The British Columbia Historical Federation has provided a collective voice for its member societies since 1922.

This issue of the Buzz is archived at https://tinyurl.com/BCHF6-2025

 

BCHF NEWS

Summer issue of British Columbia History sheds light on interior shipbuilding

Coming soon to your email inbox or mailbox, the summer edition of British Columbia History magazine features a theme of shipbuilding. Stories include: Commercial Shipbuilding in the BC Interior by Robert G. Allan; Matsumoto Shipyard by Daien Ide; Shipbuilding in the West Kootenay and Okanagan: A Historical Overview by Michael Cone; and SS Sicamous Marine Heritage Society by Katie Pereira in conversation with Aimee Greenaway.

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A message from the new BCHF president

Incoming BCHF president Sarah Ling explains one of the reasons she was draw to the mission of the federation and its commitment to public history. To have the opportunity to uplift the sidelined histories of a vast range of communities is a real honour, she writes. However, this is not without challenges.

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Reflections from the outgoing BCHF president

Outgoing BCHF president Rosa Flinton-Brown (pictured) presented a speech at the awards dinner at the annual conference in Williams Lake on May 5. Rosa’s recent remarks reflect her understanding of the critical nature of our work, the current threats to the historical record and how we can support each other in it.

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If you missed it ... see the BCHF annual report here!

The BCHF annual report highlights the important work of the organization for the 2024-25 fiscal year. We hosted an amazing conference, delivered four excellent BC History magazines and honoured writers, historians, and projects with awards and grants. The treasurers report (page 20) details the necessity of increasing subscription and membership fees to meet the rising costs of the print magazine.

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VIDEO: Pentecostal Preacher Woman: The Faith and Feminism of Bernice Gerard

Linda Ambrose, author of Pentecostal Preacher Woman: The Faith and Feminism of Bernice Gerard, presents at the BC Historical Federation's annual conference on May 3 in Williams Lake. Ambrose provides a summary of her book, the winner of the 2025 Lieutenant Governor's prize for historical writing.

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Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra awarded $2,500 from Centennial Legacy Fund

Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra of Belonging Matters Consulting is the recipient of a BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund award in the amount of $2,500. The funds will support research, design, and curation of a project called Pyaar and Basketball - Exploring Heritage, History, and the Brownness of Basketball in BC.

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A photographic mass biography of First World War Japanese Canadian soldiers

Thanks to a BCHF Centennial Legacy Fund grant, Debbie Jiang is putting together a photographic mass biography of Japanese Canadian soldiers who served in the First World War. Please email her if you have any photos to share: jcanadianscef@gmail.com. She already has photos of the 55 fallen but needs help finding images of other veterans. Their names are here.

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MEMBER NEWS

Forest stories told through art, artifacts at Nelson Museum

This summer, the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery invites visitors to experience the forest like never before—through the hands of artists, the lens of history, and the echoes of culture. WOOD is a visually striking group exhibition featuring eight acclaimed contemporary artists from across Canada.

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Are you a member society with news to share in The Buzz? Send it to laura@bchistory.ca

HISTORICAL NOTES

Restored Revelstoke gravemarker highlights Japanese-Canadian history

A restored gravemarker has been dedicated in Revelstoke for Jennie Kiohara, a young Japanese-Canadian woman murdered 120 years ago.

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VIDEO: The Hidden Journals: A Coast Salish Family Story

In 1791, Capt. George Vancouver and Third Lt. Joseph Baker set sail from England, for a five-year journey to find the North West Passage. This Coast Salish family story presented by Halikium Wade Baker and Mary Tasi weaves together primary source narratives, personal recollections, knowledge keeper voices, and new revelations.

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How Sonny McHalsie changed the Fraser Valley’s understanding of itself
 

After more than 40 years, Albert (Sonny) McHalsie (seen above during a BCHF field trip in 2024) has retired as a cultural advisor and Sxweyxwiyam from the Stó:lō Resource and Research Management Centre after more than 40 years. McHalsie gathered stories and names from Halq'eméylem-speaking elders, and collected hundreds of histories from Stó:lō past. 

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A major milestone for Rossland Museum renewal

The Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre has received a $1 million provincial government grant for its initiative to enhance infrastructure, expand year-round programming, and attract visitors to the region through a dynamic, inclusive, and immersive museum experience.

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EVENTS

LiterASIAN Festival 2025: The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act

As part of the 2025 LiterASIAN Festival, join award-winning Chinese Canadian community historian, curator, and author Catherine Clement in exploring the human experience of the Chinese Exclusion Act as revealed through the stories of the lives it touched – and that are featured in her new book, The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.

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Register your site for Historic Places Days

The ninth annual Historic Places Days, organized by the National Trust for Canada, is coming up next month. This nationwide event invites you to help shine a spotlight on historic places from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Monuments, cultural landscapes, geocaches, and more are welcome to register.

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Experience John Lennon’s iconic Rolls-Royce

On display at the Royal BC Museum until mid-January, this Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring Limousine was used by the Beatles in 1965 when they drove to Buckingham Palace to receive medals from the Queen. This car is part of the museum’s exhibition, Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change, featuring artifacts that highlight music’s powerful role in social and political change

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Upcoming Vancouver Heritage Foundation walking tours

Join John Atkin for a set of walks exploring the history, heritage and legacy of BC Electric interurban Central Park line, which had 16 stations between New Westminster and Vancouver. And join South Vancouverite Rob Howatson for a stroll around Lower Sunset, where quiet residential streets meet the noisy bustle of the city’s largest industrial area.

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ADVERTISING

Johnson Group Benefits and Travel rebranding June 30

Effective July 1, Johnson Insurance Group Benefits and Travel operations will come together with belairdirect and rebrand as belairdirect group benefits and belairdirect travel insurance, respectively. To further support their system integration to belairdirect, their Group Benefits and Travel departments will be closed from Saturday, June 28 at 2 p.m. PST to Wednesday July 2 at 3:30 a.m. PST for planned system upgrades. All services resume on Wednesday, July 2.

 
 
 
 

The BCHF offers a number of advertising opportunities in our e-newsletter, which is distributed to our entire membership monthly. Advertisements are jpeg images sized to 600 px wide for electronic distribution. To submit an ad, contact Laura Van Zant: laura@bchistory.ca

Members enjoy discounted advertising rates. Choose 12 months for the best deal:

1-3 months = $100 each ($100-$300 annually)
4 months = $90 each ($360 annually)
6 months = $80 each ($480 annually)
8 months = $70 each ($560 annually)
12 months = $50 each ($600 annually)

Rates for non-members are as follows:

1-3 months = $150 each ($150-$450 annually)
4 months = $140 each ($560 annually)
6 months = $130 each ($780 annually)
8 months = $120 each ($960 annually)
12 months = $100 each ($1,200 annually)

British Columbia Historical Federation

Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 247 • info@bchistory.ca

The BCHF Secretariat is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples. This newsletter is drafted and sent from the traditional unceded territory of the Sinixt First Nation.

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