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Just over six years since she began speaking her truth full-time, Phyllis Webstad shared her story during her keynote speech for the 2025 BC Historical Federation Conference in Williams Lake.
“Life can be understood backward but must be lived forward,” said Webstad as she spoke about coming to peace with the past.
Webstad presented to about 35 people in the afternoon of the conference’s first full day of events. She shared stories from her childhood and talked about living off the land with her granny before attending residential school.
Read the full article here.
Cheryl was a good friend to many within the BC History of Nursing community. Her enthusiasm for participation, wearing costumes and setting up displays at nursing events was already appreciated. Cheryl was a true, thoughtful, kind friend and advocate for Nursing.
Cheryl entered Regina General Hospital School of Nursing and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1965. Following graduation, she accepted a staff position at Riverview General Hospital in Calgary. Cheryl moved to Vancouver in 1978 to take up a faculty position at the University of British Columbia. During her UBC years she was a Lecturer, Clinical Instructor and Director of the Learning Resource Centre. Cheryl completed her Masters Degree in Education in 1984. Following graduate studies she was rehired to UBC faculty, serving in various management positions. In the final years of her distinguished teaching career, she was appointed Director of the Post RN Program. She retired in 2009.
Cheryl’s professional involvement included executive positions with the British Columbia History of Nursing Society (BCHNS) and with the Canadian Association for University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN). She made valuable contributions to these organizations and planning of national conferences. Cheryl was largely responsible for the presentation of the opera Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp in 2006 and coordinated the joint presentation between BCHNS and The Canadian Association for the History of Nursing to an international gathering of nurses from around the world. Cheryl was also involved and contributed to the National Organization of Nurse Educators, the Distance Education Organization, and the Nursing Laboratory Educators. Many nursing colleagues and students have benefited from Cheryl’s deep commitment to professional nursing.
The BCHF extends its heartfelt condolences to Cheryl's friends, family, and the many people who mourn her passing.
This year, Belair Insurance Company Inc. (“belairdirect”) is pleased to offer 50 scholarships worth $1000. To apply, the student must be:
Applications are due by July 15th, 2025. For more information, and how to apply, please download this PDF.
The British Columbia Historical Federation has awarded the Revelstoke Museum and Archives with its Storytelling Award for their Brown Bag History bi-weekly lecture series.
The Storytelling Award recognizes excellence in storytelling in non-print formats, including in-person presentation, audio, visual and digital mediums.
A long-standing program which has been running since 2003, the Brown Bag History program covers a wide variety of subjects related to the history of Revelstoke and the surrounding the area.
The program is praised for its depth of research and its focus on telling inclusive histories which highlight the diversity of the Revelstoke region.
Hosted by curator Cathy English, with occasional guest speakers, Brown Bag History has spanned more than 400 talks to date. Since 2020, the talks have been added to the Revelstoke Museum and Archives’ YouTube Channel. (You can watch a recent installment above.)
The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with a $500 prize and a certificate.
Ruth Moffat at work on the digitization project at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum.
The Agassiz-Harrison Museum and the Revelstoke Museum and Archives will share the BCHF Cultural Resource Accessibility Award.
The Agassiz-Harrison Museum is being recognized for its recent digitization project, which has resulted in improved online access to the organization’s archival and newspaper holdings, including the Agassiz Record, Agassiz Observer and Agassiz Advance between 1923 and 1958. The project furthers the reach of researchers and students learning about the region’s past.
The Revelstoke Museum and Archives is being acknowledged for its accessibility project. Led by Rachael Lewis, the project which developed a range of tools, including sensory kits and audio tours, for visitors with diverse abilities. The project helps Revelstoke’s history and collections become more accessible to all visitors.
The Cultural Resource Accessibility Award honours excellence in cultural resource management which connects British Columbians with their history and highlights steps being undertaken by communities to improve visibility and access to British Columbia’s cultural resources.
The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday. The organizations split the $500 award prize and received certificates.
Brittany Newman of the Golden Museum and Archives
The British Columbia Historical Federation is pleased to announce that the Golden Museum and Archives has been awarded the BCHF Advocacy Award for the museum’s solar panel project.
The Advocacy Award recognizes initiatives and projects undertaken within the museum and heritage sector which aim to create positive change within the world.
The Golden Museum and Archives recently undertook building upgrades with the goal of bringing the organization’s power usage to net zero. The project, which will be accompanied by a display informing visitors both about the solar panel system and current energy production levels, is being recognized for its active, forward-thinking approach to climate change and demonstrates environmental sustainability within the heritage sector in British Columbia.
The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday and comes with $250 and a certificate.
Honourable mentions were awarded to Madison Bridal and Jazmin Hundal of the British Columbia Museum Association for their work developing the IBPOC Cultural Professionals Network.
Cathy English
Cathy English is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.
Awards of recognition are given by the BCHF to individuals who have given exceptional service for a specific project in the preservation of British Columbia’s history.
English is being recognized for her long, exemplary service at the Revelstoke Museum and Archives. Curator at the Museum for more than 40 years, Cathy has become synonymous with history and heritage in the city.
Her approach, which focuses on bringing Revelstoke to the forefront in a way that is robust and inclusive of all, has allowed for the uncovering of stories from underrepresented communities in Revelstoke.
English is also being recognized for her dedication to teaching and guiding young professionals and youth, having actively mentored hundreds of students, interns and emerging professionals new to the heritage sector.
The award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.
Deborah Chapman giving a cemetery tour.
Deborah Chapman is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.
Longtime curator and archivist of R.J. Haney House in Salmon Arm, Chapman has been the backbone of the historic site for 35 years.
Throughout this time, she has undertaken countless projects to operate and improve the historic site, which is a cornerstone of the region.
The award was presented at the Federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.
Dr. Stephen Davies
Dr. Stephen Davies of Vancouver Island University is the recipient of a BCHF Award of Recognition.
Dr. Davies is being recognized for the creation of “The Canadian Letters & Images Project,” which has scanned and made more than 40,000 war letters sent by Canadian soldiers from the warfront back to Canada available to the public. His work on the project, which has spanned more than 25 years, has given voice to thousands of Canadian War Veterans. The project is available online through https://www.canadianletters.ca.
he award was presented at the federation’s annual conference awards gala in Williams Lake on Saturday.
Jonathan Kalmakoff
A story examining the short life of a Boundary industry has won the BC Historical Federation’s Anne and Philip Yandle Best Article Award. “The Doukhobor Jam Factory at Grand Forks,” by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff, appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of British Columbia History magazine. It was chosen by a panel of judges from among 20 eligible articles published in the magazine last year. The story examined the events that led to the construction of the factory in 1935 and its demise after just 10 days of production. One judge called it “deeply researched” and said it is “more than the history of a jam factory. It answers questions about a major factor in the complex fiscal collapse of the Doukhobor colonies and the eventual sale of communal lands.” Another called it “a fascinating look at a lesser-known bit of history.” “It was such a privilege to submit this article to BC History and to serve as guest editor of the issue in which it appeared,” Kalmakoff said. “In writing it, my hope was to reorient the historical narrative about Doukhobors, in a small but meaningful way, from being a ‘problematic’ people, unable to escape the debate associated with their suitability as Canadians, to being ‘province-builders’ who made a significant collective contribution to the growth and development of British Columbia.” Kalmakoff is a Regina lawyer, researcher, and writer. He is the creator of the Doukhbor Heritage website at doukhobor.org and a leading authority on Doukhobor heritage in Canada. He is a past recipient of a BCHF Centennial Legacy Grant to support his research into land titles and Doukhobor-owned property. The award was announced Saturday during the BCHF’s awards gala in Williams Lake and comes with $250 and a certificate. Honorable mentions were also presented to Catherine Clement for “A Match Not Made in Heaven,” and Wayne Norton for “A Question of Perspective: James Harold Trigg’s First World War Internment Photographs.” Philip Yandle was the founder, editor, publisher, printer, binder, and distributor of the BC Historical News (now BC History) from 1968 to 1977. His wife Anne Yandle was also very active in BC Historical News for almost 40 years and served as its book reviews editor. In 2007, the BCHF renamed its Best Article Award Award in honor of the Yandles.
British Columbia Historical FederationPO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, Canada, V1M 2R7Information: info@bchistory.ca
The Secretariat of the BCHF is located on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples.
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