Post by Dawne McLean, President, Albert County Historical Society. Everyone in our community is extremely pleased to see the scaffolding around the Sawmill Creek covered bridge, which means that major repairs are going to be done to preserve our covered bridge for years to come! No one is more pleased than I am!
It seems fitting to talk about this interesting Albert County MLA and Premier of the Province from 1897 to 1900 on the day 91 years ago that Women were declared persons! On October 18, 1929, the British Privy Council ruled that the word “persons” in the Canadian Constitution referred to both men and women.
Henry Emmerson was first elected MLA for Albert in 1889. In 1891 he was appointed to the Legislative Council of the province and oversaw its abolition. He re-entered the House of Assembly and in October 1892 was appointed to the Executive Council, serving as Chief Commissioner of Public Works in the Liberal government of Premier Andrew George Blair.
As commissioner, Emmerson stopped the practice of building bridges out of wood and opted for more permanent, and more expensive, materials thus driving up the province's public debt. He also supported women's suffrage.
Emmerson became Premier in 1897. During his tenure, he briefly held the position of Attorney-General. His government tried to promote tourism and wheat farming and the development of natural gas and petroleum in the province. In 1899, he introduced legislation to grant women the right to vote but in a free vote, the bill was defeated.
Albert County is a place of wonder, from its beautiful scenery and our abundant natural wealth hosting such natural wonders like Cape Enrage, the Rocks Provincial Park and Fundy National Park that we often fail to celebrate the people who call Albert County home.
For Albert County has truly created trailblazers, pioneers and visionaries from such people as William Henry Steeves, a Father of Confederation; to Lt. Col Cyrus Peck, a Victoria Cross recipient; the Right Honorable Richard Bedford Bennett, 11th Prime Minster of Canada, the Honorable W.A.C. Bennett, the longest serving Premier of British Columbia and such notable people like Mary Majka, a historian and conservationist, Sir George Robert Parkin, founding secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship, and of course, Captain Molly Kool, the first female Ship’s Captain in North America.
There is another name we have been remiss in celebrating that needs to be added to that amazing list, New Brunswick’s first female MLA and Cabinet Minister, Brenda Mary Robertson, CM, ONB.
Brenda Robertson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick representing Albert County in 1967 and was re-elected again in 1970. Then, the Albert District was split and Riverview district was created out of Albert, there Brenda was elected three more times (1974, 1978, and 1982) representing the district of Riverview. In 1970, she was appointed Youth Minister. She was also Minister of Social Welfare, Minister of Social Services, Minister of Health, and Minister for Social Program Reform. She remained a Member until her appointment to the Senate on December 21, 1984 representing the senatorial division of Riverview, New Brunswick. She sat as a Progressive Conservative and a Conservative until her retirement on her 75th birthday in 2004.
She was appointed to the Order of New Brunswick in 2004 in honour of "her tremendous work ethic and commitment to serve New Brunswickers and her country." and the Order of Canada in 2008 in recognition for being a "trailblazer and role model for women in politics".
Sadly, Brenda Robinson passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. She was 91.
As a county we can be proud to have elected the first female MLA in New Brunswick history, especially during our 175th Anniversary year, and we, as a county, say a huge ” THANK YOU” to Brenda for her many years of service to Albert County and to Canada and for being such an inspiration to future generations.
On June 12, 2010 the RB Bennett Commemorative Centre opened at the Museum in honor of Canada’s 11th Prime Minister the Right Honorable Richard Bedford Bennett. On hand as guest speaker at the event was Canada’s 17th Prime Minster the Right Honorable John Turner.
Now it might seem strange that a Liberal Prime Minister such as John Turner would take part in the opening of a centre dedicated to a Conservative Prime Minster, but that was the type of man that was John Turner. He recognized the role that Bennett played in Canadian life and was there to pay him tribute.
At the time of the Grand Opening Mr. Turner had just turned 81 years old and he regaled the audience with his families connection to RB Bennett. Mr. Turner said::
As a boy growing up in Ottawa in the 1930s, it was my good fortune to meet Richard Bedford Bennett, Canada's 11th prime minister, on many occasions. I recall a friendly man with a booming voice who gave me chocolates once in a while.
A man with progressive views for his time about women, he was responsible for bringing my late mother, Phyllis Gregory (later Ross), into Canada's public service during the Great Depression. She soon rose through the ranks, a single woman with two young children to raise, and became the senior-ranked female public servant in the land.
For the rest of her life, my mother respected and admired Bennett for this and his countless contributions to Canada. Like me today, she never understood as time went on the largely negative portrayal he received before history - when he's even been considered at all.
John Turner like RB Bennett saw his party go down in defeat during his tenure as leader, mainly due to circumstances beyond their control. We would like to thank John Turner for his many years of service to the Canadian people and for his warmly felt words at our Grand Opening ceremony 10 years ago.
Thank you sir.
We will be lowing the Bennett Flag to half-mast in his honor.
On June 12, 2010 the RB Bennett Commemorative Centre opened at the Museum in honor of Canada’s 11th Prime Minister the Right Honorable Richard Bedford Bennett. On hand as guest speaker at the event was Canada’s 17th Prime Minster the Right Honorable John Turner.
Now it might seem strange that a Liberal Prime Minister such as John Turner would take part in the opening of a centre dedicated to a Conservative Prime Minster, but that was the type of man that was John Turner. He recognized the role that Bennett played in Canadian life and was there to pay him tribute.
At the time of the Grand Opening Mr. Turner had just turned 81 years old and he regaled the audience with his families connection to RB Bennett. Mr. Turner said::
As a boy growing up in Ottawa in the 1930s, it was my good fortune to meet Richard Bedford Bennett, Canada's 11th prime minister, on many occasions. I recall a friendly man with a booming voice who gave me chocolates once in a while.
A man with progressive views for his time about women, he was responsible for bringing my late mother, Phyllis Gregory (later Ross), into Canada's public service during the Great Depression. She soon rose through the ranks, a single woman with two young children to raise, and became the senior-ranked female public servant in the land.
For the rest of her life, my mother respected and admired Bennett for this and his countless contributions to Canada. Like me today, she never understood as time went on the largely negative portrayal he received before history - when he's even been considered at all.
John Turner like RB Bennett saw his party go down in defeat during his tenure as leader, mainly due to circumstances beyond their control. We would like to thank John Turner for his many years of service to the Canadian people and for his warmly felt words at our Grand Opening ceremony 10 years ago.
Thank you sir.
We will be lowing the Bennett Flag to half-mast in his honor.
Our museum is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful artefacts that have been lovingly donated to the museum to be shared and appreciated by everyone who visits. It’s a collecting ground for our shared past to protect and pass on to future generations. It truly is a wonderful place to explore and experience the past.
And it’s not everyday that we get an item that make us go “WOW!”, but today was one of those days. Today we received what might possibly be the finest toboggan in the country. (Ironically, on perhaps the hottest day of the year!). Someone even remarked that if it snowed now, they wouldn’t mind a bit.
With 2018 quickly drawing to an end, we can look back on our year at the museum with pride. We opened an amazing new exhibit - The County of Heroes, CY Peck, VC and the Victory Cannons. The exhibit highlights the significant accomplishments of the people from Albert County both during and after the First World War. The exhibit honours the 55 men from Albert County who paid the supreme sacrifice while serving their county, and those who survived the horrors and came home. The exhibit tells the exciting story of the pair of German guns which sit in Hopewell Cape Square, and how they came to be there. It also honours, Cyrus Peck, a native born Albert County man who won the Victoria Cross, September 2, 1918 by telling his life story. If you haven’t had a chance to see it come in 2019!
We also welcomed Dan Ross, our new Manager to the museum. Dan had a great first year, getting a crash course on Albert County’s amazing history. He laid the foundation for our continued success, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he has planned for the future.
We continued our annual events - RB Bennett Day, the 42nd Annual Quilt Show and Fiber Arts Fair, the Royalty Tea, the Antiques Road Show and the Annual Christmas Concert. So without further ado here is the year in review!
On May 19th, 2018 the exhibit “County of Heroes” opened to the public at our Albert County Museum. The event was well received and was covered by media outlets.
About a month later I received a call from a very pleasant lady from Ontario informing me that she was a descendant of Pte. Joyce. She went on to tell me she saw a television report about the County of Heroes and realized that she had some personal belongings of Pte. Joyce that she received from her great uncle. She graciously donated them to the museum and I received them a few weeks later.
As I was examining the many letters and artifacts, I came upon a very touching letter from Joyce’s commanding officer informing her of how her son died in battle on August 28, 1918. I almost fell off my chair when I realized that the 100th anniversary of Harold George Joyce paying the ultimate sacrifice for his country was only a few days away. So I issued a press release and, in a very short period of time, received a call from CBC television and radio. The CBC did a very nice tribute to a Pte. Joyce and treated the story with the compassion and dignity of the return, if only of possessions, of a native of New Brunswick and a son of Albert County.
But Harold’s story continues. Last week I received a visit from 10 of Harold Joyce’s decedents who live throughout the province. All converging unannounced to observe first hand the memorabilia that was now in the museum’s possession. I was honoured to unveil the artifacts and it was a very heartfelt emotional time when I read the letter that Harold’s mother received over 100 years ago. They all received a tour of the County of Heroes exhibit and they were very thankful that the Albert County Historical Society took on the challenge of building such a memorial to the fallen sons of Albert County. The only part that was of concern was the picture we have of Harold; that it is not of very good quality. I explained that during the days leading up to the opening of the exhibit, we were missing 6 pictures. Pte. Joyce being one of them. And how, on the day before we opened to the public, we found the picture that is on display, by chance, on the internet. Mrs. Carol Plume of Petitcodiac made the comment “We’ll have to do something about that.”
So yesterday I received a package in the mail, with Mrs. Plume’s return address on it. And sure enough, as I opened it Pte. Harold George Joyce jumped out to see me again. Once again I was privileged to look through pictures, his battalion badges and even a small arms ammunition belt. And two proud pictures, one as a civilian and one in full military dress with rifle. And again, I was thankful for the sacrifice of Pte. Joyce and all who fell with him over 100 years ago. Even more, I’m amazed at the the kindness of strangers and the in awe of the close ties of Harold’s family. And, of course, bewildered that Pte. Harold George Joyce, who was killed in action just over 100 years ago; Pte. Joyce who has no official burial site in France; that somehow, Harold Joyce has returned to his home in Hopewell Cape, NB.
Make plans to attend the Hopewell Cape Kitchen Party at the Albert County Museum's Community Hall on Monday July 23rd at 7:00 PM.
Local favourites Sara and James Nelson will be performing. If you caught them at our RB Bennett / Canada Day Celebration then you know why Albert County loves hearing them play.
Also on the bill is the talented and amazing Samantha Robichaud. Samantha has performed many times in the Community Hall many times. It is always a treat to hear her play and and we're sure she feels like she's coming home for a Kitchen Party !
Tickets are $10 at the door. There will be a canteen with goodies. This will be great family fun!
The Albert County Museum is looking for a Senior High School or University Student who has a passion for history, to play a key roll at the Museum this summer as our Jr. Historian. This position is bilingual and the candidate must apply through Young Canada Works at: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/young-canada-works.html
In addition, you can also send your resume to d.ross@albertcountymuseum.com
About the position: This is a unique opportunity for a dynamic, self-motivated individual to be a vital part of the Albert County Museum and RB Bennett Commemorative Centre. To help manage its artifact collection, offer educational outreach and be part of a dedicated interpretive staff in telling the story of the People of the Tides and showcasing Albert County's native son, Hon. RB Bennett, 11th Prime Minister of Canada.
The candidate will directly help the Manager with the day to day museum functions, and assist in the development of interpretive programming and exhibits. Strong organizational, supervisory, interpersonal and oral/written communication skills are mandatory, as well as strong social media skills, and speaking before small and large groups. Bilingualism is expected.
This will be an excellent opportunity for a potential candidate to build a strong skill set in all fields of museum and curatorial aspects for a career in museum/heritage and related fields. The Albert County Museum has a wide focus of history which encompasses exhibits from first nations, to the earliest Acadian Settlers in 1699, the Expulsion, through the height of the maritime shipbuilding, Confederation, to both World Wars, and later. The museum also celebrates Canada's 11th Prime Minister RB Bennett which lends itself to an excellent opportunity for a candidate with more political leanings. Visit www.albertcountymuseum.com
Tickets are only available at the door. Adult $15 / Student or Senior $8 / Under 12 Free
