|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Directory of Museums Calendar of Events Photo Gallery Links Courses and Seminars Council Publications Contact Us Home | |
2007 Conference, Bus Study Tour and AGM |
 The Northern Expedition pauses for a group photo in Dauphin |
The Bus Study Tour (aka Northern Expedition) left Winnipeg on Thursday, September 20, at 8:30 am. The day didn’t exactly dawn bright, but we did hit some very nice weather as we travelled from Winnipeg to Neepawa along the Yellowhead Route.
The bus trip was long, but so enjoyable as we made stops in Neepawa, Dauphin, Swan River, and McCreary (on the return trip). Each location offered us an opportunity to meet new people, tour museums we normally never get to see, and see an area of the province that is one of the most beautiful and interesting.
I could just go on and on about the tour, the wonderful reception we received at each museum, the wonderful food and homemade goodies, but I need to also talk about the conference itself.
To sum up the Bus Study Tour, a good time was had by all and just about everyone agreed that we should put together a tour of museums in a given area and take enough time in order to really see the museum properly.
 Simpson's Folly entertaing at wine & cheese reception at The Sam Waller Museum |
The Sam Waller Museum was the host of the conference and they played the part extremely well. On the Thursday night they opened their doors and invited us in for a wine and cheese reception.
Never having seen this museum before, I didn’t know where to start or what to look at first. There was a display of local artists in the Susan McCharles Gallery, another gallery illustrating The Pas’s history, a library, and Sam Waller’s eclectic collections of oddities and interesting artifacts. As the building used to be the Community Building and Courthouse, there were even jail cells in the basement!
During the reception we were serenaded by Simpson’s Folly and Ron Scott. (You would not believe this man’s many talents!)
 Beryth experiences the jail first hand |
 The best conferences are interactive! |
The sessions on Friday and Saturday were filled with information, experience, passion, and advice. It also contained something usually missing, but always welcome; two-way communication!
After each presentation participants stood up and asked questions, offered opinions, and challenged ideas. This made the sessions even more pertinent and compelling.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the presentations and the hands-on demonstrations that Sue Lambert (Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival) brought along.
 Sawing wood, northern trapper's style |
 Ron Scott receives his certificate from Beryth Strong |
Ron Scott was presented with his certificate for completing the Certificate in Museum Practice. Ron was a real keener, always being the first to show up and the first to hand in his assignments. I know I won’t miss having him as a student, however, as he is already one of our new instructors.
 David McInnes receives lifetime AMM membership from AMM President, Pierrette Boily |
David McInnes retired as manager of Heritage Culture and Tourism in July of this year. He has been a great friend to the AMM and Manitoba museums, and will be sorely missed. However, we presented David with a lifetime membership so we are hoping to keep in touch with him and that we’ll still be seeing him at special events.
Read David's thank you letter for this presentation (pdf).
 Conference Banquet & Auction 2007 |
The traditional banquet was VERY well attended, which helped make the auction another resounding success.
Now, I wouldn’t say the banquet chef (Rob Gemmil) knew his stuff, but he made zucchini taste like a delicacy! The side dishes, fish, venison, and desserts were incredible. (I don’t want to tell tales out of school, but I think many people went back for fourths.)
The auction, with auctioneer David McInnes and assistants Pierrette Boily, Sharain Jones, and Jennifer Gibson, was a laugh and a half and raised a few dollars for the AMM. The bidding frenzy was so great that members of the choral group Aurora joined in the fun.
 Kim Jasper makes presentation at the AMM Conference |
Now, it has been said that people in the museum community are very dedicated but Kim Jasper (Canadian Museum for Human Rights) and Lillian Tankard (Travel Manitoba) illustrated this like no others.
When Lillian boarded the plane in Winnipeg she was told that there was bad weather over The Pas, which might make landing there impossible, but that they’d try it anyway and see how far they got. Thankfully the fog over The Pas had lifted by the time the plane arrived.
Kim had caught an earlier flight and was unable to land in The Pas, after trying several times, due to fog. The plane ended up landing in Flin Flon. Undaunted, Kim accepted a ride from two perfect strangers (husband and wife) and arrived in The Pas in time for her presentation. We gave her a prize for having the toughest time getting to the conference.
Mary-Ann Playford, from Cranberry Portage, exclaimed that the AGM was the best meeting she had EVER been to. It was kept to the point, had discussion where there really needed to be discussion, and didn’t go off in all directions.
One interesting thing that happened at the AGM was a motion to create a Special Interest Group relationship with L’ Association du patrimoine francophone du Manitoba. Larry McCrady is chair of the committee that looked into changing the AMM’s constitution in order to define the relationship with the francophone group.
The motion was passed with additional amendments yet to be made to the AMM’s constitution. The AMM is very excited to see what our two groups can achieve together. This also opens the door for other special interest groups that may want to combine their efforts with the AMM’s.
Eastern region councillor, Diane Dornez-Laxdal is also on the Constitution Committee and is involved with the francophone group. Having her involved in this growing process was invaluable.
 Attendees brainstorm |
After the AGM conference participants gathered round to discuss various issues and ideas that would help the AMM move forward into the future. Discussion was lively and helpful with everybody contributing something to the discussion. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to listen in as much as I’d like as I was packing up the bus and getting ready for the trip back home.
Thank you to Beaver Bus Lines, Beautiful Plains Museum, Fort Dauphin, Swan Valley Historical Museum, Sattherthwaite Log Cabin, The Sam Waller Museum, Wescana Inn, Simpson’s Folly, Aurora, Ron Scott & Lauren Wadelius, and all the speakers, board members, and museum staff and volunteers who helped make the conference a great success. Thank you also to all those who donated items to our auction. It is very much appreciated.
Beryth Strong
P.S. Ron Scott, The Sam Waller Museum, would love to receive copies of any good photos that may have been taken during the conference. He and Sharain were so busy being our most excellent hosts that they forgot to take pictures of their own. I thank you in advance on their behalf.
| Current page: |
|
 |