"bringing our story back to life..."
Mid-December 2020 eNews |
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We say good riddance to the annus horribilis which has been 2020, and thanks to our enthusiastic members we look forward to great things ahead.
Our Newest Life Member - From Far away
We are most pleased to have welcomed our newest Life Member of the Cobourg Museum Foundation. Michael J. Winter is now living on Canada’s West Coast but is no stranger to Cobourg. He has a real connection to the Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre. Here’s what he had to say:
 “Dave Cook was a Sergeant in 33 Medium Regiment RCA at the Cobourg Armoury in 1964 when at the age of 17 I joined the unit. He was a grand mentor to me [and many others] at the start of my 32 year career in the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery.
It’s so nice to see that ’the barracks’ have been preserved - the building lay fallow for too many years and I surmize that without the efforts of the Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre it would have been 'despatched'.
I never met Andrew Cook, but I do recall Dave waxing proudly about him and his accomplishments in the RCAF one of which I believe was flying with the Snowbirds.”
Welcome to the team, Michael!
Your Museum Book Store
 You will know by now that “Cobourg Museum Books” is up and running - books coming in and books going out. It’s a new and interesting venture for the CMF - so far, less manual labour and promising results. (I was about to write “promising returns” but returns for a retailer are not good!)
Ryan, our winter student, has been kept busy learning the software and entering books. Our thanks go to those who have been making quality donations - a selection of fine books on classic automobiles has just been added - and to those who have been buying them. Thanks also go to the Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE program which has supplied the programming and training and to the Federal Government’s Canada Summer Jobs Program through which Ryan has been hired.
The Book Store can be accessed by clicking HERE. And once there, there is also a link to our Gift Shop with some nice Christmas gifts for sale.
Thank You, Members!
 Membership renewal requests were mailed out recently, and how heartening the response has been! Not only have the responses come in quickly, but so many members have added something extra on the donation line. We have certainly continued trying to fulfil our mandate to “bring our story back to life” in spite of the pandemic restrictions, and perhaps you have recognized that.
Your enthusiasm has challenged us at the Board level, and one of the things we would like to do this coming year is to work on expanding our membership.
Fern Gets A Write-Up In Watershed
In a magazine, the last page is not a bad place to be. That’s where many readers start and it’s always easy to find. So we direct you to the last page of the 20/21 Winter Issue of Watershed Magazine (available at Cobourg Library). There you will find a full page article on Fern Blodgett Sunde, complete with pictures.
 The article tells of her wartime experiences as a wireless radio operator with the Norwegian Merchant Marine during the Battle of the Atlantic. “Words like daring, courageous, and patriotic don’t begin to capture the free spirit and determination of the young Cobourg woman.”
Of course, the impetus for this article was the unveiling of Fern’s statue on October 17 last, and that does get a mention at the bottom of the page: A statue commemorating Fern Blodgett Sunde, created by Tyler Fauvelle was recently unveiled in Cobourg’s Victoria Park.
And if you’ve got to the bottom of page 74, maybe you’d read that too!
Happy Holidays!
It is still our wish, even in these challenging times.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
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