud Bay, overlooking farm land and the surrounding area as it has done for the last 135 years. As the local communities have grown and prospered, we can find jewels of local history in the stories of our pioneer families in their final resting place. Through granite, marble and even wood-carved stones that dot the historic grounds, we find those that forged a new home and built a community. The cemetery holds the stories of veterans of all conflicts, including the Boer and the US Civil War as well as the family of an emancipated US slave who came to call Cloverdale home. Other features of the cemetery include a butterfly garden and a tree descended from the fields of Vimy Ridge.

Peach Arch Tour —Even though we are unable to visit the Peach Arch, this virtual field trip will take you on a tour through history to look at the origins and construction of this impressive monument and surrounding parks and gardens. As the Peace Arch celebrates its 100th anniversary this program will also highlight many of the events and celebrations that have happened here.

Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Tour — Ride the rails… virtually! The Fraser Valley Heritage Railway takes you back in time.