Woodstock Collegiate Institute, Early 1900’s. Photo courtesy of Oxford County Archives.
Our next speaker will be Megan Lockhart, from the Oxford County Archives. She will be presenting their Memories From the Vault program. This is an interactive event in which Oxford County shares aspects of their archival collection (photos, newspapers articles, scrapbooks, artifacts etc.) with the participants and they in turn share some of their memories with the Archives. A great sharing experience for all involved!
The meeting will be held at the Woodstock Museum, NHS on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, starting at 6:45pm. This is a free event and all are welcome to attend.
I am forwarding on an invitation from Oxford County Council:
County Council will formally acknowledge the Flowers family on March 11 for a generous $250,000 donation from the estate of the late R. Bruce Flowers to restore part of the Old Gaol on Buller Street in Woodstock. A light reception and archival display will take place beforehand.
When: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 9:00 a.m. Light reception and Old Gaol display 9:30 a.m. Council presentation
Who: David Flowers, Jim Flowers and Shelagh Morrison, siblings of Bruce Flowers, will be in attendance, with David Flowers speaking
Warden Larry Martin will present each family member with a framed photograph showcasing the Old Gaol’s reconstructed features, accompanied by a miniature replica of the donor recognition plaque now affixed to the building
Where: Oxford County Administration Building 21 Reeve Street, Woodstock Main lobby and Council Chamber
The reconstruction project funded by the donation was used at the request of Bruce Flowers to restore the chimneys and bartizans (overhanging turrets) that were removed from the Old Gaol in 1954, a century after it was constructed. The Old Gaol, which currently houses public health services, was built in the Italianate Romanesque style and retains many architecturally significant features, such as Tuscan Gothic detailing and a central pillar foundation that carries the entire weight of the building.
For more information contact: Chloe Senior, Clerk, Oxford County 519-539-9800, ext. 3001 | csenior@oxfordcounty.ca
They are offering a Lunch & Learn session on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, from 11am-1pm, featuring Jeff Tribe. Jeff Tribe will talk about the use of drone photography in marijuana farming. Jeff Tribe went from newspaper fella to video communication and ended up at a cannabis factory. In this Lunch & Learn event he will talk about his experiences, give an overview of the cannabis market, and delight everyone with his story. For more information about this event go to N&DM’s Facebook page. This event will take place at the Norwich & District Museum.
Here’s some information that will be of interest to some of our members.
The Canadian MacKay Committee is petitioning Canada Post to dedicate a stamp in 2022, commemorating the 150th anniversary of George Leslie MacKay arriving in Taiwan (then Formosa). Leslie MacKay was born in Embro, Ontario in 1844 and was one of Oxford County’s most influential citizens. There is a statue of him, pictured on the right, which can be seen on the lawn of Oxford County’s courthouse here in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.
The Canadian MacKay Committee has provided the header picture of the MacKay family. Text from their site is below in italics. Afterwards is a link to their site.
“On March 9, 1872 Canada first set foot in Asia, in the person of Rev. George Leslie Mackay (1844-1901), a man who founded the first Canadian overseas mission and is now a national hero in Taiwan.
“Mackay of Formosa” was the most famous missionary of his generation, noted for his unusual yet successful methods. He established the first hospital, first modern school, first school for women, and first museum in Taiwan. He is remembered there in school textbooks, on a 2001 stamp, in statues, a museum, commemorative days, and Mackay Memorial Hospital.
It is a surprise to people from Taiwan to learn that Mackay is unknown in Canada today. Commemorating him on a stamp for the 150th anniversary of Canada’s engagement in Asia would be a small step to reviving this forgotten history.”
