The sagacious steward of the Sechelt Community Archives is stepping down after almost three decades overseeing the community’s collection of historical records.  

Ann Watson, withdrawing from her duties at the age of 91, plans to travel extensively with her husband Ivor. Liberated from her customary Thursday office hours at the archival stacks on Teredo Street, Watson also intends to step up her pickleball coaching and competitive gameplay at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre. 

Watson began organizing Sechelt’s collections in 1997. She had just completed a relocation of archival materials from the Anglican Church’s Christ Church Cathedral to the Vancouver School of Theology. During the subsequent decade, she traveled to and from Vancouver each week, setting the cathedral records in order while instituting archival systems in Sechelt. 

“What I found out,” she said, “is that you find a job you like and you’ll never work a day in your life.” 

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